REVIEW: ‘Invincible’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “It’s Not That Simple”

With things in space and on Earth looking grim, Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 picks up where last week’s story left off. But even once the dust settles from the battles there is little to enjoy as the struggles continue building up.

Opening the episode, we find Rexplode (Jason Mantzoukas, Star Trek Prodigy) with a gun to his head. With one of his hands already gone, things look bad. While we might expect a last-minute rescue from other series, this one delivers no such thing for the troubled hero. Rather, King Lizard (Scoot McNairy) puts a bullet right through Rex’s head. Rex crumples to the ground with one eye blood red and a small fountain of crimson squirting from his forehead. This rough start signals what is in store for viewers as they progress through the episode.

From this brutal opening, Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 jumps back to space as Invincible’s team struggles to hold off the Sequids till Rudy (Ross Marquand) can get his device working. The best part of this battle is the ingenuous ways Shapesmith (Ben Schwartz, The Afterparty) utilizes his body-warping powers to fend off the onslaught of Sequids. Beyond that, the battle grows fairly stale quickly.

While the tidal waves of Sequids still craft a gigantic feeling of danger within the scene, the unfortunate lack of variety from the defenders holds the sequence back a bit. The action quickly becomes monotonous with a quartet of sluggers fending off the horde with nothing but their fists. If there were more variety in power sets, this sequence would fare much better.

Rudy does manage to get his Sequid disabling device completed and Invincible (Steven Yeun) manages to get it close enough to the Sequids’ host to disable them. But despite their successful detonation of the device, the Sequids keep coming. This is due to the revelation that two Sequids claim Rudy and Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) as hosts just before the detonation. While this development is brief, it’s shocking.

From here, Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 returns to King Lizard as he makes his demands. With the Guardians of the Globe team dead, it seems the government will have little choice but to cooperate. That is until Rex inexplicably stands up. Dazed and bleeding, King Lizard’s annoying voice sends Rex into a madness that drives him to take down the villain. In a beating that ends with Rex pummeling Lizard with the bloody stump of his left hand, it’s a visually shocking end to the scene.

While the moment is visually memorable, it also leaves the viewer feeling a bit confused. With multiple wounds, not to mention the bullet that shot clear through his brain, Rex should be dead. How the character pulls through makes little sense, even by superhero standards. As soldiers quickly move to get Rex to medical care, we also learn that Shrinking Rae (Grey Griffin) survived the encounter. Bursting out of the remains of Komodo Dragon, the size-changing super is alive, if a bit worse for wear.

With both battles resolved, Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 jumps to calmer narrative waters. Visiting the Grayson home we find Debbie (Sandra Oh) dealing with Cecil (Walton Goggins). Cecil tries to convince Debbie to let the GDA take custody of Mark’s half-brother. Debbie is less than interested in the proposition. Both character’s frustration with each other comes through wonderfully thanks to the voice acting in this scene. And while they both feel similarly, how it is expressed creates a great contrast. Debbie’s frustration comes out with a hint of aggression. Meanwhile, Cecil remains the cold, dispassionate character fans are familiar with. Cutting the conversation short is a call Cecil receives about the recent battles.

The story then cuts to GDA headquarters where the space team returns from their mission. As they enter the building, they see Donald Ferguson (Chris Diamantopoulos) looking utterly defeated. From him, they learn of the fate of the other team. Rather than weigh down the emotion of the moment with explanatory dialogue, the episode opts to skip the discussion. Going right into an emotional montage we see the various heroes mourn the suffering and death of their comrades. The episode caps off this section with Dupli-Kate’s funeral.

Led by a eulogy given by The Immortal (Rus Marquand), this sequence builds the emotional tension of the previous few minutes to an impressive crescendo. Given the long years and numerous loved ones The Immortal has undoubtedly buried, the fact that Kate’s death hits him this hard speaks volumes. From here, Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 turns its attention to the struggles that are forming between Mark and Amber (Zazie Beets). With Mark away so much, the duo are feeling the distance between each other. They each still care deeply for the other, but there is an awkwardness that is growing between them.

The narrative’s exploration of the growing struggles is best showcased through an excellently crafted spilt scene. While Amber seeks out the advice of Eve, Mark reaches out to Art Rosebaum (Mark Hamill, Masters of the Universe: Revolution). The scene passes fluidly between the two conversations as Amber and Mark ask many of the same questions. This mutual struggle highlights the shared nature of their doubts and fears. Neither character feels like they are being played as the bad guy. Rather, both are shown to have valid concerns that can only be addressed with each other.

As Mark readies to leave Art, he mentions Omni-man’s cryptic final words concerning his books. Art reveals that Mark’s father had once written science fiction under a pseudonym. Art then gifts the books to Mark as the young man heads out. Once back at his dorm room, Mark begins to thumb through some of the books. As he reads various passages from the books, he begins to suspect the reason why his father wanted him to read them.

Mark’s exploration of his father’s writing creates a unique escape from the heavy emotional nature of the episode. Written in a pulpy style and read through Omni-Man’s voice, these stories serve as an emotional release valve for the narrative. Even the bright colors and bizarre alien designs help to distract from the weight of the episode.

Meanwhile, the GDA detects an alien visitor entering Earth’s atmosphere. Believing it to be Omni-Man, and desperate for something to punch, The Immortal rushes off to face the unknown traveler. Rather than Omni-Man, The Immortal runs headlong into Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen). A brief tussle is brought to a halt thanks to the timely arrival of Invincible. Once free of The Immortal’s interference, the two friends return to Mark’s dorm room to catch up on things.

Mark informs Allen about the whereabouts of his father, as well as the secrets he believes his books contain. Allen tells Mark that Thadeus wants him to come with Allen so he can help them plan their war against the Viltrimites. Mark must reluctantly refuse the request. Having recently returned from not one but two trips to space, he feels he cannot neglect his life anymore right now. While Allen is disappointed, he understands his friend’s reasoning.

Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 wraps up its time with a trio of scenes that set up future threats for the series. With ongoing dangers and returning villains waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see if the series will be able to keep all the various plot threads from becoming too entangled.

Invincible Season 2 Episode 6 is streaming now on Amazon Prime.