“Yes. We are here.”
The season four finale of Invincible did not disappoint. Despite not having any action sequences replicating previous season finales, this season’s finale may be one of the most impactful ones and have the most complications going forward in the series. Mark has been through so much in such a short span of time that everything is taking its toll on him at once, leading to the only decision he could make.
Opening with the Viltrumites, they descend to Earth and wreak havoc on everything they say, with the eerie harmonizations of Ethel Cain’s “August Underground” overwhelming your senses, just as it is in Mark’s head. And that is the core of this episode. Mark’s PTSD overwhelms him until the reason for his PTSD arrives in front of him. As he scans over the city, Earth seems to be fine, and the Viltrumites seem not to be on Earth. The first vision Mark has is as soon as he comes home to talk to Debbie. Thragg kills Debbie in a gruesome way before Debbie snaps Mark back to reality. It happens again when Mark tries to catch up with William and Rick at their college campus, and once again as Eve tries to tell Mark about her abortion. Each time Thragg appears in these hallucinations, he says Mark is the cause of these events, further blaming himself. And even as Eve tells Mark about her powers and her abortion, Mark feels like it’s his fault.
When Mark and Nolan return to Earth, it allows for part two of Debbie and Nolan’s reunion. Debbie is still angry, as she should be, and maybe even angrier because she knows Oliver is hurt. And Nolan is still trying to earn forgiveness, and understands even more this episode that things will not change for him as quickly as he wants them to. Debbie’s decision to leave for Telescria with Nolan will surely allow them to reconnect in the next season. However, I hope it is not immediate and that we can slowly see a shift in Debbie’s perspective of her ex-husband. Nolan’s conversation with Cecil allows him to truly understand atonement and how you can try to make up for something, and you cannot be upset that they don’t forgive your actions.
Mark’s final hallucination was the worst one yet, because it wasn’t a hallucination this time. Like every other scene, Mark’s vision gets blurry, and everything around him shakes, tricking the viewer for a moment until Thragg finally speaks. He makes a cool, calm, and collected “truce” offer that Mark really had no choice but to accept. Thragg and the remaining Viltrumites have made Earth their home to breed more Viltrumites, and they will not interfere with Earth in any way. If this were an earlier season, Mark would have immediately said no and stood on it. However, after nearly dying multiple times and the trauma from all of the fights he has been through recently, he makes an unusual decision. My favorite scene of the episode was when Mark thought of all of the torture the Viltrumites could put people through if Mark refused. But when he thinks of Eve, it’s a peaceful, serene view of her smile. Mark’s love for Eve is what grounds him. Even though in the comics, Mark and Nolan are there to hear Thragg’s offer, with Mark being the only person to accept or reject the terms, it puts that much more pressure on him to make the “right” decision.
It’s a bit of a frightening way to end the season. However, it’s simultaneously just as exciting to think about the Viltrumites creeping around Earth as Mark has to handle his responsibility to Earth, his personal relationships, and his trauma. And as I said before, even though this season’s finale lacks the action of its predecessors, it may have them beat in terms of emotional impact.
Overall thoughts for the season: This season felt like season one all over again in terms of the emotions from the characters and emotional effects on the audience. This season had some of the best voice acting performances of the series. And “Hurm” was not nearly as bad an episode as everyone says. I am excited for next season to see how Debbie and Nolan’s story will progress, and especially excited to see Robot and Monster Girl’s storyline on Thraxa play out, too. Mark Grayson has become one of my favorite characters, and you really can’t help but feel for him with all that he goes through. But unfortunately, the worst has yet to come. See you next year for season five!
Rating: ★★★★ ½
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