The Gifted – no Mercy

By: Darryl Ley

Eight years ago in Chicago, Illinois with a group meeting in a building. Benazir (Agam Darshi) is speaking to the group as the local housing is refusing to allow mutant families to renew their leases. Benazir argues with a young Reeva Payge (Grace Byers) over approaches to the problem. Eventually they both agree to flyer the area and Reeva leaves the meeting angrily. Benazir goes to apologize and while they talk two Purifiers show up and attempt to attack the building when Benazir attacks one but the other stabs her in the stomach. Reeva looks on frozen. After they leave, Reeva holds Benazir as she dies and we move to the opening credits.

In the present, at the Inner Circle, we see Reeva with Sage (Hayley Lovitt) as she addresses Rebecca (Anjelica Bette Fellini), Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White), Lorna (Emma Dumont), Esme, Sophie and Phoebe (all played by Skyler Samuels). She goes over the plan for Creed Financial and afterwards Rebecca mentions that she is worried about her part of the job, but Andy reassures her that she has everything under control.

At the Mutant Underground’s apartment building Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer) still cannot control his abilities. His daughter Lauren Strucker (Natalie Alyn Lind) stops him from disintegrating a wall using her powers. Reed is terrified of hurting her or his wife Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker) and he wants them to move him. Eventually, Caitlin agrees and goes to talk to the others.

Caitlin, Marco Diaz (Sean Teale), John Proudstar/Thunderbird (Blair Redford) and Clarice Fong/Blink (Jamie Chung) sit and discuss the problem of where to move Reed. Clarice suggests taking him to the Morlocks, which Caitlin immediately vetoes with the discussion eventually deciding on the clinic which was closed down after the attack by the Purifiers.

In a church meeting room Jace Turner (Coby Bell) has an angry phone conversation with his wife’s lawyer. It seems she has instructed her lawyer not to let Jace contact her. Officer and Purifier member Wilson (Tom O’Keefe) then comes to speak to him. One of the higher ups wants to meet with Jace after his work at the Baltimore Mutant station; however, Wilson will not provide him any details beyond that.

At an expensive restaurant Reeva and Quinn (Sharif Atkins) have a romantic dinner. We find out that Reeva asked to keep this date off his calendar before Quinn tells her that even his children have noticed how happy being with Reeva has made him. She asks to leave and Quinn asks for the check. On the way to Reeva’s car the Frost sisters appear and they abduct him and take him back to the Inner Circle.

We see that Quinn is part of the plan. He will take in a virus and install it in the network as a high level worker within Creed Financial. After being told of his part in the plan, he asks Reeva if it was all a lie between them and she says it wasn’t. Elsewhere, in the Inner Circle, Lorna comes to talk to Esme. She wants Esme to stay and take care of baby Dawn, which would be a major change to the plan. After being reminded that she said she would do anything to protect the child Esme reluctantly agrees.

Marcos, John and Blink have reinforced an old ambulance in order to allow Reed to travel to the medical center. Blink then asks what happens after they get Reed to the medical center and is told that Caitlin is working on a solution. When they are alone, Marcos confronts Clarice about her connection to the Morlocks and asks where her loyalties lie,  earning a strong rebuke from her.

Jace and Wilson are on the way to meet the mysterious higher up. While walking Wilson reminds Jace about the need to stay quiet about what he sees. In an out of the way barbershop they meet TV personality Benedict Ryan (Peter Gallagher) who congratulates Jace on Baltimore and they sit down to talk.

In the apartment Reed picks up a family portrait before his powers crumple the flame and the photo falls to the ground he talks with Lauren before Clarice interrupts them to say things are ready. At the Inner Circle Reeva goes to collect Quinn and explains what he has to do, he talks about their relationship and asks her to run away with him. She tells him why she is doing this and promises that after the operation he and his family will be safe.

Andy checks in with Rebecca before the operation who is a little nervous, Lorna drops off baby Dawn with Esme and the team leave for Creed financial. Reed sends out Quinn first who installs the virus and the team enter the building with the Frosts disabling the guards. Lorna deals with the guards inside and Reeva brings everyone to their knees with her sonic power.

At the barbershop Ryan wants Jace on his TV show to denounce Sentinel Services which Jace is immediately conflicted about. He doesn’t want to betray the people he worked with, Ryan says that he needs Jace to help him get his message to the people. Jace still decides to decline the offer. At Creed Financial the staff are herded into a side office. James the Bank Manager (Steven Sean Garland) confronts them only to be mind-controlled by the Frosts into recording a propaganda video for them.

As Lorna, Rebecca and Andy head down to the vault Rebecca is upset that they are going to let the workers go free after the mission though Lorna questions what the alternative to that might be. Marcos and John talk at the medical center. Marcos senses something is wrong with his friend. John has been thinking about the soldier patient with the acid blood he failed to save and has been thinking more generally about recent setbacks. He also reveals that the other stations seem to be rallying to the side of the Inner Circle and their campaign. Marcos asks him to talk to Clarice, which makes John angry but the others come in before the conversation can continue.

Lorna, Rebecca and Andy arrive at the vault. Rebecca’s first few attempts to pull it inside out fail and she says it is too much. Andy gives her a pep talk telling her to use the rage and fear she felt while she was incarcerated to fuel her power and we see her remember that time and successfully twist it inside out blowing them all back in the process.

As Jace walks out Wilson confronts him asking why he is protecting the people who disavowed him after Atlanta and reminds him that the Purifiers are now all that he has even reminded him about his deceased daughter and his wife who wants a divorce. He challenges Jace to change the future.

Reeva and Quinn talk about the consequences of the attack that people will lose everything with Reeva reminding him about the mutants who suffered for that money to be made as they head down to the vault. Upstairs the Bank Manager is finishing up his speech while being controlled by the Frosts. Back at the Inner Circle, while Sage checks on the bank transfers, Esme tries to comfort a crying Baby Dawn. Eventually, Sage confirms that the team has been successful.

Lauren and Caitlin go through Otto’s (Reed’s deceased father) research and Caitlin believes that she has a lead. Lauren worries that the family is cursed and reminisces that when she and Andy combined their powers in Atlanta she felt power as she killed people.  Caitlin believes that Lauren is nothing like the Fenris twins and they are interrupted by Reed waking up.

Clarice and John talk and he asks her about her connection to the Morlocks. She reveals that she shared mutant names with Erg and stole food. John asks why and Clarice said she did it for him that she is worried about the strain of leadership on his shoulders and how the recent setbacks have hurt him.

The lead that Caitlin has found is Otto’s old assistant who is now the head of a genetics department at a university. Reed is skeptical until Caitlin takes his hand in hers and reassures him with a touch. He agrees to them following up. At Reed Financial Reeva is talking with Esme confirming the operation as a success, afterwards she reassures Quinn that the workers will be safe.

At Ryan’s TV studios Jace is being prepared to go on the air when Ryan’s assistant tells the group about the attack at Creed Financial. At Creed Financial the team are preparing to leave as they assemble the Bank Manager hurls abuse at them before they lock the workers in the room. Rebecca isn’t happy with leaving the workers alive and is told by Reeva in no uncertain terms that they are leaving. But as Reeva walks away Rebecca acts using her powers to turn all the assembled workers locked inside the office inside out – killing them all. The team try to stop her but are too late as we see the blood spray on the door. Rebecca just looks at them and smiles as they are forced to leave before the police get there.