Invincible season 2 breaks us from the beginning
Had a nice break from the emotional damage of the series? Consider yourself lucky – I had literally been handed the second season to watch not even 24 hours after I had finished bingeing the first season for the first time. Well, nothing says “welcome back” quite like this episode. It yeets us back into the turbulent world of Mark Grayson with a force that echoes the raw intensity of the show’s pilot season. In its return, Invincible proves it has lost none of its edge, delivering a brutal and breath-stealing story that is as epic as it is terrifying.
Right from the opening sequences, the episode bamboozles us. The chilling what-ifs portrayed in the alternate dimension make us question our grasp on the show’s reality. Watching Mark dominate the world along with Omni-Man, left us with our jaws on the floor, forcing us to deal with and witness the unsettling similarities between father and son, both in power and potential for darkness. This horrific premise sets a somber tone that stays with out throughout the episode and really makes you think about just how lucky Mark’s actual reality is that he is nothing like his father.
The twisted reflection of Mark’s superhero routine – inverted, quite literally – is a stroke of genius, showcasing his fragile and damaged emotional state without him even uttering a single word.
The heart of the episode, however, lies in the quiet despair of Mark’s mother, Debbie – and this is where the show really hurts. Sandra Oh continues to deliver a sensational performance that anyone familiar with loss can relate to. Her scenes, particularly with the widow Olga, are some of the most powerful – they both bond over a shared grief that is pretty palpable.
Angstrom Levy’s introduction as a potential antihero is another high point of the episode, pushing the boundaries of what it means to using powers responsibly. His characterization displays a mix of ambition and morality, giving us a compelling contrast to the blood-soaked path we see Mark taking in this episode.
But no episode is perfect. This one fails just a little when shifting its focus to the secondary plots involving the New Guardians of the Globe. Their little arguments and fights completely pale in comparison to the main story, and it makes it seem somewhat inconsequential.
“A Lesson for Your Next Life” is a strong, if not almost-flawless, opening to Invincible’s second season. It lays down the emotional and physical stakes for Mark and Debbie with an intense precision that keeps us invested. This first episode reaffirms the series’ commitment to exploring what the darker side of being a superhero would look like and the cost of betrayal.
And it worked, because it has definitely hooked us in.
As we wait for next week’s episode, the contrast between the two seasons already starts to show Itself. Will season 2 be just as phenomenal as season 1? We shall see.
I know what’s coming, and you’re not ready!