The Gifted Review: 3 X 1 (Season 1 Episode 11)

On The Gifted Season 1 Episode 11 “3 X 1,” the Underground plots their next move as the Struckers decide it’s time to finally move on for greener pastures.

The difference between a bad show and a decent one can sometimes be a subtle line in the sand. In some cases, it’s all about the execution of a solid arc (i.e Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Other times, it’s finding a good anchor in the tone or a lead character.

A possibility, in this case, for The Gifted is finding a noteworthy villain that fits within the confines of the series and just really works, for whatever reason.

That isn’t to say that The Gifted is a decent show (because it’s not), but there is a certain kind of kitschy enjoyment that comes from Esme (Skyler Samuels) and her triplet sisters bashing down the proverbial door and bringing more ham than a Christmas dinner.

On another — perhaps better — show, the triplets might not work as well as they do here, but the series has so inundated us with a barrage of blandness over the first ten episodes that this feels like it has some life to it. The Gifted is swerving into how ridiculous the simultaneous-speaking, psychic triplets are and that makes it succeed remarkably well.

It’s not much, but it’s a sign that The Gifted can have some kind of personality to it, which has been more or less nonexistent for much of the season. More than even that, it is a concrete choice. The triplets are weird, strange, and off-putting. It’s something a little more than the flat characters of the Underground.

A good villain can often be key for a series to turn a corner and The Gifted is certainly headed the right way in that regard.

A good chunk of “3 X 1” dealt with characters struggling and talking about their grief. This is very welcome on a show that often feels like static emotions. The only problem with the grief is it revolves around dead characters that we never cared an awful lot about to begin with.

The grief itself feels genuine and lived-in, but there was no real emotional attachment to them from the audience and, as a result, feels somewhat dull without any edges to it. What it does get across, however, is what that loss means for the character.

In that regard, it’s a bit of a shortcut to get where the show wants to go, even if it does feel slightly unsatisfying at times.

This could have been fixed retroactively if Dreamer had felt at all like a fully drawn out character that had anything more than a memory power she was reckless with and an infatuation with Thunderbird. Unfortunately, that’s not quite enough to get us to care about her or her loss on the show.

If they had put serious work into that character, the aftermath of her death would have had considerable weight in this episode, but instead it feels a bit hollow.

In other news, and surprising absolutely no one, the Struckers continue to be the dumbest characters on the show and make more bad decisions by leaving the Underground and heading for Mexico. They cite the triplets as their reason for leaving, but that largely comes off as an underwhelming and unconvincing reason.

Somebody needs to save Amy Acker from this thankless role. She is capable of so much more than what this show has to offer.

For now, the triplets represent a light at the end of this tunnel that might make it all worth it.

What did you think of this episode of The Gifted? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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The Gifted airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.

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