*A spoiler from episode 2.*
To an extent, this episode still feels a bit like table-setting, even though some big things do happen here. Mark is starting a new chapter in his life and Debbie is trying to do the same, but when it comes to the superhero stuff, we’re continuing to catch up on where we left some characters last season and kind of marking time with others.
Mark is about to begin his first day of college—when Debbie drops him off at his dorm, she entreats him to take time to figure out who “Mark Grayson” is, not just Invincible. As he tries his hand at ordinary young adult rite-of-passage stuff, we check in with Allen the Alien. Elsewhere, Debbie tries to find a way forward for herself with Mark out of the house.
We met Seth Rogen’s Allen the Alien back around the beginning of season 1, but he features in a big way here, even getting his own title card partway through the episode. We get some backstory on his people, the Unopans, and their history with the Viltrumites, and we get a picture of his life in the present day. Some interesting things going on in this plot, and I hope we follow up on it sooner rather than later. Also, Tatiana Maslany appears as Allen’s colleague/lover Telia. She’s popped up in minor roles throughout the season so far, but this is definitely the most substantial character she’s played and the one I hope to see again.
Speaking of new voice actors this season, my current favorite thing about the Guardians storyline is the addition of Shapesmith, a shapeshifting new hero who’s joined the team. Unbeknownst to them, he's actually a Martian who’s undercover on Earth. He’s voiced by Ben Schwartz, which always makes for a good time! His attempts to pose as human are delightful, like when he enters the training room and says, “Oh, hello, chums! I’d like to run while remaining in a stationary location. Is that cool beans?”
Rounding out the guest star roundup, we have Daveed Diggs, who shows up in Debbie’s plot. As she ponders her next step, she’s led to a support group for superheroes’ spouses, which is an interesting concept. Diggs plays Theo, one of the attendees.
While the ending of the episode kicks things off in a major way, for the most part, Mark is away from the superhero action today. He’s settling into college and doing normal things—decorating his dorm room, considering his first time with Amber. This is where Andrew Rannells comes in. Again, we don’t get a lot of William, but Rannells delivers in his few scenes.
I like that, by and large, William is one of Mark’s footholds into regular life. He’s fully aware that Mark is a superhero and knows about what went down with his dad, but much of their screentime together is just spent on ordinary best-friend stuff. As they prepare to start college together, that means things like critiquing Mark’s taste in dorm room décor and establishing a privacy-sock rule. He pleads with Mark to get rid of his comic-book poster, pointing out that while Mark has a girlfriend, he’s single and needs social cache to get guys. “Maybe it’ll just make you look better by comparison,” Mark offers, to which William replies, “Huh—excellent point.” He later frantically uses his bedsheet to block the view from the doorway when a decidedly non-regular complication shows up at their dorm.
But when the superhuman and bizarre does come knocking, William has his best-friend duties locked down in that department as well. He’s supportive of Mark doing what he has to do to help someone in need, noting, “Last time you didn’t want to help someone…we both regretted it.” William isn’t all that involved in the superhero stuff, but he’s prepared to provide what non-powered help he can to make things easier for Mark, which is nice.
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