'Invincible' Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: A New Viltrimite Rises

Editor's Note: The following contains full spoilers for Invincible Season 2, Episode 7.

The Big Picture

• The episode's opening comic con scene addresses common show criticisms in a fun fourth-wall break.


• Mark's intense fight sequence with Anissa is a highlight of
  Invincible
  Season 2.


• The show's human storylines add depth, making superhero characters more relatable.

This week marks the penultimate episode of Invincible Season 2, and Mark's (Steven Yeun) life has become more complicated than ever. His relationship with his girlfriend Amber (Zazie Beetz) is crumbling apart. He's trying to help his mother Debbie (Sandra Oh) raise his half-Thraxan brother Oliver, and his father Nolan (J.K. Simmons) is still held captive by the Viltrimites. Capping all of that off, he's been recruited by Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) to help lead the rebellion in a war against the Viltrimite Empire. To put it bluntly, Season 2 has been overwhelming — yet despite all these new developments, it has successfully raised the already high stakes of this fantastic series. Season 2, Episode 7, titled "I'm Not Going Anywhere," is filled with all the action, drama, and character moments that fans could hope for.

Invincible

Release Date

March 25, 2021

Creator

Robert Kirkman

Seasons

2

Developer

Simon Racioppa

Number of Episodes

Network

Streaming Service(s)

Prime Video

Episode 7 opens with Mark and Amber attending a comic convention, where the former is visibly uncomfortable with the number of people cosplaying his superhero alter-ego as well as some of his rivals. Regardless, once Mark enters the convention center, he's in nerd heaven, getting to be just a normal 19-year-old fanboy again instead of an actual superhero saving the world. Mark notices that Amber is still acting aloof and tries to counsel her, saying that they don't need to stay at the convention all day, especially because they've been getting less and less time together. In response, Amber confesses that she's just happy to be with Mark, regardless of what they're doing.

While at the convention, Mark meets one of his comic book idols, Filip Schaff (Tim Robinson), the creator of Seance Dog, and giddily asks him when the new season of the animated series will be released. In a moment that breaks the fourth wall, Schaff explains to Mark that due to the demands of making an animated show, he'll likely have to wait for at least a year. Schaff also reveals that the creative team will often cut corners to make the animation look even better, including hiding characters' mouths while talking, or panning across a still wide-shot.

This conversation may be cute and funny, but it also feels like it's directly addressing audiences' criticisms of Invincible, including the long wait between seasons and the animation occasionally looking stiff during dialogue-driven scenes. In short, it's the creative team telling fans to just be patient — because the action sequences this season wouldn't have looked nearly as great as they do if production was rushed.

Rex Refuses To Give Up in 'Invincible' Season 2 Episode 7

Image via Prime Video

Mark and Amber's date is soon disrupted when Mark receives a call from Eve (Gillian Jacobs) that Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) has escaped from the GDA hospital and has gone on a mission by himself, cutting off all contact with the other Guardians. Mark reluctantly leaves Amber behind at the convention, finding Rex badly beaten by a tentacle monster in a warehouse, and attempts to assist him. The deviant Rex, against all odds, manages to take out the creature himself, impressing Mark. They have a conversation reflecting on their recent struggles, which causes Mark to bring up his dwindling relationship with Amber. Rex promises Mark that the Guardians will cover for him the next time he has a date with his girlfriend.

Back at the Guardians' base, we learn that Rudy (Ross Marquand) has created a robotic suit for Amanda/Monster Girl (Grey Griffin/Kevin Michael Richardson) that will allow her to still fight crime without having to transform. However, Amanda angrily refuses Rudy's gesture after he says "Let me fix you," professing that she is cursed, not broken. Bulletproof (Jay Pharoah) and Black Samson (Khary Payton) watch the two from above, with the latter revealing that Shrinking Rae (Griffin) is still in the ICU, but is expected to make a recovery. Bulletproof expresses that he has begun losing faith in the superhero team, as each of the members' personal struggles continue to stack up without an end in sight.

The Immortal (Marquand) isn't doing much better, as the physically unbreakable man has been mentally shattered by the loss of Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow). While talking with Cecil (Walton Goggins), he attempts to resign from the Guardians, claiming that he is unstable and incapable of the job. Cecil refuses the mourning hero's request and gives him a leave of absence instead.

Donald Has Died More Than Once on 'Invincible'

Meanwhile, at Upstate University, Rick (Luke Macfarlane) is still having recurring nightmares about being kidnapped by D.A. Sinclair (Eric Bauza). William (Andrew Rannells) tries to comfort him, but Rick rejects his advice, expressing that he doesn't know what's worse — being transformed into a Reaniman by Sinclair, or being put back together by a team of GDA scientists.

Donald (ChrisDiamantopoulos) attempts to resign from the GDA, but much like he did with The Immortal, Cecil refuses the request. He confesses that it wasn't his decision to erase Donald's memories. Donald is then shown top-secret files where he discovers that the incident with Omni-Man wasn't his first time dying and being rebuilt and that he chose to have his memories erased. However, this realization is interrupted when Donald receives a phone call from William, pleading with him to help Rick. Donald rushes over to Upstate University only to find Rick in the midst of a suicide attempt. He's able to talk Rick out of killing himself after revealing that he has also been rebuilt by the GDA, saying that their robotic skeletons aren't what define either of them.

Mark visits the dean's office at Upstate University and is surprised to learn that his old high school principal, B.N. Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson), has now become a dean, having left his job at Reginald VelJohnson High School. Winslow gives Mark an ultimatum, expressing that while he understands that Mark has been dealing with the trauma left behind by his father, he needs to either commit to his studies or commit to something else. Mark tells him that he wants to stay in college and is given a month to improve his grades.

Mark decides to visit Debbie and Oliver and laments about having to always leave Amber behind for his superhero duties. Debbie begins to tell Mark about the early days of dating Nolan, reminiscing about their romance, and that teaching him about Earth made her feel equal to him. She reveals that she struggled to raise Mark as a baby due to Nolan's constant absences, questioning if it's a relationship when she still feels so alone.

Anissa Makes Her Grand Entrance in 'Invincible' Season 2

Image via Prime Video

Mark and Amber finally get their romantic night together, and their relationship seems to have been rekindled. Unfortunately, their date is disrupted by the arrival of Anissa (Shantel VanSanten), a female Viltrimite agent who threatens to snap Amber's neck unless Mark talks with her. Anissa tries to intimidate Mark into fulfilling his father's mission, but their conversation is cut short when Mark receives a call about a giant kaiju attacking a cruise ship. Anissa follows Mark to the ship and watches as Mark attempts to fight the giant sea monster before swooping in and killing it herself. Mark then carries the cruise ship to a remote island nearby.

Anissa continues to attempt to recruit Mark by telling him that everyone onboard the cruise ship would have died if she hadn't been present, but Mark stands firm in his refusal. Anissa attacks Mark, trying to beat him into submission, but fails to get him to comply, and abandons him. Cecil arrives and tells Mark that until the Viltrimite's invasion plot is halted, he can no longer take any days off.

Instead of just having Anissa and Mark have a battle of the fisticuffs, the unpredictability of this set piece is a major highlight. Having the two reluctantly team up to fight a kaiju makes this confrontation feel vastly different from many of Mark's prior battles. Anissa is aligned with the Viltrimites, it is abundantly clear that she is not going to switch sides and team up with Mark, although the fact that she assists him with the kaiju proves to be an intriguing moment.

Badly bruised, Mark returns to Amber's dorm room. Amber finally breaks down, claiming that after nearly being killed by Anissa, she no longer feels safe, explaining that she no longer feels any agency. Despite Mark trying to talk about how his mother dealt with Nolan, Amber breaks up with him. Both in tears, the two embrace. Mark has already faced some dire situations throughout the series, but this moment, with Amber, is portrayed with the same maturity and depth as many of the other dramas in the series.

While the first season of Invincible sometimes struggled with properly portraying this romance, Season 2 has somewhat improved in that regard. It's easy to care about Amber, and while we want to see her relationship with Mark work, it's extremely clear that their romance will only become even more dangerous for both of them. While alone on the dorm rooftop, Mark receives a mysterious phone call from Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown), who reveals he is currently holding Debbie and Oliver hostage.

In the episode's post-credits scene, Anissa reports back to General Kregg (Clancy Brown), where she informs him about Mark's refusal to align with the Viltrimites. Suddenly, the two spot Allen flying near their ship and a fight ensues, resulting in Allen allowing himself to be captured by Anissa in an attempt to get closer to Nolan.

Invincible

REVIEW

The penultimate episode of Invincible Season 2 features one of the series' most exciting fight scenes yet while also further exploring the characters' vulnerabilities.

Pros

• The opening comic con sequence is an amusing fourth-wall break that addresses some of the common complaints thrown at the show.
• Mark's fight with Anissa proves to be one of the season's most exciting fight sequences.
• The human storylines feel grounded and make the superhero characters feel more relatable than ever.

Invincible is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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