It takes an idealist to know one. And me and you had that going for us. Yeah, yeah. And we the dreamers chase forever. So at least till now we’ll be together. I guess.Well I’ll always miss you,
Public note. I don’t really want to be presented with things about The Gifted, Emma Dumont or Gifted’s version of Polaris unless it falls under one of these categories:
It involves Dreamer
It’s something bad that could hurt perception of Polaris as a whole, that I need to speak up about
What The Gifted did to Dreamer and everything she had to offer is a massive stain on how I feel about the show. The only good thing I have to say about Gifted these days is that it makes more people aware Polaris exists.
This isn’t to say I’ll never talk about things outside these two categories. But as a general rule, this is it.
I don’t care about interviews, panels, promos, commercials, any of that. I don’t want to see them. All they do is remind me of a show that doesn’t give enough of a shit about its characters to at least do right by them and provide a good send-off if they “have” to be killed off.
The exceptions I make.
If Hell freezes over and they bring Dreamer back, and make up for what’s been done, that I’d want to know about. I’m also more than happy to talk about what could’ve been, what should’ve been, vent about the show’s poor writing, etc.
If the show does something to hurt Lorna, I need to know so I can fight like hell for her. I’ve been a fan of the character for 9 years, well before Gifted came along. That hasn’t changed. I care way, way more about big picture Lorna – the Lorna we’re left with when this show ends. Any damage Gifted might inflict on her in the future (because how can I trust a show to do right by her after how poorly it treated Dreamer’s death) is damage I need to stop or minimize.
If it’s Dreamer or something that’s bad for Lorna, yeah, I wanna know. If it’s not, I don’t care. I don’t care what stories are coming. I don’t care about what interview Emma Dumont had or what she thinks about this or that comic issue. None of that has anything to do with me anymore.
I voted for Dreamer because I knew Polaris wouldn’t need my vote like Dreamer does.
It says a lot about the loss of Dreamer, and what the show loses with her loss, that enough people voted for her that she beat out Reed, Andy and Sage. If she was as insignificant and worthless as some people out there think, she’d be below all 3 of them.
I’ve been complaining loudly about not just that Dreamer died, but the way her death was handled by the show, ever since it happened.
I’ve complained about how poorly it was done. How the show made her sacrifices leading up to her death worthless and entirely illogical. How the show rushed to move on from her death to play up the Cuckoos at the end of the episode as the “big takeaway.” How the show cared so little about her that they told us things like “she worked at a women’s shelter,” but didn’t bother to show us instead, which would’ve been so much better.
I’ve also talked about her potential. How her powers could’ve been used in ways that weren’t considered (e.g. “fog of war” obscuring vision, or as a defense against psychic attacks by the likes of the Cuckoos). How more could’ve been done of Polaris and Dreamer hanging out as best friends. How if for some reason that wasn’t possible, she could’ve been with “the good guys” next season as counterbalance to the Cuckoos on Lorna’s side.
I’ve even raised arguments for why she should be around for other characters. For example, I’ve privately said to one Polaris fan that she was a “safe support” for Lorna, for example.
I’ve done all of that. But I haven’t gone into what is perhaps the most important reason the death is a problem at all: why Dreamer mattered.
For this, I want to start by directing attention to the amazing art below.
This was a piece of art drawn by Peter Nguyen, requested/commissioned by Jamie Chung and Blair Redford as a continuation of pictures Nguyen drew for the show of all the other main characters.
In this art, I want emphasize a very important feature, the thing that shows precisely what made Dreamer matter so much: hearts.
Think about all the characters on the show. Think about what they’re like, what they represent.
Polaris is fire and fury. Thunderbird is the do-gooder boy scout, the moral compass. Eclipse is the troubled man who’s done wrong and wants to be better. Blink is to sarcastic runaway, the noncommittal type who’s reluctantly sticking around. The Strucker kids are the next generation finding their way in the world. The parents are the old guard protectors trying to help leave behind a good world for their kids, while learning what their generation did wrong. The Cuckoos are the manipulative head-screwers who can look innocent and sweet one second and then vicious and cruel the next. Sage is the smart techie brains of the operation.
None of these characters is the heart of the show. When Gifted killed off Dreamer, they ripped out and stomped on the heart of the show.
As the heart, Dreamer did things that were wrong for the people she loved. She gave Blink her memories and feelings for Thunderbird. She went through Turner’s mind – and felt horrible about the damage done to him, that she couldn’t prevent. When the choice came between herself or the kids not using their powers, she was willing to sacrifice herself for the good of them and all mutants.
She did all of these things out of love and didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was fiercely against Lorna punching out the guy at the bar because, whereas Lorna felt like doing it, Dreamer felt it was unnecessary. She didn’t want a scene, yes, but under the surface, she also didn’t think the guy needed to be hurt.
She kept everyone around her good and loving, in ways no other character could ever possibly pull off.
A lot of people mistakenly think it’s cool and smart and edgy to spurn the heart of a show or franchise and any characters that represent that nature. They’re wrong. Without the heart, everything starts to get dull. Everything loses its color and life and becomes just an endless boring drudge.
The heart gives purpose and meaning and value. It provides a way back from the worst of the worst, and balances things out. You need a heart or you have decay.
When I said Gifted is screwed without Dreamer, way back when it happened, I didn’t have the words to say why the show is screwed. But now I do. This is why. Without Dreamer back as its heart, Gifted is going to sink. Probably not right away, but definitely as things progress. If everything starts to feel dull and repetitive and common. As there’s no color in the darkness.
That’s why she mattered. She represented more than people realize, and as much as many may scoff at the idea, that scoffing and conscious brain thinking isn’t going to change how they slowly react to the show on a subconscious level.
You stood by your sister’s grave, gripping followers tightly in your hands. Tears were flowing down your cheeks, despite your attempts to keep your emotions in check. No one could blame you for being so upset however. Sonya, the only family you had left was dead.
If John, Clarice, Marcos, and Lorna weren’t here by your side you weren’t sure if you would have been able to survive. Gently you placed the plants down on Sonya’s grave and John proceeded to give you a hug. Sonya meant a lot to him too so he came the closest to sharing your pain.
”[Y/N] i’m… I’m so sorry” said Clarice. You forced yourself to give her a weak smile as you wiped tears off your cheeks.
”Thanks Clarice. Thank all of you guys for being here for me and Sonya”.
All your friends nodded and with that you formed a giant group hug. You’d be hurting for a long time because if Sonya’s death but with these four around to support you, you may just get through this dark time.
salarta 