Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe Gifted
Fox
Season 1 Episode 1
EXposed
A mutant is being hunted. As she run through the streets and back alleys, you get the sense that she is different. If you’re familiar with the world of the X-Men, you know why. This is the first introduction of Blink. As she uses her powers to escape, the scene shifts to another group trying to find her as well. Members of the mutant underground are tracking Blink as well and when they find her, most of them get away while Lorna Dane aka Polaris is captured. That’s how the pilot episode of The Gifted begins.
As we get into the story of the series, the Strucker siblings are dealing with the day-to-day life of being teenagers. While Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind) is content with being a typical teen getting ready to meet her boyfriend at the school dance, younger brother Andy (Percy Hynes White) is dealing with being bullied. When he’s taken into the locker room during the dance by the school bully and his pals and thrown into the showers, Andy’s powers manifest for the first time. While trying to find and rescue him, Lauren uses her powers as well.
As news of the incident at the school begins to spread, the kids go home to tell their mother Kate (Amy Acker) about what they are. They are then confronted with agents of Sentinel Services who tell her that they are there to take the kids, causing them to escape. The kid’s father Reed (Stephen Moyer) is told the truth and when he’s told about the Sentinel Services, he decides that they all have to run.
I really enjoyed the first episode of The Gifted. One of the best things about it is that it’s not trying to be an X-Men show. It takes place in the universe, but it’s not bound by the canon of the movies. The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered from being too close to the MCU. The Gifted has the rare opportunity to write its own story without the weight of the entire universe on their shoulders. The episode struck the right tone of suspense and discovery as well. It wasn’t over the top and actually really made me interested in seeing the next episode.
