In The Gifted Roundtable 1X01 “eXposed,” we must face our darker natures as the mutants fight to survive

Based within the X-Men universe, The Gifted introduces us to the Struckers, a tightknit all-American family. After sneaking out to a school dance with older sister Lauren, Andy is cornered by the school bullies and forced into a locker room. There, they taunt him with increasingly hot water until he loses control. The attack unleashes his latent mutant ability, nearly destroying the entire building. Lauren helps her brother escape back to the house, revealing her own powers. Confessing to their mother that they were the ones responsible, the family is interrupted. Sentinel Services, a federal agency capturing mutants by any means necessary, is at their door. Making a narrow escape, they reunite with patriarch Reed, who arranges to meet a member of the Mutant Underground to get them to safety.

RELATED | MARVEL’S INHUMANS SERIES PREMIERE SYNOPSIS, PHOTOS & PREVIEW

Meanwhile, the hidden network is dealing with problems of their own. When a mission goes awry, they lose one of its leaders, Lorna aka Polaris. She is placed in containment and meets Reed, who is there as legal counsel. After she refuses to cooperate, he shows her a piece of paper and she erupts. Back home, her lover Marcos (aka Eclipse) is desperately trying to figure out how to get her back. Blink, the rescued mutant, offers to do what she can to help just before he gets a phone call. It’s none other than Reed, and he reluctantly agrees to meet. He makes a tense deal with the father to help his family in exchange for Lorna. Later, they are surrounded by the Sentinel Service. Joined by Blink and John/Thunderbird, they escape only to lose Reed.

This premiere had all the makings of a great beginning, but it went by so fast! Let’s slow things down and rewind, but first, meet our roundtable:

Jennifer (@Storytellingdoc) – Doctor, Author, Senior Editor/Writer at TVAfterDark

Lydia (@lydia_sharp) – Author, Editor, and Marvel addict

Jeff (@JeffHarris7) – Educator and Library Media Specialist

[wp_ad_camp_2]

1. With the recent social turmoil in the country, how important do you think it was for the show to maintain the parallel between racism and mutant hate like in the comics?

Jennifer (@Storytellingdoc): While I’m not super familiar with the comic lore, I do know that the mutant storyline was always meant to bring awareness to the issues of racism in America. With the tension that exists in our daily life, it’s easy to want to escape from reality. However, I think The Gifted strikes a great balance in encouraging discussion without being too heavy-handed and forgetting the entertainment. Definitely a plus for me!

Lydia (@lydia_sharp): In a word—very. The hatred in our world today is unfortunately still prevalent and takes on many forms, so it isn’t difficult for many people to imagine what it’s like to be a mutant the world of The Gifted. And we want to see that we aren’t alone. We want to see that it’s possible to fight the “bad guys” and win. We’re following the story of mutants here, but also mutants of different races. I’m hoping we will see mutants of various sexual orientations and/or gender identities, too. Representation across multiple spectrums is so important, and this show can give it a strong voice.

Jeff (@JeffHarris7): I think that it’s definitely a timely issue to be explored. The idea of mutants as a subpopulation within humanity has been something that has always been at the core of the comics — they’re feared and hated, misunderstood and mistreated, and they’re striving to find acceptance and equality. It wouldn’t feel like a true piece of the X-Men universe if this wasn’t a pivotal part of the series, and I imagine it will resonate all the more with viewers due to recent events.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

2. Of all the mutants who have been announced as part of the show, whose storyline are you most excited to see?

Jennifer: As of right now, I’m torn between Andy and Lorna. Andy is interesting for obvious reasons – he’s just discovered his gift and it’s clearly a powerful one. We saw that in the faces of everyone around him. He could be a great asset if trained properly, but it also makes him extra dangerous in the eyes of Sentinel Services. Lorna is fascinating not just because of her background, but also because she’s pregnant with Marcos’s child. What kind of powers will their baby inherit? What happens if he/she has no gifts? Is that even possible?

Lydia: All of their stories are intriguing, but if I had to choose only one, it’s Andy Strucker. Being the youngest in the group, and only just now learning about how to be a mutant in this divided world, his character has so much potential for growth. Just in this first episode we got to see him change dramatically, going from an average teen to struggling to control his powers to completely obliterating Sentinel spiders with a flick of his wrists and a roar. I might have stood up and cheered at that part.

Jeff: As a major X-Men comics nerd for over two decades, I am particularly intrigued by the storylines of Polaris, Blink, and Thunderbird. I’m thrilled to see how their backstories line up with (or diverge from) their comic book history. How much will we get to see of Polaris’s history and lineage? For example, was she responsible for the plane crash that killed her mother? Will We get to meet Thunderbird’s younger brother James (Warpath), or find out about his time on the reservation and with the military prior to joining up with the Mutant Underground? Much of Blink’s early history is a mystery even in the comics, so there’s a lot that can be explored with her.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

3. We see in this episode that Andy and Lauren had hidden gifts, while others have their mutations on full display (like Blink’s eyes). If you were a mutant, which would you rather have?

Jennifer: I know it’s the easy choice, but I would go with hidden gifts. It’s not for the reasons you think, though. I think there’s definitely a mischievous side of me that wants to surprise or prank people with my abilities. It also helps me to blend in better, which would give me more freedom to hone my powers and help others.

Lydia: In some situations being able to “hide” it is beneficial—it’s not always safe to have your mutantness known. In most day-to-day situations, though, it would be frustrating at best. You’re surrounded by “normal” people who hate your kind. Should you speak up and make yourself a target? Or should you keep it hidden and wait for the best time to fight back? We saw that internal conflict realized through Lauren Strucker. If you can’t “hide” it, though, you don’t have a choice—as in Blink’s situation, which is terrifying. But I’d rather a person take one look at me and be like “hey you’re a mutant” and then deal with whatever happens. Because sometimes you get lucky and meet “a couple of freaks, same as you.”

Jeff: It may sound like a little bit of a copout (or a cowardly answer), but I’d prefer to have a more “normal” appearance. Ideally, in the X-Men’s world, someday everyone will be accepted for who they are, regardless of their superhuman abilities or genetics. However, in this take on the X-universe, being physically identified right away as a mutant instantly could put you in deadly peril. I’d rather not constantly fear for my life, but I would actively seek to protect my fellow mutants.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

4. With what has already been confirmed about Lorna’s parentage, which mutant would you love to see a cameo from?

Jennifer: What can I say? I love me some Professor X or Wolverine. Of course, it wouldn’t be so bad to see a certain foul-mouthed, Chimichanga-loving vigilante either…

Lydia: Magneto, of course! Anything’s possible in this version of the X-Men universe. Magneto has always been one of my favorites. He’s the villain you love to hate. And I hope we get to see more than just a cameo from him in future episodes. With how they’ve set up Lorna and Marcus with a family theme in the pilot, I’m hoping that means Lorna’s father becomes part of the story onscreen at some point. If for no other reason than to see that “meet the dad” moment between him and Eclipse.

Jeff: There are SO many characters I’d love to see in the series. Obviously, as Emma Dumont stated on Twitter, it’d be amazing to see Magneto at some point. It’d be difficult to show many other MAJOR characters, but I’d love for them to introduce some of the lesser known but still vibrant characters in the X-Men’s world — ones like Mimic (who has a romantic history with Blink from the Exiles series), Siryn (Banshee’s daughter), Warpath (due to his obvious connection to Thunderbird), and perhaps one or more members of the Guthrie family (Cannonball, Husk, Icarus).

[wp_ad_camp_2]

5. Speaking of cameos, why do we think Stan chose such an understated option this time?

Jennifer: Honestly, I have no idea. I’m so used to his funny cameos that this one came out of the blue. Maybe that was the point…to be noticed for being so inconspicuous!

Lydia: One of the best parts of Marvel? Stan Lee’s campy cameos—or as I like to call them, campy-o’s. His cameo in The Gifted could be considered understated because it wasn’t campy this time, but I wouldn’t say it was without impact. We see him simply exiting a diner with a sign that reads “X’s Lounge” when it flickers, and on the inside it’s full of mutants. That right there is making a statement, and a pretty strong one. Is Stan actually a mutant? Signs (literally) point to yes! Plus the fact he made an appearance in the flesh is like a holy blessing on the show itself. I loved it.

Jeff: I imagine that he wanted to do it that way just to make it unexpected! I certainly didn’t think that he’d be making an appearance that soon, if at all — they kept that a secret so well, and it paid off big time, judging by people’s reactions!

[wp_ad_camp_2]

6. We knew what it was that Striker wanted from the X-Men, but what do you think Sentinel Services has in mind?

Jennifer: I think it’s too simple to say they are just locking all mutants up to “protect the public.” I would guess someone is carrying on the Stryker legacy and experimenting on them to weaponize humans they can control. Perfect soldiers are timeless, don’t you think?

Lydia: I don’t know, but the ominous “the suspect disappeared” line from Reed when relaying what he knew about a previous case has me eager to find out.

Jeff: Knowing what I know about the Sentinels from the comics, they can’t be planning anything good. I’d like to think that at least some people in that organization are doing what they’re doing for what they believe to be the right reasons (protecting the public, preventing dangerous mutants from causing wanton death and destruction), but I think much of what they due stems from pure prejudice and flies completely in the face of the mutants’ supposedly guaranteed Constitutional freedoms, due process, etc. Things are looking quite ominous for our friends in the Mutant Underground with the more power that Sentinel Services gets.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

7. If you were part of the mutant underground, what would your power be?

Jennifer: Oh, this is a tough one for sure! I definitely wouldn’t mind being another David Heller, but you know…less crazy. Who doesn’t want telekinesis and mind control??!!

Lydia: I’ve always been partial to Rogue’s ability to take on the power of anyone she touches. So my answer is all of them. I would have All The Powers, mwahahahaha.

Jeff: I’d love to have the ability to be a literal ghost — I’d like the powers of invisibility (or camouflage of some sort), intangibility (like Kitty Pryde), and minor telepathy, where I could read thoughts and project my thoughts into the minds of others (not mind control). That would lend itself well to escaping Sentinel Services, espionage, and secret missions!

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Final Verdict: The Gifted 1X01 “eXposed” fills in where the X-Men leaves off, and we’re excited to see what’s next

While Sentinel Services may be less than supportive, we here are definitely mutant friendly. The premiere episode was well paced while laying the groundwork for what’s to come. The special effects are just enough to give the show a believable feel, and the themes of racism and Big Brother mentality are topically relevant. We’re already curious to see just how powerful Andy really is and what will happen to the rest of his family. If Marcos wants to save Lorna, he’s going to have to find a way to free Reed as well. We definitely want to see more of how the Mutant Underground works, and whether or not any of our X-men will make some sort of appearance. We might not have any psychic abilities, but we’re thinking this could be one of our favorite new shows!

The Gifted returns next Monday, October 9th at 9/8C on Fox.