In the aftermath of the purifier assault on the Morlock tunnels, Caitlin and Lauren find themselves on the run, John is shattered by the loss of Clarice and Turner must confront some harsh realities about the company he’s keeping. Meanwhile, Lorna finally gets an idea of Reeva’s plan as she prepares to leave the Inner Circle, but will she be alone?

Kicking off with a little flashback scene between John and Clarice, this episode then races straight back into where we left off last time out and oh boy, if you’re a fan of the show, prepare for perhaps the tensest episode to date and make sure you have a hanky handy.

I honestly find myself impressed that the writers managed to squeeze as much tension out of so many angles here as they have, as well as this many surprises. Every time you think you have a character figured out, every time you’re certain of what will happen next, the show just nudges things again and suddenly all certainty flies out of the window.

Take Turner – last time out we saw him visibly shaken by the fact that there had obviously been children in the Morlock den that he and the purifiers targeted. I’ve felt for a long time that Turner was approaching a crossroads in his path, and here we stand poised for that to be resolved, but cleverly the writers keep us hanging on – I will be fascinated to see just which way this particular shoe drops in the finale.

There’s good stuff too between Caitlin and Lauren – The Gifted has never shied away from the difficult questions implicit in its premise as some lesser shows might and here is no exception. Lauren finds herself thrown by Caitlin’s ability – and willingness – to make certain calculations on the fly, but where a less nuanced writers room might then use that as an excuse to have Lauren fly off the handle, there’s instead layers to her response, and again it’s difficult to know how this might make itself felt later on.

John’s response to Clarice’s apparent death is predictable – he’s shattered emotionally and also full of rage at certain people, but it’s a rage that wears itself out to be replaced by a deep sadness. It’s certainly difficult to watch John – the ever-certain lynchpin of the Underground – at an apparent loss as to what to do next, and it gives a chance for Blair Redford to show some range in his performance once again.

But it’s at Inner Circle HQ where the tension is at fever pitch. The execution of Sage, wrongly blamed for Lorna’s actions, was a massive shock. But there’s no sign of it letting the pressure off Lorna who wants to find out what Reeva’s plan is and then get the hell out. The question is whether she can bring Andy with her or if he is too far gone. The answer plays out over the course of the entire episode, with the writers once again keeping the viewer guessing until the very last moment. Props to Percy Hynes White for delivering a balanced performance that could – in the wrong hands – have gone too far one way or the other and given away the nail-biting finish too early.

What’s clear as the episode closes is that we are in for one hell of a finale. Choices stand before various characters and it’s honestly not certain which way any of them will go, and a war is ready to begin that could change everything again.

Verdict: Guaranteed to bring more than the odd tear to your eye and have you on the very edge of your seat. Once again, The Gifted proves itself to be among the very best that the genre has to offer. 10/10

Greg D. Smith