Currently 2 episodes in, The Gifted is a new show on Fox set in a universe filled with mutants, but with no X-Men, after a sudden disappearance. It follows the Strucker family as they up in the Mutant Underground after their children manifest mutant abilities.
So far this is probably the best live action X-Men adaptation I've ever seen. It runs with the "mutants are hated and feared" tenant far more than any of the films and does so in a very grounded way. All of the Mutant powers also look great and it isn't afraid to use named characters as the main cast includes Blink, Thunderbird, Polaris and Eclipse who is TOTALLY NOT SUNSPOT.
I haven't seen too many folks talking about this show but it's real fuckin' good and y'all should watch it.
There's no love triangles, no characters arbitrarily keeping secrets for drama, no characters angsting about whether or not they're doing The Right Thing
People immediately do what they believe is right. They say sorry when they believe they've done wrong. They forgive who they think deserve it. They love who they love.
They behave like people instead of weird TV characters, which is nice
Like for example (spoilers for the first two episodes)
Reed and Caitlin do not question protecting their children or that Sentinel Services are bad or that going on the run is necessary. Not for a second.
Marcos and Lorna love each other. Marcos makes some independent decisions without consulting John and John gets pissed about it, but you understand why and John forgives him.
We find out Lorna is pregnant and Marcos is the father.
Period. This isn't a question or a point of drama aside from her pregnancy itself being dramatic. But that Marcos is the father isn't a question. Lorna and Marcos didn't know, but that's quite likely because she's very early and they only found out as a result of her jail medical.
In a shittier show these things might have played different. Not here.
Yep, enjoying this a lot so far. I mean, I'll watch Amy Acker in almost anything, but I'd watch this even without her.
I know it's very early days and it may be the novelty, but I'm already looking forward to this more than the Arrowverse shows except for maybe Legends since that looks to be going properly off the rails in the best possible way again this season.
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+2
SnicketysnickThe Greatest Hype Man inWesterosRegistered Userregular
Only had one episode so far over here in the UK but yeah it's very solid, jumping boots first into the whole thing when it'd be easy to try and tiptoe around the comics bit. What really got me funnily enough was a ringtone in that first episode.
I think they're putting things at a very vague "might be in the movie universe, might not"
I mean, we have no idea what's going on in the movie universe in 2017, and we might not learn that for quite some time
So they've left a lot of things ambiguous
Adverts are explicitly saying it is set in the X-men universe. They do however avoid outright saying the word movie in said adverts and then the setting is being kept sufficiently vague for it to never need to properly interact in anyway...they name drop but that is about it. It seems like they are to a certain extent trying to have their cake and eat it too at least for now. Legion was also deliberately vague but it didn't make claims to connectivity in either the positive or negative.
My husband was thrilled last episode because maybe ten minutes after he mentioned that he could have sworn that in the comics Polaris had green hair, Polaris in the show washed the black dye out of her green hair.
I'm really enjoying they way they deal with they way people react to mutants. It seems to really nail the message from the comics. The blatant hatred from some, the casual racism from others, the people who don't initiate violence who quietly look away. And the way the mutants themselves have to survive in this world. Allegory to the gills.
Before following any advice, opinions, or thoughts I may have expressed in the above post, be warned: I found Keven Costners "Waterworld" to be a very entertaining film.
0
StraightziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered Userregular
The only part of the show that I'm not in love with right now is
the Polaris prison sequence.
I think the show has been doing an overall good job with having intersectional mutants (I believe the only white male mutant we've seen so far is Andy), but releasing Polaris into a gen-pop that's full of non-mutant women of color begins to get to that weird point where the mutant metaphor is butting right up against what it's a metaphor for. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it has definitely created a bit of cognitive friction, for me at least.
The dude that Garrett Dillahunt is playing is Roderick Campbell/Ahab in the comics, who is tied to Rachel Summers backstory normally
Also the "siblings in Rio in the 60s" incident? Hrm.
Maybe the Struckers aren't such an arbitrary name drop!
In the comics, the Strucker kids are not natural mutants, but are instead given the x-gene in utero by HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola.
Obviously Fox can't use Zola or HYDRA but they could directly reference the Boys From Brazil and Nazis,
who we know from First Class were messing with mutants back in the day.
I just started to watch this. There's a distinct lack of spandex uniforms and no X-Man. I won't hold it against the show though.
There are Sentinel robots that hunt mutants though. That has to count for something.
Sure, they don't look like brightly colored giants. But the creepy giant spider aesthetic works pretty well for them.
I'm onto the second episode. I liked the spider sentinels. I liked not sunspots ring tone. The opening scene for the second episode was nice. Feel bad for that girl.
Goddamn homo sapiens amirite
+1
Bloods EndBlade of TyshallePunch dimensionRegistered Userregular
Posts
I genuinely like this show's version of the Sentinels
Who?
Because going by that image, it looks extremely
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I don't know, lets ask the Gifted expert @Blankzilla.
I think he's the only poster in here, besides Pony, who watches it.
Like it is Soap-y but not in that CW way, way more actual X-Men comics soap-y
There's no love triangles, no characters arbitrarily keeping secrets for drama, no characters angsting about whether or not they're doing The Right Thing
People immediately do what they believe is right. They say sorry when they believe they've done wrong. They forgive who they think deserve it. They love who they love.
They behave like people instead of weird TV characters, which is nice
Like for example (spoilers for the first two episodes)
Marcos and Lorna love each other. Marcos makes some independent decisions without consulting John and John gets pissed about it, but you understand why and John forgives him.
We find out Lorna is pregnant and Marcos is the father.
Period. This isn't a question or a point of drama aside from her pregnancy itself being dramatic. But that Marcos is the father isn't a question. Lorna and Marcos didn't know, but that's quite likely because she's very early and they only found out as a result of her jail medical.
In a shittier show these things might have played different. Not here.
I'll be checking this out.
Steam ID - VeldrinD | SS Post | Wishlist
I was watching episode 2 with my brother who is a huge X-Men fan and when the collars showed up he was like oh shiiiiiiii
Steam ID - VeldrinD | SS Post | Wishlist
Thanks for the recommendations!
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I know it's very early days and it may be the novelty, but I'm already looking forward to this more than the Arrowverse shows except for maybe Legends since that looks to be going properly off the rails in the best possible way again this season.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
D3 Steam #TeamTangent STO
1) is this set in the same "universe" as Legion
2) is Legion actually good, because I haven't watched it yet but heard some things
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99.99999999999999999% not based on costume and technology etc
Legion is very good
D3 Steam #TeamTangent STO
I mean, we have no idea what's going on in the movie universe in 2017, and we might not learn that for quite some time
So they've left a lot of things ambiguous
Adverts are explicitly saying it is set in the X-men universe. They do however avoid outright saying the word movie in said adverts and then the setting is being kept sufficiently vague for it to never need to properly interact in anyway...they name drop but that is about it. It seems like they are to a certain extent trying to have their cake and eat it too at least for now. Legion was also deliberately vague but it didn't make claims to connectivity in either the positive or negative.
I'm really enjoying they way they deal with they way people react to mutants. It seems to really nail the message from the comics. The blatant hatred from some, the casual racism from others, the people who don't initiate violence who quietly look away. And the way the mutants themselves have to survive in this world. Allegory to the gills.
I think the show has been doing an overall good job with having intersectional mutants (I believe the only white male mutant we've seen so far is Andy), but releasing Polaris into a gen-pop that's full of non-mutant women of color begins to get to that weird point where the mutant metaphor is butting right up against what it's a metaphor for. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it has definitely created a bit of cognitive friction, for me at least.
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like he has quicksilver and his sister who may or may not be wanda
he has his daughter in X-Men Apocalypse
Polaris
Erik, buddy
learn to bag your groceries
We gonna get a Raze Darkholme show or what?
excalibur
starring rachel grey phoenix
Okay but yes actually I would love this
If we could somehow get a TV budget Nightcrawler it could be a twofer
and Lockheed please
are we getting Sinister?
Maybe!
Also the "siblings in Rio in the 60s" incident? Hrm.
Maybe the Struckers aren't such an arbitrary name drop!
In the comics, the Strucker kids are not natural mutants, but are instead given the x-gene in utero by HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola.
Obviously Fox can't use Zola or HYDRA but they could directly reference the Boys From Brazil and Nazis,
who we know from First Class were messing with mutants back in the day.
There are Sentinel robots that hunt mutants though. That has to count for something.
Sure, they don't look like brightly colored giants. But the creepy giant spider aesthetic works pretty well for them.
Goddamn homo sapiens amirite
or if they just mention Genosha offhand