The Gifted S01E12 "eXtraction" Recap

The Underground leaders form a plan that sends Polaris, Eclipse, Thunderbird, and Clarice out to meet with the Frost sisters at a safe house to regroup before going after SS. The Struckers are having an internal conflict in that Andy and Lauren are disagreeing on whether or not they should go after SS themselves. Andy wants to take action but Lauren doesn't want to do anything too impulsive. But their parents interrupt their discussion by saying that SS will be going after their grandmother Ellen to try to get more information on Otto's research.

The Underground leaders arrive at the safe house, while Reed and Caitlin sneak out to meet with Ellen at her office to warn her that SS will be coming after her. Andy and Lauren wait outside where Andy is still wanting to take a more aggressive approach against SS while Lauren remains weary. Ellen doesn't want to leave her life behind but is shaken by the news that SS killed Otto in their approach against mutants and that Otto himself was a mutant. She knew he had secrets but never had any idea about his being a mutant. Reed shares how the serum Otto used blocked the X-gene in Reed. SS agents arrive outside to try to go after Ellen but Andy uses his powers to knock them back, ordering them to leave their family alone. Lauren uses her powers to try to block Andy from doing any further harm. He retaliates and the two send blasts of their powers against one another, sending them both onto the pavement. Reed and Caitlin run out with Ellen, load up the kids, and escape.

Esme explains to the Underground leaders that when the X-Men established the organisation, their rival group the Brotherhood established the new Hellfire Club before their own disappearance. They go after a prominent leader in the anti-mutant movement and impersonate his security team. Clarice stops Esme from needlessly torturing the man they have kidnapped and brainwashed into helping them infiltrate a conference to go after Campbell.

Campbell approaches the anti-mutant Senator Montez and convinces him to lend his political support to expand the Hound program for use across the country, agreeing with Campbell's efforts to eradicate the X-gene.

Ellen gives the Struckers the name of Otto's research partner, Madeline Risman, someone she had suspected him of having an affair with. She even once came to the house to see Reed. Ellen is emotional and apologetic to Reed, wishing she could've protected him better but Reed tells her she did the best she could. Ellen tells them she will go on the run on her own, saying she has a friend she can stay with but can't go with them to the Underground because she would only hold them back. Before leaving, she gives Andy and Lauren her love, fully accepting them for who they are. Lauren later warns Caitlin that Andy has changed and they need to be careful of him.

At the conference Campbell and Montez are at, the Underground leaders arrive disguised as security. Thunderbird tells Clarice she did the right thing by stopping Esme's torture and tells Clarice she is one of them. Clarice kisses him before opening a portal for her to get into the building with him and Eclipse. They manage to reach Campbell and disarm his security but he gets away by using some children as human shields. More SS forces arrive and open fire on the mutants, with Thunderbird running over to act as a shield for Clarice. Eclipse screams at her to open a portal so they can get out of there.

The Gifted will return for season 2 on FOX.