“I Scream the Body Electric” is episode two of season one of Mutant X.
At the end of the previous episode, “The Shock of the New”, Emma’s attempts to escape led to Brennan’s capture by Thorne. This episode opens with Brennan running through a large building, chased by some extremely inept guards wearing a uniform that appears to be deliberately styled in a dictatorial way. Brennan ducks out of sight into a room in which a number of people are inside tubes. Thorne comes up behind Brennan and knocks him down – he seems far more competent – and tells Brennan that attempting to escape is a waste of time. Brennan, for some reason, seems unable to use his powers. Thorne seems quite willing to beat Brennan to a pulp but Eckhart doesn’t want that.
Emma is watching Proxy Blue – which would appear to be a way of feeding information to Eckhart – talking about Brennan when Adam approaches her. She apologises, as he says she put everyone at risk, but she’s confused and afraid. She spends all the time hearing other people’s feelings and terrors. Adam says to take the problem and see the solution. Jesse and Shalimar approach; they say Adam saved their lives as they weren’t thrilled to be different. With a little work, being a New Mutant can be fabulous. Or she could end up like Thorne. They also want to get Brennan out.
Eckhart isn’t that happy that Thorne let Emma get away, but Thorne says they can use Brennan to trap her. Eckhart wants to find a lost soul who can bring the others to them. The mutants are currently building a second safe house and making new IDs, just in case.
Brennan is fastened to a chair and Eckhart says he has been waiting a long time to meet him, him and Emma. They are high on his shopping list. Thorne takes a device and uses it on the back of Brennan’s neck, which implants something. A subdural governor, according to Eckhart. If Brennan uses his powers without approval, he will feel pain. This is demonstrated. Brennan is told he can help protect the world from genetic terrorism, as an operative of the Genetic Security Agency, something that Eckhart formed and is in charge of. The governor has a second feature – it can also be activated when desired.
Emma is telling Adam she isn’t a hero; she just sold clothes. Using her powers. She realised she had them when she was 5 and lost her parents, and managed to find them. The ‘lost soul’ that Eckhart was looking for is Ruby, and Thorne has brought him in. Eckhart knows that Ruby is a telepath, and wants Ruby to read his mind. Just so he knows that everything Ruby has heard about Eckhart is true. It obviously is. Shalimar is going to teach Emma some focusing techniques to help her. Which look awfully like tai chi.
Ruby is also implanted, and tells Thorn about the second safe house. Jesse is there, handing out new IDs, when Thorn and his men arrive – just after they ask where Ruby. The mutants, including Jesse, are cornered. Emma may be able to help rescue the captured mutants, but she needs to learn how to use her powers first. There’s also a reveal about Thorne.
There’s still far too much camera trickery; slow motion shots, bullet time, odd pans. Adam gets to have a confrontation with Eckhart, where both get to monologue the other about their philosophies. This is, together with the previous episode, largely a ‘getting the team together’ episode. Complete with a rather corny dramatic shot of said team at the end.