First Look: Blink Loses Control in Episode 2 of ‘The Gifted’

John Russell October 9, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Jamie Chung - The Gifted — Ryan Green/FOX

"We play on the theme of what happens when your powers are out of control, what happens when you push yourself too far," says Jamie Chung, who plays Blink in 'The Gifted'

The premiere episode of Fox’s new X-Men spin-off The Gifted ended with a major cliffhanger. While trying to escape from Sentinel Service agents, Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer) was separated from his family and the renegade mutants they’ve turned to for help.

But in Monday night’s second episode, Reed won’t be the only character in distress. Jamie Chung’s fugitive teleporter Blink pushed her powers to the limit to transport the entire crew (minus Reed, obv.) to the Mutant Underground’s headquarters, and it took a major toll, as you can see in this exclusive photo from the episode.

Jamie Chung - The Gifted

“She’s having convulsions; she can’t control her powers,” Chung explains. “She’s opening portals, and it becomes really dangerous. So we play on the theme of what happens when your powers are out of control, what happens when you push yourself too far.”

But, hey, it’s not like Blink didn’t warn her mutant comrades. “At the end of Episode 1, she warns Thunderbird, ‘I’ve never gone that far, I’ve never used my power to transport this many people.’ It’s physically exerting, so you see what happens to her when you overexert yourself and your body goes into a state of shock.”

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Chung says she watched videos of people in epileptic shock and thought about what happens to the body when you can’t control it, which made for an exhausting performance. Playing Blink is physically challenging in general. The character’s unique look requires Chung to wear large green contact lenses, severely limiting her vision on set.

Still, Chung says she’s excited to make this version of the fan-favorite character her own.

“We want the fans to understand our version of Blink is not going to be the same as the Blink from Exiles or Age of Apocalypse. She’s not a leader. She’s not timid, either, which is a version of Blink in the comics. So it’s really fun playing with that, but we just hope that we keep the essence of her.”

The Gifted, Mondays, 9/8c, Fox