REVIEW: Invincible, Season 1 Episode Three 'Who You Calling Ugly?'

 REVIEW: Invincible, Season 1 Episode Three 'Who You Calling Ugly?'

Like any good superhero show, Invincible is a series full of people with secrets. Superheroes by their very nature always have something to hide, be it a secret identity, or who their loved ones are. It kind of comes with the job, which sees them making many enemies. 

Omni-Man (JK Simmons), however, probably has the most deadly secret of them all. He is, after all, the serial killer behind the murder of the Guardians of the Globe. Which makes it all the more despicable when he makes a public address about how 'sad' he is about their deaths, at the funeral for this superhero team. This show does such a great job at making us truly despise Nolan Grayson; it seems like every episode we are given an additional reason to loathe the guy. He has to be one of the best villains in any of these superhero shows, as he is just fun to despise. 

Sometimes even the heroes can appear somewhat unlikeable though, as we discover when Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) discovers her superhero boyfriend Rex (Jason Mantzoukas) is having a threesome with Dupli-Kate (Melise). It's not often that we get a reminder in a superhero show that even the heroes can be scumbags, so it's nice to see Invincible show this side of a world with superheroes. Just because someone is a superhero doesn't mean they are going to be totally likeable, after all. 

A major focus of this episode is Robot (Zachary Quinto) putting together a new Guardians of the Globe team. These scenes put a new spin on the superhero group recruitment process, as the heroes are pitted together in a series of battles to test their strength. It makes for a natural way to incorporate the typical hero-on-hero fights that are so prevalent in comic-books, which also makes sense within the context of putting together a team, because of course they'd want the best of the best. It's a wonder this isn't what Nick Fury over in the Marvel universe did upon putting together Avengers rosters. 

Rex again shows a deeply unlikeable side, as he picks on Monster Girl (Grey Griffin), who gets younger every time she turns into a big green monster. This makes for a truly epic fight sequence, as Rex has teeth knocked out and ends up requiring the help of Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun) in order to survive the fight. It's probably my favourite hero-on-hero fight in the show thus far, as it's just highly entertaining to watch. 

This episode also shows us a new major super-villain in scientist Doc Seismic (Chris Diamantopoulos), a character who is admittedly very cool. He's essentially like an evil version of Daisy Johnson/Quake from Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD, in that he can cause earthquakes from these bracelets around his hands. It allows for some stunning imagery involving Mount Rushmore and volcanic lava, and provides a major challenge for our protagonists, who have been sent by Cecil Steadman (Walton Goggins) to take him down.

Speaking of Cecil, his appearance as a hologram in this episode is hilariously awkward. He tries to ring Mark whilst he's on a 'study date' with love interest Amber (Zazie Beetz), who gets fed up of the constant ringing and leaves the room. When Cecil appears in hologram form, he's effectively ruined poor Mark's date, and it effectively makes Cecil seem like the world's worst killjoy. It shows just how hard it is for superheroes to lead a normal life though, which feels as though it is going to become an important plot point for this series. 

Interestingly this episode reveals another character previously thought of as a hero as a 'bad guy' in its closing moments. Robot acts as a mystery benefactor for the Mauler Twins (Kevin Michael Richardson), and this was a twist I did not see coming. I was convinced Robot was the clear-cut protagonist he seemed, and it's surprising to discover that he's helping criminals escape. It makes you wonder what other turns the story could take, as it seems to be one full of surprises.

Overall, 'Who You Calling Ugly?' is an excellent instalment of Invincible, showing further grey areas in the superhero world of the series. The Guardians of the Globe try-out scenes give us a great excuse for some hero-on-hero fights, and Doc Seismic is a brilliant new addition to the super-villain roster,  but it's that reveal with Robot which really sells the episode. It's totally unexpected, and it shows that nobody in this show can be trusted. Who knows, maybe even Mark Grayson could be hiding a dark secret? It wouldn't be the first time a Grayson has turned rogue...