Secret Invasion is too small for the room, works anyway: Episode 3 review

Secret Invasion is playing for keeps. The first episode killed off Maria Hill, a character who’s been in the Marvel universe for over a decade, and this latest episode — “Betrayed” — kills off G’iah, played by Game of Thrones veteran Emilia Clarke. With Marvel, there’s always the possibility that they could bring people back from the dead, but Secret Invasion is at least convincing me it’s serious, which is all anyone can ask.

And this show wants to be taken seriously. Long-time Marvel fans will notice that Secret Invasion has a lot less of the zingy quips that have become so associated with the franchise. Most scenes are treated as if life and death hang in the balance. The episode opens with Nick Fury wondering if he can trust his own wife wife Priscilla, who’s actually a Skrull named Varra. The two have been in love for many years, but Fury’s long absence has opened a rift in their relationship. And Fury is right to worry, since at the very end of the episode we see that Varra is indeed on speaking terms with Gravik, the leader of the Rebel Skrulls.

Later, Fury and Talos — that’s the faithful Skrull leader who doesn’t want to follow Gravik and wipe out humanity — break into the house of a Skrull operative impersonating a high-ranking government official. This guy, Bob, is going to launch a nuclear strike, part of Gravik’s plan to get the countries of the world to war with each other. In the process of stopping him, Fury shoots a bunch of guards dead and holds a gun to a teenager’s throat. It’s more intense that we expect from Marvel, and if the show doesn’t chicken out, it has my respect.

Nick Fury can’t say “bullshit” but can kill, like, five guys

There are still some awkward tonal clashes. When Fury and Talos are interrogating Bob, Fury screams, “Enough with this bull!” and then shoots Bob in the knee. Anyone who’s watched a Samuel L. Jackson movie knows that line isn’t finished without “shit” at the end of it. But this is Disney, so they can’t say the naughty word. But they can have Nick Fury blast off a guy’s kneecap. But they can’t show much blood or gore. It’s odd.

The bigger issue is that the quest to stop Gravik feels smaller than it should. Gravik wants to wipe out all humans, and has agents in positions of great power around the world to do his bidding. This should feel huge. But the action in this episode boils down to two guys forcing their way into a suburban mansion.

Questions arise. Why aren’t the other governments of the world on top of this? Apart from Olivia Colman’s admittedly delightful performance as MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, we’re mostly cut off from them. In one scene, Talos tells Gravik that he intends to inform the world of his plan, so that humanity will be better equipped to defend itself. 1) Why did Talos say this when it gives Gravik a very real incentive to kill him right then and there? 2) Why doesn’t Gravik kill him right then and there? And 3) Why haven’t Talos and Fury told everyone about Gravik’s plan? They wouldn’t have to single-handedly prevent a nuclear strike if they weren’t the only ones on the case.

Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, dream team

Much of Secret Invasion feels contrived to give Nick Fury something to do. See also the way the show attempts to explain why there aren’t any superheroes running around. Gravik has a plan to give superpowers to his Skrull followers, but I suspect that will backfire by drawing more attention to the lack of superheroes in this superhero show.

But I’m willing to excuse a lot of this if the show is entertaining to watch minute to minute, and this week, I thought it was. The performances help, with Ben Mendelsohn in particular doing fine work as Talos. He has good chemistry with Jackson. I liked the scene in the car where Talos was mystified by the human-dog relationship. It wasn’t quippy, but it was lighter, and you need some variation like that if you want the grimmer moments to land.

Overall, I think “Betrayed” is an improvement over the first two episodes, although Secret Invasion still isn’t must-see TV. Marvel may be spread too thin, but they still turn out watchable series.

Secret Bullet Points

• If this was indeed G’iah’s final episode, Emilia Clarke did a solid job. I thought she was steely and compelling both in the scene where she bluffs to Gravik, and later when she refuses to turn around before he executes her.
• The dialog on the show can feel a little general, but the actors bring it to life. I liked Talos’ passive-aggressive line to Fury in the bar: “I’m gonna need you to use your words. Say the words.” And no one does playfully threatening like Jackson: “What you working on over there…Bob?”
• So there’s a Skrull impersonating Bob while the real Bob is back at Gravik’s headquarters. Are Skrull-Bob’s wife and son also Skrulls? If so, are they the actual family of Skrull-Bob or just other Skrulls filling those roles? I dunno, but Skrull-Bob seems to treat them like family.
• Hah, the one guy in the sub really wanted to nuke something, even after Talos called off the blast.

Episode Grade: B

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