The Gifted Review: afterMath (Season 2 Episode 5)
We’re back from our world-series hiatus and The Gifted gives us another strong episode. While The Gifted Season 2 Episode 5, “afterMath” is not as strong as previous episodes it still manages to pack quite a punch. This episode gives us a look into the two extremist sides of the fight, the Inner Circle and the Purifiers.
Both of them have the same moral dilemma, is it right to hurt innocents? Frankly, I don’t think either one cares much. Let’s look at the inner circle first. The Frost Sisters and Lorna are frustrated over their new recruit’s actions.
Considering the girl has been locked up and drugged for over a year I think she’s earned the right to just stay in bed.
The Inner Circle tries to get her to come out of her shell, but they treat her as a weapon rather than a young terrified girl. Lorna talks about how the rest of the world treats them like animals, but they’re not doing a much better job with Rebecca.
Polaris: They treat us like animals, that’s what we’re fighting
Andy points out that you can’t treat people like they are objects and tries his own approach. It’s nice to see that there’s still a tiny hint of the Andy we know still there. Because right now he is getting farther and farther away with each moment.
We see him feel a slight twinge of guilt over what he did to his sister, but as we talked about in the review for The Gifted Season 2 Episode 4, “outMatched” he’s drunk the Kool-aid.
Apparently, all you need to forget your sister is a cute girl with a new power. There’s a part of me that is like, this is who they’re trying so hard to get back? He’s just a teenage brat with powers.
The other big event on this episode is the Purifiers. This episode does hit a bit close to home for anyone who is an immigrant or comes from an immigrant family. Because the truth is, this attitude isn’t new to us.
The hatred that comes from fear is something we’ve all dealt with, because of our religion, our ethnicity, our sexuality, or something as simple as where we were born. Props to The Gifted writers for not shying away from the ugliness of this plot.
Right now you turn on the news, you see the atrocities that are happening and it’s never far from our minds. The reason why Jace Turner is such a powerful villain is that we’ve all dealt with a version of him. Reeva Payge is fantastic, but I don’t think anyone of us has ever encountered someone like her outside the television.
And yet, most of us have encountered a version of Jace Turner or the Purifiers. A person who spreads fear and hatred in defense of some messed up ideal.
This episode shows us the first days of Jace as a cop, the first thing he and his partner do is attack a mutant. The mutant is doing nothing wrong and yet he is attacked, it is a clear metaphor on how people of color are treated.
We see the regret in his eyes, but won’t lift a finger to help. That’s always how it starts, isn’t it?
Of course, now he has the power to organize racists. As much as I hate him, Turner is really smart and he knows a lot about mutants. Props to Coby Bell because the way he commands Jace Turner is impressive.
From his mannerisms and his expressions, Jace knows it’s wrong, but his hatred is stronger than his conscience. The idea to round up innocent people definitely sounds like something ICE-y doesn’t it?
Additional:
- The scenes between the refugees and the Underground are wonderful. I especially like the ones between Light Girl (does anyone have a name for her?) and Marcos. Marcos has been mostly hopeless this season, especially after the events of The Gifted Season 2 Episode 3, “coMplications.”. So it’s nice for him to get a new point-of-view.
Light Girl: There’s always a bit of light, even in the darkest places
- The dynamic between Erg and Blink is incredible and I can’t wait to see more of it. Clarice gets her mutant name!
Erk: Never hide who you are, Blink. You are glorious.
- Unlike Andy, Lorna definitely still has doubts, but will she do anything about them?
What did you think of this episode of The Gifted? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Gifted airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Fox.
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Maii Trueba de Buen
Maii is a 28-year-old writer who can be slightly invested in characters and their stories. She tries to give credit where credit is due but isn’t afraid to be honest in her writing. It's probably best not to ask about Lucifer or A Song of Ice and Fire, because you'll never hear the end of it. She graduated in film and has a certificate/minor in Art History. She brings that into her writing because, well, she’s a nerd. The only thing that beats her love of writing is her love of Pandas.