The Gifted wrapped its 13 episode season 1 with an order from FOX for a second season, though it it had difficulty scoring the ratings the network expected for a comic book superhero series based upon the popular X-Men movies. Because The Gifted is set in an alternate universe from the films, the lack of actual X-Men characters like Wolverine, Storm or even Professor X appearing likely hurt fan interest in the series. The Gifted also suffered from creative issues; the series had trouble building and sustaining momentum and living up to its potential.

However, The Gifted also did quite a number of things right. With 13 hours to tell its tale, The Gifted presented the most complex and provocative exploration of any X-Men adaptation of what it would be like to live in a world where mutants not only exist, but their civil liberties are continually threatened. Also threatened are ordinary people, who share this world with untold numbers of beings possessed of potentially devastating superpowers. Seen through the eyes of a seemingly 'ordinary family', the Struckers, who discover their children are mutants and are forced to become refugees indoctrinated into the Mutant Underground, The Gifted offered no easy answers to the plight of those born with the X-Gene, for better or worse.

Related: Everything We Know About What Happened To The X-Men

With a strong cast portraying both the mutants of the Underground and the human government agents hunting them, The Gifted delivered some powerful and unforgettable moments that harken to the time honored themes of the X-Men. Here are the best moments of The Gifted season 1:

ANDY STRUCKER UNLEASHES HIS POWER

Mutants in The Gifted know that their powers are both a blessing and a curse. For Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White), they were definitely both when he first discovered them after he was bullied during a school dance. No longer able to tolerate the abuse, Andy fully unleashed his mutant ability - the power to unleash a destructive telekinetic field - for the first time; he not only terrified and injured his bullies, he literally demolished his school's rest room and ruptured its walls. His older sister Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind), who is also a mutant, got her brother home, but the die was cast: from then on, Lauren and Andy were considered mutant terrorists and were now targets of Sentinel Services.

FIRST SENTINELS ATTACK

Sentinel Services, the government agency with broad powers to hunt down and imprison mutants designated as terrorists by any means necessary, are the primary antagonists of the Mutant Underground throughout season 1. They're led by Jace Turner (Coby Bell), for whom hunting mutants is a very personal issue. Sentinel Services not only utilize the Hounds - mutants who have been captured and mentally reconditioned against their own kind - true to their comic book roots, Sentinel Services also have robots at their disposal.

Unlike the giant purple robots seen in the comics and films, Sentinel Services' Spider Sentinels are terrifying, multi-legged machines that can adapt to the powers of the mutants they are tracking. We first see the Spider Sentinels in the pilot and they get destroyed by the Mutant Underground, but later in the season, they returned, deadlier than ever.

AURORA BOREALIS

While mutant powers can be devastating, they can also be beautiful. One of The Gifted's themes is what happens when mutants combine their powers. In the case of lovers Lorna "Polaris" Dane (Emma Dumont) and Marcos "Eclipse" Diaz (Sean Teale), two leaders of the Mutant Underground, their powers can combine into something visually stunning.

In a flashback to their sweet early courtship, Polaris joined her green-hued magnetic powers to Eclipse's bright solar light for the first time and created an Aurora Borealis effect. By the time The Gifted's first season began, Lorna would be pregnant with Marcos' baby, but their relationship would be tested many times over.

PREJUDICE AGAINST MUTANTS

An incident during a mutants civil rights protest in Dallas on July 15, 2013 turned into a tragedy when the mutants unleashed their powers and thousands died - including Jace Turner's daughter Grace. The day forever known as 7/15 turned public sentiment and soon laws against the mutants. The Gifted shows the prejudice, discrimination, and hatred mutants were subjected to far better than any of the X-Men movies. Every primary mutant character in the series was shown dealing with and usually being forced to run from 'ordinary' people who outright hate and fear them.

This includes Clarice "Blink" Fong (Jamie Chung), who was publicly threatened by an anti-mutant group calling itself the Purifiers. The Purifiers even set Clarice's car on fire, suffering no consequences, which briefly led her to work with the Brotherhood before joining the Mutant Underground.

The Gifted makes very clear how difficult it is to be a mutant in this universe. To her credit, Blink is one of the most engaging characters in The Gifted, and the trials she continues to endure thankfully haven't erased her dry, acerbic wit.

FENRIS INTRODUCED

The sordid history of the Strucker family is one of the most fascinating aspects of The Gifted. We learned that Lauren and Andy are descended from two of the most dangerous and feared mutant terrorists who ever lived: Andreas (Paul Cooper) and Andrea Von Strucker (Caitlin Mehner), collectively known as Fenris (The Wolf). When they hold hands, Fenris can unleash a destructive force without equal, gifts inherited by their great-grandchildren Andy and Lauren.

Andy and Lauren's father Reed (Stephen Moyer) discovered that his own mutant abilities were suppressed by his estranged father Otto (Raymond J. Barry), who was a genetic scientist at Trask Industries and hated his evil father and aunt. Otto's dying wish to his son was that he both protect Lauren and Andy and protect the world from them and the evil they could potentially do.

Related: X-Men and Marvel Easter Eggs In The Gifted

DREAMER IS KILLED

Sonya "Dreamer" Simonson (Elena Satine) was perhaps the most controversial member of the Mutant Underground. With the mutant power to alter and erase people's memories, Dreamer used her power on mutant and human alike, often under the mistaken impression it was for the greater good. Dreamer planted a memory of a romance with her own boyfriend John "Thunderbird" Proudstar (Blair Redford) in Blink's mind to coerce her into helping the Underground, and later, she earned Jace Turner's enmity by erasing the knowledge had his daughter Grace died on 7/15 from his mind.

Sadly, after she was captured by Sentinel Services and turned over to Trask Industries, Dreamer was shot and killed by Dr. Roderick Campbell (Garret Dillahunt) to force Andy and Lauren Strucker to display their mutant power. Dreamer's sudden, violent death was a true shocker.

ANDY AND LAUREN DESTROY ADAMANTIUM

Along with containing pleasing fan service by referencing Alkalai Lake, the Weapon X facility where Wolverine was created in the movies, episode 10 (the best episode of the season) unleashed the combined power of Lauren and Andy Strucker for the first time. Captured by Dr. Roderick Campbell, the Strucker siblings were held in a room lined with indestructible adamantium and forced to exhibit their combined power. Lauren and Andy didn't disappoint; their powers proved to be so devastating together that they blasted a hole right through the adamantium wall.

Related: Why Mutant Siblings Are More Powerful In The Gifted

Not only did fans witness the destructive potential of the next generation of Fenris, The Gifted posed the possibility that not only do Lauren and Andy possess power that could potentially rival the Dark Phoenix, but the Struckers could very likely kill Wolverine if he ever appeared in the series.

FROST TRIPLETS MASSACRE SENTINEL SERVICES

The mutant telepath named Esme (Skyler Samuels) was a refugee seeking sanctuary with the Mutant Underground but it soon became clear that there was literally more of her than it first appeared. Manipulating the Mutant Underground to help her free her siblings from incarceration by Sentinel Services, Esme revealed herself to be one of the mutant trio known to comics fans as the Stepford Cuckoos. The Cuckoos then used their telepathy to force Sentinel Services to massacre themselves to the shock of the mutants and the fans alike.

The Gifted identified the triplets as Esme, Sophie and Phoebe Frost, which creates a familial link to Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club. Soon, we learned that the Frost Triplets were also working to resurrect the Hellfire Club and serving their agenda.

SCHISM

Season 1 ended with the Mutant Underground headquarters destroyed after an assault by Sentinel Services. The mutants managed to evacuate but their network was lost. Meanwhile, Polaris bent to her worst impulses regarding how ineffective the Mutant Underground has been while being prodded by Esme Frost about the virtues of being part of the Hellfire Club. Finally, Polaris embraced her father Magneto's legacy of mutant terrorism by using her powers to destroy a private plane, killing Dr. Campbell and anti-mutant Senator Montez, who were on board.

Polaris and Esme Frost then recruited those of the Mutant Underground who were willing to follow them into the Hellfire Club. Polaris and Frost left with Sage, Fade, and Andy Strucker, creating a schism within the mutants and the Strucker family.

What other moments of The Gifted season 1 did you think were the best? Will you be checking out season 2? Let us know in the comments.

NEXT: THE GIFTED FINALE BOILS ITS CONFLICT DOWN TO A DEVASTATING CHOICE

The Gifted season 1 is available to stream on Hulu.