We – and it appears like the Web as a complete – weren’t impressed by the premiere of Secret Invasion. While there was nothing really bad in regards to the first episode of Marvel Studios’ latest Disney Plus show, it felt plodding and fairly dull despite some interesting comments on Nick Fury’s place in a post-Blip world and the all-star forged’s undeniable charm.
Episode 2, titled ‘Guarantees’, takes advantage of all of the setup done in the primary chapter to spend time fleshing out Samuel L. Jackson’s troubled portrayal of a much older – but not wiser – Nick Fury. Meanwhile, the world is reacting to the terrorist attack on Russian soil as we learn in regards to the true extent of the Skrull menace. Secret Invasion still struggles to make an impression because the spy thriller that was promised, but its core ideas may hold our attention so long as the writers don’t stumble.
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Spoilers ahead for episode 2: ‘Guarantees’
‘Guarantees’ starts off far more interesting than its predecessor because of a fast recap of Fury’s role in Captain Marvel that leads right into a key meeting which took place in 1997, when Talos and his group of Skrull refugees returned to Earth after failing to search out an acceptable recent home amongst the celebrities. Fury’s offer is straightforward: attributable to the species’ unique capabilities, they might be extremely beneficial SHIELD agents. Meanwhile, he vows to maintain helping them search for a planet they’ll colonize. Also, we meet young Gravik.
The scene is shot in a way that avoids doing full frontal shots of Samuel L. Jackson’s face as much as possible, however the de-aging work done here is almost as impressive because the one we saw in Captain Marvel. In fact, the budget here is stretched across nearly six hours of television, so we understand resorting to shorter shots and other tricks, but this felt far more natural and fewer distracting than CG Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Once more, Ben Mendelsohn chews the scenery, giving a performance that feels natural and emotional in a very sincere way. You’d think he’s had a serious, long-running role within the MCU for so long as Jackson, but Talos has been a secondary player we barely know, so Mendelsohn’s energy here speaks volumes about his acting skills.
Back in the current day, and to cite Thanos: “No resurrections this time”. It seems that Maria Hill is dead dead. You never really know with Marvel, but her demise has hit Fury hard, and his following conversation with Talos after they leave Moscow carries loads of weight. Unsurprisingly, Fury is indignant and agitated in a way we’ve not seen before, and he lashes at Talos when he reveals hundreds of thousands of Skrulls got here to Earth while he was gone.
The dilemma presented here feels more compelling than anything in the primary episode and puts each characters in difficult positions despite the fact that they’re allies. Every Skrull that may not in Emperor Drogge’s colony is in search of shelter on Earth. While this is very problematic given their shape-shifting abilities alone, Fury’s “doomer” vision of Earth clouds his judgment. Despite mankind’s many issues and all the interior threats faced within the MCU, they’ve persevered. Furthermore, alien refugees are already a thing – let’s not forget in regards to the Asgardians. In fact, Skrulls would appear much scarier to residents and governments alike, but keeping all of this in the dead of night is creating more issues than going public with the entire crisis.
Nick Fury’s refusal to face the issue head-on and his habit of working within the shadows have finally caused some major blowback, and your complete world is likely to be at risk in consequence. The “refugees uninterested in waiting for a definitive solution” situation rings a bell, and thus far, the matter is being handled with enough care. Fury can have to regain his empathy and pray your complete Skrull population on Earth is not too far gone.
On the bad Skrulls side of things, Gravik and his group take full responsibility for the attack on Russia when he meets with the Council, a gaggle of high-ranking Skrulls who’re already embedded deep into governments and major international organizations corresponding to NATO, the UK, and america. We do not understand how long they have been holding such positions of power, but things seem pretty serious. Still, it appears they’ve mostly worked silently for the good thing about the Skrulls without going too aggressive, and that’s what Gravik wants to alter.
He makes his point (innocent deaths are mandatory to unravel their problems) very clear, and your complete Council bar one member – who may or may not have “an accident” within the near future – agrees with giving him emergency powers to secure a future for all Skrulls on Earth. This sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?
After his clash with Talos, Fury has a temporary encounter with Maria Hill’s mother, who after all blames him for her death within the name of some secret crusade that will not make sense. He was already blaming himself, so her comments appear to have a positive effect on him as an alternative; her death – nor those of hundreds in Russia – should not be in vain, and this kick within the butt might set him in the fitting direction.
Whatever plans he might’ve had after the attack, they disintegrate once James Rhodes activates him after meeting with fearful European representatives on behalf of the US government. Their heated argument begets the query of whether this Rhodey is our Rhodey, especially with a green cloud covering the White House within the show’s intro, but there are also loads of reasons to be mad at Fury and his handling of the situation. He doesn’t stop him by force despite his many threats though.
Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth makes one other shining appearance as she interrogates (in surprisingly violent fashion) a Skrull that has been captured by her allies. Despite her friendly appearance, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty, and thus far, it looks as if she’s on the side of humans. Nonetheless, we’re fully expecting some twists and turns together with her character, who’s perhaps the grayest we have met yet within the series.
Gravik and a strike team get well their lost brother, but not before Sonya is completed with him. The scene that follows, while predictable, perfectly illustrates how far the foremost villain is willing to go to avoid wasting countless Skrulls: putting down those that can expose weaknesses is a price he’s okay with paying.
Back at his group’s ruinous base of operations, Emilia Clarke’s G’iah finds something to do (her character is not too interesting thus far) when she looks into Gravik’s top secret experiment, which has something to do with alien DNA – Groot and Cull Obsidian are among the many unsuspecting donors. It looks as if the Skrulls have been gathering bits and pieces of extraterrestrials with unique abilities to upgrade themselves in the long run. Big comic book aficionados already know where that is going.
The last surprise – and maybe an enormous one for the MCU as a complete despite its intimate nature – comes with the last scene, when Fury enters a peaceful house and embraces her wife: a Skrull who was a part of Talos’ original group of refugees. The actual fact alone that Fury has a wife is a big shock, but her identity suddenly makes this whole conflict incredibly personal and meaningful for him. How does she feel about him failing to unravel her people’s plight for many years? Tune in next week to search out out!