Invincible (4×07) Don’t Do Anything Rash Review

*For our review of the last episode of Invincible, click here.

Launching viewers into battle, the penultimate episode of Invincible Season 4 has a lot to live up to. Delivering tremendous action, writing, and performances, this season ups the ante for the series and adult animation as a whole. It was only a matter of time until it took us to Viltrum to show us what all the fuss is about, but venturing straight into that hornet’s nest would prove to not be such an easy task for our heroes. To its credit, this episode offers viewers a little bit of everything, like a greatest hits of sorts. Firing on all cylinders, the conclusion to the season is going to be a brutal one.

To put the war in better context, the episode offers an origin story of sorts to illustrate the contrast between Thaedus and Thragg, and how it led to the rift between the former and the Viltrumites. A strong dissenter to the direction Emperor Argall (Frank Welker) was taking his people, preaching empathy, he and Thragg pushed the Viltrumites towards a more brutal path that Thaedus did not agree with. So he did something about it, leaving Thragg to enact his vision unencumbered, for better or worse. As far as the present was concerned, eliminating Thragg became the main priority, eliminating the glue that held his people together. Preparing for the battle to come, emotions were mixed as much of the team were yet to grasp the gravity of what they would soon be stepping into. Meanwhile, Thragg knew what he was about to face, and was ready for the coalition forces. From there, an intense battle ensued, but it would not be one without consequence. Turning to a last second diplomatic approach to turn the tides in his favor, Nolan refused to rejoin Thragg, who was convinced that the battle was not lost and that there was still hope for Viltrum when all was set and done.

Seeing the writing on the wall Nolan, ultimately, would have no choice but to go for the nuclear option, taking Mark and Thaedus with him to fly through the heart of Viltrum and destroy the planet from the inside out. However, this was still not enough to prompt a surrender, and  only further angered Thragg. While Mark has seen plenty of close calls, as he has risked his life against all comers, Thragg proved to be another level of adversary. Taking out his anger on he and Nolan after quickly dispatching Thaedus, he held his own against both of them, taking out Nolan, but surprisingly sparing Mark’s life before fleeing the scene with the remaining Viltrumites. In the end, when it looks like its over, the series keeps finding a way to play with the emotions of viewers, as they are left with the sight of a wounded Mark floating aimlessly through space. That being said, of course he is going to be saved. Finding himself on the mend once again for an extended period of time, Mark, Nolan managed to recover from their injuries some two weeks later while on a coalition ship with the others. Oliver, a major casualty in the battle, looked to need more time to recover from his injuries.

Taking over from Thaedus as the leader of the Coalition of Planets, Allen would need to find a way to get the coalition through the remainder of the war. The biggest hurdle between them and winning that war was to find the location of the missing Viltrumites who have since vanished since their last encounter with the coalition forces. The longer their whereabouts remained unknown, the more worrying it became. However, leave it to Mark to figure it out, the only move that made sense was for them to flee to Earth. As it has always been with the series, all roads lead back to Earth, and in the case of this season, it is no different, setting the stage for one more battle to close things out. At the end of the day, the action will undoubtedly be a major selling point here, but the writing is on a whole other level here. The tension, the stakes, the sheer emotion, and the character work make the episode one of the best the series has had to offer so far. The voice acting from Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Lee Pace set the tone beautifully, delivering nuance and the emotion to effectively communicate the gravity of the chaos appearing on screen. The bar is high.

still courtesy of Prime Video

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.