After Lauren, Andy, and the others got taken, Mama and Papa Strucker decided to take action on their own.

But they didn't do it without the help of one incredibly manipulative mutant who took center stage on The Gifted Season 1 Episode 10.

"eXploited" worked on so many levels while at the same time it didn't. Let's start with everything that did work, particularly Jace Turner.

I wasn't particularly shocked by Jace starting to show some humanity again. Because if he didn't, then I don't know what role he would have throughout The Gifted Season 1.

Don't get me wrong, Coby Bell has never been the problem with Jace. It's the writing and usage of Jace that has been the larger problem.

Ten episodes in and I still don't find the Sentinel Services particularly unique. Maybe Trask Industries was always going to be the main threat on The Gifted Season 1.

If that is the goal, then "eXploited" marked the beginning of that transition. I'm happy though that Jace can now stand out from the agents and that organization.

Roderick Campbell works a lot better as the main antagonist, so I've no problem with The Gifted shifting that. Speaking of good old Roderick -- what the hell was going on with his face?!

Is Roderick dying? Is that a sign that he is a mutant in disguise? For those who may not know, Roderick is an existing Marvel mutant known as Ahab so read into that however you want.

I can't tell whether those scars were some form of bizarre condition or if his "true self" were coming out. It wouldn't be the biggest surprise if he somehow needs the Strucker kids to save himself.

But I wouldn't mind if they avoided that cheesy trope because it's been done before. While it sucked to see her go, I will give Roderick props for increasing the stakes of this winter finale by killing Dreamer.

A part of me will probably roll my eyes later because events will likely help Clarice and Thunderbird to grow closer. To be clear, when I say "grow closer," I mean romantically.

We got reminded again of the chaos that Andy and Lauren can bring together as the new Fenris. I would have preferred to see them break out of Trask Industries as Fenris rather than the ending we got.

But that would have been jumping the gun for their storyline. It would make those two kids ridiculously powerful in the span of a few days. Although what the heck was going on with Lauren?

After seeing Dreamer died, Lauren went into this freakish zombie mode that made no sense. Was that her way of being in shock after seeing an ally brutally murdered?

I know it is a minor nitpick, but it was bizarre seeing her walk over to Andy like a zombie and connect their powers. Maybe I'm overreacting, but her reaction was powerful.

Now we move to the elephant in the room that made "eXploited" such a mixed bag for me. Esme, like Roderick, is a relatively big X-Men character from the comics.

But on The Gifted she has barely been in two episodes, yet she is the one to switch up the game? It never sits well with me when a character who is established as a side player suddenly pulls a 180.

I would have preferred that they introduced her a lot sooner and developed her to this point. It doesn't matter that they gave us few hints here and there that something was wack with this girl.

The whole twist felt rushed as The Gifted jumped the gun a little bit. I get that she and the Cuckoos sisters (not kidding, that is what they are known as) are a big deal. But it felt out of place and makes Esme a bit overpowered.

Because of the rushed development, I can't even enjoy the fact that there are three of her now! I can't tell if Skyler Samuels is here to play a villain or an anti-hero.

I don't mind the twist itself; it is simply the lack of build-up to it that drove me crazy. Hopefully, they will do well with the Cuckoos sisters in the three remaining episodes.

Overall, "eXploited" was a strong midseason finale that did a lot of favors for Jace as a character. Despite my issues with how easily Esme got around in this episode, I do want to see what the sisters have planned for the mutants.

Now it's your turn to let us know what you thought of The Gifted Season 1 Episode 10! What do the Cuckoos sisters have in store for our heroes?