Lorna is still working to undermine the Inner Circle form within, having been turned against them by the direction that Reeva is taking things. Our Polaris is playing a dangerous game in attempting to coyly coax some information out of the new guys. Whilst I adore her character her attempt to be unsuspicious is depressingly obvious and inauspicious… Although as lacking as her skills are in conducting herself covertly, she did at least succeed in gathering intel: building plans, for the White House, The Pentagon, Sentinel Services Headquarters. The new recruits have combined the ability to turn matter into explosives and then wipe out said object.. or building..
The two different Mutant groups and their context is something that merits discussion and examination within the cultural commentary integrated into the series, The Mutant Underground (our protagonists) and the Inner Circle are at two completely different ends of the spectrum, one willing to go to any lengths, no matter the legality, ethicacy or morality involved; whilst the other is focusing on issues that are pedantic and small, only putting out fires as they arise instead of making preventative measures. Making safe passage for a child or lone mutant is an admirable thing, but this ludicrously small number of people going up against the entire Inner Circle with their immeasurable resources, along with fighting the Purifiers who’s wealth and power cover most of the States…. Its an unwinnable battle, but more so, if or when the tables turn, a lot of things would logically have to happen in order to balance the scales. A group that set itself in the middle of the Underground and the Inner Circle, who have some level of morality and hesitancy when it comes to cold blooded massacres, but who are aiming to actually achieve something would be ideal to spring up any time now.. This is where the idea of Andy and Lauren’s reuniting could be interpreted as a meeting of the two worlds..
Lauren’s on a steady downward spiral, her obsession with the music box grows, and with the challenge of Esme and her sisters attempts to get inside her head courtesy of the link that Andy’s mind provides them; she’s worn thin, not sleeping, slowly losing sense of herself and of any logical progression of life. Integration of themes of alienation and self-imposed exile from oneself are knitted in to Lauren pretty strongly. When Reed tries to warn him of the darkness of the allure that her power holds, she replies that “The power, is incredible. It doesn’t feel evil, it feels like I can make everything wrong with the world right again.” Which is sounding like its on the path to the questionable ‘For The Greater Good’ mantra that most totalitarian dictators or megalomaniacs tend to adopt…
Erg and his actual Underground community, the way its displayed, aesthetically and structurally is surely a representation of refugee camps and the troubles that have been ongoing in 2018/19. Examining the many problematic issues that arise, to name a few; human rights violations, lack of basic amenities like food and clean water, inhuman treatment and overcrowding. The decision to not bring someone to get medical help because they’d immediately be arrested or abused, is sadly not an unfamiliar story.
The character of Erg has increasingly become a medium for exploring a relatively untouched or explored aspect of xenophobia, his distrust of anything foreign, anything that is not mutant is almost of not equally as intense and volatile as the Purifiers hatred and disgust of the mutants themselves. Similar to how its very rare for a tv series, film or anything in the media to look at sexism from the male’s point of view, when men are disregarded or belittled through that looking glass, this too is a rarity. Erg, from one betrayal of a human, treats every single human the same, every non-mutant, to him, is despicable, beyond redemption. As long as he’s been on our screens in this series he has had a zero-tolerance attitude towards non-mutants, seeing him interacting with Kate Strucker, having been forced to by Clarice, we see the ice slowly starting to thaw..
Back to the current episodes plot progression, Esme and her sisters, successfully draw Lauren into a dream and use Andy to attempt to manipulate her. Attempting to coax her into using their combined powers and hope that the power is strong enough to compel her to join them.
Though Lauren breaks the connection and runs away, it seems to break the final piece of her that had been holding onto her sanity and reason. She runs away and we see her slow spiral pick up some serious speed.. Feeling isolated and drawn to the darkness she leaves, half planning on eventually going to Andy.. But just in time her dad comes and talks her out of it, able to identify with her he tells her that he went through something very similar to what she’s experiencing.
In the last minutes of the episode we see a touching moment between Kate and Erg, he symbolically brands her with an ash ‘M’ on her cheek, indicating a turning of tides perhaps, as if one human can be seen as a source of good, he may begin to change how he feels about the necessity for completely cutting off his people from the world, and with that, pave a new path where Mutants and humans can live harmoniously. Nudging open the door just a little, for the possibility for change.
Had to include this little moment… John and his dog being so damn adorable, not exactly that relevant to the plot but definitely deserves a mention.
This being the Gifted, automatically leaves us on a bit of a cliff-hanger, Marco then threatens the man who has been questioning Lorna, which results in him being shot, crawling out and staggering away from the car before it blows up. Quite a cataclysmic ending, fitting for the man who makes explosives..
