Ryan Shoots First: Invincible (S3 Ep6) “All I Can Say Is I’m Sorry”
Last week I noted that Episode 5 of Invincible felt like a pause, and usually that means the next episode is set to tear us apart, but man did I not know what was coming…
“All I Can Say Is I’m Sorry” not only takes its place as one of the single best episodes of a comic book series adaptation but one of the best single stories in all of comic books. An absolutely gut-wrenching episode that takes all the questions Mark has been dealing with throughout the season and manifests them in the tragic story of Powerplex. Aaron Paul does the voice for Scott and it is some of his best work. It is hard to discuss without spoiling and I don’t want to rob you of how the story unfolds but comic stories and specifically villains sometimes have some of the most tragic tales. I have made multiple comparisons to how Invincible reminds me of a Spider-Man story and this from the villain side echoes many of the ways Spideys rogue gallery comes to find their powers and how they are tied to Spidey himself. It is now the one year anniversary of the battle between Onmi Man and Invincible in Chicago and that sets the stage for almost everything that happens in the episode. Mark has been struggling with guilt and his hand in everything bad that happens for a while but this day more than most proves to be a difficult one to move through. That is made even more difficult after a heartfelt conversation with his younger brother Oliver who is struggling to reconcile the conflicting memories of his loving father with the man he has seen this world to depict him as. In most episodes of a show, that conversation alone would check the box for more emotional weight in a scene for a comic book story but in this one, it’s just a moment you almost forget as Powerplex’s story takes all the gravity of the episode.
I have to give a shoutout to Eve as well. So many shows lean on conflict between the young couple in love and they very well may get there eventually but since they decided to “Will they” their “Won’t they” they are a true power couple. Eve is emotionally mature, understanding, and always knows when to give space or when to step in and it’s refreshing to see stable, supportive, emotionally mature relationships in a show. Whether it’s the internal struggles Mark is going through, how to juggle the big brother, and protege dynamic with Oliver, or how to manage this maniac trying to call you out on a traumatic day where it will do any one any good, she always makes the right move. Mark, do NOT screw this up.
This episode wasn’t what I expected, I did expect some heavy emotional weight but I anticipated more in line with the larger story they have been telling. This episode for the most part, serves as a standalone entry in the season and should be appointment viewing for anyone trying to write complicated villains, conflicted heroes, or just stories that matter. We have two episodes left, the stinger at the end of the episode set up some amazing ideas for the penultimate episode but I couldn’t bring myself to snap out of this episode I just watched. It’s one that will stick with me for a while and I would encourage anyone who finds heroes or comic stories entertaining and analyzing the dynamics and ramifications of their actions to take an hour and watch it. All these “deconstruct superheroes” stories we get now wish they could touch even a fraction of the emotional notes this episode hits. It was that good.
