The Gifted – eneMy Of My eneMy

By: Darryl Ley

Three years ago in Atlanta we see John Proudstar/Thunderbird (Blair Redford), Marcos Diaz (Sean Teale) and Lorna Dane/Polaris (Emma Dumont) are at a bar playing pool. John reveals that he has known about Lorna and Marcos’ relationship for quite some time and he does warn them that their work in the Underground will become dangerous and that he hopes that they can rely on each other totally, which they both agree with.

Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White) walks into the apartment building being used by the Mutant Underground. He is greeted at the door by Lauren Strucker (Natalie Alyn Lind). He wants to talk and reveals that this is another of the siblings’ shared dreams. The two argue and Andy eventually loses his temper, which shocks Lauren awake.

Lauren is actually in a car with her parents Reed (Stephen Moyer) and Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker). He tells her about the latest shared dream and they are interrupted by Marcos calling Reed to tell him about the abduction of John. In their abandoned factory hideout Lauren, Clarice Fong/Blink (Jamie Chung), Reed, Marcos and Caitlin discuss their search for any clues to John. They have found nothing prompting Marcos to suggest they use Fade (Jeff Daniel Phillips) as a connection to Lorna and the Inner Circle.

Lauren and Reed are initially against it with Marcos and Caitlin arguing to try, but they leave the decision to Clarice who agrees that it might be their only chance to save Marcos. Andy and Lorna are watching “The Ryan Hour” when Lorna gets a call from Fade’s phone. It is Marcos who explains that Fade was sent to assassinate someone they were talking to and offers to return him.

Before he leaves with Fade, Marcos speaks with Clarice and learns she blames herself for John’s abduction. She wants to come along, but Marcos refuses saying that he may be walking into a trap and if he does then she’ll have to take charge of getting John back. Lorna and Marcos meet in an abandoned car park and Marcos reveals that John has been kidnapped by the Purifiers. Marcos knows that John won’t give anything up so he is concerned that he will be killed and he reminds Lorna about the promise they made to be there for each other when they started.

At the Purifier compound John is restrained and interrogated by Jace Turner (Coby Bell) and Officer Wilson (Tom O’Keefe). The two argue about who has lost their way and Jace accuses the Mutant Underground of the attack at Creed Financial. They torture him using his enhanced hearing by objecting him to loud rock music through headphones. Afterwards, Jace and Wilson argue about how to treat John.

At the apartment Lauren and Clarice talk about working with the Inner Circle. Lauren is concerned that the Inner Circle is a temptation that they can’t work with, but Clarice argues that principles should not come before John’s life. At the Inner Circle we watch Andy check in with Lorna and she reveals that Sage has tracked down a location.

Andy wants to help but Lorna argues against it. He reminds her that John was instrumental in both saving his family and breaking her out of a hospital. They head to the apartments, but before they enter Lorna warns Andy that they are just here for one mission to not get attached or think that things are going back to how they.

They interrupt an argument as the rest of the Mutant Underground find out that they are on their way. Andy is enthusiastically welcomed back by his parents but shunned by Lauren. Lorna reveals John’s location, but Marcos is immediately suspicious and doesn’t want the rest of the Inner Circle involved. Lorna tells them that it is only herself and Andy and he then offers to hand over John’s location and leave them to rescue John if they prefer.

The entire group heads downstairs where they see that Lorna and Andy brought two hummers with weapons and body armor for the operation. At the Purifier compound Jace continues to interrogate John mentioning the Mutant Uprising videos as John continues to insist that the Mutant Underground has nothing to do with it. John tells them about the Inner Circle, but Jace knows that Lorna and Andy were seen at Creed Financial. They put on the headphones on John with the loud music to tamper with his mutant hearing.

As Lorna, Marcos and Clarice drive one vehicle the former argue before Clarice reminds them why they are there. Andy drives himself, his parents and Lauren. Reed reveals that his powers have manifested and he feels like now he knows what Andy has been going through. Jace comes back into the room with John and gives him one last chance to come clean the two argue back and forth about the sacrifices they have made and what has been lost. Jace eventually realizes that Andy and Lorna have left the Mutant Underground which John then confirms.

Outside the Purifier compound the team scouts the location. Reed tells them about the defenses, which include a minefield and a large number of armed guards. The plan is for them to split up with one group causing a distraction and the final group to get the vehicles ready for a quick escape.

Inside the compound Jace has begun to believe John’s story and speaks to Officer Wilson. Clarice, Andy and Lauren are the team set to sneak in during the distraction and the siblings talk while looking for a way in. Lauren confronts him over Rebecca. He tells her about what happened to Rebecca and reveals that she’s dead but won’t tell her how.  Clarice returns and they wait for the distraction. On the other side Marcos and Lorna begin their attack on the compound. Inside Jace learns that Lorna and Marcos are attacking so he goes straight to John. Furious and believing he has been tricked, he shoots John at point blank range with a shotgun several times.

Lauren, Andy and Clarice make their way through the compound using their powers to take out the Purifiers. Meanwhile, Wilson encourages Jace to escape. He eventually agrees and leaves, but Wilson lingers briefly to pick up his fallen gun and gets hit by the door when Clarice, Lauren and Andy find John.

As the escape Andy goes after one of the Purifiers who shoots at Lauren he tortures the man before he is stopped from killing him by Lauren all while his parents watch on in horror. Clarice teleports them out and Andy still high from the escape doesn’t recognize the fear in his parents. Back in the compound Jace comes back to check on Wilson and finds him under the door heavily injured while another Purifier tells him about the casualties sustained during the attack.

Clarice gives John first aid while he questions how Andy and Lorna are there before embracing her. Reed and Caitlin confront Andy while Lauren looks on. He says he saw the look on their faces. Andy refuses to leave the Inner Circle to give up what he believes in. He calls the Purifiers monsters, saying that they should be wiped out. He challenges Lauren when she argues saying that she thinks she is better than him. After he leaves Caitlin states that the only way that they can get Andy back is by destroying the Inner Circle.

Marcos and Lorna briefly kiss before she joins Andy and they leave. Back at the apartment Caitlin administers Reed’s medication and we see that she has kept one of the guns from the operation.  Clarice watches over a resting John while we see Andy and Lauren both training at their respective locations with the same determined looked in their eyes.