This is Unbinged, the podcast, breaking down your favorite movies, shows, and characters in pop culture fandom. And today, we're giving you our review and breakdown of Invincible season three episode four. Guys, this one felt like two episodes in one. We got some changes from the comics. Not big changes, but enough to make us talk about them.
Alfredo:Lots of setup for some big future stuff coming in the series. And we get the return of Alan the Alien, one of my personal favorites, and Battle Beast. We got some really cool stuff coming up on an all new episode of Unbinge starting now.
Jagger:This is a review podcast, and we will be spoiling Invincible. Look away, traveler, if you don't wanna be spoiled or just watch it.
Alfredo:Alright, guys. Let's start off with our reviews of this episode, episode four. This is a fun one. Like I said, it was two different episodes kinda mashed into one, two different story lines. It had two very different vibes to it.
Alfredo:There was sort of the ominous, what the future may hold vibe and a lot of just comparing, contrasting different characters, different sentiments. And then the end was just kind of fun and badass and so much going on there. So, Koff, I wanna hear your thoughts on this because I know you absolutely love Battle Beast. What was your thoughts on this episode in your review?
Kopfhamer:Oh, I love this episode. Getting, like you said, the dichotomy between Mark and Eve storyline, him going to the future, fighting a mortal, and then getting an entirely almost second episode on top of it where we get to see Nolan, Allen, and the return of battle beast. God, he's so cool. I'm gonna give it a 9.5 only because, there is one specific panel in the comics that they needed to adapt for Allen that they skipped in the show, and the Internet is outraged. And I I agree.
Kopfhamer:So that's my only negative detractor. That's why it's not a perfect time.
Jagger:Which panel is it, Kyle?
Alfredo:Yes. It.
Kopfhamer:So there is a part in the when they're fighting the village right in space, and Nolan basically is like, how strong are you? And then they pop his head together. And then Alan muse Adam and is like, very. And it's a very iconic frame in the comics, and it's, like, all over Reddit. If you go on the Reddit message boards, like, they repeatedly post that one frame.
Kopfhamer:And so it's gotten to the status of, like, Uber meme. And the fact that they didn't include it in the show was a little bit disappointing. Otherwise, I thought it was an incredible app adaptation. The changes they did make from the comics, I agreed with it, and they made sense. It's just that one part.
Kopfhamer:It's like, come on, man. You had a very simple job this episode, and you just stumbled at the finish line.
Jagger:To me, that's the difference between, like, fandom and just writing a story narrative. Because, like, as a story narrative, that panel just doesn't matter. It really like, we get it. He he's super strong now. But I get, like, when you're reading it and especially if it reaches, like, meme status
Kopfhamer:Meme status.
Jagger:You hope that whoever wrote that that scene or whatever would have seen that. But, like, I can't get mad at them for not, like, the scout.
Kopfhamer:That's why it's only half a point. That's why it's only half a point on
Alfredo:it. I was gonna say that feels like what's what's our guy? Norman Osborn. Like, we're kind of repeating some of his meme lines in the latest Spider Man movie. I'm like, oh my god.
Alfredo:He said the thing. Wasn't necessary, but it just it it got us to a point and go, like, oh my god. Yeah.
Jagger:Yeah. You do like the Leo meme where you point at the scene.
Kopfhamer:Yeah. Yeah. I like that feeling. So yeah.
Alfredo:Alright, Jagger. What'd you think?
Jagger:This is a nine for me. Super strong. Like I said, you can't can't give them all tens, even though it feels like I should. I'm I'm really happy we're at the point because I didn't wanna, like, spoil for someone like you, Alfredo. Is it like, I was just like, there's only 50 Viltrumites.
Jagger:I've been holding this in for so long that there's only 50 Viltrumite. Like, it's like, I've been holding it in for so long. Like, thank God we could talk about It is a huge deal.
Alfredo:So watching this right now, is this kinda like what it's like when I watch football with my wife where she's just asking a lot of questions where she's just like, is that Saquon Barkley guy actually, like, really good?
Jagger:Yes.
Alfredo:Is is that what this is like? Okay. Yeah. I'm sorry. Bit.
Jagger:Yeah. My bad. Like, subtop it's not your fault, dude. It's just like, honestly, it's good practice because, like like, some like, I'm I'm literally just trying not to blur it out because you wanna talk about iconic panels. The, the the end of that that whole episode where Nola just, like, that's the secret.
Jagger:Like, if anything, I think they kinda took away the power of some of those panels in the comic book a little bit, but I I don't hate it on on it at all. And another thing too, I wanna give the show props. I don't feel annoyed by Mark and Eve's relationship. Like, a lot of times, maybe I'm very much a dude in this. I'm just like, bro, I do not give a shit about any of this.
Jagger:But this story does, and specifically the show does a good job at making me care. It makes me care about Debbie. It makes me care that, like, cool. Mark is comfortable now. I wouldn't disappear through a doctor Strange portal, went and help.
Jagger:So so, like, twin fight characters came back, and my girl's cool about it. And I just feel really happy for him.
Alfredo:I mean, that's having two superheroes, like, being together in a relationship. We rarely see that, and, like, now we do, and we don't have to do the whole Spider Man and MJ thing where he's running off and dealing with the, like, the the normal inadequacies or difficulties of life and having to deal with that relationship. So it's kinda cool to see something where it's not a whiny relationship. I I like that, Jack. That's a good point out there.
Alfredo:I'm gonna give the show, this episode a nine. Like, this was just it was a lot of fun even for me who doesn't know all the backstory. It was it was really cool because, one, I actually wish they would have gone more in-depth into all the future stuff and and where we got how we got there with Immortal. And, apparently, they did more in this show with Immortal than they did in the actual comics. They did.
Alfredo:And and, like, I as as a viewer, I wanted even more. Like, I I really wanted that story of, like, how did he get to this point? It's, like, going from hero to essentially, like, this vandal savage esque guy who's ruling the world and putting people in imprisonment camps. Like, I wanted even a little bit more of that. And so that's my only reason for bringing it down a little bit, but I just I love the split between this episode where you have so much of the impending doom and then so much of the fun that comes later.
Alfredo:And Alan the alien man is my MVP because the way he just the way it transitions so nicely with the narration, and it kinda made that split where it's, hey, we're gonna go from something serious and what you guys have gotten maybe used to of all the impending doom of Invincible and him come overcoming all this stuff to by the way, these guys are still doing their thing over here in a prison cell, and let's let's kinda change the tone of it. So I love that. I love that a bunch.
Jagger:% in the comics too. It's like it's like yeah. Like, these characters are about to fuck, so let's go v Come in.
Kopfhamer:That's still a family friendly show.
Alfredo:You mentioned the narrator for for that was Paul f Tompkins?
Kopfhamer:Paul f Tompkins. Yep.
Jagger:Yeah. Mister peanut butter from, BoJack Horseman, if you if you're a fan like me.
Alfredo:Okay. Let's hop into the breakdown of this episode. And one of the big things, I think, everyone can kind of agree, some people might call this episode a filler episode, but even for me, the uninitiated, I didn't feel like it was a filler episode. I felt like it was just adequate setup for a lot of future stuff here, guys. And, I mean, we can kinda start in in many different places.
Alfredo:I think one of the best places to start is, Mark breaking into the Pentagon. And we kinda get that bridge from the last episode and how that ended of the surveillance of him and his family, him breaking into the Pentagon and finding out, like, Cecil saying that's not mine. But then we, as the audience, do find out Cecil is still spying on Mark, which I think we all kinda knew. Yeah. Yeah.
Alfredo:And and I know the difference here between the show and the comics is that Cecil and Mark are really still staying at arm's length distance. This isn't Cecil reaching out asking him for a favor and, like, them still kinda using each other and leading to a whole another side quest. How did you guys like the change in this episode from the comics, Jagger?
Jagger:I thought it was fine for the most part. If anything, my biggest issue with the change of the comic book is not anything to do with Cecil. And when I mean issue, it's like what Kosh said. It's like a half a point, was just that they they aren't quite ramping up the Viltrumite rage in Mark as much. If any like, we saw that where he's just like, I gotta go beat some fucking meat robots again, and then he'll go he'll go and do that.
Jagger:But, like, specifically with Immortal, you know, Mark right now is just he's a little bit unhinged, and I think they're kinda taking the edge off a little bit. And if anything, I think the Cecil end of this is better. I like the calm Cecil where he's just very relatable, and you feel like you understand his motive. So this is another case where I think this particular change is probably just better than the comic ever did.
Kopfhamer:I think it's probably because they're allowing a little bit more time in the show for this relationship. If I'm not mistaken, the comic, it it happens very quickly. Like, the fallout and then the aftermath is all very, very fast. So I think just from the natural adaptation side, they're they're giving it more time to breathe by allowing Cecil to be more calm when he deals with Mark. Whereas in the comic, he's just like, throw everything we got
Jagger:on until he stops. Like
Kopfhamer:Yeah. Yeah. Like, he's he's he's pissed off, and his his ego is hurt. Whereas in the show, he's still trying to reach out to Mark and reason with him. And I think eventually, we'll get to the point where he breaks.
Kopfhamer:He's like, fuck Mark. But until the until we get to that point in the show, I think you're right, Jagger. Having him be more reasonable, we can side with Cecil as the audience, whereas in the comics, it was like, no. Mark's right. Yeah.
Kopfhamer:And I think that's gonna play out wonderfully by the end of the season where things kinda blow up in Mark's face, and he has to admit to both himself and Cecil. Like, yeah. You were right along the way. So I I do enjoy these changes. I think they're very smart.
Kopfhamer:It goes back to what we're saying last episode where Kirkman does a great job of going back to his source material and improving upon it when he adapts it. He doesn't just do something because it was on the page as we saw with the Allen thing. So I think if I had my guess, they probably did put that on screen and then realized it didn't work on a visual adaptation like this, so they just cut it. So I think they're being very, very specific with what they change and how they change it. I think a lot of it has to do with some of these side characters.
Kopfhamer:They just don't, you know, they don't have the rights for them. So they can't do a full faithful adaptation of some of these, you know, side things that change.
Jagger:Yeah. That's, like, a good
Alfredo:shout out to which character that might be.
Jagger:Wolfman. Yep. Yeah. That's that's that's just one. Like, I'm the Image Comics.
Jagger:The one the one thing I have to complain about Robert Kirkman is that he is shitty at at at naming superheroes. Yeah. May maybe that is intentional or something. Like like, sometimes it's corny and it works. Like, invincible, it's like a play on words.
Jagger:Omni Man's fine. But, like, drop kit and fight master, like, come on, dawg. What what are we doing?
Kopfhamer:Terrible.
Alfredo:Is it so is that, like are we being unfair saying that? Because it's not like DC and Marvel don't have a bunch of really bad names, but we've just been more indoctrinated to be like, well, that's superheroes. Like, ant ant man. Your dog disagrees. Cough.
Alfredo:Well, it
Jagger:and it's more like a lot of those characters were made in the sixties and Kirkman made this in, like, 2010 or something like that. I well, because, like, the way I look
Alfredo:at it is it's almost like a meta commentary on, like, how kind of ridiculous superheroes are, but, like, let's just lean into how ridiculous it is and make everything ridiculous from the backstories to the violence to all of it, and let's try to make it slightly more relatable and just have a little bit more fun because we don't have the same, I guess, vibing with that? Correct?
Jagger:No. You're prob you're probably right. In, like and a lot of times with comics, the way that things happen is I don't have time. Comics are very fast on here. You know?
Jagger:Like like, they're on a budget, and they're putting them out. So Kirkwood just like, dropkick, fight master, that's fine. Yeah. Yep. Like, these they don't matter.
Jagger:They fight people. Yeah.
Kopfhamer:Yeah. Yeah. You're lucky to be in trouble and just, like, punch and kick. Like
Alfredo:Yeah. I mean, at that point, yeah. So speaking of punch and kick, drop kick, and fight master, we have them show up at, the date for Mark and Eve while they're there in Paris, which, by the way, I guess, is that would that be a top three date spot if you could just fly wherever you want?
Jagger:Yes. For the pastries for
Kopfhamer:sure. Gross.
Alfredo:Okay.
Jagger:Pastries cough. Go for the food, not the people.
Alfredo:Yeah. Yeah. You're not Yeah. But the people
Kopfhamer:are not
Alfredo:plunging your allegiance to it. You're just eating lunch. Alright. We
Jagger:live in America. We cannot exactly brag. But
Alfredo:Anyways There's French fries
Kopfhamer:in America. I'll find it.
Alfredo:These guys, pull Mark into the future. And, basically, they kinda not lure him with this quote, but they do, like, drop this on him where they say, maybe you're not the hero we thought you were. And then he's kinda just like jokes. He's like, I really thought that line would work, which by the way, is all a matter of money they went. Now you got me messed up, cough.
Alfredo:Is just I thought he crushed this. I actually thought he really crushed this because, my wife and I were talking that I sometimes think that, like, the actors who aren't as experienced and sometimes overact in real life tend to be really good animation actors because they bring a little extra life to this character that doesn't always have a facial expression. Kinda feels like when you're, like, when you're watching anime, Japanese voices versus, like, the American voices. Mhmm. It tends to be that big difference.
Alfredo:The Japanese voices bring a lot more emotion to the characters, and this is I was surprised at how well he did with Dropkick and Fightmaster.
Jagger:Yep. And I haven't seen him in anything else. I've never seen Blue Beetle. I don't know if I ever will.
Alfredo:If you watch Cobra Kai, you're gonna be like, he's
Jagger:from Oh, he's from Cobra Kai. I I'll never watch that.
Alfredo:Big breakout role. He's, like, the main star of Cobra Kai. And it's there's a lot of overacting, and I think he really reeled it in for Blue Beetle. And then, like, this is where I'm, like, okay. Damn.
Alfredo:Homie can really do anything he wants if if he's if he can reel it in correctly like this.
Jagger:Mhmm.
Alfredo:But so these guys, they I love that they bring up the whole legend or lore, whatever we wanna call it, of how they thought that the ink from the Declaration of Independence, they could use it as a poison to to kill immortal. And that was just really funny. I'm glad we got the payoff on that. That that was really cool. So when you guys were saying, yeah.
Alfredo:You'll see why. I love it. That's why that's happening.
Kopfhamer:Yeah. Yeah.
Alfredo:And we go to this alternate future where we find out immortal is the ruler of Earth, essentially, left to run things after Mark and his family leave. And I'm I'm sure there's more to this. Obviously, there's gonna be way more to this. It feels very ominous, way too simple to just be that. But we start to see what happens with someone who is immortal and how they're not quite the same as humanity.
Alfredo:They are gonna start to eventually lose their mind to the point where he doesn't even remember duplicate. He's had hundreds of wives. What did you guys think of this? Because this was, this was I I don't wanna say a dark turn because Invincible's already kinda dark at times, but this was interesting to kinda jump into the future. Cough, what what do you think of this one?
Kopfhamer:I thought it was a a very interesting take for the character immortal because I think that shows, what Nolan was telling Mark in their fight in the first season at the end of season one where he's like, think, Mark. Like, what are you gonna have after five hundred years, a thousand, or however many years? And Mark's like, I'll have you. So Mark is always keeping his eye on what's gonna keep him grounded, whereas immortal lost literally everyone. Anyone who's ever been close
Jagger:to now. Like, our version of immortals losing Yes. That humanity now.
Kopfhamer:Now now take him a thousand years, two thousand years in the future where he has no one left, and he is literally, like, I now you're burdening me with being the ruler of the entire world on top of having no tether to reality anymore. So, of course, he's gonna turn into a brutal tyrant. Like like you said, Vandal Savage, like, it makes perfect sense for this character who has more power than anyone else left and has no tether to humanity. So, of course, he's gonna he's gonna do and then say whatever. And what I thought was most interesting was when he was blaming Mark, he's like, this is your fault.
Kopfhamer:And and that's when you really knew this character was lost forever because he could no longer even, realize that his actions were his choice and his actions. And he kept putting the blame on an external force and factor in Mark to justify to himself that he has broken beyond relief. And that's why he begs Mark to kill him. And and I think it really lends itself to Mark having to learn that lesson that some people have to be put down. They're too dangerous to try to rehabilitate.
Kopfhamer:And it's a juxtaposition to what Cecil's trying to teach him, but I think it's a fine line that Cecil will be like, yeah. That's the line.
Jagger:See, this is where, like, I love that we're, like, three different levels. See, like, a Koff has finished Invincible. I am right in the middle of it ahead of the show, and then Alfredo hasn't read anything at all because I my only pushback on that, and this is where I'm I'm happy at this point where the difference that I didn't like In the comic, and maybe that's kinda where my opinion comes is reading the comic first. I took that Mark didn't like what he was hearing because, remember, there's only 50 pure blooded Viltrumites. So naturally, they're they had their governors.
Jagger:So Mark was just like, hey. You're gonna run this planet. You're the strongest dude after me after you're gonna do it. And that and Mark's like, I don't I can imagine that it's the kind of similar immortal that we have now in in Mark's main timeline where he's just like, bro, I'm barely fucking hanging on right now. Now you want me to run the world?
Jagger:And he's like, yep. Good luck. Deuces or we'll kill you. And then he dips out. So then he goes over and takes over the world and that breaks him.
Jagger:So I think that the blame that Immortal has for Mark and by extension, Viltrum, I think that's justified. Yeah. He did some fuck shit, some crazy shit, but I don't think this is like dark wing losing it, and he's blaming other people. I genuinely think he's just like, buddy, you wanted me to rule a planet, and that's just not how it should have been to begin with is where is where we're born what I've been.
Kopfhamer:And you ignore them. Yeah.
Jagger:Yeah. Well and Yeah. And you
Alfredo:could see the resentment when he's telling Mark how many must die for your mistakes. And, Koff, you were telling me something really interesting before the show, and I kinda wanna expand on this for people that haven't even quite thought this far in advance. So talk to us a little bit about the time travel in this and, like, how everything sort of seems inevitable.
Kopfhamer:So, seeing it on screen really helped drive it home versus just seeing it in the comics. But, this universe uses a time or or a closed time loop system, similar to, like, Harry Potter, where the current present self, if you will, is experience everything, and they think that it may be somebody else helping them or they think that their choices actually matter into what's going to happen. But, no, everything is predetermined essentially. And we see that evidenced by Mark future Mark taking clothes from himself. And then at the end, having to then do that to his past self.
Kopfhamer:So it's a closed loop. Everything that happens is going to happen. And I think if you go back and watch that scene where immortal and Mark are being confronted with each other, immortal says some very interesting lines about what happens in the future. I'm not gonna repeat them because I think it's it's good homework to repeat this episode and and look out for those lines because they're very important.
Alfredo:Fuck that. Repeat it.
Kopfhamer:But it yeah.
Jagger:I suppose That's
Alfredo:why people are here. They're here to listen to us talk about this, man.
Kopfhamer:So there's a line that there's a line that a mortal says, you are the emperor, and then you left me in charge and then left. And then he also says, what, are you sick again? So those are two very important plot lines that are coming in the future. So they're sprinkling in some foreshadowing now, and setting up
Alfredo:some of that again. I thought they had found a cure. Like, on top of are you sick again?
Kopfhamer:Right. So, again, they're sprinkling some foreshadowing for future events. And because I've read all the comments, I know certain things are gonna happen. Again, it's just evidence that this is a closed loop system and that if you travel back in time, that means it's always happened. And anything that you do in the past will always happen, and everything in the future will always happen.
Kopfhamer:So, inevitably, immortal will take over. He'll go crazy, and past Mark will have to take care of future Mark's mistake.
Jagger:What that's crazy, dude, is, you're right that the show really, like, puts that part home because I was just like, oh. Because, like, in the comic, you see him, like, another invincible ticket, and he's like, don't ask questions. You're like, okay. And then you and, like, they never really, like, really come back to that. And then when I saw him grab his own clothes, and he's just like, wow.
Jagger:You look miserable. You know? Like, that's that that that kinda clicked, clicked home for me. And, again, the I kinda glazed over this, but a big difference from the comics is, like, Mark didn't even wanna hear that shit. But, like, it was quick.
Jagger:Immortal started to spill the beach. He's like, no. That's not real. Let me like, stop it. And that that's kinda how that happened there.
Alfredo:No. So
Jagger:yeah. So that's and that's what I meant by, like, the clap. Yeah. The the rage thing that I think they they kinda tiled, the they kind of, tie that down a little bit and hold it back. Yeah.
Alfredo:Do you think they're doing that because they have a little more time with the show to kinda ramp up the race? Because it would feel, at least to me, it would feel very weird, from an emotional standpoint to have, like, that such insane rage to, like, alright. Let me go back to my date and and go have sex with my girl for the first time. Like, I mean, maybe there are people that are like that, but just it would feel very off throughout the the episode like that. And I think because they have more time to do this throughout the season, they can find more appropriate times for him to have that that buildup of rage as a Viltrumite.
Jagger:Yeah. The the emotions is more realistic on here. Because, like, in the comic, even when when Mark comes back, he, like, makes a joke. He's just like, is anyone sitting here? You know?
Jagger:Because he just left. It like, that it's like, he came back. He's like, wow. You look upset. He's like, yeah.
Jagger:Am I a bad person?
Kopfhamer:They're making it more real. And, and I think, again, it's that intentionality with some of the changes in the adaptation. They're taking their time with this because there's gonna be a couple of moments coming up, at least I believe, at the end of this season where we're going to see that Diltrumite rage unleashed, and it's gonna make it more impactful that we haven't seen it sooner. And and they're given that slow buildup. So I think they're being very intentional with how they're gonna show us when he is fully let loose.
Alfredo:Well, what I think is cool here is that they're giving us more layers too to the relationship of Mark and Eve with the fact that Mark actually tells Eve about, hey. This is where I was. This is what happened in the future. And Eve is kinda like, hey, remember what I told you about future me? Like, there there's just some added layers to it, and I think that that I I'm glad that they've had they made that change if Mark was also not going to be this violent rage monster.
Alfredo:If they made multiple changes to make it all congruent and cohesive and have it make sense, whereas maybe later, I don't know, and now I'm just kinda talking to my ass, it would make sense for him to get angrier and probably have less honesty and openness with Eve, and he just kinda feels like he's he's gotta be this rage monster, this different Viltrumite. I don't know.
Jagger:Black suit Spider Man era.
Alfredo:Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Let's go to the next the second half, I guess, of this episode.
Alfredo:I was ready, like, I thought it was done. I I really thought it was done. I was like, alright. That was a fun little filler episode, and then the narration starts. We head on over to Alan the alien in space.
Alfredo:And this was this was cool because not only did I love just the reintroduction of Alan the alien, we get to see what's going on with Nolan, the Viltrumites, the prison. But, Cawth, this is your moment, Shyman. We get Battle Beast back, after so long, and he's voiced for those that don't know, he's voiced by Michael Dorn, who also played Worf in the Star Trek series. And it's kind of the perfect casting for this call. You and I were talking about that ahead of time because, Battle Beast does sort of feel like a Worf character.
Alfredo:I said he's a little bit like a a more serious Drax, or you said, like, a slightly less angry Vegeta. Can you can you give a, yeah, yeah, can you give a breakdown of Battle Beast for people without giving spoilers?
Kopfhamer:Sure. I mean, but everything we said, he's a he's a stereotypical, like, warrior obsessed, you know, entity. He travels the universe looking for the ultimate threat and the ultimate fight, and his ultimate goal is to die a glorious death in battle. So, you know, we've seen in the we've seen or we've heard from him this episode. He has never faced a Vilju night before, except for Mark, the exception of Mark at Earth.
Kopfhamer:But he wants to find the strongest being in the universe and then fight him, either win or lose. He doesn't really care if he dies or not. He just wants a worthy opponent. So, I mean, in in essence, that's Battle Beast. Just a big line humanoid looking motherfucker who wants to fight.
Kopfhamer:Yep. He's awesome.
Alfredo:I like how I like how you broke it down real simple.
Jagger:Yep. Yeah. I mean, he is. He's a simple cat, man. You know what I mean?
Alfredo:Nice. Yep. That means
Kopfhamer:Literally and figurative. Yeah. He's That's called the double entendre.
Alfredo:Alright. So, the Viltrumite execution ritual.
Jagger:Stupid. Let's
Kopfhamer:I love it. It's so dumb.
Alfredo:Please explain.
Kopfhamer:So dumb.
Alfredo:Please explain.
Kopfhamer:It's so badass.
Jagger:It's just it's their hubris is just fucking insane. It is just insane. They're like, you're you're you have to be worthy to die. So we're gonna let you sit here and heal. You're one of the greatest Viltrumites ever ever.
Jagger:And we got you with another hulking fucking alien. We got a cat that's pissed off and wants our blood. We're gonna lock you in a facility, then we're gonna come execute you slowly by beating the shit out of you and tell you how shameful you are. Like, come on. Like, the you wanna talk about the Roman Empire?
Jagger:That is Viltrum. Yeah. I I I I'm not even far enough to really see the ins and outs yet. It's in the comic, But if there's not a bigger metaphor for the Roman Empire, it is Viltrum right here. Because you're like, wow.
Jagger:Maybe you should've killed Nolan right away. Right away. You should've just fucking killed him. You should've killed Alan the alien and kept his body right away. Just not very efficient, these Viltrumites.
Jagger:You know?
Kopfhamer:But there's a reason for that. It's because there's less than 50 full blooded Viltrumite adults left.
Jagger:So there's a red bloodbath. Immediately. Like, immediately. Yeah. No.
Jagger:I guess you Yeah.
Kopfhamer:The ritual itself is highly impractical, but it probably stems from when they were full power with thousands or millions of members to their race. So now that the fact that they're down to less than 50 and they just killed two more this episode, so down to, like, 45 ish, they are still clinging to these old inefficient ways because they are refusing to see that they are dying out. And if they don't change their ways, they will die out. It doesn't matter how strong they are as individuals or even as a collective. If they don't adapt to the future, they're gonna die out.
Kopfhamer:And we are seeing that slowly come to fruition with Nolan changing his mind and Mark being in this new generation. Maybe we'll get to see the Viltrum Empire change or we'll see it die out. I mean, that's really the only two options we have at this point with the coalition now gaining Nolan support, Battle Beast, and an improved Allen.
Jagger:And Keith, what about Kid Omni, man?
Alfredo:Oh, yeah. True. What a stupid ass name. I'm sorry.
Jagger:It's very stupid.
Alfredo:Yeah. Stop me, man.
Kopfhamer:I know. People are gonna love it, Mark. And he's like, are you dumb? You're fucking three three month old?
Alfredo:Mhmm. So stupid. I will say this. What I like as as the uninitiated viewer just watching the show is I loved the irony of Nolan essentially learning empathy and and in many ways humanity from Alan the alien, someone whose race was enslaved by by the Viltrumites. And then it's kind of like, well, damn.
Alfredo:If this guy can be cool with me and show empathy and understanding and try to, like, create friendship. And I don't think that's what's really setting off anything for Nolan. I think it's been a gradual thing where he even says, I think I miss my wife, and, he he, you know, went through everything with the with the Thraxens. Right? And I just think that's such a cool character growth for a guy that you we really I mean, me me as a viewer, like, you think he's totally gone.
Alfredo:And Yeah. To have this nice story arc over multiple seasons, I want to know what it's all leading to. For me as the uninitiated, and you guys might laugh when I say this, it feels very much like every single trope we see in superheroes where we're going to get a gang of Earth's defenders that maybe some of them are going to be banding together unwillingly or reluctantly, and it's going it could be an Omni Man, Battle Beast, Allen, Invincible, all of the Guardians coming together to stop the the army of ultramites coming. That's what it feels like. I could be way off.
Alfredo:But, yeah, I I I figured we there's not much for us to talk about there because we can't
Kopfhamer:really say much spoilers
Jagger:Yeah. Of
Alfredo:what, like, of what could happen. So I mean, like, I guess for the people that haven't read the comics, what can we say? Because there we've got Angstrom Levy who's out there plotting some skeevy shit. Right? We've got everything going on with Cecil behind the scenes.
Alfredo:We've got the Viltrumites coming. There's a lot. Like, what what could you say, Koff, as to what they're actually setting up that would make me as a viewer, someone that has not read the comics go, damn. We're gonna get some good payoff.
Kopfhamer:Yeah. It's it's a very difficult client.
Jagger:You're not I'll help. I'll help. Can't. Yeah. I'll say the Viltrumites, think of them as inevitable.
Jagger:You're going to get that payoff. It's a concept problem. They are the White Walkers of the story. Like, that is No.
Kopfhamer:No. No. No. No.
Alfredo:That's great.
Kopfhamer:No. No. No. No. No.
Kopfhamer:Because the White Walkers are just bullshit. Like, they were killed way too easily. This is more like season one of Dragon Ball z when the, the like, Vegeta and his crew is coming to Earth to fuck shit up. That and If they didn't
Jagger:fuck up the White Walker story is what I meant. Okay? Like like it say like version. Like yeah. Like like yeah.
Jagger:The book version White Walkers, it is that except David, and David Benioff aren't gonna fuck that up for us. You know? And then I'll say for the immediate future, Angstrom Levy is the right now problem. That's all I can say.
Kopfhamer:Boy is he.
Jagger:He's the right now problem. He's like Yeah.
Kopfhamer:So and, also, it's been teased as far as, like, the voice actor was cast as a character. So Aaron Paul's character is tied up in the next couple episodes, and that's a very important lesson for Mark to learn. So, buckle up. That one's gonna be electrifying.
Alfredo:Alright. I'm I'm I'm locked all the way the fuck in, guys. Thanks for that. Thanks for that. Well, I think we're getting some really cool versions of of Mark, of Nolan, of all these characters getting some growth.
Alfredo:You guys left me in a in a place where I'm kind of excited to see where this goes. This was a good episode setting up a lot of stuff, and it feels like multiple stories. So, for that, I'm I'm, like, not even worried a little bit. Didn't feel like filler at all. But we will be back again next week.
Alfredo:We're gonna try to get these out to you guys on Thursdays like we're doing today as we watched it today. We're getting out to you same day. And, and, of course, on Monday, we're going to have our updated review and reaction for our theories of severance season two. What are we on? Episode five now?
Alfredo:Severances is just going quick. Moving on. Quick. We we still have, like, five more episodes. Nuts.
Alfredo:But, boys, this is great. We're gonna be back again on Monday, like I said. And for all of you watching and listening all the way through, we wanna thank you as always for myself, for Jagger, for Koff. We'll see you next time. Adios.
