The Gifted season 1, episode 11 showcases the Frost sisters as master puppeteers

The Frost sisters were mutant and human puppeteers in this week’s episode of Fox’s The Gifted, “3X1,” but should the mutants ally with them regardless?

The winter premiere of The Gifted wasted no time explaining why the Frost sisters were so eager to be reunited: they are working to rebuild the Hellfire Club, a team focused on mutant supremacy. The Frost sisters have reported to their supervisor, a wealthy businessman named William, and reassure him that they’ll be able to gain the trust of the Mutant Underground leaders.

While Jace Turner speaks at the funeral for his partner, Marcos and Lorna give a powerful speech at Dreamer’s funeral. Both speeches reaffirm the need for “their people” to stay united against opposing side, but Turner’s words are far more combative and it seems his opinion on using violence has changed again. The Frost sisters’ telepathic ability to force agents to kill themselves at Trask have motivated Turner to turn back to Dr. Campbell, and he’s supportive of the Hound Program once more.

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Back at Mutant HQ, we see John grieving Dreamer’s death, and it’s Clarice who finds him outside. “I know she meant a lot to you. She really loved you,” Clarice tells him. “If there’s anything you need, just say the word. I want to help.” John deflects to talking about Esme and her sisters though, and whether what happened at Trask was a disaster or a miracle. Clarice just wants to know if they have an actual plan for taking down the Hound Program.

Reed and Caitlin suggest to Lauren and Andy that they move on from living at the compound and continue with their original plan to head to Mexico, but as you might guess, Lauren and Andy want to stay and fight to make a difference. Their family meeting is cut short by the Frost sisters, who’ve entered the compound and demand everyone’s attention.

Their request is simple: the mutants ally with them to take down the Hound Program. The Frost sisters have needed intel about Dr. Campbell’s plans, and the Mutant Underground can provide the “muscle” that the sisters lack. The sisters leave, saying they’ll be back soon, but it’s Sage who explains to the others at HQ how the sisters’ telepathic hive mind works.

Would you trust someone who can infiltrate your mind and control your thoughts? We didn’t think so. Back in their bedroom, Lorna and Marcos argue about whether they should ally with the Frosts, but Marcos is still reluctant.

Lorna walks away and Marcos chases after her, but he sees the Struckers packing their bags and stops to try and convince them to stay. Not able to change their minds, the Struckers say their goodbyes to their first mutant friend.

When Reed and Caitlin pack up the car to head out, it’s Lauren who’s lingered behind in HQ. Clarice approaches her about staying back to help with the other mutants and Lauren’s tempted, but she also opens up about feeling responsible for Dreamer’s death. Clarice stops her and tells her Dreamer’s death was not her fault, and it’s not a reason to leave. “Hate feeds on fear and if you run, hate wins.”  Lauren appreciates Clarice’s advice, but she has to stay with her family. Their traumatic experience in Dr. Campbell’s lab has bonded the two mutants, and this developing sisterhood between Clarice and Lauren is something we hope to see more of in the finale.

At Trask, Campbell walks Turner through the holding cells and explains how he was inspired by the united powers of Fenris, of Lauren and Andy, and of the Frost sisters to create a device that can link the bloodstreams of any two mutants in the Hound Program and intensify their abilities. Turner agrees to try it in the field.

When the Struckers get to the new mutant base, it appears to be deserted, but it was a mirage… which means we’re reunited with Wes, and Lauren cheers right up. Andy wanders away though and is later approached by one of the Frost sisters. She wants him to challenge his parents and join their ranks, revealing to him that she knows about his family history. She seems to be more interested in his power as a solo act than his united power with Lauren.

At the same time, another Frost sister lures Lorna outside, encouraging her to be their ally. In a similar tactic, this sister reveals that she knows about Lorna’s father. He was an admired leader of the Hellfire Club, making Lorna something of a legacy. She also knows that Lorna’s pregnancy is making her own mutant ability stronger.

The next day, Lorna shows Marcos that she’s now about to swing the bank vault door shut, something she couldn’t do before. “Everything’s changing,” she tells him. When Lorna, Marcos, John and Clarice argue about whether to join together with the Frost sisters, the men are still holding out, reminding Lorna that the X-Men chose them to lead the Mutant Underground for a reason: They aren’t focused on violence to solve problems… they use logic.

Sage interrupts their conversation before they’ve made a decision to tell them that something major is happening on the police radio. Sentinel Services attacks the compound where the Struckers are staying, and the two Hounds have been united through the metal device Dr. Campbell had described to Turner. It amplifies their strength, and they blast through the wall with ease. Even though Wes creates a mirage, the Struckers and others are vulnerable to the attack. Andy steps forward, but he’s thrown back into the cement wall and is knocked unconscious, his head bleeding. Caitlin and Reed grab him and are able to get him to speak as he slowly regains consciousness.

Clarice portals John, Marcos and Lorna into the building as the Hounds continue to rip the entire structure apart. Sentinel Services starts shooting and Lauren throws up a shield barrier. The explosions continue as they flee and Lorna is thrown high into the air, but John runs up the stairs just in time to catch her before she crashes down.

Along with the Struckers and Wes, the mutants portal out of the building and into the woods surrounding the compound, but SS officers are still close. Despite Andy’s head injury, one of the Frost sisters communicates telepathically with him to guide him through the woods and navigate the mutants to safety. They arrive at the road and find the Frost sisters with three empty police vehicles, their former drivers lie suffering on the ground. With no choice but to accept their help, the mutants load into the jeeps and they drive back to Atlanta.

Having seen the Hound Program’s developing success, Turner and Campbell meet with a representative from Washington to convince him that the united Hounds can be an international action plan.

The Struckers are back at the Atlanta HQ and are holding off on the plan to go to Mexico (for now). Clarice applauds Lauren’s work with her shield, voicing how proud she is of the younger mutant. Reed has a similar talk with Andy about his navigation to the woods, but Andy doesn’t take credit, saying it was really the Frost sisters who saved them all.

It may just be enough to get the mutants to agree to the alliance, but we then see the Frost sisters report back to William, and the extent of their manipulative plan is exposed. The Frost sisters were the ones who tipped off Sentinel Services about where the Struckers were headed. They orchestrated the whole attack and put an entire compound in danger just to be able to save the day and rescue the mutants.

Despite their extreme manipulation throughout The Gifted’s winter premiere, and their ability to control the thoughts of other mutants, should the Underground leaders join forces with the Frosts? At this point in the game, they might not have another choice, but let’s hope that John, Marcos and the others are able to outsmart and block any telepathic control that could put them at risk.

Next: Breaking down the mutants and their history

The 2-hour season finale of The Gifted will air Monday, January 15 on Fox.