Invincible season 2 episode 3 recap & review: This Missive, This Machination!

Episode 3 of Invincible season 2 takes a look at what Allen the Alien is up to and follows Mark in his first few days at college. The episode is streaming on Prime Video.

Recap

Debbie drops Mark off at college and then gets back in her car where she takes a look at the card that Olga had given her. She calls the number on the back and a woman expecting her call gives her a time and place to meet.

Mark and William are discussing how they should set up their room and William explains the sock on the door situation to his best friend. Mark takes a box of his old toys and throws them in a dumpster, but hangs onto his ‘Seance Dog’ action figure.

When he returns, he finds the sock on the door and heads over to Amber’s room. She suggests that they have some fun too and it cuts away as a narrator begins speaking.

The narrator shares the story of the planet Unopa where Allen the Alien hailed from. The Unopans lived in harmony until the Viltrumites showed up and took over their civilization.

After decades of planning, the Unopans carried out a failed rebellion, forcing some survivors to leave their planet in the hopes of survival. They began rebuilding their population with breeding camps that also employed genetic enhancement techniques.

Their resilience and determination drew the attention of the Coalition of Planets, who invited the Unopans to join. The Unopans explained to Thaedus, the leader of the Coalition, that they were trying to breed a Unopan capable of taking on the Viltrumites.

Allen was the only successful subject, but despite his increased strength, he wasn’t able to match the strength of a single Viltrumite. The project was abandoned and Allen was named a Galactic Evaluation Officer charged with exploring the galaxies in search of allies.

That is when he came across Mark Grayson, and he took this significant discovery back to the Coalition. Some members of the High Council are skeptical of his information but Allen insists that Mark can be the ideal ally in their fight against the Viltrumites.

After the meeting, Thaedus has a private conversation with Allen where he tells him that there must be a mole in the Coalition and Allen must try and find out who it is.

Allen returns home where General Telia is waiting for him. The two of them get frisky with each other while the Narrator looks to move away and focus on something else.

Allen and Telia are having a meal together at a diner in space when they are attacked by 3 Viltrumites who want to know more about Mark Grayson. Allen does his best to fight them off, but he is beaten horrifically.

Telia sits by a stabilization chamber, where Allen lays, barely alive. She is in tears and Thaedus arrives to comfort her. He offers to sit by Allen’s side while she rests, but once she leaves, Thaedus switches off the life support and apologizes to Allen.

At the Guardian’s headquarters, Rex and Kate argue with each other in the gym before the Shapesmith shows up and continues behaving the way he assumes humans behave normally.

Amanda walks in on Rudy trying to map out the fear responses in his brain so that he can control it better. Amanda warns him that far doesn’t work that way, and when she’s walking away Rudy asks her out on a movie date.

They go out together and Amanda learns that Rudy has missed out on so many experiences that normal people have had in their everyday lives, like eating fast food.

Debbie attends a support group for spouses of superheroes who have lost their lives. Their first rule is to only use first names so that they can maintain anonymity. She goes out for a drink with Theo after the meeting, and he reveals that his partner was Alana, the Green Ghost.

She feels immense guilt upon learning this and when she admits that her husband was Nolan, Theo tells her not to show up to the group anymore.

Mark goes back to his room where William posters him for details about his first time with Amber. Mark refuses to share but they are interrupted by a knock on the door.

William opens it and then walks back in shock, telling Mark that it’s for him. When Mark goes to the door, he is surprised to see Seance Dog floating before him.

He immediately doesn’t trust the creature before him and wants answers. He fights the dog who claims that he’s from a different dimension and needs Mark’s help. After some tough blows, the creature reveals its true self.

They are an alien named Nualzhat, from a bug-like race belonging to the planet Thraxa. He traveled to Earth to seek out Mark for his help with a meteor shower that would destroy their race.

William convinces Mark to go help, and after letting Cecil and Amber know that he’s leaving for a bit, he accompanies Nualzhat to Thraxa. When he finally arrives, he sees no sense of panic among the people as Nualzhat is eager to introduce Mark to their monarch.

However, he is caught off guard during their meeting as the monarch turns out to be Nolan.

Review

• The episode within an episode covering Allen the Alien is wonderful. It is a clever way to shift the focus while still contributing to the main narrative significantly. The narrator is a nice touch and adds an extra bit of humor.
• The fight sequence between Allen and the Viltrumites is absolutely brutal. The animation team does not hold back in depicting the ruthlessness of the Viltrumites.
• This episode is less stuffed than the previous one and the balance between plotlines is much better. The previous episode might have been a one-off occasion where the creators couldn’t decide on a particular focus.

---

Also Read: Invincible season 2 episode 2 recap & review: In about six hours I lose my virginity to a fish