Donnell Watched: Invincible Season 3

Donnell's Watchin It Score: 4/5 Must Watch It: 5/5

Overview:

Season 3 of "Invincible" arrived much faster than the second, a welcome change. This season focuses on Mark's growth as Earth's protector, exploring his relationships with family and Atom Eve amidst the looming Viltrumite threat. Subplots, like Rex's development, Nolan and Allen's escape, and the formation of a new Guardians of the Globe, enrich the narrative. The voice cast, featuring Steven Yeun, Gillian Jacobs, Walton Goggins, and newcomer Christian Convery, delivers exceptional performances.

Review

(SPOILER!)

While we couldn't cover this season on our podcast due to our single-show focus, I believe it's the series' strongest yet. The season opens with Mark training with Cecil and the Global Defense Agency, addressing a key issue from Season 2: the lack of preparation for the Viltrumite invasion.   Unfornately, Mark and Cecil have a falling out because of the latters work with dangerous criminals. While in the beginning I agree with Mark, as the season goes on, it does become ridiculous that he continues to hold onto his high horse as Cecil even explains how he is rehabilitating them and that people deserve a second chance. 

The first three-quarters of the season emphasize character development and relationships, resulting in a slower pace but effectively showcasing character growth. Mark's personal journey, particularly his romantic relationship with Eve, is a mixed bag. While their eventual union is satisfying, its execution feels awkward and drawn-out. The handling of Rex's funeral, where Mark and Eve prioritize a romantic moment over mourning, is particularly jarring.

However, other character arcs shine. Debbie get's mom of the year points as she fully embraces raising Oliver. She struggle with the fact that he isn't like other kids and is already ready to start being a hero, but little by little she starts to release some of the stings and let Oliver grow into his own being. She gets a hand in this from Paul, a colleague and boyfriend. While I don't agree with Debbie telling Paul about her sons without first going to them, I do agree that he needed to know. And Paul is another MVP cause he accepts it all and supports her and the family throughout. A+ for the both of them. The star of this season is Rex though. Back in season one I would never think I would be upset about losing him, but he really came into his own and provide some great depth to the show. He matures and realizes that the world does not revolve around him. He forms a true and good friendship with Rae that ultimately blooms into probably the first healthy relationship he has. He still provides a comedic touch to the show and he fully embraces what it means to be a true hero. And he ultimately gives his life for those he cares for and the greater good, something I'm not sure season one Rex would do. It's sad that he becomes the best version of himself (and honestly the best character in the show currently) right before he dies, but he goes out like a G, so you can't complain.

Finally, let's talk about the fights. We get really interesting fights with Multi-Paul, showing the stength and versatility of his and Dupli-Kate's powers. The fact that they have to try to break him out of prison is just baffling as I would always just have a copy of me (or maybe a couple) out there so prison wouldn't be an issue, but I guess Paul isn't as smart as Kate. On a side note it is insane that Kate didn't tell Paul she was alive. She tells the Immortal but not her own brother? Just messed up. Anyways we get some big fights with Doc Seismic, the Maulers, and Mister Liu. The Doc Seismic fight makes Mark underwhelming as before this we see all the training he has put in, and yet he still can't handle this guy. I know he has a bunch of underground creatures, but Mark really underdelivers in this fight. The fight with the Mauler's is great and is Oliver first real fight. I wish he hadn't killed them as they are a great low tier villian to have around to provide a mimium threat and also comedic effect. But it's nice that Invincible isn't afraid to kill of characters (as we see even more with Rex). Maybe the Maulers have taken a note from Kate and have a spare clone around to continue on. Then there is the fight with Mister Liu. He is a true powerhouse character and I honestly wonder just who could have stopped his dragon form. But his weakness of having to have his human form basically asleep and kill it kills him is a huge issue. It does look like we might get to see more of him though as his assistant (who I don't know how he survived) seems to have carried his spirit inside of himself. Allen and OmniMan's escape is also a high point. Getting to see Allen in action again and just how strong he is was nice and the return of BattleBeast is exciting for future conflicts.

Then we have the 2 biggest and best events/episodes: The Invincible War and the arrive of Conquest. The Invincible War gives us the return of Angstrom Levy. And he brings a group of Invincibles with him to raise the earth. And they do one hell of a job of it. It's really nice to see different Marks and Steven Yeun does amazing work voice each one slightly different. Would honestly love to see more of some of these variants. Mark's square off with Angstrom was once again kind of underwhelming as I know Angstrom has some serious power, but Mark is susposed to be a stronger, faster version of himself then the last time they fought. And while he doesn't struggle to hard with Angstrom, he still isn't just wrecking him either. But he gets the win. And we have a moment of calm before the main event shows up. Conquest's relentless brutality provides a stark contrast to previous villains. For most of the fight it is just Mark and Conquest. And Mark does pretty good at points. So much so that looking back on his struggles with Doc Seimic and Angstrom makes you really wonder what was going on with him. But Conquest is on a different level. Oliver does show up to help, but this is one time I think Debbie should have tried to keep him him. He is there as nothing more then a distraction. Eve also shows up near the end and starts to show how powerful she can be, but it's still not enough at first. Conquest destorys her and then proceeds to do the same to Mark. And then we get the biggest mcguffin as it is reveal that Eve is pretty much immortal and all powerful. She just wills herself back to full health and comes back strong then ever to wreck Conquest. She runs out of steam, but Mark finish of Conquest. I kind of wish they had just let Eve do it, cause the the way the fight between Mark and Conquest ends is kind of just goofy. Also Eve's new power level is kind of going to make it hard for the rest of the show to make sense. Like she is getting to a level power I call Superman level, where the character pretty much makes everyone else pointless. They try to explain this away as she has mental blocks from birth, but you would think that with the invasion coming they would be willing to remove them. I also figure that at some point in the series they will be removed and from that point on why do we need Mark or Allen or anyone? I mean why do you need a super fast strong guy when you have someone who can just rewrite reality? 

Should you watch it

Despite some criticisms, "Invincible" Season 3 is a must-watch. The show's willingness to explore flawed heroes and depict brutal consequences sets it apart. Fans of the series will be thoroughly entertained, and newcomers should start with the first two seasons to fully appreciate the narrative's depth.