Originally written on February 19, 2018


I’m going to preface this review by saying that yes, I’m a big fan of superheroes. I watch as much superhero stuff as I possibly can, and so I’ve definitely seen many different takes on things by now. I will also say that I’m mostly into Marvel stuff, as I’ve found their heroes to be more interesting. However, despite that, I’ve always found the X-Men universe to be one of my least favorite ones. I honestly don’t know what it is, but the characters have just never connected with me, and I find the “humans are afraid of mutants” storyline that X-Men ALWAYS does to be repetitive. However, I think that in the last year or so, X-Men has been stepping it up. I think that Logan is one of the best superhero movies ever made, and I even found myself pretty into the Legion series that was on early in 2017. So, I actually winded up getting excited for The Gifted, and in the end I really did enjoy it.

It’s actually a little hard to explain why I enjoyed The Gifted, though. For one thing, my complaint about X-Men storylines is still present here. In it, Sentinel Services are hunting mutants, who have been considered “dangerous to society” and need to be hunted. Our focus is on a group of mutants who are trying to evade capture and prove themselves to be good to the world. It really is the same tired storyline, and yet for some reason I found myself invested in it this time around. I’ll admit, though, the unoriginality of it does make for some bland viewing at times, but for the most part I think it’s well executed. My bigger complaint story-wise is that I found there to be certain storylines that are suddenly discarded without any satisfying conclusion, and others that felt forced just to make something happen.

For me, I think what made the difference with The Gifted was its characters. I think one of my big problems with X-Men is just that I’ve always had a hard time connecting with its characters. I found there to be so many mutants that I could never get invested in any one person’s storyline. The Gifted feels more self-contained, focusing mainly on a family of four, as well as four other mutants serving as the main cast. However, I will say that part of the reason I was able to connect with these characters more is simply because this is a TV series. I was given more time to connect with the characters in a way that movies are unable to do because of their limited run times.

It actually isn’t even necessarily the characters themselves that I find to be interesting, but more of the dynamics between them. While the mutants in the main cast are all interesting in their own right, I found the big draw of the show to be with the Strucker family. The parents of this family aren’t mutants, but when it’s discovered that their two kids are, they have to go on the run to protect them. The additional drama is added with the father, Reed, coming from the background of having a job where he prosecutes mutants for a living, so he must contend with what he’s done after discovering that his kids are mutants. It’s an interesting dynamic, and the one that I found the most rewarding to explore in the show.

In the end, though, I can’t truly recommend The Gifted. I DO think it’s a good show, don’t get me wrong. However, we’ve started to enter an age where superhero movies and shows are dominating the market. The number of superhero shows that have come out in the past few years alone is easily in the double digits. While I consume as many of them as I can, I can’t expect everyone to be like me. So, I will say that if you are really into superhero shows, or the X-Men universe in particular, The Gifted IS worth watching. It’s also only a 13 episode first season, so it’s not too bad to get through. However, if you’re very particular about which comic book shows you like to watch, you’re probably going to want to skip this one, as there is definitely better ones out there. Still, I enjoyed The Gifted, and I can’t wait for its second season.

3.5/5