The Gifted season 2, episode 14 review: calaMity

Things go badly for everyone in this episode of The Gifted, titled “calaMity.” Spoilers ahead.

The Gifted’s world is often very cruel to its characters, which is part of why the show is so compelling. But “caLamity,” episode 14 of the second season, really kicked things up a notch.

When viewers last saw the characters several weeks ago in “teMpted,” Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker) and Marcos Diaz/Eclipse (Sean Teale) were called into the Morlock sewers by Clarice Fong/Blink (Jamie Chung) to help a mutant in dire need of a blood transfusion.

When they’re attacked by Jace Turner’s (Coby Bell) Purifiers at the clinic, they barely escape after Caitlin guns one of them down when Erg (Michael Lowoye) is hit.

Meanwhile with the rest of the Strucker clan, the Frost sisters (Skyler Samuels) are trying to use Andy’s (Percy Hynes White) telepathic link with Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind) to lure her into the Inner Circle. She resisted by running away from the apartment, though Reed (Stephen Moyer) and John Proudstar/Thunderbird (Blair Redford) manage to track her down. Reed gave Lauren a dose of his power-dousing serum from “gaMe changer.”

At Inner Circle HQ, Lorna Dane/Polaris (Emma Dumont) spies on new IC recruit Max to learn his routine, which leads to Eclipse ambushing him during a carjacking at the liquor store. That didn’t go so well – he was shot six times at point-blank range, and Max’s car exploded.

Scrapping in the sewers

Reeva Payge (Grace Byers) meets with Benedict Ryan (Peter Gallagher) to set up an important Purifier mission – the complete elimination of the Morlocks, which is a tall order, as even Sentinel Services believes they’re an urban legend.  Ryan tasks Turner with leading this mission, with the reward that he will be running Sentinel if he’s successful.

This mission in the sewers takes the main focus of the episode, as Erg tries to defend the sewers while Blink evacuates the children, sick and elderly mutants away from the battle.

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Many Purifiers and Morlocks die in the lead-up to the actual battle itself.

Personal drama – at a time like this?

Lauren’s able to speak German now in her sleep, which is either a gift from the music box or a reaction to her dad’s medicine. She insists on no more serum, which Caitlin and Reed fight loudly about. Later in the day she tells Caitlin about the power of the music box, and Caitlin tells Reed about the trip back to Atlanta.

When they hear the news about the Morlocks needing help, they dash out to help evacuate the Morlock refugees, and on the way there Reed announces that he won’t take the serum any longer, either, though he knows this is eventually going to be fatal.

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Eclipse is rightfully sick with worry about Lorna’s safety, while Thunderbird is a little mad at him because Blink called him when she needed help. In the middle of a crisis they awkwardly (and not in a good way) reach a cease-fire in their personal hostilities over the end of their relationship.

Inner Circle collapsing in on itself

Max never came back from the liquor store, which has everyone else very, very antsy. There’s a good deal of infighting before Sage (Hayley Lovitt) shuts down all non-essential electronic and communication devices in the complex as a security measure.

When the Frosts discover someone logged into the computer several hours before Max was killed, Reeva goes ballistic and blasts Sage to to death with her screamy breath. Losing a friend like that obviously distresses Polaris greatly, though Andy seems unconcerned by the news.

Where things currently stand

The evacuees and Erg are able to escape safely, but not before Blink is shot repeatedly with high-grade military weaponry. It doesn’t seem likely she would be able to survive that.

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Caitlin also drove through a police blockade. Reeva hasn’t discovered (yet) that Lorna is the mole.

Mutant miscellany

• In the flashback, we learned that four years ago Ryan was a struggling talk radio host when Reeva discovered him and set him atop the Purifiers. He was an opportunist who jumped on the anti-mutant bandwagon after 7/15.
• I’m not sure if we already knew this, but Turner’s daughter Grace died on 7/15.
• Eclipse was barely wounded by Max’s gunshots, apparently, as he’s able to rush into rescue mode the very next day.
• “I’m pretty sure just going in and shooting people is against the law.” This would be funnier if Turner hadn’t crossed this point a long time ago.
• Picking up the little girl’s teddy bear she left behind – and that it had the Morlock brand, too – that was brilliant writing.
• There was no montage this week, as the episode ended with a snap, all Law and Order style, and nothing resolved in the slightest.

Episode 15 of The Gifted, titled “Monsters,” airs Tuesday, February 19 at 9/8c on Fox. From the end credits trailer, Polaris and Andy are in full revolt mode, while Reeva’s out for killing everyone.