The Gifted – teMpted

By: Darryl Ley

In Detroit, Michigan six years ago Erg (Michael Luwoye) waits underground for Pam (Olivia Grace Applegate) his human girlfriend. Once she appears and tells him about the enhanced security he immediately heads off to warn Evangeline, but Pam tries to stop him and in so doing reveals details about the plan that he knows he didn’t provide. When confronted Pam reveals that she was captured three weeks prior and made a deal to save him and herself. An upset Erg sends her away as the title credits roll.

In the Morlock tunnels a group prepares to go for a supply run which includes Clarice Fong/Blink (Jamie Chung) and we see Glow (Laysla de Oliveira) join the group. At the apartments Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer), Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker), Lauren Strucker (Natalie Alyn Lind), John Proudstar/Thunderbird (Blair Redford) and Marcos Diaz/Eclipse (Sean Teale) discuss what to do next as several major regional leaders died along with Evangeline in the Inner Circle’s attack.

John wants to gather the survivors and attack the Inner Circle and we learn that in order to stay out of the clutches of the Inner Circle that Lauren has been waking herself up every twenty minutes. The rest of the team are worried citing the fact that Reeva Payge has people in the government protecting her and the fact that they now have put that she is working with the leader of the Purifiers, Benedict Ryan (Peter Gallagher).

Marcos argues that they are working together for the same aim for mutants and humans to live apart and that they have to make use of the information that Lorna Dane/Polaris (Emma Dumont) is getting. At the Inner Circle during a training session Lorna cuts herself while Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White) watches Max (James Carpinello), Heather (Chelle Ramos) and Tico (Tyshon Freeman) train in the training room in order to search Max’ room. Later, during a meeting with Marcos, she tells him that she found blue prints to the White House, Pentagon and Sentinel Services headquarters which she believes will be the next targets.

Glow, Clarice and the team head to a warehouse to steal supplies but the police response is significantly faster resulting in Glow getting shot before they can escape. While she is being cared for by Ray (Chase Steven Anderson), Clarice talks to Erg about getting her help. He won’t let her go to a hospital for fear or revealing their location.

At the apartments the remaining Mutant Underground meets including Gina (Karen Ceesay) who is outspoken in her belief that they can’t win. She leaves after they fail to convince her and the rest of the Mutant Underground depart too, leaving John and Marcos seething. Caitlin checks in with Reed to see how he is doing, but he is more worried about Lauren who then comes into the room for coffee. They ask her why the shared dreams are different now and she replies that it feels like Andy is probing her mind for weaknesses they are interrupted by Clarice portaling directly into the room.

She has come there to ask Caitlin for help and she quickly agrees to it. Reed goes to talk Lauren and they discuss the legacy of the Von Struckers and the music box. Lauren says that no one except the Von Strucker twins understands her bond with Andy. In the Morlock tunnels Marcos, who has accompanied Caitlin and Clarice, realizes that they were not expected. Marcos has also been brought along because like Glow his blood illuminates and Caitlin believes he can donate blood. While Caitlin treats Glow, Erg angrily comes over to confront them and is intercepted by Clarice who is furious that she brought back a human. He tries to get Caitlin to leave but she refuses and Clarice begs until he relents.

Lauren tries her best to stay awake but eventually falls asleep and is drawn into a shared dream. She speaks with Andy and we see over at the Inner Circle that it is really the Frost Sisters (Skyler Samuels) doing the talking. Andy and Lauren join hands using their power in the dreamscape and afterwards Andy tells her to meet him there tomorrow in the real world, but when she hesitates the Frosts get more desperate and it shows on Andy which scares Lauren away and wakes her up.

In the Morlock tunnels Marcos is giving blood to Glow and the two talk. Caitlin updates Erg on Glow’s condition as the transfusion is only buying time because her blood is still not clotting. Caitlin needs to go to the Clinic for medical equipment and insists that she needs to go personally when Erg offers to go instead.

Reed finds Lauren gone from her room and quickly goes to find John to help search. At the Inner Circle Lorna quizzes Heather and Tico about the extent of their powers before Max comes in having discovered that his room had been search, which Heather and Tico deny having doing it before Lorna makes her excuses and leave.

Lauren is confused, sleep deprived and out in public with Reed and John tracking her. At the ruined clinic Erg is shocked by the state of the place as Caitlin explains that they were the only clinic in the area that treated mutants. He is shocked to learn that the staff were all human as Caitlin finds an undamaged centrifuge and Erg assists her to find the necessary drugs.

Lauren is at a bus station when she sees a Ryan Hour program and hears a mutant family being harassed by cops. She attacks the police and then slips away without being discovered. In the tunnels Glow is not doing well while Marcos waits for the team to return with the treatment. Lorna calls Marcos to tell her that Max is suspicious, giving Marcos the idea that the only way to keep her safe is to deal with Max. Lorna decides to use her magnetic powers to hack into the computer system and find out what is going on.

While Caitlin finishes making a clotting agent at the clinic they are attacked by Purifiers with her shooting one and Erg using his power to absorb and redirect energy to take out two others. In the city Reed and John track Lauren to the bus station. John is puzzled as to why she would openly use her power and Reed explains that it is the effect of the music box. John tells him that he needs to talk to Lauren about it.

Lorna sneaks into the computer room and uses the surveillance software to figure out a time when Max will be out of the building and determines he regularly goes to the same liquor store. Marcos is desperate to keep Glow alive and is about to give her more of his blood. Before passing out she tells him what he is doing is too important to sacrifice. Fortunately, the team then arrives and begins administering the treatment.

Reed and John finally track down Lauren, but she stops them with her barrier ability before Reed insists on talking to her. When she lets him through he admits that he knows what she is going through with Andy. He tells her he recognized the music box because he had already found it. It showed him the darkness in him and he liked it. He suspects that is why his father tried to suppress his powers. He tells he has a way to help.

At the Inner Circle, Max confronts Lorna suspecting her of being the one who searched her room noting how many questions she asked about the earlier job his team did. Lorna pushes back with a threat and Max leaves. In the tunnels Caitlin checks on a recovered Glow while Marcos receives a text with a location for Max later that night. Glow and Marcos talk. She thanks him for saving her and says that he will always love Lorna looking regretful as he takes his leave.

Erg apologizes to Blink for how he treated Caitlin, but she tells him to apologize to her directly. He gives Caitlin an “M” mark made of dirt before Marcos and Caitlin give their goodbyes Clarice. At the apartment Reed gives a shot of his power suppression medication to Lauren and we see Andy waiting at for her on the same rooftop with all three of the Frosts, who he informs that he can no longer feel a connection to Lauren.

Max comes out of the liquor store and gets in his car only to find Marcos hiding in there threatening him. He manages to shoot Marcos with a concealed gun at least once before Marcos retaliates him and staggers away from the car clutching his wound before it explodes.