Spoilers for Invincible Season 2 Episode 8
The episode begins briefly with Kregg telling Omni Man that he has finally passed inspection and is now ready for execution. The episode then puts the audience right back to the post-credit scene ending of the last episode, with Mark arriving home to find Angstrom holding Debbie and Oliver hostage. Mark tries to fight him but Angstrom just opens portals sending Mark into different dimensions. Angstrom reveals that he remembers all the dimensions and the destruction that Invincible has caused in those dimensions. He tricks Mark into another portal, sending him to a zombie dimension.
Debbie tries to defend herself against Angstrom and he breaks her arm. Once Mark finally returns home and sees what Angstrom did to his mom, he loses all composure, attacking Angstrom through all the dimension portals. Angstrom starts fighting back with his new super strength. Invincible unleashes his anger and sadness to gain strength beating Angstrom to death in a deserted dimension. After he realizes what he has done, he is instantly filled with regret. With Angstrom dead, Mark believes he’s stranded in the dimension with no way home.
Back at the prison ship, Kregg beats up Nolan before sending him back to his cell. Allen and Nolan walk past each other and begin a conversation using Allen’s telepathic abilities. Allen tells Nolan that he is there for him and that he needs to be ready when needed later.
Back on the deserted planet with Mark, an older version of the Guardians of the Globe comes through one of the dimensional portals. They explain that 20 years have passed since Mark has been stuck in this dimension. Robot opens a portal for Mark to return to the same point that he left. Right before Mark leaves, Eve stops and confesses her love for him. She urges him to tell his Eve whether he likes her or not, and not to lead her on. Mark returns home and immediately goes to the Pentagon to check on his injured mom. When he finally sees her, he breaks down crying while telling her what happened to Angstrom.
After seeing his mom, Mark has a conversation with Cecil about what happened to Angstrom; specifically, the fact he killed Angstrom in cold blood. Cecil tells Mark that he did what he had to for the safety of his mother and his brother. He also reiterated that he is not like his father.
Back at the Guardian of the Globes base, Robot apologizes to Amanda for trying to change and fix her. She accepts the apology and agrees to go on a date with Robot. Immortal is seen in a house in the Alps where he is met by Cate. Reunited, Cate explains how she was living through one of her clones all this time.
This scene transitions to a couple of woman excavators opening a tunnel. An Egyptian Seraph escapes one of the tombs but says he cannot inhabit a woman, only a living man. Both of the excavators look at him and call him rude for being so sexist. This is the same Egyptian Seraph that was sealed away by Omni Man during season 1 of the show.
Mark, still reeling from guilt and thinking about his dad, makes the hard decision to quit school. He tells his mom he has to focus on being a hero and learning not to lose control. He then meets with Eve to talk about what occurred, and they both share an emotional moment together.
This episode ends with Allen and Nolan talking telepathically through their prison cells. Nolan surprisingly admits he misses his wife.
Season 2 Episode 8 of Invincible is the best episode of the season by a decent margin. This episode completely takes the show to new heights when it comes to the stakes, story, and characters. The writing is the best it’s ever been, with the character development being incredible throughout, while the dialogue continues to feel natural and unique for all of the characters. Voice acting is amazing in this episode, with Steven Yeun delivering arguably his best performance as Mark/Invincible. His performance feels powerful, emotional, and earned due to what the character has endured through the first two seasons of the show. Other than Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh as Debbie steals every scene that she is in with her emotionally strong presence on screen. It is clear the season was building up to this episode, as the consistently good animation delivered great action sequences.
Overall, Invincible Season 2 finishes with a bang with this finale. It satisfies the story at hand, while also setting up key pieces for the story going forward.
Ranting: 10/10