Lorna Dane: Polaris Appreciation 2018

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Episode #3: eXodus

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In this scene, from the past, we learn not only that Lorna in the show can levitate/fly by manipulating objects on her body (although that could easily be quite uncomfortable or even painful she has to be careful to place the objects in an ergonomic/balanced way),

But we also get a nice hint from her as to her nature in the show, her personality, when she is open honest and proud about being a mutant telling Marcos who seems more circumspect "I love who I am and what I can do. There's nothing I would do to change it". Indicating the whole "mutant and proud" type philosophy where she would not be likely to submit to meek hiding and assimilation into a human-dominant society

It also establishes how she and Marcos fell in love, we get the very touching moments of their powers forming the Aurora Borealis (complete with Lorna's kind of dry and technical explanation)

Overall I wish she could have flown more in the show maybe in season 2, I think it's important to make her more intimidating and just generally raise her stature

The scene ends with her waking up "in reality", she's still in The Hole as it were after getting beat on in the courtyard earlier, and all alone.

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This is when Jace Turner pays her a visit in her cell. She acts tough like she doesn't give a damn about him and will never cooperate.

He mentions he can send her somewhere far worse than a prison

And hints about her unborn child as well as lover

As he leaves we can tell this meeting has had a strong effect on her

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This is one of her famous scenes in the entire show, often used in fan-made edits and so on

She finally realizes how desperate her situation is, she really can't just stay there anymore and wait for something to happen

SHe has to be that something herself

In her heightened feelings she takes in the metallic objects nearby, sensing and feeling them

Finally stands up and regardless of the collar painfully shocking her uses her powers as much as she can gather

However she only ends up blasting the cell door open before blood runs out of her nostrils and she can only crawl weakly out of her cell, immediately noticed by a guard

The guard seems to simply feel pity for her

I thought this was a great example of a scene where Emma Dumont acts the HELL out of things but the show's low budget for effects lets her down ultimately

I mean... a lot more than just one door opening should have happened here let's be honest. That felt quite underwhelming and pitiful actually

But the extremely intense emotions and (actually this time appropriate) animal screaming with her putting her entire soul into the attempt were very resonant

It showcases again that she is not a regular mutant on the show, she loves being a mutant and is ridiculously stubborn and not someone who will just give up or cooperate with "the system" even if it hurts or kills her to keep fighting

Overall I felt her scenes completely "made" the episode in episode 2, and in this episode, almost the case again (although the other parts of this episode were much better than in episode 2 so she didn't have to carry things as much)

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X-Men #49 (1968): Lorna says she was born with green hair.



X-Factor #243 (2012): Lorna's memory suggests she didn't have green hair until she unleashed her powers on the plane.



Did her foster parents tell her she was born with green hair and she believed it? Did she assume she was born with green hair cause she remembers nothing earlier? Did she actually have her green hair (and therefore all her powers) at birth and Suzanna and Arnold were dyeing it brown, but her emotions got rid of the dye?

A look outside the fiction would say Peter David simply forgot Lorna said she was born with green hair. But even if that's the case, it's a rather minor thing. Makes more sense to try to figure out how the two things could be reconciled.

I vastly prefer the Peter David version. Her hair spontaneously altering color when she unleashes her mutation in such a deeply tragic way is far more poignant than just having been born with it

I feel like it is almost a permanent reminder whenever she sees or is aware of her hair not just that she's a mutant but.... the kind of mutant she is, and who and what she is, and is capable of

Besides generally speaking I prefer for aspects related to someone's X-Gene to trigger together when they first use it usually around puberty (in Lorna's case much younger). Part of my love of attempts to make the pseudo-science feel consistent and standardized

As far as why did she lie when first introduced? Shrug. She didn't seem to really understand a lot at that time so I'll chalk it up to general ignorance, the lingering effects of Mastermind's mental blocks, w/e

[jmc247]

Episode #2: rX

Perhaps the most visually evocative scene for Lorna in the whole show to date I thought. It was just amazingly shot and poignant where she decided it it for her and hiding in the middle of a place where her difference isn't going to be liked at all.

In terms of a scene showing Lorna isn't willing to be pushed around and her willpower is there in spades.

There was something powerful about the first few episodes in the way they grounded things and yet slowly entered the fantasy elements. They kept the soap in the background and let the plot drive the story for the early episodes.

In terms of episode three not much to say, but her trying to free herself was really extremely well done at least in terms of acting.



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By Geof Isherwood

[juan678]

[jmc247]

The Gifted episode #4 eXit Strategy

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Episode #4: eXit strategy

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The first scene is her just being walked around within the prison, she has more confidence now and a "devil may care" attitude going

To even the extent that she mocks the idea of "another secret prison" and when the hated Jace Turner tells her "You know Ms Dane you had your chance to cooperate" her response is simply "call me Polaris"

That line of dialogue by her, with her sort of whimsical body and facial posture during it, seems to have really caught on although I confess when I first watched I found it somewhat cringey and out of place.

But it does show once again her identification with her mutant name, that she has transcended humanity and feels inherently different from the "ants" who are constantly harassing her

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Here she is in her new cell (conveniently right by Reed Strucker's... not sure those SS guards really planned this out too well or maybe it was intentional for psychological motivations)

She freaks out and is still hateful of Reed, he goes through a soapy spiel about how he has changed, now that his kids have become revealed as mutants he realizes what he did was wrong, blah blah

And Polaris is just listening as a scowl appears on her face and then she basically just tears into him saying this means nothing , it's too late, and just because he knows he sucks doesn't mean he is somehow OK

Frankly her acting in this scene was a little weird for me like I felt she had some strange vocal inflections or choices of emphasis. Also she seemed more sweaty in this episode maybe she was under the weather during the filming I dont know, some things about her performance this episode just seemed a bit "off" for me. But overall it was solid and reinforced again that she is stubborn, doesn't forgive humans easily etc

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Here she is when the bus her and Reed were being transported in came under attack by the rescue party, first she and Reed used physical force to try to overwhelm the guards, amazingly it almost worked despite them both being restrained and Lorna having just gotten beaten up sort of easily by other women in prison. Now she is kicking the ass of a fully armored up trained guard, while she is restrained. What a difference proper motivation makes.

In any case, only one of the two guards (of course the black one....) is knocked out, and then the other guard hits and strikes her and Reed making fun of them.

As the other guard exits their area to call in for help, Lorna's mutation "comes back online" and it's a somewhat dramatic scene where Reed tells her she can remove his medical screw keeping his knee intact

It is meant to basically prove to her that he is absolutely serious about doing whatever he can to help mutants from now on

Although why in god's name can't she do anything , just because she is surrounded by a layer of plastic.... come on now. That's just... the worst way to portray her powers.

In any case, she removes his screws, manipulates them using finesse in mid-air, takes out his restraint, and then somewhat surprisingly shoots a look of hatred at the guard and flings a screw deep into his neck, presumably killing him (Reed somehow didn't seem to be fazed by this at all??? but then later when she kills 1 pilot and 1 stewardess it is a world-shattering moral dilemma... sighs)

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This is her after she breaks completely free of the bus (apparently the tiny hole in the plastic layer the medical screw made allowed her to use her powers on the surrounding metal???)

As she busts free from the bus and jumps off, it is very reminiscent of those old like Dragonball Z episodes where most of the heroes are getting the fight of their lives, barely holding off the enemy, then at the very end Goku appears and just like smashes all the enemies in one punch or something.

There is that vibe where it's like her very appearance so drastically alters the equation of battle , as she effortlessly absorbs all the bullets fired at her to prevent escape, redirects them (this time coincidentally they don't strike anyone though, although who knows if she was ok with that happening, maybe didn't want to do that in front of all the others) , then concentrates and outstretches her arms charging and flinging away all the humans' weapons

And that is that, the humans are helpless as the mutants and their loved ones flee in stolen vehicles

Overall I think it was good for her opening line further establishing the kind of very proud and cocky mutant she is

Her speech with Reed where it shows her stubbornness and firm conviction

Her actually being willing to straightforwardly murder in times of emergency

And then her being essentially the "big gun" among the team , the one who ends battles single handedly

Very good episode for her

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Episode #5: boXed in

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In this scene Lorna finds an unmarked car prepared for her getaway (how in the world does the Underground have access to preparations like this but not so many other things...).

Eclipse doesn't want her to go but she insists on coming with him

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While on the drive, the two become aware of a drone, Lorna is unable to harm it (another example to me of silly forced limitations on her abilities for the show)

They team up using a rear view mirror and Eclipse' light beams to successfully down the drone (this was actually kind of cool I like when characters can use their powers together as a team, even if it shouldn't have been necessary)

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Afterwards they have a conversation and are happy, embracing (while Marcos drives lol)

Lorna reveals she is sure the baby is growing and alive she can sense it

They discuss names

This is probably the scene other than the flashback in episode 3, where Lorna is the most genuinely happy of the entire season

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As the two notice an SS block up nearby (of course coincidentally Jace himself is manning it....),

Marcos is about to turn around and try to find another way, but Lorna insists he just keep driving forward full steam

She even uses her powers to take over command of the car from him forcing it to go right up to the waiting agents

They immediately order the occupants to surrender, but Lorna walks out calmly

This is another very frequently used scene of hers by fans how she seemingly just smirks at the audacity of the SS agents to think they have any chance against her

It shows her boldness and, again, underlines how different she is from the rest of the more cautious Underground members

She basically just gets up out of the car, kind of laughs to herself at their threats before basically flinging away several and pulling away Jace's gun to her grip

Now she has him right where she wants him, and informs a worried and pleading Marcos they're taking this guy with them

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This is the result when the three arrive at a random warehouse

Lorna has had enough of Jace, and creates her own "collar" for him to enjoy

While Marcos frets and tuts, she informs him that this is the only way forward, Jace wanted to turn her into a Hound just like Pulse

They need information from him

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They wait until Blink finally brings Dreamer around to try to get the info they need out of Jace

The SS has located them and Lorna puts on a display to intimidate and slow them down

Again similarly to her attempted prison break-out scene from episode 3, I feel like the actress truly sells the character's menace and anger

But the effects team simply isn't able to deliver anywhere close to a sufficiently compelling action sequence to justify all that build-up. I mean some rods landed into ONE police cruiser.. ok? ... that's it? I mean come on.

Anyway, later they shoot in a tear gas canister (Lorna really should have been able to deal with this as well...) and everyone scatters, leaving Dreamer incomplete in her memory transfer work and Jace's brain a bit scrambled

This episode had both an extremely happy and "mainstream" moment for Lorna but also showed clearly her darker impulses taking over and how she is more than willing to unleash vengeance on enemies, as opposed to the carefulness of Marcos wanting to just avoid them and not cause too much trouble

[salarta]

Thanks for the responses on the Lorna hair color origins question. It's interesting to see various perspectives.

Personally, I've come to headcanon Lorna having her powers from the moment she's born. In that sense, I imagine the green hair happening not because of her powers manifesting, but either because they came out their strongest yet, or because of the trauma that came with it. I'm leaning more toward strength of power use because of how Lorna had energy hair for parts of Genosha, seeming to coincide with the strength of her powers.

I do think it's highly likely Lorna simply didn't know she had brown hair before the plane crash. I have a bit more headcanoning to add to it though. What if she really was born with green hair, but then the green faded into "normal" brown hair? And what if any time she used her powers, her hair would turn green until she stopped using them? And finally, what if this means the plane crash event permanently "stained" her hair green? This would explain why she continued to have green hair after she was depowered on M-Day, and after Zaladane changed her powers (another headcanon that I think is waaaaay more appropriate than claiming they were a secondary mutation).

[jmc247]

New season 2 advertisement with new scenes.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheGifted...04488172527616

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New season 2 advertisement with new scenes.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheGifted...04488172527616

Wow that's good Lorna looks cool there and clearly is doing something awesome

Of course the ad has a pretty obvious presentation making it seem the MU is the PoV :bleh:

Reeva... I worry her speaking style might be somewhat almost too much , too grand, a bit over the top. We'll have to find out how overall audiences handle it.

Cuckoos are nasty and brutish, just as they should be.

[jmc247]

Wow that's good Lorna looks cool there and clearly is doing something awesome

Of course the ad has a pretty obvious presentation making it seem the MU is the PoV :bleh:

That is almost certainly a dreamscape likely the one Esme seems to give her in the pregnancy scene in the previous promo of Reeva's dream (which looks to be making a mutant homeland out of the United States).

Not quite the mutant controlled Genosha of the comics off the coast of Africa. You had hundreds of thousands of humans on the Island when the mutants took over and she was in the cabinet and there was most certainly humans in the cabinet.

Mutant controlled Genosha was supposed mutant Israel analogy after the take over. The dumbed down versions like in WATXM where there were just mutants there never as interesting. The story and the evolution from a CSA type state to a mutant Israel was one of the X-Men's better storylines in its history.

[jmc247]

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Thanks juan.

Also X-Men Black: Magneto snipit.

[juan678]