Fox’s The Gifted recap: The hard-fought family reunion we’d been waiting for

On the latest episode of Fox’s The Gifted, the Mutant Underground pick up the pieces following their most devastating loss yet, while at the Inner Circle, Andy learns some hard truths. But who will be the winner in the battle for mutant supremacy?

Two months ago. John Proudstar (Blair Redford), and Clarice aka Blink (Jamie Chung) share a morning together. Clarice talks about having been on the run her whole life, how she feels she doesn’t deserve happiness for having joined the Brotherhood some years ago. She shows John how she used to create portals to the sky, wishing she could disappear in the ‘spaces between everything’. John tells her that nobody in the Mutant Underground is perfect—they all came here looking for redemption. But, who will find redemption on this episode of Fox’s The Gifted, currently streaming on Hulu?

Present day. Even though Kate (Amy Acker) bravely rammed through a police blockade to save the Morlock refugees, she now asks them to split up and go on the run. Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind) disagrees with the idea—the Morlocks will be easy pickings. With the police closing in, however, there is little choice but to follow Kate’s plan.

While the Morlock refugees head in different directions, Kate and Lauren find themselves in an abandoned water plant. Kate hopes for a working phone so they can call for help but they’re out of luck. The police soon find them, and with Lauren still depowered, Kate has no option but to fight.

In the alleyway where John witnessed Clarice’s death in the previous episode of The Gifted, he and Erg (Michael Luwoye) argue. John blames Erg for pushing Clarice into joining the Morlocks but Erg tells him that it was John who pushed Blink to the tunnels. John is furious at the assumption, but a part of him accepts that he is at fault. That doesn’t stop him from punching Erg, who decides to be the better man in this instance. He apologizes to John and leaves.

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Outside the Morlock tunnels, Officer Ted Wilson (Tom O’Keefe) informs Jace Turner (Coby Bell) that he’s got the police to help them look for mutants. But Jace is not in the right headspace to hunt down more mutants. He had been led to believe that the Morlocks were terrorists—instead, he found evidence of children.

Reeva Payge (Grace Byers) addresses the Inner Circle—plans for their final mission are underway. They are about to realize their dream of a mutant utopia. She just needs the team to push a little more.

Following the meeting, Lorna Dane (Emma Dumont), calls Marcos Diaz (Sean Teale), and Reed (Stephen Moyer) about Reeva’s plan. They are going to attack government buildings.

But this isn’t Reed’s only concern. He asks after his son, Andy (Percy Hynes White)—can he be persuaded to leave the Inner Circle before he becomes involved with this next massacre? Lorna isn’t sure but Reed pleads with her to bring his son home.

After the call, Marcos and Reed find John, who is taking his anger out on a wall. He tells Marcos about Clarice’s death and says he can still feel her. While Marcos tries to comfort John, Reed checks the alleys nearby and is found by Officer Wilson. He almost convinces Wilson that he is just human.

When Reed’s powers flare up. Wilson is unfazed, hurling abuses at Reed and swearing to kill all “muties” he sees. Engulfed by rage, Reed unleashes his powers kills Wilson by decomposing his body. Wilson turns into ash in front of Reed’s very eyes. Panicked, he heads back to John and Marcos, urging them to leave.

At the water-purifying plant, Kate’s bravery comes proves futile. She is running out of ammo and has no way to save herself and her daughter. Kate makes the sacrifice play—she will create a distraction to lure the police away so Lauren can escape. Lauren is terrified for her mother, and that fear rekindles her powers. Now back at full strength, the Strucker women are an unstoppable force. That doesn’t mean they aren’t happy to see Reed and Marcos, who with John’s help, used police scanners to locate the missing Struckers.

Lorna packs her bags to leave the Inner Circle but as she is leaving, she finds Andy sitting by himself, mulling over the task he has ahead of him. She tells him everything she knows—about Reeva colluding with Benedict Ryan (Peter Gallagher), and the attack on the Morlocks. Andy struggles to believe that they’ve been doing all this for a lie. But how can he go back to his family now? He knows they’re scared of him.

Lorna calls Reed and puts Andy on the line. Though Andy is silent, Reed begs his son to return. In tears, Andy tells his father that he can’t because he knows his family believes him to be a monster. Reed understands—he confesses to killing the Purifier to Andy, and the rest of the family. Reed didn’t kill out of self-defence—he did it out of anger, just like Andy had acted out earlier in this season of The Gifted. “If you’re a monster, son, then so am I.” Is this enough to bring Andy home?

John is relieved to know that Lauren and Kate are safe. But it is a reminder of his loss—his many losses. Marcos insists that Clarice didn’t die in vain; she saved so many Morlocks. It doesn’t matter that her death has rendered John’s powers useless—as long as he is able and willing to fight the coming war.

Jace watches a televangelist who confirms sightings of Morlock children. Armed with this, he confronts Benedict Ryan about the Morlock attack but Ryan deflects, telling him about a possible mutant attack on their soil. He also slips in the fact about Wilson’s death, how ‘inhuman’ it was. Once again, Jace shows how easily he can be swayed.

While the Struckers share a meager meal, there is a knock on their door—Andy has returned at last. And as Marcos says a prayer, the door bolts are removed from the outside. The door swings open, and Lorna holds Marcos’ hand, a stunning aurora enveloping them as they embrace.

On the roof, John sharpens his ax in readiness for the fight ahead, reminiscing about the moments with Clarice he will never have again. His thoughts are interrupted by a voice—Clarice calling his name. Was he imagining it?

The roof door behind John opens… but, it’s only Marcos, followed by all four Struckers, and finally Lorna. The OG Mutant Underground are together again!

Reeva is furious that her telepaths couldn’t stop Lorna and Andy from leaving. Their value to the Inner Circle was symbolic, being as they were from two legacy mutant families. “Such a shame we’ll have to kill them.” Looks like the plan can go ahead without Lorna and Andy, after all.

The Gifted: Dawn Of The Mutant Age airs Tuesdays on Fox. For more on The Gifted and everything Hulu related, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Page @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.