The structure ofInvinciblehas never been its strong suit. The first couple of episodes build classic superhero origin stuff, the next few see Mark fight one villain after another, and then the finale unpacks that whale of a final reveal. Season two spent two episodes unpacking everyone’s new emotional state while letting Mark add a few antagonistic notches to his belt. Episode three sharply escalates multiple plotlines, giving characters time to breathe and ending with a breathtaking conclusion.
“This Missive, This Machination!” comes from directors Tanner Johnson and Dan Duncan. Bothworked on previous episodeswithout the central “director” credit. The entry has a bizarre break in the middle that implies it’s telling two stories, but the additional opening and closing title cards seem to be a gag.
Invincibleshakes the status quoby sending Mark, Amber, and Will off to college. Mark and Will move in together, playing with some classic roommate comedy tropes. Mark escalates his relationship with Amber, prompting a funny yet somewhat tasteless running joke in which a newfound narrator insists on cutting away from sex scenes. The fact thatInvinciblewill happily depict the brutal, gory evisceration of countless people but shies away from the suggestion of eroticism falls into bad habits without satirizing them. Beloved stand-up comedian Paul F. Tompkins portrays the narrator, providing his questionable gag flawless delivery. The framing device exists to bring the audience into space to follow Allen the Alien. Fans learn Allen’s backstory and discover his mission under thewatchful eye of the Coalition. His task is to find something powerful enough to defeat the Viltrumites, but he hits a snag that could reveal a new threat. It’s a fun subplot ignited by a half-hearted new dynamic.
Debbie’s subplot has been the most effective emotional beat of the series so far. Sandra Oh delivers the most moving performance as the abandoned wife of the hero-turned-monster. She struggles with empty nest syndrome without Mark. It’s acommon trope in superhero storiesto see the hero’s family spiral as part of the double-life difficulties. Mark’s move to college pushes Debbie over the edge, encouraging her to seek help from the card Olga gave her. She finds a support group for bereaved spouses of deceased heroes. A member of the group reaches out, but Debbie discovers she’s not welcome. While everyone else there mourns their heroic loved one, Debbie struggles with the added element of guilt since her husband caused many of the other members' grief. It’s a grim plot element, leaving Debbie’s misery a tantalizing emotional hook for the following episodes.
The weakest corner of the narrative belongs to the Guardians of the Globe. Rex is mad at Kate for cheating on him. She has the world’s least convincing justification for her and her new partner’s multi-millennia age difference. She calls him a hypocrite because their relationship started with infidelity. It’s gross, dull, repetitive, andunrelated to the rest of the plot. The other two threads in the group fare better. Monster Girl takes former robot Rudy out to experience human pleasures he missed out on, like attending a movie or eating food. It’s charming but still unrelated to the main narrative. Finally, Shapechanger immediately became one of the funniest characters in the show. He stumbles into scenes, fails to understand Earth’s traditions and practices, and wanders back out. He cuts through tension like a knife and keeps the otherwise challenging Guardians subplots relatively compelling.
“This Missive, This Machination!” ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that will change the show’s direction on a dime. Without wishing to spoil, it’s almost as substantial as the reveal near the end of season one. Breakingthe season into two halveshas caused some strange pacing, but the third episode slams on the accelerator and careens toward a mid-season conclusion. Several characters are unfulfilled, but the central storyline is rocketing into its next phase. Setting up Angstrom Levy and ignoring him for two episodes was a dodgy creative decision, but this outing reveals a decent excuse. It’s all riding on the upcoming fourth episode. Fans willwait almost two monthsto see the latter half of this season, meaning the next outing will be critical. This could make or breakInvincibleSeason 2, but it’s moving in a fascinating direction.
Invinciblehas emphatically bitten off more than it can chew. It sports too many plotlines, characters, and conflicts going on at once. However, almost all of them remain compelling and well-executed. Aside from one or two weak links, quality remains high even asquantity reaches unstable levels.Invinciblehits some bumps in the road, but the lesser moments will be forgotten when fans see the gripping emotional beats and moving narrative twists. This is the least action-packed episode of the season so far, yet it retains focus through its writing.Invincibleisn’t as invulnerable as its name suggests, but it’s still among the best superhero shows of its era, and it has new heights to reach.
Invincible
Cast
Season 2, Episode 3: “This Missive, This Machination!” Mark starts his new life in a college dorm, Allen the Alien seeks a weakness in the Viltrumites, and Debbie struggles with her new life.
