Rachel Bellwoar reviews the eleventh episode of Marvel’s The Gifted…
In the aftermath of the Frost sisters’ assault on Sentinel Services, there isn’t much time for regret, but if the Mutant Underground were in a position to backtrack, they might mourn the missed opportunity of the Struckers’ alliance with Jace. The Struckers tend to come on strong, but what they attempted in the winter finale could’ve opened a dialogue between the opposing sides. Maybe it wouldn’t have lasted but it didn’t get a chance to, and now their one shot at peace is gone.
Hopefully that’s an exaggeration, but that’s how it feels. Esme and Dr. Campbell have stirred up so much heat and animosity that neither side can imagine trusting the other. “3 X 1” starts with overlapping funerals. Jace mourns one of his agents while the Mutant Underground say good-bye to Dreamer. There’s no point comparing who’s suffered the greater loss but what they do share, in addition to grief, is a common means of destruction — the special interest groups Esme and Dr. Campbell represent, who want to escalate the situation. Getting involved with them is the real danger, and what the Struckers’ plan avoided, but since they were sabotaged, such alliances feels inevitable.
Little heeded as he may be, Marcos makes a good point. There’s a reason they’ve avoided violence up to this point. While the Hound Program was a game changer, the moment they stop holding themselves accountable for their actions, is the moment they accept they’ll be more bloodshed.
“3 X 1” is full of divisions and alliances but most of them are instigated by the Frosts and Campbell. It’s the Frost sisters who divide the Mutant Underground, so they can push their own agenda, while it’s Campbell who applies his research to treat mutants like objects, as Marcos feared in Dreamer’s eulogy. Ignoring the fact he was able to produce a prototype so quickly, Dr. Campbell invents a metal cast that replicates Lauren and Andy’s ability to combine powers when they hold hands. Turns out humanity doesn’t mind enhancing mutant abilities when they’re the ones in control.
Others thoughts on “3 X 1”:
- It’s cool that The Gifted‘s building its final episodes around Lorna, but she’s been a background character for most of this half of the season and it shows in the hasty way we’re told she has bipolar disorder this week. You can do that with news like her father’s a member of the Hellfire Club, but mentioning she’s bipolar out of the blue feels like the show didn’t dedicate enough time to her story.
- The added touch of black and rust color to Lorna’s powers is a cool way of addressing her increased strength while tying back to her powers’ hold over metal.
- Marcos’ attachment to the Struckers, specifically Reed and Kate, has been an interesting point for the show to play with, as he tries to get them to stay with the Mutant Underground. They’re the parents he never had and the father he wants to be when his child is born.
- Andy’s pull towards the dark side is well and good, but having him draw a picture of a wolf, like his terrorist ancestors, Fenris, is as heavy-handed as Andy’s sudden interest in art.
- MVP This Week: John (Blair Redford), and director, David Straiton, for the way he films Dreamer’s funeral. From being the last person to leave Dreamer’s grave, the show stays with John when he returns to headquarters, for an extended glimpse at the grief he tries to hold back from the others. Between those silent scenes and catching Lorna in the air, John deserves to be called a ‘hero.’
Rachel Bellwoar
Originally published January 2, 2017. Updated January 2, 2018.
