After a week off for baseball, everybody’s favorite mutants (outside of the dozens who already appeared in the movies) are back!
NOTE: For the sake of clarity, I’m using the characters’ hero (or villain) names, instead of switching between them based on context. It should make it easier to keep track of a sizable cast, and I hope using their code names doesn’t prevent you from connecting with these very human characters.
We go back 12 years to when Jace was a beat cop. He and his older partner identify a mutant, just minding his own business. Jace’s partner asks the kid to show his ID, and when he doesn’t immediately comply zaps him with a taser. Jace protests but his partner references the time a mutant did a bad thing once to explain why he’s totally justified in attacking a minor.
During the last episode, while the Mutant Underground was freeing mutants from the hospital they were held in, a lot of mutants were hurt. But resident nurse Caitlin Strucker is focused on her daughter Lauren, injured in a fight with her unbearable brother Andy until Thunderbird boosts her spirits.
Jace, meanwhile, is staring at his divorce papers while the mutant-hating equivalent of FOX News is playing on his TV, calling all of the escapees of the hospital and those who freed them terrorists. Jace sees a message on his phone from the friend he made last episode, inviting him to a session of the Purifiers, and texts back that he’ll be there.
Eclipse talks with Blink how the Mutant Underground doesn’t have the resources to keep everyone they brought back with them safe. Blink suggests reaching out to the Morlocks and, despite Eclipse’s hesitation, that seems like their only option.
Andy, Polaris, and the Frost Sisters watch the news from Hellfire Club headquarters. Andy is conflicted about attacking his sister, but the others insist he did the right thing and they’re moving towards a Mutant Uprising that’s totally a good thing. They discuss Rebecca, the prisoner they took from the hospital, and how she’s a major part of their leader Reeva’s plans.
Polaris and one of the Frost Sisters ask Rebecca to show what she can do to help them in their cause. When she doesn’t respond to them, they worry she may be too far gone after her time in the mutant mental ward.
Eclipse, Blink, and some of the escaped mutants head towards the Morlocks and are greeted earlier than expected by Erg. In private Blink speaks with Erg about her unwanted role a spy for the Morlocks and begs him to take in the refugees, which he says he will in return on one condition.
At a nearby clinic, Caitlin and a doctor try to treat a mutant who sweats acid. Thunderbird, the only one who can survive touching him, helps saves his life. The acid sweating mutant, Michael, wakes up. He tells them that the mutant the Inner Circle took with them is Rebecca, who was locked up tighter than anyone. He mentions a Doctor Taylor who was kind to them but passes out again.
Blink speaks with Erg about being a spy for the Morlocks, something she’d rather not do, and begs him to take in the refugees, which he will in return for something from her.
Andy talks with the mutant, treating her “like a person instead of a weapon.” He opens up to her and shows empathy towards her experience at the hospital, saying it reminds him of high school, which is an awfully lopsided comparison. He tells her they can be who they are at the HC, and she can be part of his “new family” if she wants. Reminder: Andy, though completely insufferable, has an actual family who still loves him despite his allegiance to an organization attempting to take over humankind. Rebecca shows that her power is to turn things inside up and starts to warm up.
Jace arrives at the Purifiers meeting, listening to a ranting speech about mutant terrorists. He stands up and suggests that, instead of fighting protesters, they should round up the fugitives from the mental hospital from mutant-friendly hospitals they may be healing with, like where Michael is being treated. Caitlin and Thunderbird see the Purifiers coming but struggle to move Michael, given the whole sweating acid thing.
Eclipse and Blink see where the Morlocks stay, which seems like a palace to the refugees after being in the mental ward. Erg reveals that the group is welcome to stay, but only on the condition they take the mark of the Morlocks, an M branded on one cheek. The refugees seem happy to do so in exchange for a place they’re protected.
Andy shows Rebecca around the Hellfire Club headquarters and they leave to go for a sort-of date. On their date, Rebecca talks to Andy about her ability to twist things inside out and confirms she’s happy to join the Inner Circle. They use her power on a police car, freaking out a couple cops. Andy goes on to destroy the inside-out car with his abilities before they run off. They return to headquarters and, after kissing Andy, Rebecca tells Polaris and the Frosts that she’s ready for whatever mission they have for her.
Jace pressures a doctor at the clinic for information about the mutant they’re hiding, and his friend starts wailing on him. Caitlin convinces Thunderbird they have to hide because Sentinel Services thinks the Mutant Underground is dead and they can’t let them realize otherwise. They wait till the coast is clear and escape but without Michael who died in the process.
Blink and Eclipse stick around the Morlocks hideout in case anyone decides not to take the mark and go back with them. Erg chastises her for hiding amongst humans, using contact lenses to blend in. Blink and Eclipse watch Erg mark the refugees with noticeable discomfort. They’re clearly not happy with the bed they’ve made with the Morlocks.
The episode ends with the revelation that Jace found a lead on the mutants and, given the preview for next episode shows him shooting from a giant gun, he’s going to find them. That marks the end of a pretty good episode, thanks to more insight into the Morlocks, one of the few corners of the X-Men universe FOX hasn’t already touched. We’ll see where things go from here!
