Review: Invincible “Don’t Leave Me Hanging Here”
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)
Mark and Nolan return to Earth in search of the remaining Viltrumites, as well as to face the changes their loved ones have gone through since they left.
OUR TAKE
Invincible season finales have gained a reputation for being bombastic and blood soaked fireworks displays. The first was the fateful showdown between Mark and Nolan (which also gets a callback here when Nolan visits the same mountain he beat Mark into), the second was Mark’s multiple trips through the multiverse to stop Angstrom, and the third was the brutal and desperate fight against Conquest. This time though…there’s almost no action. We do see plenty of carnage and viscera, but it all turns out to be imagined as part of Mark’s understandable PTSD. He was just in a literal war, as relatively quick as it was, and in the last battle he saw his brother and father ripped apart and another guy’s head ripped off and squished like a watermelon. It’s frankly surprising that it took him this long to gain this much trauma, though it seems to be generated less from the carnage itself and more because it is easy to get terrified by the thought of the powerful and fast Viltrumites slaughtering tens of thousands in an instant, as well as making it as gruesome and malicious as possible to torment Mark specifically. These trauma hallucinations become so hard to discern that when Thragg DOES appear before Mark, and the brief bit of action does happen, it’s easy to assume that Mark is simply losing his mind over the stress.
But before we discuss that and Thragg’s ultimatum, we should also discuss what Mark and Nolan come home to find. For Nolan, it’s a sign that the people who were pissed at him ten months ago (yeah, the past three episodes have been over nearly a year in-story) are STILL pissed…but slightly less so, which I guess is progress. It also turns out that Debbie and Paul, her seemingly serious relationship who she was going to move in with, did not end up working out. And while that’s unfortunate, since Paul is a decent guy, I find myself a bit worried that this is setting up Debbie getting back together with Nolan, which I don’t really think is the best move, at least not while Nolan is still a loooooong way away from balancing his karma books. Yes, he’s risked his life to overcome his centuries long indoctrination and protected his sons and the galaxy as a whole, but as much good work as that is, it’s not a substitute for the pain and betrayal he caused his loved ones. Yes, I know they got back together in the comics, but that doesn’t mean they have to do it here. I’m sure we’ll get more on this in the coming seasons, but it’s unfortunately something that I feel the need to side eye and dock a bit from this episode.
As for Mark, after having a sweet reunion with Eve and hearing her confess to having an abortion while he was gone (which the stupid asshole side of the fandom was unsurprisingly mad about because they’re stupid assholes), Mark checks in with everyone else he can and starts to feel at peace again. That is, until he sees Thragg again, confirming his worst fear that the surviving Viltrumites have indeed made it to Earth. However, as Thragg relays, they’re not here to fight…unless they have to. The plan now for the remaining thirty seven Viltrumites is to blend into human society and begin rebuilding their empire by sowing their seeds and playing the long game. Basically what Nolan did but on an organized front, which worked out so well for him! And naturally Mark is unable to say anything other than that he will let them do this, saving the world once again…for the moment. Because though the Viltrumite War has now finished, a new Cold War has begun, which we will definitely see expanded on next season, especially now that Allen, the newly minted head of the Coalition of Planets, is aware of Thaeddus’ Scourge Virus and its intended use. But for now, let’s flip the page back and look over this amazing season in our overall review.
