'The Gifted' Season 1, Episode 9 'outfoX' Recap: Rushed Plans and New Found Powers [SPOILERS]

On tonight’s episode of “The Gifted,” titled, “outfoX,” stakes are higher than ever. The Mutant Underground develops a plan to rescue the mutants held captive by Trask Industries. The Strucker family learns more about their family tree when they learn about the Von Strucker twins. Meanwhile, Skyler Samuel’s character Esme is acting a little bit suspicious. She’s either someone not to be trusted, or she truly wants to save her loved ones captured by the Sentinel Services—even if it means pushing a team of mutants in hiding to rush their rescue mission.

The Strucker Family is now an open book

Back in “threat of eXtinction,” Reed’s (Stephen Moyer) father revealed that the Strucker family are mutants. After telling his family what his father told him, Caitlin (Amy Acker) begs Reed to stop keeping secrets the way his father did. Reed and his mother both thought he had leukemia when he was a child, and his family fell apart because of his father’s secret. The last thing Caitlin wants is for their family to end the same way, especially if it involves a hereditary destructive power. The two decide to tell Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind) and Andy (Percy Hynes White) about the Von Strucker twins.
In the opening of the episode, we see a flashback of the Strucker’s happy days. Andy was trying to teach Lauren how to skateboard. As she was about to fall, Andy catches her. Their palms start to glow and they feel an energy surging around them. Immediately, they let go. The two siblings recount that event in the present. Andy and Lauren couldn’t sleep so they spend the night talking about the Von Strucker twins. To Lauren’s surprise, Andy was looking around the library and found a book that mentions their great grand relatives. They learn how the Von Strucker twins—also known as Fenris Twins—destructive powers. Afraid they will turn out the same, the two put the topic to rest.

Reed and Caitlin hope their children don’t have the destructive power. To test it out and to expect a more open kind of relationship, the Strucker family heads to the vaults to see if Lauren and Andy have the same powers and may be just as destructive when they hold hands. During the first time, it was a bust. But when Andy asks Lauren to try hard, they felt the same surge of energy from a year ago. Everything starts to glow and shake. Before anything terrible happens, Reed pulls them apart. Lauren tells them if they held hands any longer they would’ve brought the entire building down and everyone in it.

‘The Gifted’ rushing rescue plans

Esme, the new mutant telepath, is trying hard to convince everyone to attack Trask Industries. She tells the core group of the Mutant Underground they are the last hope the mutants need. The X-Men and the Brotherhood are gone, and these trapped mutants have little faith as it is. The team tries to convince her otherwise because the only basis they have was what Esme read from Chloe’s mind. Esme refuses to understand their explanation and hits them where it hurts. She reminded Thunderbird (Blair Redford) of what they did to Pulse. Esme even stood outside Polaris (Emma Dumont) and Marcos’ (Sean Teale) room eavesdropping. Dreamer (Elena Satine) is the only one suspicious of Esme’s motives and how she knew about Pulse. Thunderbird reassures Dream it’s due to the fact Esme is a telepath.

But after Polaris had a nightmare of Sentinel Services capturing her friends and her baby, she changes her mind about Esme’s plans. The Mutant Underground shifts their focus on saving the mutant prisoners of Trask Industries. With no luck locating the lab, Sage (Hayley Lovitt) finds a bar where most Trask employees spend their free time. Dreamer and Polaris decide to go there and try to obtain information. When flirting with a Trask security guard turned to knocking him out, they were able to get the information they needed.
The Mutant Underground assess the information about Trask Industries’ security, and they figure that it’s a problematic way inside. Blink (Jamie Chung) can’t create a portal without the risk of getting stuck in a wall. Sage suggests they take down the power. Esme suggests the only way they can do that is with the Strucker siblings.

A power that won’t save them

The Mutant Underground asks the Struckers to help them knock out the transformers. Marcos reassures Reed his kids won’t do any combat, just to take out the power. Reluctant at first, Reed and Caitleen agree if they are the ones monitoring security. The plan is ready to get in motion. The Mutant Underground arrives outside the laboratory. Polaris reminds Esme that their mission isn’t exciting and there are risks. Esme reads Polaris’ mind and sees the moment Eclipse was shot. She uses that information to gain empathy from Polaris.
Thunderbird and Marcos are scoping out the fence while the second team arrives at the power substation. Sage hacks them into the security feeds. Blink opens a portal for Dreamer, Andy, and Lauren to pass through. Caitlin and Reed assist them by monitoring the security cameras. Everything was going smoothly until Jace (Coby Bell) found something unusual with an absent Trask security guard. He figures out the Mutant Underground is about to infiltrate the power station of the building. Caitlin and Reed see Jace’s Sentinel Services team arrive and warns Dreamer. The plan starts to fall apart.

Sentinel Services releases new spider bots that Andy cannot destroy. Blink can’t create a portal as a way out, leading to their capture. Andy and Lauren find themselves in the basement of the building. The two held hands in the hopes to stop Sentinel, but Andy pulls away realizing they won’t save anyone. If they use their powers, they will kill everyone in the building. Soon enough, the siblings get taken too. The lab goes on high alert. Thunderbird can hear that they’re headed to the substation. They abort the mission. With half their team in Sentinel Services custody, they need a better rescue plan.
“The Gifted,” continues next Monday with “eXploited” at 9/8c on FOX.