Like the first season,Invincible’s second outing gets sidetracked through the middle episodes before the finale that redefines the show. Season two is split in half to deliver at least two dynamic final reveals. The show will return to hibernation until next year after this episode, so it needed to end on a high note. Thankfully, “It’s Been A While” has everything fans want from this series in spades.
Jason Zurek, a newcomer to the series, directed the mid-season finale. Zurek is best known for his work onDisney’sDuckTalesreboot andStar Trek: Lower Decks. Writer Helen Leigh lent her name to theAtom Evespecial and all eight episodes of Netflix’s criminally underratedArchive 81. She’s also been a producer on the show since its first season.
“It’s Been A While” must pay off the bombshell ending of “This Missive, This Machination!” and leave the series in a fascinating place within a single episode. The mid-season finale pulls that off and more with the best entry since “Where I Really Come From.” Mark leaves Earth at the request of an alien who needs his help. When he arrives, he discovers his father, Nolan, the beloved ruler of the insectoid Thraxan people. A brief, intensely moody flashback finally shows fans Nolan’s journey from Earth to his new home. He’s a hero here, an emperor with a wife and infant son, but his presence invites challenge. Mark rejects him initially, but when Viltrumite enforcers arrive to destroy his genetically inferior half-brother, he’s forced to set aside his justifiable distrust and fight to save innocent lives. It’s a brutal emotional peak for the season, combined with its finest action scene. This iswhat fans were waiting for, andInvincibledelivers without reservation. It’s excellent, and it ends with a psychological kick to the teeth that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats for the next few months.
While Mark struggles alongside his father,Debbie bears the impossible emotional weighthe left behind. Her subplot has been the nuanced, straightforward, contemplative answer to “Where I Really Come From.” While Mark throws himself into his work and relationship, Debbie tries to live with the massive hole Omni-Man tore through her previously perfect life. Mark spends most of this season terrified that he’ll become his father. Debbie wavers between hatred toward the man she used to love, righteous indignation at her treatment, disbelief after years of deception, and the bitter internal questions she’s forced to ask after learning the truth. Now, finally, she’s finding a way to move on. She’s returning to her life with the help of oneof Nolan’s old friends, who feels a fraction of her betrayal. Debbie selected a less-than-ideal time to find strength, but the end of this leg of her journey is inspiring.
Invincibledoesn’t spend too much time examining the horror of its circumstances, but the fact that most of the show is about a son and wife struggling with the sudden heel-turn of a seemingly perfect man hits like a truck sometimes. “What do we do when the people we love/worship hurt us?” isn’t an uncommon thematic idea, butInvincibleis easily the best examination in the genre. Speaking of peoplestill bearing Omni-Man scars, Donald Ferguson’s subplot finally reaches its point. Fans watched Don die in a pointless suicide bombing that barely slowed Nolan on his quest for Mark. He spent the first few episodes unaware of his recent demise, but Debbie mistakenly raised suspicions. Sure enough, Don watched the footage and found the truth. Don has been circling this reveal for some time, but its eventual depiction comes with a bit of body horror that further heightens the excitement for future outings.
Invincibleis built around one narrative thread. Heroes fight villains, people deal with the traditional double-life arrangement, and side characters struggle with problems, banal and extraordinary. But the main thrust, the most memorable moment in the show, isstill “Think Mark, think!“Omni-Man is the structure under every facet ofInvincible. The series has done a fantastic job of pushing Mark into the spotlight and letting his personal stakes motivate the narrative, but everyone was still waiting with bated breath to see his father emerge again. In “It’s Been A While,“Invincibleacknowledges its most notable narrative thrust, brings it to the forefront, accelerates it to breakneck speeds, pays it off with a fantastic action scene, and leaves the show to pick up a new mess. While it isn’t as individually compelling as “Where I Really Come From,” it’s the perfect follow-up.
Invincible’s next few episodes can’t come soon enough. “It’s Been A While” is the finest episode of the second season so far and one of the best superhero outings in years. It’s emotionally gutting, action-packed, narratively satisfying, and comfortably among the most haunting cliffhangers since the one that finished the first season. Thankfully, fans won’t haveto wait for several yearsto see whereInvinciblegoes next.
Invincible
Cast
Season 2, Episode 4: “It’s Been A While"Mark finds his father in a new home on a distant planet and encounters an impossibly powerful threat that could rip both their worlds apart.
