Spoilers for Invincible Season 2 Episode 7
Season 2 Episode 7 of Invincible opens with both Mark and Amber together at a comic convention. Although they are having a fun time together, Eve calls Mark and explains to him how Rex has gone on a mission by himself, and she wants Mark to check on him to make sure he is okay. Mark leaves Amber to go check on Rex. Rex is seen fighting a tentacle alien at a secret facility as other aliens try to break into a vault. Rex fights the big alien, although he is out of his rhythm using his new hand. Right as the alien is about to crush Rex, Invincible shows up and helps Rex stop the aliens. Rex is able to use his new robotic hand to shoot the big alien and finally stop the tentacle alien. Mark and Rex talk after the fight and Rex tells Mark that for one day, the Guardians of the Globe will take care of any sort of evil so that Mark and Amber can have a day for themselves.
Robot helps Monster Girl by creating a monster robot that she can use remotely instead of having to transform all the time. Robot worries that if Monster Girl keeps transforming she will become younger and younger. Amanda (Monster Girl) gets mad at Rudy (Robot) saying that she is cursed, not broken, and she doesn’t want him or anyone to fix her.
Immortal has a conversation with Cecil where he tells him that he is quitting the Guardians of the Globe. Immortal explains that he is very unstable right now and cannot lead the team any longer. Cecil tries to talk him out of quitting, but Immortal’s decision is final, so Cecil tells him to take a leave of absence. After this, Cecil decides to make Robot the leader of the team again since he is the best-suited hero to lead.
Similarly, Donald tries to quit working for Cecil due to him making Donald into a machine. Cecil doesn’t let him quit and instead shows him some top-secret video recordings. These videos show all the times Donald has died and come back as a robot with no memories. Cecil tells Donald how he was the one who decided to erase his mind every time he died because no single person should carry that much trauma by themselves.
Rick is seen on the roof of the school right at the edge, contemplating suicide due to the nightmares he has of Sinclair taking him apart and putting him back together. William calls Donald to talk him out of it. Donald goes over to Rick and shows him how he is also a machine like Rick. Donald explains to Rick how he has died 39 times, and explains how every time he died and came back, he did something good for the world. He continues to tell Rick how he also did something good for the world by standing up to and fighting Sinclair. Doonalds ends by telling Rick how they aren’t their bodies, but the decisions they make and the people that love them. This makes Rick get off the ledge and embrace William, releasing his built-up emotions.
Mark takes a night with Amber, just the two of them without distractions or calls to action. He takes her flying all over the world before taking her to a fancy dinner. While they are at dinner together, a Viltrumite named Anissa (Shantel VanSanten) interrupts their date telling Mark that if he doesn’t go with her, then she will kill Amber. Mark tells Anissa that if she leaves without harming anyone, then he will go with her. Anissa leaves and awaits Mark in space, leaving Amber emotionally distressed by their interaction. Mark picks up his suit and calls Cecil to have him keep an eye on the situation in case things get ugly and he needs backup. Anissa tells Mark that human civilization has less than an 18% chance of making it past the next two centuries. She also tells him that the Viltrumitess have the technology to save the planet from its problems.
Suddenly, Cecil calls Mark about a monster attacking a cruise ship. Mark tells Anissa he must save the people. She follows him to see what the son of Nolan can do. Mark fights the monster with all he has, but it is not enough. When he thinks hope is lost, Anissa kills the monster in one move, saying she did it to save the human people. Mark refuses to help the Viltrumite Empire conquer Earth, angering Anissa Anissa and Mark begin fighting, and although he uses all his strength, Mark can’t keep up with her. Anissa beats Mark to the brink of death. She tells Mark that her job isn’t to kill him, but someone else will come soon who will kill him and show him no mercy if he resists what the Viltrumites have asked of him.
After Anissa leaves, Mark visits Amber in her dorm room. They talk about the situation that occurred with Anissa. Amber expresses how powerless and scared she felt when Anissa almost killed her. They end up breaking up because their lives are so different; she can’t be in his life although she would like to.
Anissa returns to the Viltrumite base to update the other Viltrumite about the situation with Mark on Earth. At the same time, Allen flies next to the Viltrumite ship and ends up fighting Anissa. He shows his new strength and speed by battling her. She hits him hard and he pretends to be knocked out so that she would take him into the ship. The episode ends with Angstrom Levy calling Mark from his mother’s phone as he has taken Debbie and Oliver hostage.
This episode takes Invincible to a new level. The stakes are higher than ever in this episode, and the action sequences are exciting and powerful. The writing is emotionally impactful, with this episode having some of the most emotional sequences of the show thus far. The dialogue feels real and unique to each of the characters, making all the characters feel layered with their unique characteristics. The voice acting from the entire cast is fantastic in this episode, with everyone carrying their weight. With that being said, Steven Yeun as Mark stands above the rest in this episode. His emotional range is outstanding, making him stand out in every scene. The animation continues to excel with each action sequence better than the last. The character designs continue to be outstanding and the world looks and feels lived in and real.
Overall, season 2 episode 7 of Invincible continues to build excitement and anticipation for fans of the show. This season improves upon the last in every way, and this episode is the representation of where the show is going and how great it can be.
Rating: 9.5/10