Invincible (4×08) Don’t Leave Me Hanging Here Review

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

At the end of the day, however this season of Invincible was going to end, it would be on Earth. Going to war in space and destroying Viltrum in the process, the Viltrumites are desperate, scattered, and in need of a new home. Landing on Earth worked for Nolan, so why wouldn’t it work for Thragg or the others? Not just throwing the previous episode right back at viewers, this finale opts for a different approach, as it deals with the repercussions of what just took place and what that could mean moving forward. Slowing down and letting the writing shine as it plots a new path forward, the finale delivers plenty of drama as Mark keeps taking hit after hit, both physically and emotionally, and it’s not going to get better from there.

Not wasting any time, Mark’s suspicions are correct as the Viltrumites have landed on Earth and let their presence be known, but their arrival in relation to everything else going on is unclear. However, in typical Mark fashion, feels guilty about being responsible for it happening. Taking it all personally, he was certainly not in the right headspace going back to Earth. Wherever the Viltumites were now was unclear, but the first thing Mark did was to check on Debbie, who had since broken up amicably with Paul. While her concern was for Oliver, the bigger concern was Mark’s head playing tricks on him, making him see Thragg and the missing Viltrumites hurting the people he loved. Perhaps a manifestation of his fragile psyche, the true cause was unclear, thus creating several moments of tension over the course of the episode.

Mark’s tour continued with Eve, who had spent her time getting over how alone she felt by focusing on her own personal development and helping around her parents’ house. Confiding in her about his feelings and worries, she finally shared the fact that she was pregnant just before he left and that was the cause of her failing powers. Feeling alone and overwhelmed, she couldn’t shoulder that responsibility. Either way, it was yet another issue for Mark to take on. But, from now on, they were going to deal with it together.

Getting the business from Debbie, Nolan’s own efforts to convince others that he had changed hit another roadblock with Cecil (who had called off the search for Robot and Monster Girl). Barely making a dent with an apology, he was going to leave Earth with a Viltrumite warning system. Little did they know, they were already in the house. Meanwhile, mending the gap between Nolan and Debbie, a pep talk from Paul convinced her to give him a chance. To be there for Oliver, she decided to go back with Nolan. As the wheels continued to turn in Mark’s head, he was ready to talk to someone about his mental health. Going out for a leisurely fly, Mark found Thragg. However, this time he was real. Inspired by him, to ensure their future, Thragg took the Viltrumites to Earth, hoping to repopulate. Over their short time on Earth, they had managed to infiltrate every facet of society, living under the radar in plain sight. Offering Mark a truce in exchange for letting them keep living on the planet and rebuild their strength as they reproduced with humans, while also not warning any other of their plan, he was left conflicted. But reacquainting himself with the stakes at play, he had no choice but to accept his terms.

Allen, on the other hand, faced a brutal learning curve with his new position, but looked to come into his own as a leader. Leaving viewers with a little nugget for next season, Thaedus recorded a message for him in case he were dead, one that informed him about  the scourge virus and urged him to use it on the remaining Viltrumites no matter the cost, despite the potential for human collateral damage. Speaking of leaving of character in quite the compromising position.

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.