It’s safe to say that we’ve escaped what is unanimously one of the worst episodes that Invincible has delivered us. We now return to our regular programming from where we last left off, with Nolan (JK Simmons) and Allen (Seth Rogen) arriving on Earth, surprising Mark (Steven Yeun).
The Viltrumite War is among us, but Nolan and Allen won’t have a good chance of winning with the Coalition’s help unless they can get Mark on board. The only issue is that Mark’s relationship with his father is strained. Mark’s finally discovering that his father only came to Earth to see if they were compatible for breeding. Nolan acknowledges that this was wrong but tells Mark that something good came out of it: “him“.
Mark can’t help but be angry at his father and rightfully so. Up until now, he thought he was dead after he was taken prisoner, and now suddenly he shows up, asking for his help in a war. Nolan makes it seem like Mark has a choice on whether he wants to assist or not, but the reality is, if he doesn’t help and the Coalition loses, the Viltrumites’ next destination will be Earth. This is their only chance to put a stop to the Viltrumites once and for all.
Mark agrees, but there are a few things he has to do before they can leave Earth. The same can also be said for Allen, who must search for Tech Jacket (Zoey Deutch), and Nolan, who decides to finally break the ice between him and his ex-wife (pet) Debbie (Sandra Oh).
We find Tech Jacket facing off against The Walking Dread (Phill LaMarr), defending a group of construction workers. Unlike the comics, where Tech Jacket is a male, we quickly learn when they remove their mask that the character has been gender-bent for the show and is a woman instead. It doesn’t change much for the story except for the fact that we have her father in outer space, acting as her man in the chair, guiding her.
Allen comes across him, and after Tech Jacket defeats The Walking Dread, he goes into space to meet the both of them. They get met with the proposition to help the coalition against the Viltrumites, and quickly they agree without any hesitation. An easy job for Allen, but Nolan has a much harder one as he revisits old faces.
Nolan knocks on Debbie’s door but then hesitates, regretting his decision and believing that Mark was right in it being a selfish choice. Debbie opens the door, leaving it open for him to enter. This entire conversation is one of the best scenes we’ve got in the entirety of Invincible outside of the fight sequences.
Nolan is trying to finally make peace with Debbie, apologising for the hurt that he’s caused her, but he only manages to make matters worse when he mentions that he loves her and not Oliver’s mother, angering Debbie that he’s now badmouthing the mother of her adopted son. She’s filled with rage and lets it out by wailing at him, causing her hand to bleed, but it was worth every last hit. She asks the fatal question, “Am I still your pet?” to which Nolan responds by saying that she never was.
We’ve seen how Nolan has gradually been changing but also how he’ll always be a Viltrumite at heart, but this dialogue shows that his apology to Debbie has meaning and he’s not just saying it to ease his mind for what he’s done. JK Simmons always outdoes himself as Nolan, and I have a feeling we haven’t seen his best yet this season, but Sandra Oh delivers her best vocal performance yet as Debbie, and it’s one that will stay with you after the episode ends. Debbie makes it clear that she doesn’t want Nolan to return, and he leaves swiftly.
We next see him visiting his old friend Art (Mark Hamill), where they catch up with a drink on the roof. Art comments on his costume; they discuss Oliver growing up quickly, showing that Nolan does indeed still care for Oliver despite not choosing to meet him or for how he’s treated him. The most important discussion that they have is about Paul. Nolan is interested to learn what he’s been like, considering he never saw him “leaving much of an impression”.
It might not be what he wanted to hear, but like Art says, Paul looks after the boys and most importantly makes Debbie smile. Nolan jokes about getting a new costume from Art, but due to his… previous violent tendencies, his account has been closed because Art only works with heroes. It’s clear that Nolan feels a certain way about this but understands and takes off, leaving Art relieved, breathing heavily, revealing the fear that Nolan instils into this man.
Although Eve was ready to tell Mark the news about her pregnancy, his kid, she decides to keep it a secret for a little while longer as Mark is going out to space for war. The one thing she tells Mark is, “Don’t die.” Mark says he won’t, and she may believe him, but it still brings her to tears knowing there’s a chance the father of her unborn kid may not return.
Mark and Oliver finally leave Earth, saying their final goodbyes to everyone, and arrive at the Venture. Oliver sees his dad for the first time in a long time, and Nolan asks for him to be sent home because of the dangers, but Oliver refuses to take any sh*t from his father, who didn’t even bother to come see him. Mark reminds Nolan that Oliver looks up to him and that the “O” on his suit doesn’t stand for Oliver.
Nolan tries to replicate a dish he once had on a date with Debbie, bringing back good memories, but we notice how the Venture fails to replicate the dish, ruining his appetite. A short scene, but it highlights his constant thoughts of Debbie and how much he truly does still love her. The conversation between him and Debbie didn’t go well, and while Nolan can understand the sentiment being shown to him, it’s still taking a toll on him.
Out of nowhere, the Venture’s engine core has been comprimised, going into meltdown. Telia commands that they begin the “separation protocol”, which separates the bridge from the rest of the ship, which explodes. Mark rushes to find Oliver, who was still in the back of the ship alongside Nolan. It’s revealed that Conquest, Lucan (Phil LaMarr) and a new Viltrumite called Kradd (Andrew Morgado) were the cause of the engine core failing.
Mark discovers that Conquest is alive, causing him to freeze while Oliver rushes in to face Conquest, quickly getting swatted to the side like a bug. Conquest gets ahold of Oliver’s head and begins to squeeze it, but Nolan arrives just in time to interrupt Conquest by attacking him. Allen and Tech Jacket team up during the fight while Nolan takes on Conquest. Mark gets involved once again as he’s taunted by Conquest, who brings up Eve by threatening to harm her and “taste her blood again”.
Tech Jacket’s helmet gets injured in the fight and takes away her vision, but Allen comes to the rescue, giving time for her helmet to repair itself. Nolan helps Oliver once again, but Oliver doesn’t appreciate the help, saying he can handle the fight on his own. Oliver needs to breathe, and Allen sends him to a planet, which Conquest notices and begins to head in his direction. In what might appear to be a killing blow, Mark interrupts and says, “You’re never breathing again.” What comes next is a fight between Mark and Conquest that leads into Invincible‘s most gruesome scene yet that might have you squirm and look away from the screen.
As Mark begins to choke him out, Conquest pierces his hand through his stomach and begins to pull his literal guts and intestines out. In a final moment, Mark wins the battle, taking the life away from Conquest, but at what cost, as he’s left on the ground for dead with immense blood loss and half of his insides spilling out of him? This is the worst we’ve seen from Mark, and unfortunately Nolan and Oliver arrive too late as they witness Mark asking for “help” with his dying breath.
Back on the deck of the Venture, we see Telia doubt her actions, but Thaedus reassures her that she did the right thing, as the Venture would’ve never been able to have gone up against Viltrumite’s fleets, and asks her to return to Talescria, saying that he trusts everyone will survive. It’s now finally time for war!
In the midst of the battle, Lucan and his partner lost sight of Allen and Tech Jacket, who are currently hiding under the ship. Their only plan is to hope the ship stops somewhere where they can sneakily make their getaway and hope they don’t take it back to Viltrium, where they will be royally screwed.
Invincible Season 4 Episode 5 delivers a gut-wrenching moment and brings some of its focus to Nolan as he returns to Earth, trying to make up for his mistakes with the people he loves most, and as we see, for some, it only makes matters worse as he doesn’t get the resolution that he so hoped for. It’s a deep and emotionally impactful episode as we get Sandra Oh’s strongest performance yet and also some of the best character writing that the show has offered all season.
Although we get the iconic moment between Conquest and Mark, the animation still hasn’t managed to reach its peak yet, making it evident that Invincible is waiting for its final episodes before bringing the rest of the budget from its hiding place.
