I am so happy I was wrong.

On our podcast about the fall TV slate, I expressed how unimpressed I was with Fox's latest mutant offering, The Gifted. A good friend listened and informed me that I was wrong via Twitter:

Ok is fucking great!
— Eric Hultgren (@EricHultgren)

Over the years Eric, who runs an excellent podcast himself, and I have discussed many nerd topics, and I trust his judgment on most matters.

He was right - The Gifted is fucking great.

In the pilot episode, no time is wasted - Every moment from the jump matters. The best thing The Gifted does? It Understands its audience. We know about mutants, we know about the X-Men and the writers don't waste time explaining it. The stage is set with action and excellent dialogue without being hamfisted. The characters are established by what they DO. This is an excellent start for a new entrant in the X universe.

The acting is well done too. Are there some cliché moments? Of course. Are they at least well done and used to move the plot forward? Yup. And the cast makes it work. Fantastical lines about controlling mutant abilities are given gravity and heart by Natalie Alyn Lind and Percy Hynes-White. The pair portray Lauren and Andy Strucker, mutant siblings who trigger our plot with their abilities.

I also loved the always spectacular Jamie Chung as Blink. She evolves well throughout the first episode, and I'm intrigued by her character moving forward. Another highlight is Sean Teale as Marcos aka Eclipse. The actor really impressed me with his emotional outbursts and his quick turns. Really excellent timing online delivery as well. Overall, an impressive effort from the cast.