The Gifted S01E01 "eXposed" Recap

The X-Men have disappeared for some time now. A mutant named "Blink" (Clarice Fong) is on the run from law enforcement that have been tasked with hunting down mutants. She teleports away form them but appears to be struggling with knowing how to best use her powers. Another group of mutants led by Marcos Diaz ("Eclipse") is searching for her. His ability is to absorb and manipulate photons. Together with his girlfriend Lorna Dane ("Polaris" - magnetic powers) and John Proudstar ("Thunderbird") they track down Blink to help her escape. They are quickly found by some police officers and attempt to escape but Marcos is shot in the process, prompting Lorna to attack the policers and get captured while the others escape.

Parents Reed and Caitlin Strucker have a meeting at their children's high school. Their younger son Andy is being bullied and Reed does some posturing and threatens to sue the school if they don't take action to help their son. Reed is shown to be a defense lawyer who visits Lorna in her holding cell. He tries to offer help but she doesn't seem inclined to want to take it, and becomes enraged when Reed reveals some news to her in a file he has.

Andy sneaks out to accompany his older sister Lauren to the school dance. He is quickly rounded up by the bullies who take him into the locker room and hold him under the showers, alternating between freezing and scalding water. He begins to scream and displays mutant abilities that begin to shake and damage the entire building. The students begin to run outside but Lauren runs back towards the locker room and displays mutant abilities of her own in the process. She calms him down so he stops causing destruction and gets him back home. Caitlin is shocked to learn that not only one of her children is a mutant but both of them. Laurent reveals that she was the one that saved them from death in prior accidents. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of two agents from Sentinel Services that want to take Lauren and Andy into custody. They barge their way into the house, knocking Caitlin down in the process. This upsets Andy who demands that they leave and his powers begin to start up once more. Lauren also uses her abilities so the three are able to make it out to the garage and drive away with the help of Lauren using her power, since Andy is shown to not know how to control his. Caitlin calls Reed to come meet them and breaks the news that their children are mutants.

Reed meets with his family and informs them that they will have to flee somewhere with less strict policies for mutants. He calls a colleague asking for help and access to resources so they can make their escape. He is able to get Marcos' number and ask him for help. He informs Marcos that Lorna is pregnant and this revelation prompts Marcos to agree to have a meeting. Marcos had been talking with Clarice and trying to figure out a plan to break Lorna out before receiving the call.

Reed goes to meet with Marcos and a deal is struck. Marcos will set up a way out for Reed's family but Reed needs to stay behind and help him get Lorna back. When they all meet again that night, they are quickly interrupted by the arrival of Sentinal Services, who somehow knew where they were going to be. John and Clarice and help Marco and the Struckers get away into another part of the building they're out. Clarice struggles to get a good enough control of her abilities to open a portal for everyone to escape, while Andy manages to unleash a blast of his powers that destroys some robotic spiders that were unleashed to try to capture them. Everyone is able to get away except for Reed, who is shot and unable to get himself up and through the portal before it closes.

The Gifted airs on Mondays on FOX at 9/8c.