Invincible episode 8 is funny, brutal and heartbreaking – and it should be the blueprint for Amazon’s adaptation in seasons 2 and 3.
Spoilers follow for Invincible season 1. Invincible season 1 has ended on Amazon Prime Video – and, oh boy, is its finale a visceral gut-punch. The R-rated animated TV series has been largely enjoyable, but Invincible episode 8 took proceedings to a whole new level. It was a violent, tragic and, at times, pretty humorous end to the TV show’s first outing which, after a slow start, found its feet and proved to be a solid adaptation of Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley’s graphic novels. More than that, though, Invincible season 1’s finale laid down a marker for how Amazon has to approach future seasons. Invincible has been renewed for two more seasons and, judging by the responses to the announcement, Invincible’s fanbase is delighted. The TV show’s popularity, too, has proved a boon for its source material, with 100,000 copies sold since the series’ debut in March. With plenty of story left for Amazon’s adaptation to explore, it’s unsurprising that seasons 2 and 3 have been greenlit. Still, Invincible hasn’t been without its problems. While I’ve been largely impressed, I’ve had issues with Amazon’s adaptation. Season 1’s finale, though, gives me hope that these issues can be rectified, and it offers a template for how seasons 2 and 3 should be approached. Like Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, teaching his son Mark how to use his Invincible superpowers, season 1 needed to walk before it could run. In less analogous terms, TV shows like Invincible need to introduce its characters and world slowly, so audiences don’t feel overwhelmed or confused about who’s who or what’s going on. This element of Invincible, though, remains for the series’ first few episodes, which makes its pacing feel sluggish. Admittedly, it’s admirable that Invincible’s creators wanted to maintain a 45-minute runtime for each episode. It’s annoying when TV shows, such as Amazon Prime Video horror series Them, arrive in episodes with dramatically different lengths which, in that show’s case, didn’t allow its plot to flow particularly well. Invincible season 1, though, might have profited from some episodes being shorter than others. The pilot introduced us to Invincible’s universe, while the finale wrapped up season 1’s main story arc. These entries should have longer runtimes, then, in order to book-end the first season’s overarching plot. Episode 8, in particular, benefits from its 45-minute length. In it, Omni-Man finally tells Mark/Invincible the truth about the Viltrumites.
