Invincible(the show and the superhero) might be taking on more than it/he can comfortably handle. His struggle to balance his relationship, education, family, and superhero work mirrors the show’s fight to depict all those things, along with half a dozen subplots. It’s a fascinating way to make the audience thematically experience Mark’s challenges, but it doesn’t leave room for the story elements to breathe.
Yes, episode two is entitled “In About Six Hours I Lose My Virginity to a Fish.” It’s thesilliest title to date. The director and writer return from the first outing. Sol Choi made her debut with the season two premiere, while Simon Racioppa had his name on the second and seventh entry of the series. The season’s first and second episodes don’t feel well-connected despite their return.
That absurd episode title doesn’t come up until around the halfway point. “In About Six Hours I Lose My Virginity to a Fish” follows Mark as he deals with three of Cecil’s assignments, each involving a lavish fight scene. Simultaneously,Atom Eve struggles to helpothers, Debbie tries to return to work, the new Guardians suffer in-fighting, and Amber gets involved in local politics. It’s a lot to deal with in 40 minutes. Narratively, the main thrust is still Mark’s relationship with his father, as reflected in his interactions with various super-people. One scene pits him against an old foe, but the other two see him cleaning up Nolan’s messes. In one, heevokes Omni-Man to intimidatehis enemy into submission. In the other, he brings him up as a negative example from whom he’s deviating. It’s a strong central theme, especially as Debbie and Cecil pull him in opposite directions. The individual superhero action scenes are a lot of fun, but the show could benefit from slowing down.
Of the non-Mark subplots, Atom Eve’s feels the most substantive. Debbie’s fight against the hole Nolan left in her life works, but it hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Samantha had turned away from the part of the job Mark embraced. She doesn’t want to fight supervillains or cause more property damage. She’s devoted herself to helping the innocent civilians thrown intodisarray by Omni-Man’s attack. While her powers let her fix things, she uses them without thinking and causes unintended consequences. This mirrors her strained relationship with her parents. They’re struggling to make ends meet, thanks again to superheroes, and Sam’s dad refuses her help. It’s a cyclical discussion about the benefits of power and the potential risks that builds toward something engaging.
The strangest narrative thread, even more unusual than the one that provides the title, is thestory of Rus Livingstone. More specifically, it’s the story of the being currently pretending to be Rus Livingstone. Rus was one of the astronauts Invincible had to save on Mars. The original Rus was captured by the parasitic Sequids, allowing them the chance they needed to infect the Martians. A Martian shapeshifter took Rus’s form and returned to Earth as an astronaut. He struggles to fit in through a series of goofy scenes. New Rus is hilarious, exploiting the time-honored tropes of an alien invader failing to understand the local traditions while humans largely ignore his strange mannerisms. The Martian’s brilliant scheme to blend in? Announce himself as a superhero called the Shapesmith and audition for the Guardians. It’s a light, comedic, and entertaining narrative beat that demonstrates how variedInvinciblecan be. The otherGuardians of the Globestuff falls flat in this episode, but Rus is having a good time. Ben Schwartz provides Rus’s voice in perhaps the show’s best casting choice to date.
There are eight episodes planned forInvincibleSeason 2. The first four are coming out weekly, while the next four will drop next year. The pacing has become unusual. The only time “In About Six Hours…” checks in with the series' central antagonist is ina mid-credits scene. It’s the most intense moment of the episode, though fans will have to wait to see what it amounts to. The first season had some measure of difficulty telling its story without strange starts and stops, but its structure was bent around its whale of a final reveal. There’s something appealing aboutInvincibleroaring back with as much narrative weight as it can carry after the long wait, but it would be nice to let some of these moving emotional moments breathe. The highs only work with time to appreciate them.
Invinciblestill packs some of the best animated action out there, with some genuinely moving emotional moments. It bites off more than it can chew, but the quality hasn’t suffered for its quantity. Thenext few episodes needto take their time to enjoy the story, lest it become too overstuffed to enjoy. Too much of a good thing isn’t the worst problem to have, but it is still a problem.Invincible(the hero and the show) needs to settle his/its priorities and come back strong in future outings.
Invincible
Cast
Season 2, Episode 2: “In About Six Hours I Lose My Virginity to a Fish”: Mark struggles to balance his lives as the people surrounding him find disparate goals.
