The Gifted S01E08 "threat of eXtinction" Recap

In a flashback, Andreas and Andrea von Strucker are caught by authorities. They join hands and unleash a blast that kills those attempting to apprehend them.

In present day, Reed informs his family that Sentinel Services have been working with a defense contractor called Trusk Industries, a company that Reed's father worked at. Reed had told his children that his father had disappeared many years ago but in actuality, he has been living just a few hours away. Caitlin knew about all this and states that Reed's father was unkind to him growing up. Reed shares how he got sick as a child and his father didn't even come to visit him in the hospital.

Marcos and Lorna fight over his collaboration with Carmen. Lorna believes that Marcos still enjoys his old ways instead of being truly committed to her.

Reed tells John they need to go to Chattanooga to follow the lead of his father formerly working at Trusk Industries. John says they need to make a run to rescue some Mutant refugees first but they will go to visit Otto Strucker afterwards.

Sonya tries to mend fences with Clarice but she is uninterested in being friends again.

As John and Marcos begin to load up the mutant refugees, Clarice spots a young girl with blue markings on her face and coaches her to come out from her hiding place. A telepath warns John that she's been getting some weird thoughts from a nearby mutant woman and when John approaches her, he spots a tattoo on her wrist indicating that Sentinel Services has had her in captivity. She goes on the attack and only when Clarice, Marcos and John work together with their abilities are they able to render her unconscious and capture her. They bring her back to Underground but first discard a tracking beacon she had in her bag. The Underground must determine what to do with her, while Reed and John head out to visit Otto Strucker.

Caitlin and the Strucker kids help tend to an injured mutant child that was injured during the attack from the mutant sent by Sentinel Services. Caitlin then moves on to the new telepath, Esme. Caitlin asks about her ability and to demonstrate it. Esme determines that Caitlin is concerned about the war between mutants and humans and that Reed will end up on an opposing side to the children.

The Underground leaders try to question the captured mutant who's being kept in a holding cell. Sonya's abilities won't work on her. Lorna wants to torture the information out of her. Marcos stops Lorna from doing so and the two fight once again about his collaboration with Carmen.

Reed arrives with John at the antiques shop Otto Strucker has been running since he retired. Otto initially feigns ignorance about what Trask industries has been up to but appears shaken when he learns that Trask has been reopened and what they've been doing. Reed goes upstairs with Otto and shares a photo of his children and when asked, what their abilities are. Otto is horrified upon hearing this and shares about how Andreas von Strucker was his father and a mutant terrorist alongside his sister Andrea. He ran away from them to get away from their attempts to get him to join their terrorist activities. Otto admits that he himself is a mutant and Andreas and Andrea had the same abilities as Reed's children but when join forces they are a dangerous threat. Otto hid his mutant abilities from everyone, including Reed's mother. He had been working to develop a serum that would suppress the mutant gene and failed but only developed a version that worked on one mutant - Reed. The serum had to be administered before any abilities manifested and Otto held the guilt of this for all these years. He asks again about whether Lauren and Andy have joined hands while using their abilities and Reed says he doesn't believe so. Otto stresses again that they must be stopped.

Clarice discovers that the little girl, Nora, that she bonded with when bringing in the mutants was one of the only survivors of the attack on Clarice's old foster home. Now Nora is haunted by nightmares from the attack.

The Underground discover old records on the captured Mutant. Her name is Chloe. Lauren and Andy work together to hold her still long enough for Caitlin to knock her out with a sedative. Chloe is restrained and Caitlin continues to treat her though her prognosis doesn't look good as she's exhibiting symptoms like a drug addict in withdrawal. Caitlin decides to summon Esme to use her abilities to read Chloe's thoughts since she is struggling to communicate verbally.

Otto shares how Reed's mother ended their relationship because she knew he had secrets though she never knew exactly what they were. Their conversation is interrupted by John who shares that Sentinel Services has arrived. There is no way for them to escape the building without being spotted and Pulse has been brought to suppress abilities. Otto volunteers to go downstairs and apologises to Reed for everything and tells him to protect Lauren and Andy, as well as to protect the world from them. When Otto meets the Sentinel Services agents, he is greeted by Roderick Campbell who admires Strucker's old research which he went through when the company was re-opened. Otto tells them to leave when Roderick says they're looking for Reed. Roderick orders his agents to search the premises but Otto unleashes some powers despite Pulse's efforts to stop them. Otto is shot but still manages to unleash a blast of glowing energy, similar to what Andreas and Andrea did at the episode's beginning when their hands were joined. Roderick and the rest of Sentinel Services retreats while Reed and John go downstairs to find the ruined antique shop and Otto's dead body. John heads outside and finds a dying Pulse, who apologises in his last moments. John promises to make them pay for what they did to him.

Esme reads Chloe's mind and learns that Sentinel Services killed her husband and captured her daughter. Chloe is in a great deal of pain and is fading fast. Esme is able to get a vision of a lab north of Underground that is part of Trask Industries. Esme says she will be able to find the building. Caitlin promises Chloe that she will find her daughter, right before Chloe succumbs to her ailments.

Clarice reaches out to Sonya about Nora, sharing about how she is to blame for what has happened. She wants Sonya to take away the traumatic memory that is giving her nightmares and Sonya agrees to help.

Reed and John bury the bodies of their loved ones and all of the lead characters appear to be more motivated than ever to forward their cause. Reed returns home and his family comfort him in his loss. The final shot is of Lauren and Andy joining hands.

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