THE GIFTED Premiere Review: For Now, it's Surviving on its Premise Alone

THE GIFTED had a few questions to answer in its pilot. The first was how original it could be. TV shows about super powered people have been going on for years now and most of the ground has been covered; they can’t all be LEGION after all. The other question was about the X-Men themselves. How would THE GIFTED deal with their presence?

For that question, it seems like THE GIFTED has decided to sidestep it all together. The X-Men have disappeared; beyond that, we’re not given any more information. It’s entirely possible the whole show will go on without us ever seeing an X-Men character. That’s fine, I guess. That’s not what THE GIFTED is supposed to be about anyways. It will be all on THE GIFTED to put in the work to make it worth watching, kind of like the work AGENTS OF SHIELD put in to make it worth watching without the Avengers. 

As for the originality part, it was hit-and-miss. The pilot introduced a lot of characters up front. Like, easily eight or nine. I can barely remember all their names. Most of them fit into your usual archetypes so there’s nothing too interesting. In fact, the show delivers so many characters that it’s impossible to learn anything about them. You only get few surface details about each character. It’s hard to get too attached at the moment without knowing more. With luck, the rest of the season will divide things up a bit so we can spend more time with each character. 

By the time the episode finished, I can’t say that I was impressed. I understand that pilots are hard business. You have to deliver a lot of information and characters in only forty-five minutes and somehow convince people to continue watching. I’m willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt, but right now I have no idea where the show is going. What is the larger picture? Right now the main characters are on the run, but after that, what happens? 

There is some good in THE GIFTED though. The effects are really well done — save for Jamie Chung’s contacts, which look like they’re from the bargain bin — but the powers are super cool. The acting is also well done. Amy Acker is always strong and is so far the current highlight of the show. I just hope she’s given more to do than play the helpless mother. 

Right now, THE GIFTED is surviving on its premise alone. The fact that it’s tied to the X-Men franchise is the only thing it has going for it. My hope is that over the course of the next few episodes, we’ll get more about where the show is going and we’ll get more character development.

Written by Peter Freeman, THE GIFTED Beat Writer

Related Posts:

THE GIFTED Sneak Peek: Watch the First 6 Minuted of Fox's X-Men Spin-Off Show

THE GIFTED: An Inside Look at the Family on the Run

THE GIFTED Showrunner Reveals its X-Men Connection