Episode Grade: (6.7/10)
Fury walks a tight rope en route to saving President Ritson from Gravik’s ambush. Unfortunately, the win comes at Talos’ expense.
Plot (39/50)
Amidst shifting loyalties amongst key members of the conflict, there were two major developments. The first is that Gravik’s Super Skrull technology seems to be functional already. The second is that Gravik’s plan to instigate a global conflict between the US and Russia is advancing. Finally, there was the matter of Talos’ (potential) death at the end of the episode.
Clearing the Air
The episode opens with G’iah regaining consciousness as her wound heals thanks to the Super Skrill technology, no doubt. It’s unclear when she gained access to the technology and if anyone knows about it. In any case, she meets with her father to reconcile, but she ends up storming off after becoming frustrated with Talos’ passive attitude.
In the meantime, Fury’s busy dealing with Varra. He listens in on a conversation between her and Rhodes where Rhodes orders her to kill him. Armed with this information, Fury prepares himself for what’s to come. When Varra returns, they end up talking it through instead of fighting it out, and Varra breaks off from Gravik.
Gravik Strikes
With Varra no longer a threat, Fury decides to meet with Rhodes. He ostensibly tries to reconcile with Rhodes by claiming that there is a Skrull mole very close to the President. At this point, it’s been revealed that Rhodes is in fact a Skrull, and Fury knows as much given what he overheard earlier in the day. Rhodes rebuffs Fury’s plea to get his job back, but that was never the objective anyways. Fury slipped a liquid tracker into Rhodes’ drink so he can track his and the President’s movements.
As Fury is in pursuit of the President’s fleet, Gravik and his team strike hard. They ambush the fleet masquerading as Russians. The President is unconscious, but alive. Fury and Talos move quick to secure the President’s safety, but Talos gets hit in the process. As Fury takes the President to his car, Gravik stabs the injured Talos in the heart. As Talos lay on the ground (presumably dead), Fury retreats with the President.
Final Thoughts
This was a short episode with rapid-fire developments. G’iah surviving was not surprising, but Talos’ fate is unclear. The show remains formulaic with three out of the four episodes thus far ending in big character “deaths.” I will say that this one felt a bit more significant that either of Hill or G’iah’s deaths. The reveal of Skrull Rhodes immediately begs the question of how long Rhodes has been a Skrull. That’s a question that should be answered sooner rather than later. Finally, early glimpses of Super Skrull abilities through G’iah and Gravik are promising. Hopefully, we will be given more information on this in the next episode.
Character Development (7/15)
There were a couple of solid interactions in this episode, but they were overshadowed by the painfully poor dialogue. The conversations had no natural flow to them. As a result, what could’ve been important moments turned into prolonged drabs.
Fury
Fury and Varra clearly care about eachother. Varra sees Fury for who he is, and he feels comfortable talking about his feelings openly with her. They are both capable of taking care of themselves on their own, and that seems to be the case for now as they go their separate ways. That’s about it.
Talos is another one of Fury’s close associates whom he cares about. That doesn’t stop him from leaving him lying on the ground after getting stabbed in the heart. Fury prioritized his responsibility to his country and to the whole world, in a sense, but it’s still not a good look. Those loyal to him are falling like flies. Could Talos’ suspected death be the catalyst that finally pushes Fury into next gear?
Others
Speaking of Talos, the plan he offers G’iah was just utterly pathetic. In fact, it makes it easy to understand why so many Skrulls chose to follow Gravik instead. His daughter nearly lost her life fighting for a better future for her people, yet he could not inspire a modicum of confidence to assure G’iah that there is an alternative path forward. G’iah’s defection was one of two solid developments, with the other being Gravik’s consistent presentation as a fierce general.
Theme/Messages (3/5)
- “When you find flesh, you push. When you find steel, you stop.”
Acting (6/15)
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Ben Mendelsohn (Talos), and Charlayne Woodard (Varra) did not have good performances, with Mendelsohn being the most disappointing of the lot. Kingsley Ben-Adir (Gravik), Emilia Clarke (G’iah), and Don Cheadle (Rhodes) were OK, but their solid performances were not enough to offset the poor performances from their co-stars.
Cinematography (12/15)
- Cool shots of the car fleet (26:14 onwards)
- Nice final shot of Talos lying on the ground (presumably dead) as soldiers advance through the smoke in the background