The Gifted – the dreaM

By: Darryl Ley

SEVEN MONTHS AGO – Lorna Dane/Polaris (Emma Dumont) and Marcos Diaz/Eclipse (Sean Teale) talk about the pregnancy and Marcos has been doing research on pregnancy. Marcos tries to get Lorna to open up about her father, but she refuses.

In the present Lorna is driving herself, Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White) and Rebecca (Anjelica Bette Fellini) away from Creed Financial. She’s furious that Rebecca murdered the staff. After Lorna says that Rebecca doesn’t belong she leaves the SUV at a stop light after saying goodbye to Andy.

Lauren Strucker (Natalie Alyn Lind) her mother Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker) and father Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer) are driving to meet the genetic specialist. Lauren and Reed talk with her rejecting the idea of him going in alone.

A news report opens with a story that Benedict Ryan is calling for mutant curfews and we see footage of people in the streets. Clarice Fong/Blink (Jamie Chung), Marcos and John Proudstar/Thunderbird (Blair Redford) argue over what to do following Creed Financial attack. John wants to investigate and he leaves to investigate asking Marcos to contact the other stations and Clarice reluctantly goes with him, the last report on the TV talks of a mutant orphanage attacked by anti-mutant rioters.

At Charlotte State University Reed asks to see the director Dr. Madeline Risman (Kate Burton) but is stopped at reception until the doctor herself sees him and recognizes him. Dr. Risman explains to Reed, Caitlin and Lauren the nature of her work and then takes them on a tour of her labs. She talks about hard to control powers like Reed’s she compares them to disabilities.

Dr. Risman individually tailors treatment to each patient to deal with their powers installing a device within their bodies. They also meet Shawna (Lily D Moore), a mutant with Down’s Syndrome whose parents wanted the doctor to “fix” her. In order to treat Reed, it seems Dr. Risman needs to run tests on Lauren to help with the treatment.

Sage (Hayley Lovitt), Esme (Skyler Samuels) and Andy Strucker are at the Inner Circle discussing the fallout from Creed Financial and we learn that Reeva and the other two Frost Sisters are out looking for Rebecca while Sage uses the city’s CCTV to try and track her from there. Sage also sends out Fade (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Bulk (Renes Rivera) to look for Rebecca while Andy questions what happens to her when she’s finally tracked down.

Out on the streets John and Clarice follow the Inner Circle’s trail. John tracks Rebecca running away the car, but her power confuses his tracking. At the Inner Circle Lorna asks Esme about the hunt for Rebecca as she is concerned to have Rebecca anywhere near her daughter Dawn. They talk about the rioting in the city and Esme reaffirms her intention to keep Dawn safe.

As Lorna leaves she remembers her past growing up as a teenager (Susanna Skaggs). She gets picked up by Aunt Dane (Kathryn Erbe) who discourages her from using her powers and we find out that the memory is of one of her birthdays. When they get home Young Lorna finds a present on her doorstep with a handwritten note saying “To Lorna My North Star.  Te gift itself is a strange red metallic disk. Lorna doesn’t tell her Aunt about the gift and tears up the note.

In another of Lorna’s memories Marcos asks if she had ever met her biological father and she shows him that red disk she got for her birthday. She talks about her anger about not knowing her father personally while learning about him and the Brotherhood on the news. Back in the present Lorna is in the Inner Circle training room with baby Dawn. Esme comes down and agrees that it isn’t safe for Dawn to remain and tells Lorna about the attack on the mutant foster care facility that got set on fire.

Esme tells her about a school for mutants in Switzerland that she believes will be safe. Lorna obviously doesn’t want to be separated from her child, but Esme begs her to think about it. At Charlotte State University Dr. Risman treats Reed with a temporary measure to suppress his powers. The treatment is painful but effective. Noah (Ken Kirby), one of the Dr. Risman’s assistants, introduces himself to Lauren. Noah shows her his inhibitor device. He is a mutant with the power of harmonic vibrations and nearly killed his brother as a child so he trusts Dr. Risman to be able to treat Reed.

They talk about having a normal life and Noah offers to take her on a tour of the campus. In the city John and Clarice are searching for clues when Blink feels a disturbance in the energy she uses to portal. John then “tracks” the area and realizes that they are on the trail of Rebecca. They find the turned inside out dead body of someone she carjacked.

Six years ago Lorna is in a local bar when she is recognized by some of the patrons, one of whom asks her to perform a trick. She gets him to point out his car which she levitates before dropping from a height. Her Aunt picks her up from the police station and we find that she has been arrested four times this year. Lorna asks how she got bail and why the police chief came to her cell to apologize, but Aunt Dane refuses to answer questions about her parents only talking about her brother who married Lorna’s mother.

At the apartments Marcos is talking to the Chicago station trying to rally support when someone knocks on the door. He ignores them until the lights begin to flash and he realizes who it might be. At the door he finds Lorna and baby Dawn. Over at Dr. Risman’s home she sits down for dinner with Reed, Caitlin and Lauren. she tells them that she knows that they are on the run. Dr. Risman talks about Reed’s father and tells them about the Von Strucker twins revealing that they too could see into each other’s dreams. Dr. Risman reveals a music box that Reed’s father had – the only thing he kept from his family.

Back at the apartment Marcos is angry that Lorna wants to send baby Dawn away and wants her to give Dawn to him. He blames Lorna and the Inner Circle for stoking the hatred and violence on the streets. Lorna says she came to let him say goodbye and Marco argues she is doing to Dawn what her father did to her. Back in her memories of seven months ago Lorna recalls the time that the couple talked about whether they wanted a boy or a girl. Marcos tells her about the time he saw a father and daughter dancing and how it made him want a daughter.

In the present Marcos sings to Dawn as Lorna watches and then says it is time. Marcos asks who will love baby Dawn as he hands her back. Marcos tells her that Dawn deserves to be with family. Back at Charlotte State University Dr. Risman carries out a checkup on Reed. Through comparing Reed and Lauren it seems Dr. Risman believes she can come up with a permanent procedure to help him. She explains the previous treatment failed because of the stress of the last few months and that if they don’t find a permanent solution Reed will die from his attacks.

Noah and Lauren go on a tour around the campus and the two bond while playing Frisbee. Back in the city Clarice and John find Rebecca. John asks her for information on what the Inner Circle wanted. Rebecca mentions that they were looking for something called “Regimen.” She advises them to give up before leaving.

We see Lorna with Dawn visit her Aunt. She wants her to take care of Dawn so she will be safe. Lorna explains that she didn’t hate living with her as much as she hated being different. She thought that her Aunt was hiding her from her father, but has now realizes that it was just that her father wanted to keep her safe. She apologizes for how she was before and asks her to take Dawn in.

At the apartment John checks in on Clarice. he has found out what Regimen is – a DC based Tech Company. Clarice seems annoyed she worries that his too reckless and felt like they could have easily died at the hands of Rebecca. At the lab Lauren is undergoing more tests. Noah reveals that Dr, Risman wants to research a way to permanently suppress the X-Gene in all mutants. Noah believes that could be an end to the violence with people able to remove the X-Gene from their families.

Noah shares that Dr. Risman’s brother Matthew was the man who formed the Purifiers. As Noah tells her that she could save the world Lauren looks deeply troubled by what she has learned. At the Inner Circle Andy reacts to the injection we saw Lauren just get as he holds his arm. Rebecca is falling asleep on her feet when Fade catches her off guard threatening to kill her if she uses her powers. At the Inner Circle Lorna looks at her empty cradle and then takes up the red disk using her powers.

At the apartment Marcos gets a text from Lorna with a picture of Dawn saying “she is loved.” We watch Clarice leave John alone as he continues his research and we finally see Lorna having fashioned her disk into a kind of head wear and the episode ends.