In this era of Peak TV, there’s no room for mediocre television, especially when the competition is so cutthroat that Amazon, AT&T, and even Apple have jumped on the bandwagon as well.
The Gifted didn’t start out as “mediocre”. In fact, it had a pretty interesting first season because it premiered with a whole lot of promise by existing in a huge and exciting X-Men universe. Somewhere along the way, however, the show became too predictable as it relied on frustrating plot contrivances to resolve most of its storylines, which is a big no-no in television or any form of storytelling. Sadly, even killing off some major characters (RIP Dreamer) didn’t carry enough weight despite the shock value because there is little character development within these 13 episodes.
Not that eXtraction and X-roads are all bad. The supersized finale contains some of the best action sequences on the show so far and an incredibly nuanced and emotional scene as Polaris, undeniably the highlight of this entire series, blows up an airplane in mid-air. She’s obviously angry and fed up with this screwed up world, as evidenced by her heartbreaking speech to Eclipse, and Emma Dumont has done a brilliant job bringing Lorna’s character to life even when the material she’s had to work with was subpar up until this point.
The show was ultimately at its best when it focused on Polaris and Eclipse (and yes maybe even Johnny/Thunderbird), but it repeatedly kept shifting the attention back to the Struckers. Again, Amy Acker did as well as anyone could given the writing, but none of the Strucker’s were fleshed out beyond their one-dimensional qualities. This made the final moment in which the mutants started going their separate ways (adios, Andy) less impactful than intended.
Perhaps I’m wrong and shuffling the status quo might serve the show right, but eventually the writers have to refocus on their characters if they want The Gifted to become must-see television.
Xtra Bits
– A season is only as good as its Big Bad, and sadly Jace Turner went from being an intriguing antagonist with a lot of depth to just another Sentinel Services agent looking to take down the mutants by the time the finale started.
– Comic book nerds must have recognized the lawyer/mutant with Polaris in the mental hospital in the cold open. Meanwhile, I had to Google it of course, and *SPOILER ALERT* we might be seeing DRAGONS on this show?? #GoodbyeBudget
– Caitlin lying to the random co-worker they bumped into while trying to get to Reed’s mother was beyond impressive. Wow.
– Cringe-worthy fight between Andy and Lauren in the parking lot.
– The ADR/dubbing was absolutely atrocious in this episode. Did they air an unfinished screener of the finale or something?
– Is it smart or lazy writing that Andy is the one who switches to the dark side at the end when it was him who stopped Lauren from destroying a building just a few weeks ago?
– Not sure if we should expect Agent Turner to come back next year since he quit Sentinel Services, but if he doesn’t then his season arc was a complete waste of time.
– Reed with a shotgun taking down some armed agents was admittedly badass. Can Caitlin do something (anything) next season please?
– Does anyone else think one of the Hounds looks exactly like an adult version of Andy?
– Glad Blink and Johnny finally kissed. Now let’s give Blink a lot more screentime next year, show!
– Sean Teale and Emma Dumont were magnificent together this season. Let’s hope the writers don’t keep them apart too long!
Gifts & Quips
Esme: There is nothing stronger than a woman with something to fight for.
Eclipse: Please just listen to me. Now, we will figure this out. I don’t care about the X-Men. I don’t care about the Brotherhood. I care about my family.
Polaris: That’s what I care about too. But I’m tired of hiding. We have to take a stand.
Eclipse: Not like this. This changes everything. This will change everything. Our kid has to live in this world!
Polaris: It’s time to make a new world.
Conclusion
Not entirely lackluster, but the first season still ends on a disappointing note despite some adrenaline-packed thrills.
Chris Rating
B-
Oh God I missed the pentultimate episode and this double finale and I SO DON’T WANT to continue after reading this. How was this renewed? Groan.
How did it become so unwatchable in just a few episodes?? CRAZY! I’d rather watch any episode of Mr. Mercedes over this.