Great second episode too. This is so much stronger out of the gate than S.H.I.E.L.D. was. Hope they keep this up, hope you all start watching it!
I think it helps that right out of the gate we get some Mutant action and characters, SHIELD took a bit to gather steam. I’d love for The Gifted to end up as strong as SHIELD for sure, it seems like it’s going to be a good show overall.
This already did a way better job selling the larger world they’re exploring than S.H.I.E.L.D. ever has. I’ve complained all along that S.H.I.E.L.D. made a global spy agency feel like a dozen extras in a small warehouse.
It could just be the newness of these characters, but there’s already just a ton of random “background mutantness” going on that really makes it feel like the world they want us to believe in extends beyond the series regulars, and I love it.
I mean, I don’t want to just define The Gifted by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s failures, I’m just saying that I know S.H.I.E.L.D. gets more love around here than I would expect, and I really think that if anyone likes that, they’d really dig this too.
Agree that there’s neat worldbuilding here. When the doctor was talking with Amy Acker about her “boyfriend,” I thought that was kind of a neat touch and something that totally made sense in a world where some people can have superpowers.
My daughter and I enjoyed episode 2. They really have not let up on the mutant action since nearly the beginning, and that’s a very good sign. The whole drama surrounding the portal girl going overload was a little hamfisted, but it did provide the opportunity for the kids to prove their worth and the mom to bond with the Mutant Underground, plus we got to see some pretty cool new mutants. I especially liked the guy who could project fear, that’s a pretty clever way to keep your base undetected.
Overall, we are really liking this show and it has the potential to become even better if they keep it up. I laughed when it finally clicked with my daughter about halfway through the second episode that the whole thing is set in the X-Men universe. Suddenly she perked up and was like “So wait, where are the X-Men? Which X-Men are alive in this? We should go back and watch the X-Men movies again!” LOL. I’m slowly working nerd culture into her. She’s a huge Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie fan, and she loves shows like The 100 and anything to do with the supernatural, but she’s never been a big super hero show/movie fan, so I’m hoping this show will spark some further interest. =)
This was my daughter as well, what finally broke her into the genre was actually Batman vs. Superman, which I guess she watched at Grandma’s and really liked it. So then I took her with the boy and I to watch Wonder Woman, and she loved it. So did my wife. Then my wife wanted to come along to see Logan since she enjoyed Deadpool, and my daughter wanted to see that too. She ended up watching Logan two more times after that, even. Since, she’s really grabbed onto Marvel hard and loves those movies, and wants very much to tag along for Thor 3. I guess the point of my story is hang in there! With so many fantastic super hero films and TV out there, you’re bound to find her “gateway”.
I knew this show would be good as soon as I found out Matt Nix is showrunner. He created Burn Notice and The Good Guys.
Not that I needed a reason, but that connection would explain Sharon Gless playing the mom / grandmother.
The baldy who’s hunting them was also in Burn Notice, right? He’s awfully familiar from somewhere.
Yep, he was added in the second half of the shows run.
Sunspot is in the upcoming New Mutants movie, I just found out. Mystery solved!
So the first season just finished and although the show was uneven and flawed, I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. The family drama stuff was meh, some of the mutant stuff was repetitive, but it also had some good riffs on the power/responsibilty/do-heroes-kill tropes, and some pretty good fights and super power set pieces. I’d give the show a B+ overall.
Just went to watch the 2 hour season finale with the kids and found out the TIVO never recorded episodes 9, 10, or 11 (12/4, 12/11, and 1/1 were the air dates). WTF. So I guess now we have to individually try and watch the missing episodes on FOX.com in order to catch up, so I doubt any of us will bother. A shame, it was a neat show. I may keep watching it but I don’t imagine my kids will.
In case anyone else was wondering, The Gifted was renewed for a second season and returns in October. I enjoyed this show more than I expected I would, and am looking forward to it’s return.
I kinda got bored a few episodes in once they had freed the dad. Felt like it had a few too much flouncy teen melodrama in it. The pilot was pretty decent, so perhaps I’ll get around to the rest of the season one of these days…
Seems like it’d fit in better with the CW crowd.
I think that’s a little harsh, the CW shows tend to have a much more ham fisted, goofy, flashier tone. I have always been positively predisposed towards the x-men though, looking forward to new episodes. I just wish they sped up the pace a bit.
That’s an understandable criticism. I think FOX designed this show to appeal to a broad family audience. You had the family drama and the kids in peril appeal for the parents, the kids with superpowers deal for the kids, and the whole good-looking young adults with superpowers and relationship drama to appeal to the 14-20something set, with everything set against a background of government oppression and the fight against a fascist state and featuring the X-Men universe. It tried to have a little something for everyone, and maybe it suffered a bit for that.
Under all that effort though there is a pretty decent show with some good characters and a compelling plot. I’m looking forward to it’s return, especially since we’ve lost so many quality shows this past season (Exorcist, Designated Survivor, Colony, etc.).
Thanks for that analysis! Reckon I’ll give it another bash.
Great news! We (the kids and I) really enjoyed this show and were crossing fingers and toes it’d be back. Nice!
Cool, I’m in for season 2 on this one. It does a fine job of implementing the “normals vs mutants” conflict that drives so much of the X-men universe.
I can understand @Cormac’s criticism, but the melodrama didn’t bother me much. I think I’m building up a tolerance to it, having watched the CW shows to get my superhero fix for the last few years.