We’ve finally reached the penultimate episode of Invincible Season 4, and Robert Kirkman has ensured that this is one of the finest hours of Invincible that we’ve gotten yet. Fans love to make jokes that Invincible saves all of its budget for the final episodes and their biggest episode, and whether that’s the truth or not, the action in this episode clears any moment from the rest of the season.
If you thought that you had witnessed the most brutal act of violence in Episode 5, then you’d be wrong. This episode goes all out as the Invincible War comes to life and the Coalition and Viltumites fight in a battle to the death, and there are some major losses that will be discussed.
Last episode, Mark (Steven Yeun) healed while Nolan (J.K. Simmons) and Oliver (Christian Convery) spent some personal time together, training and helping Mark heal while also doing some healing with their relationship. The fight was finally brought to Telescria as the Viltrumites charged, but the Coalition came on top with Thragg (Lee Pace) commanding his people to retreat. The traitor was discovered, and they learnt that Thragg will be reuniting with his people at Viltrum, exactly where Thadeus (Peter Cullen) will be taking the fight to.
What’s hilarious is that the direction of the story is very clearly discussed with Robert Kirkman, who helps to include these original scenes that we never got to see in the comic. It’s just a shame that when Kirkman hopped on board to write a fully original episode, it was the worst-received episode of not just the season but the entire show. That’s not to say that original content isn’t worth adding to Invincible. It’s needed and helps to set itself apart from the comics and allows for readers of the comic to come in with something new.
The two original openings that we’ve got for Invincible Season 4 have been flashbacks to the planet Viltrum, but this flashback is horrific; look at their bloodthirsty ways. We get a look at young Thadeus as he claims there are better ways to deal with alien species that are rebelling against them but is quickly shut down by Argall (Frank Welker) and Thragg, who plan to reduce the planet’s population to 20%. We don’t get to see the full assassination of Argall, but we get a glimpse of it, which leads to Thragg taking over as Grand Regent until one of Argall’s heirs can be found.
What comes next is a brutal act that couldn’t have been anticipated. With the idea of betrayal on their minds, Thragg’s first order of business is for the Viltrumites to seek out the weakness that caused the betrayal and to purge it. John Paesano’s harmonious, melancholic score slowly enters in as the Viltrumites begin slaughtering each other, the kids included.
It’s a brutal sight with heads being ripped off, backs being broken and devestation being brought to their city as they take out one another, gouging each other’s eyes. It highlights how strength and true power are all they care about, stooping low enough to rain blood on their own planet and covering the streets in red to prove themselves the strongest of their kind.
The victors are your suspected Viltrumites that we’ve been following over the course of the season in the present day. The Coalition stick to their plans of taking the fight to Viltrium, and this is where the episode presses the gas without any intention of letting go or putting on the brake. The eeriness of them flying through the deceased Viltrumites that make a ring around the planet while their enemies hide among the bodies with Thragg awaiting their arrival is palpable. There’s nothing about the Viltrumites that doesn’t make them haunting.
Everything comes together in this episode with the Coalition’s plans. Battle Beast (Michael Dorn) is getting the action that he’s been starving for. Space Racer’s (Winston Duke) weapon obliterates their forces with him pulling alongside him, the Rognarrs. It seems like it’s all working in their favour, especially as Tech Jacket (Zoey Deutch) shows her worth in the fight, shooting the Viltrumites with the Sinlak beetle darts that make them prone to all damage.
This is only the first half of the fight, and the tensions are high as the Coalition face off against the Viltrumites. With so much of the episode left, how is it all going to pan out?
Nolan and Thragg get a little one-on-one time between themselves, and like with the previous episodes, we get a sense of how Nolan feels about the Viltrium empire. While it felt like there had been some doubt, this episode solidifies that his people are his family with Mark and Oliver and that he’s also come to terms with the Scourge virus that Thaedus created (kind of).
The only issue is that if Thaedus gets his way and wins the war, will Nolan’s sons still be able to get their way with living? It’s obvious that life without Thragg and Viltrium will always be better than what one lone Viltrumite like Thaedus could possibly do, but it’s clear that Thragg is only trying to manipulate Nolan.
There have been comparisons for the past few weeks comparing Invincible’s animation with the anime industry, and it feels like Episode 7 is the closest it ever gets with its animation. Thragg charging a punch, pulling in Nolan with just the mere thrust of it as he’s punched out of the atmosphere with no end to stopping, is one of the few highlights of the animation and action. The impact is felt with the punch, and the animation allows for this quick but intense moment to sit with the audience as they realise Thragg’s power is unmatched. If you weren’t sold on Thragg, then this episode will do the job.
There are a lot of close calls in this episode, with characters like Space Racer and Tech Jacket coming close to death, but the biggest injury comes from Oliver as he tries to attack Thragg, but his jaw is punched clean off his face. It’s moments like this and the consequences that come later that add these high stakes to the show.
The impact frames don’t stop with the animation in this episode, as Thragg is depicted to be a demon, and he doesn’t sell himself short of that title. The highlight of this episode is the destruction of Viltrium as Space Racer shoots his weapon through the planet with Nolan, Mark and Thadeus following through, bringing total destruction to the planet.
It’s such a small moment in the comics, although it came with a lot of impact, but the show doesn’t just rush through this moment, as we witness all three break through the planet, bringing it to its volcanic, explosive destruction. It’s unlike anything that we’ve seen before in the show, and the animation for it is just outstanding, although the white light at times was a bit much, censoring what should’ve been an iconic moment from the comic as all three break out of the planet.
It’s a scene that sits with you long after it’s done, and the rage that comes from Thragg immediately after just continues this cycle of violence that sees no end. Thragg is decapitated within the blink of an eye, and both Mark and Nolan struggle to stand up to Thragg. Ultimately, Nolan’s guts are spilt and Mark’s eyes are gouged and almost brought to death, but the scariest moment of the episode arrives.
Instead of killing Mark despite Kregg urging him to, he spares him, saying that there are already not enough of them and they need as many Viltrumites alive. This is exactly why Thragg is Grand Regent; his rage makes him an unstoppable force, but he is also a strategist and knows what’s best to ensure that his people can rise back up from this major loss.
Back at the Coalition, Mark has woken up after being saved by the Venture. His wounds have healed; his father’s wounds have healed, but Oliver has yet been able to heal from the damage he took. It counts as a win for them, but it doesn’t feel like a win at all. Allen has become the new leader of the council, but the Viltrumites have completely disappeared. Mark comes to the horrific realisation that they’ve gone to Earth.
With no post-credit scene to jokingly tease anything, we’re left with that moment wondering if Mark’s family is safe. If the people of Earth are safe. Invincible Season 4 Episode 7, “Don’t Do Anything Rash”, is the best hour of superhero television that we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. The lows are non-existent, and the highs are through the roof. The animation might not match that of a movie, but at the end of the day, this is a television show, and the animators go all out for one of the pinnacle moments of the entire show. It feels like one of the most important turning points of the show as Thragg’s reign of terror continues… or does it?
