'Invincible' Season 3 Review
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Invincible has returned, and this time on a much more plateable schedule. No more mid-season break, and no more multi year gaps between seaons (allegedly). It truly is amazing to have the show back, but unfortunately season 3 doesn’t reach the heights of prior seasons.
Whilst there is an over-arching plotline for the season, with the incoming threat from conquest, it isn't ever present, and mostly falls into the background. Most of this seasons episodes follow a 'monster of the week' format. This isn't inherently bad, But some of the strongest elements from the Invincibles' prior seasons had been its long-term storytelling, and it is slightly frustrating to see it take take a back seat here.
The problem is that these episodes rarely do anything to move the plotline forward. In previous seasons, even the Monster of the Wee episodes had ramifications. Mark met and fought DA Sinclair and his cyborgs in a very self-contained episode in season one, But we are still feeling the ramifications of that, with Cecil going on to employ Sinclair to make Reanimen. None of the 'monster of the week' episodes this season carry that much weight, and don't affect Mark going forward. It gets very formulaic, with multiple episodes ending with Mark and Eve sitting on his roof reflecting about 'what they learned' from this episode, (which really isn't much).
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Another issue with over-using the monster of the week format is some plotlines are simply not developed to a satisfying level. Omni Man and Allen appear in one episode all season. They're not even in the end-of-season catch-up montage. Whether this is an issue with the voice actors (Seth Rogan and JK Simmons) being too busy/expensive, or whether the showrunners felt other plotlines needed more attention, it's incredibly frustrating because Allen and Omni Man are easily two of the most interesting characters in the show, and their story folds into Invincibles' 'main' story arc of the viltrumites. We simply needed more time with these characters.
With all this said, Invincible season 3 does offer some storyline setup. Mark finds out early on he is being spied on by mini eye robots, which he suspects have been sent by Cecil (more on this later). As the viewer, we know Conquest is on his way, so it would be easy to speculate it's him watching Mark (As the audience is told Cecil is not responsible). But it turns out to be neither of them: Angstrom Levy is still alive and again plotting against Mark. This for me was the season's biggest misstep. Using Angstrom as the penultimate big bad does the character and story a major disservice. The Invincible War was one of the biggest and most chaotic events in the comics, with long-lasting ramifications. To do the whole story in one episode, not even the season finale, is a massive shame. Angstrom shouldn't be playing second fiddle to Conquest. He was the 'big bad' of season 2, and I understand you needed someone new for that role, I just think this plot line and character should have been saved to a time when Conquest wasn't just around the corner, so it would have gotten the time and attention it deserved.
There are most definitely some positives here. Invincibles rogues gallery is on full display this season. It's great to see characters like the Maulers and Battle Beast in all their pomp. One of Invincibles strength Is its writing of its villains, and the amount we see in this season is very positive.
Image Source: Screen Rant
Aside from the Monster of the Week, a big focus is put on Mark's moral dilemmas. He buts head with his brother Oliver multiple times, who seems to align more with their dad's line of thinking on Killing. Is it ok to kill those who hurt your family? This is a tough question for anyone, let alone someone who has superpowers. Mark gets to see firsthand how both philosophies play out; When Oliver kills the Mauler brothers for their various crimes, he berates and lectures his brother, saying they have to be 'better' than their villain counterparts. But by the time Mark has finished his fights with Angstrum; all the pain, death, and destruction they brought, has seemingly brought Mark around to Oliver's way of thinking, telling his little brother as much by the side of his hospital bed in the finale.
The fallout between Mark and Cecil also takes up a lot of screen time. When Mark discovers Cecil is working with Darkwing 2 and DA Sinclair, he can't believe it and confronts Cecil. This leads to one of the most visceral and shocking sequences of the season, where Mark rips through 100s of the Reanimen, and Cecil, who is obviously terrified of Mark by this point reveals the 'noise bomb' he put in Mark's ear. The clash of philosophies on display here is really on point. The viewer can empathize with both sides. Mark’s immaturity and unwillingness to emotionally grow draws a line in the sand between him and Cecil. Cecil’s line where he says "We can either be the good guys, or save the world" is on point and defines his mantra in a quotable way.
While not given as much time as the Mark/Cecil or Mark/Oliver dilemmas, the season handles another classic superhero trope: With great power, comes great responsibility. Rex Splode and Shrinking Rae, who started dating the last season, move in together. When their relationship starts to blossom, Rae decides she likes her life, and doesn't want to risk trying to get killed every day as a superhero anymore. Rex fights her on this and tries to get her to change her mind, while never considering quitting. Rae and Rex have similar backstories, both being scientific experiments, which meant they didn't get a proper childhood. When Rae tries to lean on this as the crux of her decision to leave superherodom, Rex shoots her down, saying I had the same childhood, but it doesn't matter, we have a responsibility now. This point is hammered home when Rex sacrifices himself in the line of duty against an evil Mark.
Rex has come full circle in the show. He started as an unbearable bully, who we can't believe Eve would ever date, to being one of Mark's best friends. It's a tragic end for the character. Unfortunately, it comes in the penultimate (Angstrum) episode, and with no big deaths in the finale, this is the emotional tragedy of the season. Using it here takes away weight from the Conquest episode, and adds fuel to my theory that Angstrum should have been saved to allow the Invincible War storyline more breathing space.
Image Source: Invincible Fandom
It's worth pointing out that all of these dilemmas are classic superhero tropes, which we have seen done to death in other stories. Invincible doesn't really add any nuance to these classic tropes, but they are handled in a satisfying way.
The conquest episode is utterly fantastic. Even though i’ve been maligning the lack of build up for him in the season, having him contained to one episode, right after the invincible war, does give the show a break-neck pace. It rarely allows the viewer to take a breath and take in everything that's happened. This is the biggest strength of the way they decided to tell the story this season.
There has been a lot of talk online about a dip in the animation quality for this season. I struggled to notice it, as Invincible has never really had top-tier animation, and it seemed to me as good as prior seasons. What I will say is if a perceived dip in animation quality gets the series on a regular release schedule I’m all for it. Two years between seasons is too much. Months-long mid-season breaks are unneeded. This is something that has plagued Invincible since day one, and if Amazon can nail down a constant release schedule, I think its a worth a small dip in animation quality.
Invincible season 3 is definitely the weakest so far. The decision to focus on a Monster of the Week format rather than put more weight on Conquest makes the season feel disjointed. This is not helped by the return of Angstrom, whose return to the narrative feels too early and wasted. That said, The season does have a breakneck pace, rarely allowing it to stop and take stock. Whilst only appearing in the finale, Conquest does serve the role of Big Bad well and is a dominating threat. The moral dilemmas presented throughout the season do resonate well, but it's all well-trodden territory in the superhero genre, and nothing new is added. While season 3 doesn’t reach the heights of Season 1 or 2, it's still a fun time, and worth watching. I’m confident this is a minor dip in quality and season 4 will get the show back on track.
Rating: 7/10
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