Invincible Season 3 Episode 1-3 Review
The first three episodes of ‘Invincible’ kick off with a bang, setting the stage for a hard season for Mark to come. But it’s not without its bright spots, as Mark shows that he wants to get a hold of his personal life this season, something that’s going to have mixed results as he tries to navigate his broken life. The first two episodes in particular offer some strong punch to them to kick off the season, while the third is less impactful with some of its reveals, and one that tries an alternative style to drive up some emotion.
The end of season two left Mark in quite a state, after Amber left him, Angstrom Levy broke him, and Anissa destroyed him. The start of season three, as hinted in the trailer, shows Mark training as he desperately tries to become stronger, wanting to become more powerful before the next Viltrumite shows up. But the Imperialist race aren’t the only threat, with two kids trying to steal the Declaration of Independence, Multi-Paul nearly beating Rex Splode to a pulp for supposedly getting his sister Dupli-Kate killed, and Doc Seismic nearly succeeding in his plans to dominate the Earth.
In a surprising twist, Mark confesses his love for Atom Eve after the older Atom Eve encouraged him to. It’s a surprise as this seemed to be something that might get dragged out over a whole season, but it’s a very comic book-’Invincible’ thing to, is immediately supplanting expectations with ones that take the season in a unique and novel direction. Mark is warned by his friends not to tell Eve about her future self, though, like the awkward teen audiences know him to be. It’s very funny to watch him slip into that trap, almost unknowingly. Eve reacts with anger and unease, with voice actress Gillian MacLaren doing an incredible job as she snaps at Mark.
Later on, it is shown that they get together, as Mark wears Eve down to give him a chance at a date. This is the bit where the writers could have given Eve a bit of backbone, as she very quickly gives in to Mark’s wants, making her anger response feel like a flash in the pan moment. While of course she likes Mark, she shouldn’t have to give in right away for a date. Eve evolves her life outside of superheroes, joining an architectural class, meeting Amber, and even building bridges with her parents. It’s sweet, as for a moment she gets to be sweet and happy, and avoid the struggle of saving the world.
Someone who doesn’t get to avoid saving the world is Cecil. When Doc Seismic attacks, Cecil makes the decision to use the second Darkwing and D.A. Sinclair’s ReAnimen puts him at odds with Invincible, something that the trailers hinted at. The pair break out into a fight, with Cecil using some truly terrifying and underhand tactics. The Guardians of the Globe get a glimpse into this visceral fight, splitting the team two. It’s a huge event treated with the right amount of weight, feeling like a way to kick off the season. The fallout of this event is yet to be ignored, as episode three doesn’t focus on that.
‘Invincible’, like many franchises, has resisted the pull of flashbacks for some time now, but no more. Cecil, who always was very good as the stern realist character, is shown to have a traumatic ascension to his current post at the GDA, with passing events helping to realise he was once sympathetic to Mark’s viewpoint, though that clearly changed. It’s likely the start of a deeper exploration of Cecil’s character of how he became the man audiences see him as, because there’s a gap between who he was, and who he now is. Especially as he’s so quickly willing to use force on Mark.
Throughout all of this, Oliver develops, growing at impressive and terrifying speeds. He’s determined to get involved in being a superhero, getting his own superhero costume and, much to Mark’s anger, getting involved with fights. Oliver’s lack of mercy towards the Mauler twins calls to mind the same fury and lack of remorse Omni-Man showed to his victims, and this careless view on life that puts Oliver on a dangerous path. Mark is proving that he’s maybe not the right person to handle him either, as continued angry outbursts at the kid are clearly driving him away, likely into the hands of Cecil. Debbie gets some time to shine, helping Oliver to realise the flaws in his horrifying attitude and talking him through calmly, and even going on a few dates!
Audiences do get a check in with Nolan and Allen the Alien, but there’s only one scene that was played for laughs. And while it was certainly successful at this, there’s not much meat on the bone for this plot thread yet. Allen does seem to make a little headway to become friends with Nolan, but not by much.
As mentioned, the third episode lacked some of the bombshell feel of the first two episodes. It was very much centred on the aftermath of Invincible walking from Cecil, and Invincible attempting to train a kid. It’s a much quieter episode, focused much more on Mark’s and Oliver’s relationship. This is likely something that will pay off in future episodes, but for the moment it’s hard to see where this will go, and doesn’t have the same impact as the first two episodes.
The end of season three reveals that a figure with his back to the camera was watching Mark and his family, planning them harm. It seems like this figure is actually Angstrom Levy, as the voice actor reprised his role, but it’s hard to tell yet. If it truly is Levy, Mark and his family are surely in for an emotional fight on their hands. It concludes a good start to the third season, with two episodes that will shock audiences, and a third that doesn’t reach the same level but is still a highly entertaining watch.
