There was an argument between a couple different accounts on something I reblogged, that I saw because Tumblr has me on this experimental “subscribed” function. The argument was more or less about how Lorna was written in the final episodes.

I don’t have much I can say about that because I didn’t watch it. I assume if I had watched it, I probably would’ve liked it, because I had been liking most of what Gifted was doing with Lorna before the writers royally screwed up with Dreamer.

There’s a bit I can say though. Pertaining to Dreamer, and certain characters and dynamics following her death.

Thunderbird x Blink (Thunderblink)

Okay, so supposedly this pairing got more push after Dreamer’s death, and subsequently, I’ve seen some fans of the pairing talking about how glad they are that Dreamer was killed off so she couldn’t “stand in the way” of this pairing.

To which I say this: if Thunderbird x Blink really couldn’t happen unless Dreamer got killed off, then they’re a pretty shitty pairing. Good pairings don’t require killing off all possible “competition” to become viable. If they’re actually, legitimately good, they’ll be able to develop and thrive regardless.

All Dreamer’s death does for this pairing is make it look forced and disingenuous, like the writers and fans of the pairing are so terrified the pairing sucks in the eyes of everyone else that they need extra assurances to make people accept it.

Esme/Cuckoos gaining prominence

I’ve also seen some people act like Dreamer was either an obstacle to Esme gaining prominence, or somehow redundant because she has psychic-like powers. And they’re cool with Dreamer’s death and how poorly it was handled for that reason.

If you think Esme couldn’t rise unless Dreamer died, that says the same thing as the Thunderbird x Blink pairing: that you think she’s too shitty to stand on her own merits and needs all “competition” removed.

If you think having Esme around means Dreamer is “redundant” and needs to go away for that reason? Well for one, you’re reducing the character exclusively to her powers. Which is stupid. Two characters with the same powers can use them in different ways. For another, if we say they’re all exactly the same, then why does going away have to mean death, and why did that death have to be done so poorly?

Polaris’ darker turn

I’ve seen some people try to claim Dreamer’s death was necessary for Polaris to take a darker turn. That it “had” to happen.

Which isn’t true. First and foremost, there are a LOT of things they could’ve done instead of character death to get the same impact. Dreamer could have been physically or psychologically tortured. She could’ve lost limbs being experimented on. There are so many options that could’ve inflicted a level of suffering that could push Lorna to the breaking point. There are so many options that could’ve taken her to a mentality of “They should be glad I’m killing instead of torturing.”

Second, Lorna already had a lot of trauma and baggage to begin with. Her time in prison alone would’ve been enough to drive her into darker mental modes.

Third, it’s not like it wasn’t possible for the writers to potentially reveal something like Lorna had suppressed memories, Dreamer and/or the Cuckoos bring them out, and that drives Lorna to be darker.

Lorna going dark did not require Dreamer’s death, and to say it did sells Lorna and her potential very, very short. It robs her of some actual real personal development she could’ve received, in favor of making her darkness out to be from a death that was written so poorly that it makes everything to come from it look cheap and half-assed.

Polaris and Esme/Cuckoos dynamic

Lastly for the moment, I’ve seen some people suggest Dreamer had to die so Lorna could have more of a dynamic with Esme and the Cuckoos.

This is the same as the Thunderbird and Blink relationship: if seeing it pursued requires killing off a character, it’s a shitty dynamic. A good dynamic, with a good foundation to work from, can work without “competition” getting “removed” for its sake. If Polaris and Esme/Cuckoos working together was a truly viable angle, it didn’t need Dreamer’s death. It would’ve worked with her still around.

As I said about Esme/Cuckoos gaining prominence, Dreamer’s dynamic with Lorna could have differed greatly. Even if they’re on the same side, Dreamer could have been the softer side to Esme/Cuckoos being hardassed and vicious.

If Dreamer stayed with Mutant Underground, next season could’ve seen her role as Lorna’s best friend trying to get her to come back from her dark side. Some would think of this as redundant with Marcos, but it wouldn’t be, because best friend and lover have differing perspectives and qualities. Or is Marcos gonna try to get Lorna back to the Mutant Underground by reminding her that the two of them could go back to the days of flirting with guys at bars to get intel for missions, instead of talking about the baby and building a family?

Conclusion

Whatever “reason” may be given for why Dreamer getting killed off was somehow good, is a false reason. There is literally nothing about her death that could not have been done better in some way that kept her alive. Especially with how poorly the show’s writers wrote her death.

The show threw away a good character with tons of potential for no reason other than because the writers were either too lazy to put more effort in an alternate route, or too terrible at writing to feel confident in their ability to write various characters and relationships/dynamics well with her presence intact.