Welcome to yet another week of “an exercise in boredom” with Marvel’s Secret Invasion. In the third episode of the show, we saw Talos going for a parlay meeting with Gravik, which ended with Talos threatening to kill Gravik if he uttered Gi’ah’s name. Nick Fury suspected that Priscilla was working with the Skrulls to take over Earth, but Priscilla assured him that she wasn’t, even though we saw her plotting with Rhodes (a Skrull), who was speaking on Gravik’s behalf. Fury and Talos learned through Gi’ah that the rebel Skrulls were trying to obliterate a plane carrying a UN delegation. So, their mission became all about stopping that from happening. That said, the attack turned out to be a mole hunt being conducted by Gravik, and when he found out that Gi’ah was that mole, he shot her down.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Talos And Gi’ah Have Yet Another Falling Out
Yeah, so Gi’ah is not dead. In last week’s article, I said that I hoped she was dead because that’d mean Marvel was learning about giving their shows some gravity while being a little edgy by killing off people left, right, and center. It’s supposed to be a spy-thriller show. Everyone is supposed to be expendable. That means things are serious, dangerous, and desperate. But no, episode four of Secret Invasion shows that Gi’ah did some of that sci-fi mumbo-jumbo in the machine that’s available in New Skrullos and made herself invincible; no big deal. Talking about New Skrullos, do you see how little the show is doing to humanize the Skrulls? They showed them once and then just forgot all about them. They aren’t even trying to draw a line between those seeking refuge and those fighting for their right to live there. Anyway, we get a conversation between Fury and Priscilla right after the Battle of New York, where they bond over poetry and their love for each other.
In the present day, we see Priscilla apparently plotting with Rhodes to kill off Fury. This moment is supposed to make our hearts ache because it shows how the circumstances have killed Fury and Priscilla’s bond. However, the show hasn’t really spent a substantial amount of time establishing their chemistry. So, why should I care? It’s stupid. Meanwhile, Gravik and his men head over to conduct a mission while pretending to be Russians. Talos and Gi’ah have a conversation about their next move. When Talos starts to talk about his plan to convince the President to let all the Skrulls live on Earth by showing humans that they aren’t harmful creatures, Gi’ah gets angry because she thinks it’s cowardice. I don’t know much about what happens during instances of mass immigration, but bowing down to those giving you refuge and behaving like how the people helping you are telling you to behave isn’t the way to do it. Because once you show them that you’re ready to be subservient, there’s no end to the oppression. I don’t know where Gi’ah is going when she walks away from Talos because she has broken her ties with Gravik, and she doesn’t agree with Talos. Well, maybe it’s just supposed to look dramatic because the characters know that they’re in a show.
Nick Fury Puts A Tracker On Rhodes
Priscilla returns home only to find that Fury is already there. Fury knows that Priscilla is working for Gravik and Rhodes. So, after pulling out their guns, Fury asks Priscilla about the person whose skin she’s wearing. She says that the woman was a doctor suffering from a heart defect, and she was on her deathbed. And after they became quite close, she asked the doctor if she could assume her identity. The doctor had three conditions, though. One, Varra had to bury her in the sea. Two, she had to look after the doctor’s parents. Three, Varra wouldn’t hurt Fury. With that out of the way, Fury and Priscilla recite the poem she was reading back in 2012 and then shoot at each other. It’s a Marvel show, so nobody dies because Fury shoots at the wall behind Priscilla, and Priscilla shoots at the bookshelf behind Fury. I don’t know what the point of the scene is. If they were supposed to pretend they were killing each other because the Skrulls were watching them, then the fake tension would’ve made some sense. But it’s not clear if that’s what is happening.
Fury mentions that the Skrulls (who are planning to take over the Earth) will come for Priscilla. Does that confirm that Priscilla is being monitored? I don’t think so. It’s so frustrating. By the way, Priscilla asks a version of the “Would you still love me if I was a worm?” question as she wonders if Fury would’ve loved her if she was in her own Skrull skin, and Fury gives a non-answer. He goes for Rhodes next, who is revealed to be a female Skrull. Fury wants Rhodes to let him work as an agent of SHIELD again. Rhodes says that that won’t be possible because there’s videographic proof of him shooting an agent of SHIELD, i.e., Hill. Fury probably knew that that was going to be his answer. So, he focuses on selling Rhodes his ancestral alcohol, which is actually laced with tracking devices. Fury doesn’t hide that fact, but Rhodes apparently doesn’t buy it and unknowingly gets marked with Fury’s nanotech. I am assuming that Secret Invasion wants us to pull out our hair wondering where the real Rhodes is, and the thing is, I don’t care. Rhodes is such a minor-league character that I’m not bothered by the fact that he has been replaced by a Skrull. Nothing about this show feels dire enough to care about it. Yet, we soldier on!
Is Talos Dead?
President Ritson arrives in England for a meeting with the Russians, and Rhodes briefs him on how he should behave with them. Going by Rhodes’ erratic behavior, Ritson realizes that Rhodes is drunk and tells his assistant to get him some coffee so that he can sober up. But that’s not necessary because the President’s convoy is attacked by Gravik. Talos and Fury, who have been following Rhodes via the liquid tracker, reach the spot and try to rescue Ritson. I’m guessing Gravik’s plan is to kidnap Ritson and use him as leverage to get control over Earth, and Fury and Talos have to ensure that that doesn’t happen because that’ll just lead to an all-out war. Gravik shows off his Groot powers as well as his Extremis powers. It’s not all that impactful or surprising. Talos tries to get Ritson out of his upturned car but is shot in the process, which forces him to change into his Skrull form. This freaks everyone out, but Fury assures them that Talos is friendly.
During Secret Invasion Episode 4’s ending, Fury secures Ritson, while Gravik gets to Talos, stabs him brutally, and then escapes. Since the President’s security is at stake, Fury leaves Talos to bleed out on the street. This should be a turning point for everyone, to be honest. Fury has proven that he is a government employee through and through (everyone who scoffs at military propaganda in Maverick and says that they don’t see that in Marvel should shut up). He has shown that he doesn’t care if his friends live or die until and unless the President of America is okay. If anyone has seen what Talos did, that should convince them that there are Skrulls who are willing to coexist with humans. If Talos is alive, he’s probably going to realize that the effort to create any kind of goodwill with humans is pointless. If Gi’ah was around during the shootout, she’s probably going to pull Talos over to her side and take a stand against Gravik and the humans. I am not sure what Gravik’s endgame is. Is he going to try to kidnap another world leader? Do I care? Absolutely not. With two more episodes to go, I’m glad that we’re close to the conclusion of this miniseries.
