r/Invincible • u/SeacattleMoohawks Séance Mod • Apr 09 '21
Invincible [COMIC SPOILER Discussion] - S01E05 - That Actually Hurt COMIC SPOILERS
Episode 5 - That Actually Hurt
Feeling confident in his new abilities, Mark risks a team-up with a local villain to take down a crime lord, while simultaneously juggling school and a new relationship.
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u/Fickle_Chance9880 Apr 12 '21
Perfect show, until the last two minutes of this episode.
What I liked the most about this show was that it adapted the material without the usual BS of tv adaptations. There was nothing removed for advertising or budgetary reasons. The was no toning down the content or violence. There were few edits for time or things the writers deemed unimportant.
If anything, the best thing about Invincible is that it says "Yes, and-" to the comics. It adds excellent little details to all the characters, provides a great deal more foreshadowing for major events, and fleshes out Mark's normal life a bit (making the inevitable crashing down all the more tragic). There is nothing added just because the writers resent working on an adaptation and want to tell their own little stories (Walking Dead, any live-action X-men film, etc.). It's a surprisingly tight show that doesn't make excuses for itself, and actually enhances the source material, which is a miracle.
Until...
They couldn't resist it. They had to get clever with the "Dang! We just can't kill them Viltrumite cells, man!"
This is the first time they've added something out of left-field for absolutely no damned reason. It adds nothing but takes away huge amounts of potential drama and tension. The Viltrumites are extremely tough, yes. They heal from incredible damage. But an opponent of sufficient power CAN beat them to death, which makes it extremely fun and exciting when when they are challenged. By saying "You can't kill Viltrumite cells", the show just went out of its way to undermine every single fight in the show going forward, sucking the drama out of several story developments. They went through the trouble of giving Battle Beast a great intro, and then IMMEDIATELY undermine it with this garbage. Are we ever going to wonder if a Viltrumite is still alive after suffering a brutal defeat? Nope! But, hey, enjoy this compelling relationship drama, you clowns!
This only upsets me this much because this show was truly exceptional with how balanced it was in relation to its source. This seemingly minor change has repercussions I'm not looking forward to seeing them explore, and may foretell a drop from excellence into mediocrity.