Invincible review, Episode 206: "It's Not That Simple"

In last week's episode of Invincible, we were left on a huge cliffhanger: The Guardians of the Globe were in outer space, trying to stop an army of Sequids from taking over the planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Rex, Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Rae were in a battle of their own against the Lizard League. Before we dive into how things panned out, beware that this review contains SPOILERS.

One of the biggest shocks from the previous episode was seeing Rex, Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Rae get absolutely torn apart by the Lizard League. Dupli-Kate is murdered beyond any chance of return (we presume, though this is a superhero universe, so anything is possible) while it's revealed that Shrinking Rae remains alive... but barely. King Lizard even slices off Rex's arm and blows out his brains, though it turns out that Rex is seemingly immune to chronic brain damage and he inexplicably manages to brush himself off and take down King Lizard. It's a fun, gruesome battle, and the fact that there's actually a death adds a lot of weight to the situation -- the heroes don't always come out unscathed.

While this is going on, the battle continues on the Sequid spaceship. While epic in scale and visually spectacular, this battle didn't have the same emotional beats as the one back on earth, but it made up for that in other ways. I loved the creative ways the heroes use their powers, particularly Shapesmith's whacky morphing. The teamwork used to take down the infected Rus Livingston was a joy to watch.

And even after they save Livingston, the battle doesn't stop. The Martians demand Shapesmith be returned to them so that justice for his betrayal of their people may be served. But our team refuses, resulting in an awesome, Star Wars-esque dogfight. I really loved seeing Invincible step outside the craft to demolish Martian spaceships one by one, it's so satisfying seeming him display his true power.

As everyone arrives back on Earth, the aftermath settles in. One thing I love about this show is its ability to go from huge, larger-than-life moments to grounded, emotional moments in an instant. It's indicative of Robert Kirkman's storytelling; we've seen it in The Walking Dead numerous times. Mark, Atom Eve and the others returning to Earth to see Rex and Rae dreadfully injured was heartbreaking.

Dupli-Kate's funeral was a particularly humbling moment. We see the Immortal, a usually stoic hero, break down in sadness. This show sure knows how to deliver a good old gut-punch.

Family issues and relationship struggles

Mark's life becomes inundated with family and friend issues as he returns to his somewhat 'normal' life. Back at college, he finds that William's boyfriend Rick is back on campus after the traumatic events of season 1, where he was made into a zombie-esque ReAniman. He wears a human skin again... although he may not longer be strictly human. He's being watched by Donald, whom we already know is an android struggling to come to terms with who — or what — he really is.

Also, Mark and Amber consider their future as partners. They both sincerely love and care for each other, but with Mark out saving the world and Amber forever waiting for the small moments she gets to share with him, their relationship isn't really working out. I'm glad Invincible addresses these very real issues that would occur; many superhero shows and movies breeze past them.

And the struggles don't end there. Cecil is still trying to find a way for the government to keep tabs on Oliver, Omni-Man's son with Andressa, who is now in the care of Debbie. With his half-Thraxan bloodline, Oliver has grown up substantially since the last time we saw him, he's now the equivalent of a toddler. Despite him being the son of her ex-husband, Debbie feels a responsibility to take care of him, due to the fact that he's Mark's half-brother.

Debbie seeks a carer for Oliver, but keeps finding that all the applicants are spies sent by Cecil. One of them is April, who specializes in superhuman children. She openly admits that she's been sent by Cecil. She's the only person who Debbie considers for the role.

Friends and enemies return and mysteries are uncovered

Elsewhere in the episode, we see the return of Allen the Alien, who's been significantly buffed up since being beaten almost to death by Viltrumites. He travels to Earth from Talescria, the capital of the Coalition of Planets, to inform Mark that he is needed by the great Thaedus. We learn that Mark isn't the only Viltrumite defect; Thaedus turned against his people too, and is now spearheading the war against them.

Plus, Mark seeks answers to his father's final request: to read his books. Mark meets with Nolan's best friend, tailor Art Rosenbaum. Art hands Mark a bunch of sci-fi novels written by his father, and Mark puts together that the stories are not just fiction, but rather a fictionalized list of things out in space that can kill Viltrumites. Clever, indeed!

The episode closes with a teaser for the biggest battle to come. Yes, Angstrom Levy is hopping through multiverses, building an army powerful enough to kill Invincible once and for all. He also steps through a Walking Dead-looking portal, which I thought was a nice touch. Comic fans will know Levy to be Invincible's archenemy. The battle to come is sure to be epic!

Verdict

Invincible continues to be one of the best superhero shows in the universe. There's so much going on, possibly a little too much that occasionally it loses focus, but every storyline is unique and exciting. This is one of the slower episodes, at least compared to others, but it more than makes up for that in powerful emotional beats. I can't wait to see how Angstrom Levy shakes the boat.

Episode Grade: B

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