“Don’t Do Anything Rash,” thanks to standout exciting moments, was easily the best episode of the season thus far. An opening flashback shows the death of Viltrumite Emperor Argall and the rise of Thragg, who commands the Viltrumites to attack each other to weed out the weak. In the present, the main team shares some average banter before cautiously approaching Viltrum. The compelling image of the ring of corpses served as the background for the remainder of the episode, which was a fight between the remaining Viltrumites and the main team. Aside from Thragg attempting to get Nolan back on the side of the Viltrumites, the fight is entirely super-powered punching until a crucial decision after Thragg critically injures Oliver. Following a laser from Space Racer, the good Viltrumites soar through Viltrum, blowing it up. In the aftermath, Thragg kills Thaedus, injures the remaining Graysons, and makes off for Earth. 

This episode features some of the show’s most interesting scenes and moments, namely the destruction of Viltrum, which was either a spontaneous decision or a well-thought-out plan. Similarly, Thragg’s level of power was not necessarily surprising, but it worked very well to supply tension during the fight. Many moments in the fight were exciting, with surprising character injuries occurring with the Graysons. Of course, Thaedus, the old mentor figure, is killed, and the moment of his death was absolutely engaging. The details of Thragg’s tears and the shocking speed at which he killed him were notable highlights. The two most successful components in this episode were the moment of Viltrum’s destruction and the stage being set for an electric finale. The drawbacks of this episode were smaller than usual but remained distracting enough to matter. Every episode of Invincible tests the limitations of how engaging super-powered punching and kicking can be. Many aspects of the brawl were exciting to watch, but there was not a whole lot of uniqueness in how many characters duked it out until the Graysons flew through the planet and Thragg became more rash. 

Another issue in this final third was the trust the show has failed to build throughout regarding character deaths. There was very little tension regarding the injuries of Mark, Oliver, and Nolan due to the show’s precedent of keeping these people alive despite injuring them in increasingly “shocking” ways. While this episode included some fascinating injuries, it yet again proves that this show only makes the safest decisions regarding hero deaths (in this case, the old mentor figure). Finally, Thragg remains a hit-or-miss villain. His backstory was intriguing enough, and his negotiation scene with Nolan was especially compelling. Despite this, Thragg’s presence as the next in a long line of Invincible villains that punch harder than the last results in some disinterest in his character. His power is exciting to watch, but it plants the idea that, if the show wanted to, the next season’s villain could take the same shortcuts to being cool by hitting our heroes harder and maybe killing two people instead of one. Overall, Thragg and the fight itself had incredible, shocking moments, but the penultimate episode was held back by issues that have existed throughout the show. 

Rating: 7/10