Season 4, episode 5 of Invincible is the strongest episode of the season thus far, initiating the Viltrumite War. The first half primarily explores the interpersonal conflicts of Omni-Man as he tries to reconnect with people from his past and convince them he’s changed for the better. Additionally, the Earth plotline finally introduced Tech Jacket, a younger superhero powered by alien armor. Once Debbie has one final family dinner and allows Oliver to go to space, the heroes go to the ship. On the ship, the show explores the tension between Omni-Man and the rest of the group, as well as moments of bonding and friendship. The ship ends up exploding just before an ambush from Conquest and other Viltrumites. The final third of the episode follows the fight, ending in Mark killing Conquest while brutally getting his guts ripped out.
The episode starts off decently strong, with a confrontation between Nolan and Debbie that is most compelling through the raw vocal emotions, despite relatively simple dialogue. The following scene, in which Nolan goes to Art for old time’s sake, was similarly impactful, notably in how terrified Art is revealed to be after Nolan leaves. In some ways, season 1 Omni-Man was such a successful villain that any new attempts at redemption are increasingly difficult for the show to sell. Another strange aspect of the episode was Tech Jacket’s introduction, which presented some aspects of her powers well, yet it seemed dissonant with how powerful the previous episodes have insisted she is. Finally, on Earth, the episode makes a stylistic choice (which will be repeated in space) to explore emotional moments through montage rather than through specific character interactions. These montages work well enough, but stronger character moments could have been explored through specific exchanges, as they create some emotional distance. This motif is repeated on the ship, where the superheroes interact in sweeping montage rather than being given the proper time to build relationships through more concentrated character bits.
Once the ship explodes, the episode becomes much more engaging. There is a clear shift between the character moments the show seems to want to get through and the excessive punching and blood it clearly prefers. For much of the fight, the specific brutality is engaging yet slightly predictable, featuring numerous last-second saves. That said, the fight was visually enjoyable, especially once it moved to the planet and the laser guns were incorporated. The fight had many creative elements, particularly with Oliver’s difficulty breathing in space and the duo of Allen and Tech Jacket. While the brawl was engaging, the fight on the planet was particularly exciting. While the show has had its fair share of scenes in which Mark is atop another character, screaming and covered in blood, this was one of the more compelling. This fight managed to stand out from all the rest through its emphasis on Mark’s unyielding determination to keep his hands on Conquest’s neck. Finally, Conquest’s disemboweling of Mark was an extremely memorable moment, notably in imagery and sound design, but it remains to be seen how quickly and easily this show will bring its main character back to full strength.
Rating: 7/10