Welcome back to the blog readers. Secret Invasion is killing it for me and I really hope we could keep the momentum going as we tailspin into the back half of the newest limited series from Marvel. What would the ramifications be from last episode's reveals? What new revelations would leave us hanging on the edge of our seats? Could the fourth episode, titled "Beloved," directed by Ali Selim, and written by Brian Tucker, deliver the goods? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
Before we begin, I would like to say a big fuck you to Brian Tucker for playing with my emotions like this. I did not need this stress this week, especially with all the news about the actors going on strike. All kidding aside, this was another fantastic episode, and another example of what Marvel can be post-Endgame. Not all of it had to be like this, but we are on a hot streak right now. I am so impressed with how much this resonated with me, more so than Andor (2022) did.
We start with another flashback, this time to 2012, shortly after the Battle of New York, where Nick Fury meets his Skrull wife Priscilla in Paris and they discuss the aforementioned battle and relate to a Raymond Carver poem, in which Priscilla states she has already got what she wanted in this life. I think this flashback does a good job of setting up events for the rest of this episode. And this poem definitely comes back later on.
Another big reveal this episode is that G'iah was not killed when Gravik shot her last episode. We learn that she went into the machine and gave herself the Extremis tech to allow herself to heal from the wound. She also reunites with her father Talos, who reveals his plan to gain amnesty for all the Skrulls on Earth. He plans to go to the President, tell him about the averted insurgency, and ask him for amnesty, a plan that G'iah disagrees wit. This leads to her storming off. This one hurts, because it seemed like Talos finally got his daughter back, but it was all for naught. I really liked the relationship between the two of them.
We also get confirmation this week that Rhodey is a Skrull, when the Skrull impersonating him asks Priscilla to kill Fury, and threatens to do it themselves if she won't. We also learn that a female Skrull is impersonating Rhodey, which was a surprise to me. It really does explain why Rhodey was acting all feminine in the series, and it also explains his ruthlessness in leading Fury away from the path. The real Rhodey would have never fired Fury, and instead would have been understanding. It also sheds a lot of light on their conversation in the second episode about getting power. The fake Rhodey and Fury also have a conversation about previous events, where "Rhodey" threatens to release the Russia footage of Fury seemingly killing Maria Hill. I really don't think this is a fight that Fury can win on his own as the odds are stacked against him every week.
The best part of the episode (apart from the end) is the conversation Fury has with Priscilla. He makes it aware that he was listening in to her conversation with "Rhodey" and gives her an opportunity to kill him. She explains how she chose the human she did. She took on the identity of a doctor named Priscilla Davis who was dying, and the dying doctor agreed for her likeness to be used under three conditions, two of which Varra fulfilled. The third: never harm her lover, is what got Fury to spare her and wish her the best. It was a very touching and poignant scene that called back to the flashback from earlier. I hope we see Priscilla again because Charlayne Woodard absolutely knocked this role out of the park.
Now we have to talk about that insane ending. The drink that Fury and "Rhodey" shared was a liquid tracking device, and Fury and Talos follow "Rhodey" to President Ritson's convoy, which gets attacked by Gravik's forces posing as Russians. In the chaos, Ritson is knocked unconscious, and Fury and Talos join the fight with the British Army. Gravik reveals his abilities and Talos is shot. Fury is able to extract the President, but not before Gravik kills Talos, leaving Fury in shock. What I realized is that this is the first time that Fury has seen that Gravik has Extremis tech, and Sam Jackson pulled off that meme-worthy face to perfection. All kidding aside, Samuel L. Jackson pulls off a hell of a performance, with his terror being real and believable. I mean, the guy just lost his best friend. And the entire time, my jaw was down to the floor. This was my Red Wedding, and I will never forgive Brian Tucker for this.
Before I let you guys go, I just want to extend a huge thank you to Ben Mendelsohn for his fun and electric portrayal of Talos. He brought such a levity and a coolness to the performance that I will never be able to get over. He is someone that I will truly miss in the MCU, and I hope that he can bring that same energy (I think that's what the kids say now, right?) to his future performances. Now I'm done and I will thank you guys for reading. I will see you all for the next post.
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