Let’s Talk about Secret Invasion Episode 1-3

Do you know what nobody ever calls Nick Fury?

The answer to this question appears vital to the plot of Secret Invasion. And all signs point to an Avenger not being who we think they are.

Let’s talk about Secret Invasion episode 1-3, which has us headed for a heartbreak.

Fury and the Skrull: A Love Story

At the end of last week’s episode, Nick Fury entered what is apparently his home.

A woman alters her appearance from Skrull to human just as Nick appears.

As I said at the time, the intent was to suggest that a Skrull was impersonating his wife, which may yet prove true.

However, I speculated that Fury had fallen in love with a Skrull instead. Specifically, he’d fallen for Varra.

That assessment seems accurate based on their discussion in this episode.

Varra indicates that Fury left a long time ago due to The Snap. However, he later chose not to come back to her when he un-dusted.

This abandonment clearly bothered Varra, who seems relieved he has returned.

Alas, Fury asks his wife (?) about whether she still talks to Gravik. She clearly stalls for time and then comes up with an inconclusive response.

So, yes, she has stayed in touch with Gravik. Uh-oh.

Also, we should discuss the Skrull we met in the series premiere. I’m referencing the one who stood at the fence and requested asylum.

That Skrull appears again in this episode as one of three terrorists pulling off a mission for Gravik.

Before this happens, the Skrull asks several questions. Due to the nature of the show, I cannot help but wonder whether this person is a spy.

Has someone else infiltrated New Skrullos thanks to the help of someone who has shown that they’re a shapeshifter who can take on the appearance of a Skrull?

Is this character actually a Skrull loyal to Gravik? Am I chasing red herrings because the show has me off-balance? Probably!

Weird Science and a Super Skrull Army

This is the episode where Gravik monologues about how he will defeat the Avengers.

As I surmised last week, the Skrull intends to employ genetic research to turn all his kindred terrorists into living weapons.

Apparently, everyone loyal to Gravik will become a Super Skrull through science. That seems…worrisome.

Gravik refers to this plan as “the extinction of the human race.” As a member of the human race, I’m a’gin it.

G’iah, the daughter of Talos, isn’t a fan, either. She’s starting to show signs of disloyalty to Gravik…and he knows it.

Gravik questions her about why the last mission went wrong, leading to Sonya Falsworth torturing and eventually killing Brogan.

G’iah throws Brogan under the bus as a tattletale, albeit due to the torture. She describes the dead Skrull as “weaker than you thought.”

Gravik’s face is inscrutable, but G’iah at least forces him to reconsider whether she can be trusted.

The following day, the two of them drive to a parlay with her father, which does NOT go well.

Gravik calls Talos weak and indicates that killing his elder would achieve nothing, as he’s already a broken man…well,  Skrull.

For his part, Talos indicates he’s ready to throw down, especially if Gravik keeps throwing around G’iah’s name.

The best part of this face-off is the one we’ve seen in all the advertising.

When Talos grabs Gravik by the throat, everyone in the room takes Gravik’s appearance, proving that they’re a room full of Skrulls loyal to the Skrull General.

A Failed Negotiation and an Obvious Betrayal Coming

Undeterred, Talos eventually impales Gravik’s hand with a knife. Then, something happens that should worry everyone.

Gravik splits his hand in half to extract himself from the impaling. Then, his hand immediately heals.

This isn’t a logical inconsistency from the Skrull torture scene the previous week. Instead, it’s a warning.

Super Skrulls employ the Extremis tech from Iron Man 3! So, they’re nigh-invulnerable. Uh-oh.

Also, a couple of moments in this episode feel so random and haphazard that they MUST serve a purpose.

For instance, an elderly Brit bumps into Talos and dislodges his phone. Then, the stranger picks up the phone and hands it back to the Skrull.

The person meant to do this, and it turns out that it’s G’iah slipping her father a phone for future communications.

Gravik somehow picks up on this, and it enhances his growing suspicions regarding her loyalty.

Meanwhile, Talos tries to eat an English breakfast at a local pub when his old friend, Nick Fury, walks in and asks for help.

Talos reminds his ally that Fury left him on the countryside in Eastern Europe the previous day. It’s enough to cause us to wonder how either of them is already here today.

Talos wants Fury to apologize for what just happened and provide a more general “I’m sorry” for a lot of other stuff.

During their conversations, it becomes clear that the Nick Fury we know today exists because he’s operated a Skrull shadow espionage team for decades.

I kinda love this, as it’s a plausible explanation for how the great Nick Fury has gained intel nobody else would. Speaking of which…

The World War III Crisis

Talos and Fury discover that a Skrull intends to trigger World War III by using a nuclear sub to launch an attack.

The Skrull is impersonating a high-ranking naval commander named Bob. So, the Skrull and super-spy travel to the officer’s home.

During this incursion, Talos gets taken hostage because he refuses to bring an innocent teen boy into the fight.

Fury is outside shooting Skrulls at the time and doesn’t know this fact. However, he deduces it immediately due to a misstep.

The Skrull pretending to be Talos says, “Sorry, Nick. I was busy kicking Bob’s ass.”

This moment answers my question at the top of the article. NOBODY who knows Agent Fury calls him Nick.

The story drives this point home as Fury takes the child prisoner, barges into the room where “Bob” is holding Talos hostage, and threatens to kill the kid.

Some Weak Moments in Episode 1-3

This brings me to the second issue I have with this episode…probably. The Skrull acts as if the child is his own.

“Bob” willingly puts down his gun to secure the kid’s safety. Later, after “Bob” says the wrong thing, Talos shoots him in the right side of his upper chest.

“Bob” dies immediately, which places the mission in peril, as the Skrull impersonator was the only one who knew the code to call off the nuclear attack.

Talos messages his daughter via the phone from earlier, and she answers immediately. Does nobody writing this show have children???

Annoyingly, Fury specifically says they only have 60 seconds to stop the launch before this happens. Now, I’ve got a third issue with the episode.

Somehow, G’iah has the time (and inclination) to answer the phone, head to the Evil Science portion of the Skrull compound, and rewind Bob’s head full of memories to find the code.

If you told me I had 60 seconds to go downstairs and get my phone right now, I’m not sure I could make it.

This episode has some sloppy “just go with it” moments.

On the plus side, Talos and Fury manage to stop the terrorist attack and thereby prevent World War III. Yay, team!

The Death of a Main Character (Probably)

Here’s where the episode gets intense.

G’iah follows her father’s advice to “run” after she betrays Gravik to save humanity.

The trusted Skrull talks her way past the guards and makes her way off the compound.

This seems like a good time to mention that she’s riding a bike. At the last moment, a car turns on its headlights, causing her to fall off her bike.

G’iah could easily get back on the bike and drive past the car. It’s maddening that she doesn’t.

Instead, the daughter of Talos recognizes that Gravik suspects her of treason. She tries to reason with him, but he shoots her.

As far as we can tell, G’iah is dead, which will break Talos’ heart when he finds out.

However, we’re dealing with Skrulls in a Marvel story. So, I’m not performing last rites just yet.

For starters, Gravik shoots her on the other side of the chest from where Talos shot “Bob.”

Alas, G’iah could have prepared for this eventuality and worn some sort of bulletproof material.

She does revert to her Skrull form, though. That’s what we’ve watched Skrulls do when they die as humans.

As such, I have concerns…and a complaint that we’ve had two people killed off the series thus far. They’re both women. Gail Simone on line one.

Fury, Never Nick

The episode ends with another potential betrayal. Varra, whom Fury sometimes calls Scilla for some reason, goes to a security box and grabs a gun.

Then, Varra appears to be ready to run. Alas, before that can happen, she takes a phone call from someone and asks to speak to Gravik.

The voice on the other line, who is clearly James Rhodes, says she’s talking to him instead.

This episode absolutely wants you to believe War Machine is a Skrull. And there’s a good reason to think that if you’ve been paying attention.

In episode two, during the face-off between Rhodes and the man in the eye patch, War Machine calls Fury by his last name several times.

That’s what people who know him do, after all. They call him Fury. At one point in the conversation, Rhodes may have slipped up, though.

While firing him, Rhodes referred to the man as Nick. Perhaps the government official did this to make the termination more personal.

Secret Invasion wants you to believe it’s because the Skrulls have taken over James Rhodes, though. We’ll probably find out for sure next week.

 

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