Monsters
"Our actions in the next 24 hours will determine the course of mutant history."
Written by Carly Soteras
Directed by Scott Peters
Directed by Scott Peters
"So you're telling me that everything Reeva said was a lie. Everything we did. Rebecca died for a lie?!"
— Andy Strucker
Reeva reveals the final stage of her plan to the Inner Circle, Lauren and Caitlin try to escape from the police, and Lorna prepares to leave the Inner Circle while making one last attempt to convince Andy to do the same.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation: Is John imagining Clarice's voice in the end or is she really alive?
- Armor-Piercing Question: Lorna asks Esme if she really thinks that brainwashing people into giving mutantkind a homeland is the right way and if convincing them wouldn't be the better way. Esme concedes the point, as they already convinced Lorna herself, but still goes on as planned.
- Asshole Victim: Leaving aside everything else Ted has done this season, the last thing he does before his death is gloat to Reed about how they're going to kill all mutants.
- Big Damn Kiss: Marcos and Lorna share one after being reunited.
- Bittersweet Ending: Lorna and Andy rejoin the Underground, but Blink is still lost/dead and Reeva considers the loss of the former two largely symbolic and plans to kill them for their betrayal.
- Blame Game: John blames Clarice's death on Erg for making her join the Morlocks. Erg said that Clarice chose to join them on her own. But when
Erg pointed out that John had alienated Clarice into leaving him in the first place, John furiously punched Erg in retaliation. - Character Death: Reed kills Ted with his power.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Reed uses his power on Ted, causing his skin to fall off and blacken his muscles before the camera cuts away.
- Decapitation Strike: Reeva's master plan calls for wiping out Sentinel Services' headquarters.
- Dehumanization: Both Ted and Benedict Ryan brush off Jace's concern about just having attacked a refugee camp, refusing to view mutant children as anything deserving to live.
- Flashback: This time only to a mere 2 months back, with John and Clarice reassuring each other to carry on their mission.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Andy finally rejoins the Underground with Lorna, who has just finished her stint as a Double Agent.
- Heroic BSoD: John spends most of the episode in one after what happened to Clarice.
- Hope Spot: Jace seems to have reconsidered his association with the Purifiers after realizing that he was ordered to attack what was essentially a refugee camp, but Ryan talks him back in by mentioning Ted's horrible death and the looming attack by the Inner Circle which Ryan has deduced is coming.
- I Am a Monster: Andy initially refuses to rejoin his family and the rest of the Underground with Lorna with these exact words, explaining the frightened look he was given when he incapacitated Lauren's assailant a few episodes earlier. Reed responds by telling him that he himself had just killed someone out of pure rage.Reed: So, if you're a monster, son, then so am I.
- I Did What I Had to Do:
- Reed ends up killing Ted when the latter threatens to kill all mutants. Somewhat subverted, since he later claims that he did it because he wanted to, not because he had to. (He'd already destroyed Ted's gun, though Ted could still have reported their whereabouts.)
- How Caitlin justifies herself after Lauren's What the Hell, Hero? moment down below. She believes that their family is crucial in leading the revolution, so she will do anything to protect it.
- Internal Reveal:
- Marcos, Reed and John learn that Sage died.
- Andy learns about Reeva's connection to Benedict Ryan.
- Caitlin and Lauren learn about Clarice's (supposed) death.
- Lampshade Hanging: Reeva asks the Frost Sisters why she has three telepaths if they couldn't warn her about Andy and Lorna betraying her.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Downplayed slightly. Andy joins Lorna in abandoning the Inner Circle when she tells him they've been used by Reeva, but not right away, as he believes himself to be too much of a monster to come back. It takes Reed telling him he understood that very same killing intent Andy had after Reed killed Ted.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The reason Andy is so hellbent on carrying out the Inner Circle's vision is because Lorna inspired him by blowing up the plane with Senator Montez and Dr. Campbell. Thankfully, she still manages to convince him.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Reed manages to connect with his son by telling him that he himself gave in to his dark side by killing a man.
- Power Incontinence:
- John's tracking ability is messed up after witnessing Clarice (apparently) die.
- Lauren's powers are still suppressed due to the drugs, but they finally return after her mother prepares to sacrifice herself for her.
- Reed, as always, suffers from this, but manages to stabilize his powers due to his family being in danger and Marcos encouraging him.
- Punch a Wall: John, after the confrontation with Erg.
- Putting the Band Back Together: At the end of the episode, the Underground is finally reunited.
- Repeat What You Just Said: Jace asks Benedict to repeat what he just said about Ted being found dead in the middle of the latter's speech.
- The Reveal: Reeva's plan is revealed - to split human and mutant-kind by creating a mutant homeland. Also, she sent the Purifiers to clear out the Morlock hideout because it's next to a Sentinel Services base she intends to take down as part of her plan.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Lorna and Andy finally leave the Inner Circle.
- Skyward Scream: John over losing Clarice, after a brief brawl with Erg.
- Too Dumb to Live: Ted Wilson thinks it's a good idea to provoke the mutant that just disintegrated his gun with a mere touch. It doesn't end well for him.
- Was It All a Lie?: Andy doesn't take it so well when Lorna tells him about Reeva using mutant and Purifier alike, with Rebecca's death being all for nothing an especially bitter pill to swallow.
- We Need a Distraction: Caitlin abandons the SUV and has the Morlock refugees split off from her and Lauren. As Lauren correctly guesses, Caitlin wanted them to split the attention of the cops and give her and Lauren a better chance of escaping.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Lauren briefly towards her mother, who deliberately told the group of Morlock refugees to split up in order to draw police attention away from them.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
- Caitlin tells Reed that he is still a good person and did what he had to do to defend himself.
- Also, Marcos tells John that Clarice's death was not his fault and despite his tracking powers not working, he is still strong enough to fight.
- You Shall Not Pass!: When they are surrounded by the police, Caitlin plans on staying behind to help Lauren escape. Thankfully, there is no need for that, since Lauren's powers return and Reed and Marco arrive to save them.
"The chance to build a mutant homeland on the foundation of two legendary mutant families. It would have been glorious."
