Invincibletook some time to find its rhythm. Most of the first season is spent spinning two plates before letting both drop and explode into that fireworks display of a final reveal. The season finale is the moment everyone left talking about. Season 2 picks up almost instantly, with Mark and Debbie finding the pieces of their shattered lives as their reputation bends around Omni-Man’s absence. Simultaneously, the premiere builds the new threat from a sympathetic place.
Writer Simon Racioppa returns to the series for “A Lesson for Your Next Life.” He previously placed his name on the second and seventh episodesof the first season. He’s coming into one of the most critical moments in the series so far. The atomic bomb ending of the first season must be appropriately paid off. Anything short of a proper follow-up will leave the series with a lasting wound. Luckily, the premiere handles its position well.
Omni-Man’s betrayal of the human race left cracks in the foundation of society, but it shattered his family’s lives. Season 2 finds Mark struggling against the impossible quandaryhis father left him with. He’s terrified of becoming his father but utterly devoted to what his father used to do. Every act of heroism drives a spike into his brain as he recalls how easily he could go too far. Every moment he spends idle could let someone die. He is crushed under the weight of his power and his responsibility. His answer is to return to Cecil’s employ to get back to superhero work. Everyone in his life pushes him to take a vacation, and he refuses.Steven Yeun is even betterin the role here than he was through season one, but the character’s most moving moments are brutally silent.
Mark isn’t the only person sent reeling by Omni-Man. Deborah Grayson was a mostly incidental character in the first season. She brought a certain emotional warmth toMark’s relationship with his father, offering Nolan a shred of humanity in a few key scenes, but her presence was never integral. Her absence was tangible. After her husband revealed himself to the world, she broke down. She heard him call her a pet. Her decline into bitter alcoholism is extraordinarily well-handled. Sandra Oh is great in the role. Her increased presence will be a central emotional element of this season. A brief scene with the superhero widow Olga establishes her new direction beautifully and sends her on the right path.
The newcomerhere is Angstrom Levy, a fascinating new presence with a charmingly contemporary gimmick. Levy will be the show’s gateway to the multiverse. A version of Levy was born with the ability to create portals between dimensions. He decided to gather his variants from across every alternate reality. Levy is wary of Mark and the Viltrumites. Most versions of Invincible heard Nolan’s pitch and went along with it, purging the Earth in a nightmarish alien invasion. The episode opens with an exploration of this awful ending. Levy is a sympathetic figure, one of the few decent people gifted power by the show’s universe. His villainous turn comes out of a misunderstanding fused painfully with an old grudge. Sterling K. Brown is essentially playingthe Johnathan Majors role(s)here. He’s excellent in each piece of the puzzle. The show doesn’t spend a lot of time with pre-disaster Levy, but it’s enough to make the transformation moving.
Above the characters, both new and old,the animated superhero actionremains top-notch. The recentAtom Evespecial showcased some of the best fight scenes in the genre, saying nothing of the final reveal coming as part of a brawl. Those are two tough acts to follow.Invincibledoesn’t top those high standards in its debut, but it maintains the usual level of excellence established across its first season. Expectations are exceptionally high as this season begins. Emotional catharsis in character-building moments and physical thrills in fight scenes are the most compelling elements of the series, and it’s delivering both in spades. The new narrative hasn’t gotten up and running yet, but the key traits are still as enjoyable as ever.
InvincibleSeason 2 will hit the small screen in two chunks. The first four episodes will premiere weekly on Amazon Prime Video through the rest of November. The pacing might struggle as they undertakea host of subplotssurrounding the central narrative thrust. Mark’s struggle to find who he is in his father’s new shadow is the most compelling part of this story. The new villain has a fascinating way of bringing that theme to the forefront. IfInvinciblecan keep its priorities straight, it may find higher high points than the first season. So far,Invinciblehas stepped up to one of the most critical moments in its run with a fantastic episode and tons of engaging new threads to follow.
Invincible
Cast
Season 2, Episode 1: “A Lesson For Your Next Life"A new threat emerges as Mark Grayson struggles to find himself in the wake of his father’s life-changing decisions.
