Review by An Honest Fangirl
"Congratulations on figuring out you're one of the bad guys."
So, we got some forward momentum this episode, as well as hints towards some kind of overarching conspiracy. That's generally a recipe for a good episode.
And don't get me wrong, "eXit strategy" was a good episode. There are a lot of things to like about it, and I'll talk about them in a bit. But for whatever reason, this episode just didn't click with me. I wasn't as invested in what was going on as I should have been. I'm still trying to figure out if this is a personal issue that I'm having or a sign of some fundamental weakness in the show itself.
Maybe there are just too many storylines going on at once. Just in this episode, we had the main plot of getting Lorna and Reed out of prison, Marcos' foray back into a drug cartel, the Clarice/Johnny/Dreamer love triangle and everything associated with that, the continued development of Lauren's and Andy's mutant powers, and some hint that mutants are being brainwashed and controlled by some secret organization. And that's only in this episode. There are still more storylines going on that weren't directly touched upon. Honestly, it's a credit to the show that it doesn't feel more fragmentary.
At least everyone is together again, which should help this feeling. The assault on the convoy was a lot of fun. It wasn't necessarily tense, but I really enjoyed seeing everyone come together as a team and adapt to their situation as things quickly went south. I honestly forgot about Pulse by the time he showed back up. His mutant canceling powers did feel a little convenient, especially since it wasn't hinted at in the opening flashback, but it was still a fun twist.
What was with that tattoo on his arm, though? Something had obviously happened to Pulse in order to make him compliant with the Sentinel Services. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Was that what was going to happen to Lorna once she got to the super secret federal facility? What would they have done to Reed? Regardless, I'm really glad that The Gifted seems to be mining some really good X-Men storylines. Hopefully they can pull it off.
We also got some interesting developments in the relationships between certain characters. I think that Reed got a little bit of respect from Lorna when he told her to rip the screws out of his leg. They're two very different people from very different backgrounds, but they somehow work together. There was one rather heavy-handed moment when Lorna refused to give Reed forgiveness. But that's par for the course when The Gifted dives into social issues, and it is an important message to get out.
The second relationship that I want to talk about is probably my least favorite part of the show: the Clarice/Johnny/Dreamer mess. They really need to just tell Clarice what happened. Keeping the fact that her memory and feelings have been messed with really doesn't sit well with me. It's just awkward and uncomfortable, especially since it does seem that Clarice and Johnny are going to happen eventually. It just won't end well.
Random Thoughts
So, Lauren and Andy can use their powers in tandem to be more powerful or effective. And we got another reminder that Andy is better when he's angry. I'm sure that none of this will be important later.
Marcos and Johnny started the mutant underground. Did we already know that?
I think they've opened with a flashback for the past three episodes. I sense a pattern.
Why was Marcos so hesitant to have a drink with his ex-girlfriend? Because it was a sign that he was going back to the criminal world? My initial thought was that he was a recovering alcoholic, but I'm not sure if that makes sense.
Quotes:
Pulse: You know what we need? A mutant who keeps bugs away.
Johnny: Or a can of bug spray.
Carmen: Moving drugs from Mexico, moving mutants to Mexico. These days, which is more illegal?
Andy: Dad is screwed.
Lauren: We'll figure something out.
Andy: Did you see how many people bailed? I mean, did you hear computer girl? Basically what she said is "Dad is screwed."
Dreamer: What the hell? We talked about this! We're not here to drop bodies.
Marcos: Yeah, well looks like they didn't get the memo.
Like I said, this wasn't a bad episode by any means. It actually pretty good. I just wasn't feeling it this week.
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An Honest Fangirl loves superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, and really bad horror movies.
I totally agree. I loved certain parts but overall didn't feel that it worked as a cohesive story. The Marcos storyline felt disjointed from the rest of it all. Last week's story felt like filler and this week's felt like too rushed. They need to find a happy medium.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I forgive them for all of their missteps for the scene with Lorna getting her powers back. I'm so glad she's free to be a bad-ass.
I really enjoyed this installment. The fight scene was really good.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always liked Moyer. Liked him in True Blood, like him here.
I'm guessing Pulse is part of the Hound program? Anxiously awaiting a character named Ahab to make an appearance.
ReplyDelete