Exodus

**eXodus** is the third episode of the first season of *The Gifted*. It is the third episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

In an effort to reunite with one another, Reed cuts a deal with the Sentinel Services and Caitlin and the kids seek help from someone outside the compound. Meanwhile, Thunderbird begins to teach Blink how to control her powers.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Three years ago, just outside of Headquarters, Lorna tells Marcos that the station was condemned after the Oakwood riots when the National Guard stormed a nearby mutant orphanage that caused one of the young mutants to lose control and destroy the entire area. No one knew what he did exactly, so they stayed away, thus providing the Underground with the perfect hideout. Marcos reveals that he feels as if he's being punished by being a mutant, perhaps a sin from his past life that he's now answering for by being forced to live under constant persecution. Lorna explains that she wouldn't change who she is or what she could do for anything. She then asks Marcos what was the first recreational thing he did with his powers. Marcos explains that he was on the streets of Bogotá, sleeping in a cardboard box. He didn't have much time for fun. So, when he refuses to answer Lorna's question, she reveals to him the reason behind why she wears steel-toe boots and metal bracelets. When she was 16, her abilities manifested and she discovered that she could use her control over magnetism to levitate herself while wearing metal. Marcos concedes and answers Lorna question by grabbing shards of broken glass off the ground and shinning light through it to project a pattern. As their hands touch, they create a small aurora borealis, which grows as the two proceed to kiss.

Present day, Lorna sits alone in her cell at the Fulton County Jail until being joined by Agent Turner of Sentinel Services. He tells her that he is not far off from taking down the Underground, starting with Marcos, who goes by the street name of Eclipse. Turner came to give Lorna one last chance to cooperate. Should she, he will arrange visitation for her and Marcos. At least while in prison, they would be able to create some kind of family. On the other hand, should Lorna refuse to give her cooperation, she will end up some place much worse. Either she will give him what he wants at the jail or she'll give him what he wants there. He gives Lorna some time to think about it. Should they bust the Underground without her, she'll lose any deal being offered.

Meanwhile at the station, John attempts to defuse Marcos who is dead set on breaking into jail and rescuing Lorna. Also in the room is Caitlin, Sonya, Sage and Shatter. John reminds Marcos that the prison he wants to break into is armed with 20 foot walls and guards, ready to shoot-to-kill. However, Marcos counters that Clarice can get them past security. Unfortunately for Marcos, John and Caitlin are in agreement that Clarice's powers are too unstable. Which is why Marcos suggests that John train her as he did for some of the other mutants in the Underground. Sonya reminds John that Clarice freed herself from jail, suggesting she may be possible of accomplishing what Marcos' plan calls for. John reluctantly agrees though Caitlin isn't backing down. She reminds them all that they still have laws to abide by. She recommends calling a lawyer as some members of congress are sympathetic to mutants, but John claims that she may be overestimating their sympathy. Caitlin has connections. She can reach out, but contact with the outside world is disallowed. They can't risk the exposure with Sentinel Services on the look-out. Much better odds, they will get turned on, which is a risk that Marcos and John refuse to take.

In the sleeping quarters, Andy and Lauren set aside board games to pass the time. This leads to an argument as Andy wishes to be the shoe board piece, which Lauren refuses to allow. She reminds him that their dad used to always be the shoe, and so Andy backs down. Unbeknownst to either of them, Caitlin is listening from outside the doorway.

John approaches Clarice in hopes that she'll agree to break Lorna out of jail. While Clarice is willing to help in any way she can as she owes Lorna for saving her, transporting them all into the prison isn't one of ways she can be of assistance. Since her episode, where she nearly tore down the station, she's been unable to create portals. Something changed after she got sick, such as the strange, purple dagger-shaped mark that appeared under her right eye. Not mention her powers which as she put it, are broken. John informs her that abilities don't break. Most mutants first access their abilities from strong emotions like fear, anger and pain. But those are all unreliable. The challenge is to tap into something positive.

As John returns from his conversation with Clarice, Sonya wonders if she has agreed to help free Lorna. Unfortunately, she can't. At the very least, it will take some time before she can. Clarice's power has always been fueled by fear. She needs to find something she cares enough about to get pass it. But, Lorna didn't have that kind of time. Sonya offers her "help". As she say this, pink smoke flows from her mouth. Apparently, Sonya possesses the ability of memory manipulation. She wants to give Clarice a memory that'll make her think Lorna is her best friend, thus providing incentive. However, planting false memories in peoples' heads always go bad, John states, case in point, Walker and Eve.

Late that night, whilst everyone else slept, Caitlin wakes up Andy and Lauren to inform them that she is leaving the station and going to their uncle Danny's house to see if he can help find Reed. However, as Lauren points out, they haven't seen him since their grandmother's funeral. Nonetheless, there is no way Andy and Lauren are allowing her to leave alone. If Sentinel Services showed up, she'll need someone to protect her, and so they'll be there to ensure her safety. They had already lost their father,. They aren't willing to lose their mother as well, refusing to take no for an answer. With that being said, Caitlin brings them along.

At the Sentinel Services building, Reed and Agent Turner retrace his steps leading up to his capture. They pick up at Reed and Marcos meeting at Tex's Lounge to broker a deal to move his family to Mexico. Reed recalls Marcos being familiar with the bartender, Fade, making him the contact to the Underground. With that, Agent Turners tells Agent Weeks to get a recon team out by the bar. Agent Turner then explains that they're going to put out a fake APB for Reed, saying that he managed to escape capture. Assuming the bar is connected to the Underground, they'll hear about it. Should Reed not be able to make contact, Agent Turner tells him to get them to take him to his family. Sentinel Services will then pick up Marcos Diaz and roll-up their entire operation. As for the Underground, they're classified as a terrorist organization. So they'll be dealt with accordingly.

John and Clarice take a walk around the compound as they discuss her lack of control over her powers. Clarice had given John's advice some thought, but her ability, when it comes down to it, is the power to bail out of dangerous situations. So being scared is just a big part of it. However, John refuses to believes that fear is all of it. In the marines, when you want to give up, they train you to focus on what you care about most, to hold on to it as if your life depended on it, because at some point it will. Back then, John had a lot to prove in regards to him being Apache and a mutant. Clarice claims that she doesn't have anything personal to hold onto as he did. So, John wants her to think about something she loves, however, the best Clarice can come up with at the time is a warm jelly doughnut. John instructs her to relax, breathe, and picture the thing she wants most, and go to it. Clarice follows John's instructions precisely, causing a portal to emerge though she fails to maintain it. As he is telling her not to focus on the fear, John's foresight and tracking abilities kick in, allowing him to see a glimpse of the past. He can see Caitlin leaving the Underground in the middle of the night with Andy and Lauren.

John returns to the station to inform Marcos of the Struckers' ill-advised departure. They left last night without taking much with them. Caitlin believes that she can help, that whatever connection she has can make a difference in getting Reed back. She spent her whole life in believing in the system. Some people have to learn the hard way, John concludes as Marcos tells him that he had already spoken to Caitlin about the way the prejudice mutants face. Nevertheless, they have to go after them, which is unfortunate given that Lorna could disappear into a federal hellhole at any moment. However, should the Struckers get arrested, they could lead the authorities right back to the Underground, compromising their entire operation.

The Struckers have successfully made it out to downtown Atlanta though not with out risk as Atlanta PD patrols the area. Andy and Lauren remind their mother that their uncle Danny lives across town and that the only way they'll make it without capture is to find a ride. However, their bank accounts are frozen and would never make it to Buckhead. Andy suggests that they rob the bank but Caitlin and Lauren rejects his plan as it is both dangerous and illegal. Lauren hopes to some day return their lives to a sense of normalcy, but as Andy explains, their lives will never return to what it once was. Instead of robbing a bank, Andy uses his abilities to rip open nearby parking meters, providing them with the needed change for cab fare.

Sonya joins Clarice in the lobby of the station as she struggles to control her powers. Clarice feels herself getting closer to forming a portal, but each time she loses it. Sonya reminds her that Lorna is counting on them, and as her best friend, Sonya would like nothing more than to save her. Clarice informs Sonya that John told her to focus on something meaningful to her in order to properly harness her abilities, however, Clarice has no one. Not even a boyfriend. So she tells Sonya to tell her boyfriend (John) that his plan isn't going to work. Sonya wonders what caused Clarice to believe that she and John are together. Clarice explains that she came to this conclusion after noticing the way Sonya looks when she talks about him and how she's the only one that calls him "Johnny". Sonya reveals that she came to the Underground as a refugee. When she decided to stay on and help, they agreed that if they were going to work together, they shouldn't be together. As for Clarice's powers, Sonya urges her to follow John's instructions.

Caitlin arrives at her brother Danny's house with Andy and Lauren. He embraces her and invites them all in though not before telling them that they were in a lot of trouble as the police had come by his house looking for them. Inside, Danny tells Caitlin that his wife Mary is out of town on a sales conference. Danny's son and Andy and Lauren's cousin Scott asks if they had to fight off the police. They didn't. But Andy did however destroy a few Sentinel robots much to Scott's amusement. Scott seems to take great interest in Andy and Lauren's recent adventures as he then asks where they've been living. Lauren tells him about the Underground and how they helped them.

After sending the kids away to play games, Danny tells Caitlin that she never should've come to the house, but Caitlin needs to find Reed and she has nowhere else to go. Danny knows members of Congress. So Caitlin is hoping that he can uses his connections to find Reed. However, it isn't that simple even with working on Senator Montez's campaign. Danny can't just call him up to ask that he pull some strings for what he considers to be outlaws. Caitlin begins to cry as she recalls their mother getting sick. When that happened, she left Danny alone as she knew that he didn't like seeing their mom like that. Caitlin never asked for help, but now she is. However, Danny tells her that he has to consider his family, in regards to his wife and son, but as Caitlin reminds him, she, Andy, Lauren and Reed are his family as well. Nevertheless, Danny can't risk them being at his home. They can stay the night and take all the money he has in his safe, but in the morning, Danny wants Caitlin and the kids out.

Sentinel Services Headquarters has sent out the APB notice. As of an hour ago, Reed Strucker is the subject of a multi-agency manhunt. With any luck, their target will have heard about it. Reed simply needed to convince them to take him to the Underground. Meanwhile, Agent Turner and Agent Weeks would track him with an ankle monitor. It's thin enough to the point where it won't be felt if Reed is subject to a pat-down and it also won't come off unless Turner unlocks it. Having already hacked the nearby surveillance cameras, they watch as Fade exits the backdoor of the bar to dump the trash, providing them with the perfect opportunity to send Reed out. Before doing so, Agent Turner reminds him that his family is depending on him.

Reed approaches Fade to tell him that he was at the bar a few days ago with Marcos in talks about moving his family out of the country. But they ran into Sentinel Services and got separated. Fade remembers Reed. But he also knows that the F.B.I and Sentinel Services are looking for him. Fade turns invisible and then reappears with a gun in had, pointed at Reed, who claims that he just wants to find his family. When Fade demands that he leave, Reed tells him that he was a prosecutor and that's why he and Marcos were talking in the bar. Reed knows about the investigation into the network. He also tries to use his relationship with the police and the federal agencies to sway Fade into trusting him. Reed guarantees that he can offer valuable information. He simply wants to find his family first. And so Fade reluctantly agrees to help.

Inside the bar, Fade questions how Reed got away from Sentinel Services in the first place. Reed tells him about a supposed crawl space he found inside a warehouse where he hid until they gave up the search. Fade takes Reed into the backroom where he introduces him to Sheila and Dominique. They would also be taken to the station. Fade explains that he takes them to the drop-point and someone from HQ picks them up to drive them the rest of the way. Sheila and Dominique were alone after they took her husband who is also a mutant to the Sentinel Services detention center. They tried to take Sheila and Dominique as well but they escaped. Reed is surprised that they would be after a small child like Dominique but Sheila informs him that they only saw her as a future threat as she possesses the X-Gene. Noticing he is in pain from his encounter with the Sentinel Services where they shot him with an immobilization round, Shelia uses her powers to remove his pain, to which he thanks her for after.

Back at Danny's house, Andy and Scott play video games while Lauren scrolls through her social media. Scott nicknames Andy "De-Struckto" and asks him about his abilities. Curious about his he can do, Scott begs Andy to destroy his little league trophy but Andy has yet to learn to control his abilities. While on Instagram, Lauren sees that their house has been vandalized. She shares this with Andy who grows so angry that he destroys Scott's trophy with little to no effort. Caitlin then enters the room to ensure that everyone is alright. Lauren covers for them, claiming that Andy and Scott were simply rough housing. When Andy asks if Danny is going to help them, Caitlin lies and says that they're working on it.

In the surveillance van, Agent Turner messages a woman, presumably his girlfriend or wife, named Paula. He tells her that he loves her and that he'll be home late. Afterward, Agent Weeks, who is observing the monitor, tells him that Reed, Fade, Shelia and Dominique are on the move. Turner then alerts backup of their position. Reeds appears to be experiencing guilt as he observes Sentinel Services tailing them. Dominique grabs Reed's hand and tells him that everything is going to be okay as they will soon be at the Underground's HQ. Shelia confirms this. Telling Dominique that the worst part is over and that they are with friends now, looking to Reed as one of those friends. Realizing that he's made a terrible mistake, Reed tells Fade to stop the van because he set them up. Fade is enraged, but refuses to stop the van as they would be captured. Reed apologizes for his betrayal and jumps out of the moving van in order to prevent them from being tracked. Fade then cloaks the van and proceeds to the drop-point. Agent Turner is outraged. He scolds Reed for going back on their deal.

Meanwhile, at the Fulton County Jail, Lorna attempts to escape her cell. Despite the high voltage collar around her neck emitting shock waves, Lorna uses her ability to rip the door open. She does so successfully though not without difficulty. Lorna falls to the ground in pain as blood runs from her nose. She barely makes it out the door of her cell before collapsing.

The next day, Thunderbird and Eclipse track Caitlin, Andy and Lauren to Danny's house. They break in and wake Caitlin from her sleep. Imagine their surprise when she pulls a kitchen knife from under her pillow from being startled. Thunderbird and Eclipse tells her that she and the kids are in danger and that they need to leave immediately. However, Caitlin is dead set on staying and finding Reed. Danny then comes out his room to find Thunderbird and Eclipse in his living room. Unfortunately, their troubles don't end there. Eclipse looks out the window to find that a mob has formed on the front lawn and is surrounding the house. When they demand that Danny come out to talk, he asks Caitlin who else knew they were coming to his house. Caitlin insists that she told no one. Scott admits that the mob forming out front is due to him texting a picture of the the trophy Andy tore apart to one of his friends.

Thunderbird could get them through a wall, but if the mob began shooting while they ran, there would be a fight. Andy questions why they should have to run when they could easily take them. Thunderbird explains that if that happens, people will die which Andy doesn't seem to have any quarrels with. He thinks it's time that people learn to stop coming after them. The man leading the mob is Chuck Sanders. Caitlin was on the swim team with him. They even went to the same Church. She thinks she can use their past to reason with him, but Danny isn't so sure. Caitlin still seems to misunderstand the prejudice that mutants face and how it can bring out the worst in others. Danny goes outside to calm the mob, but they demand that Caitlin and the kids be sent out. Chuck claims that he is simply trying to protect the community, but Danny knows all about the $300,000 reward. When Danny fails to convince them that no one is in the house except for Scott, Chuck hits him in the head with the gun. As they proceed forward, Andy completely obliterates the door and sends Chuck and the mob flying back. As Chuck picks up his gun to fire back, Thunderbird pulls Andy to safety while Eclipse projects powerful rays of light from his hands to deter the mob. Thunderbird, Eclipse, Andy, Lauren and Caitlin then get into the truck and leave.

However, their encounter with the mob doesn't end there. As they race back to Headquarters, Chuck and his "local mutant welcoming crew" follow them, firing several shots at the truck. Thunderbird calls Sonya for backup as they are nearing HQ. John tells her that he needs a way out of the situation that doesn't leave anyone dead. Sonya tells Thunderbird to come back to Headquarters, and by then, she will have a plan. Realizing that Clarice is the only one who can save them by bringing the entire car off the road with a portal, Sonya approaches her to ask for help. Clarice insists that she can't as she is still unable to create a portal. With Thunderbird running out of time, Sonya exhales a pink cloud of smoke into Clarice's face which implants an intense romantic memory of her and John. They kiss in a tender embrace in the rain, thus providing Clarice with someone to care about and the means to create a portal.

Back on the road, as the gunfire continues, Andy asks Lauren to shield the bullets, but as she explains, she can't shield what she can't see. So Caitlin instructs them both to keep their heads down. Dreamer and Blink run out onto the road as Thunderbird, Eclipse, Andy, Lauren and Caitlin approach in the SUV. Dreamer instructs Blink to remember who she is doing it for and to get them all back to Headquarters. Blink stands in the middle of the road, opening a large portal as their friends approach in the vehicle. After the SUV passes through the portal, Dreamer and Blink follow closely behind.

Thunderbird hops out the SUV while Eclipse takes the Struckers inside. Caitlin admits that he was right and she apologizes for taking off. Eclipse accepts her apology. She did something stupid for someone she loves. He can't say that he hasn't done the same. Meanwhile, Blink immediately embraces Thunderbird as he walks towards her. Blink's sudden show of affection strikes Thunderbird as odd. So He tells her that everyone is fine and that she should go inside, where he would meet up with her. Realizing that something is not right, Thunderbird looks to Dreamer, asking what she has done. Dreamer explains that with Blink needing something to connect to, she was given a memory. To make matters worse, Dreamer gave Blink a memory of herself and Thunderbird together. Thunderbird is furious, as he doesn't believe that she fully understands the consequences of her actions.

At the Sentinel Services building, Agent Turner gets a call from Dr. Roderick Campbell, who understands that he had a bit of a setback last night. Agent Turner explains that it happens, but they are moving two prisoners (Lorna and Reed) to a detainment facility. There, they will get what they need. Dr. Campbell reveals that he's calling because he's quite interested in the case, in particular, Andy and Lauren Strucker. He is aware that Turner's team already uses some of their resources. So he would like to propose a partnership of sorts. Should Agent Turner allow him access to his suspects, he'll provide Agent Turner with everything he needs. However, Turner declines his offer as they don't hand their suspects over to contractors.

The next day, Thunderbird and Eclipse drive Caitlin out to meet with her brother Danny. Caitlin apologizes for being her drama to his home, but he admits that he is the one that should be apologizing for turning her away. For that, he is sorry. He then tells her that he and Mary bought a cabin in the Smokies and that she and the kids can hide out there. As for Reed, Danny had made some calls and discovered that Reed is in fact alive. Sentinel Services is taking him to a top-secret mutant detention facility along with Lorna. Danny tells Caitlin to face the fact that she's never going to see Reed again, but she refuses to accept that as the truth. She tells Danny that she loves him and gives him a hug goodbye before rejoining Eclipse and Thunderbird.

## Cast

* Amy Acker as Caitlin Strucker
* Sean Teale as Eclipse/Marcos Diaz
* Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren Strucker
* Percy Hynes White as Andy Strucker
* Coby Bell as Jace Turner
* Jamie Chung as Blink/Clarice Fong aka Clarice Ferguson
* Blair Redford as Thunderbird/John Proudstar
* Emma Dumont as Polaris/Lorna Dane

Special Guest Star* Garret Dillahunt as Dr. Roderick Campbell
* Jeffrey Nordling as Daniel Reynolds
* Erin Way as Sheila
* Darren Goldstein as Chuck Sanders
* Jeff Daniel Phillips as Fade
* Cooper Roth as Scott Reynolds

Co-starring* Scarlett Blum as Dominique
* Monique Grant as Guard #1
* Hayley Lovitt as Sage
* Glenn Magee as Another Man
* Joe Nemmers as Agent Weeks
* Jermaine Rivers as Shatter

## Trivia

* Erin Way, who portrayed Sheila, appeared on another Marvel show, *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, and she also played a woman with extra-human abilities in SYFY's *Alphas*.

## Multimedia

* Promotional
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes
* Videos

### Videos

Preview The Mutant Underground Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTEDLorna & Marcos Have A Flashback Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTEDCaitlin Strucker Asks Her Brother For Help Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTEDAndy Makes The Parking Meters Explode Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTEDReed Confronts A Mutant In The Alley Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTEDClarice Tells John Her Powers Aren't Working Season 1 Ep. 3 THE GIFTED

## References

1. ↑ Ratings News - 17th October 2017
2. ↑ Upcoming Episode Titles - Various Shows - 25th August 2017
3. ↑ The Gifted - Episode 1.03 - eXodus - Press Release