Here is my Secret Invasion Finale review, and it’s honestly a bit rubbish! I was worried after Episode 5 that this was going to be a finale which was designed to wrap up, rather than feel like a natural conclusion. Sadly, that’s exactly what we got, a finale that feels designed by committee, and one that steers away from the genre Marvel were trying to aim for.
This is an NO SPOILER review folks, so I’m not getting into the weeds of the finale plot here, initially.
However, because this is the finale, there is also a discussion to be had on how this show affects the MCU going forward. That section will discuss finale SPOILERS so if you’ve not watched it yet, be wary. It will be signposted ahead of time.
Spy Thriller No More
When Secret Invasion began, I said that some Marvel fans might not like this show. It felt a little grittier and more character based, and it played like a slow burn spy thriller. It’s not superheroes having fights with CGI, which I’m not against. After all, it’s Marvel. However, it was also nice to have something different this time around. Sadly it seems, similar to WandaVision, that Marvel has mandated the finale’s to these shows have to have some superhero fighting. I can see why, in general, but this was not the right call for Secret Invasion. As such, the story built just falls apart like Fury at the end of Infinity War.
Last week I said we had traded Gravik the charismatic freedom fighter extremist, for a power hungry villain, and that’s a real shame. There is a moment between Gravik and Fury, kinda, where he expresses his grievances with Fury. That is the best scene in this finale, but it really means nothing to the context of the story. Therefore, despite some good acting, again, the drama falls flat.
Funnily enough, the reaction of everyone at the end of the show is far more interesting than the finale itself. Ultimately Secret Invasion was a build up to two people fighting over their differences in opinion. That fight, looked good and the CGI was solid for once. However, it was a complete waste of money and I’d rather they saved $90M and gave us an appropriate spy thriller ending instead of a superhero ending.
What Works Or Not?
I have deep respect for the talent in front of the camera in Secret Invasion. The acting from all involved really was quality and it gave their characters some depth. At the same time, not every character was written well and through no fault of Emilia Clarke I find myself not yet understanding her character Giah at all. That’s on the writing. Equally, Coleman’s Farnsworth was great, as she has been throughout. However, the role really could have been beefed up, and a competent director/producer combo would have seen the dailies and written more for her character to do.
Sadly, I also think Secret Invasion suffered a drop after the death of Talos. Mendelsohn is excellent and his chemistry with Fury was one of the best things about Episodes 1-4. Once he was out, we really should have had Giah take his place as a foil for Fury and an ally. However there was no time. There were only two episodes left and they had to set up a superhero fight for the finale. Maybe that will be Season 2….hope not.
Maybe I’d have appreciated the finale more if we had 1-2 more spy thriller like episodes with Giah, Fury and Farnsworth working together off the grid as a trio. A Skrull, a Human and Fury kinda in between in terms of loyalties.
RELATED: Secret Invasion Episode 5 Review: My Least Favorite Episode So Far
There are some supposed surprises set up in this finale also which just didn’t work for me. They were just too obvious and nce again I could see the strings of his this finale had been designed rather than written. Marvel really has a habit of trying to play with new genre’s, but always, always going back to the same generic endings. In fact, perhaps only She-Hulk and Loki did something different. In the former’s case it wasn’t for me. The latter? Well, Loki remains the best Disney+ Marvel show for me. Secret Invasion started strong, but ended poorly.
The one story aspect./character arc that worked from start to finish was that of Vala/Priscilla and Fury. That was the heart of this story and honestly there is little in their story I would change. It worked and the actors sold it. The conclusion to their arc would have been a great addition to a story with a better designed ending. However, given the rest of the episode, one or two scenes cannot save it.
GRADE: C –
Thoughts for the Future ( Full Series SPOILERS)
If you’ve kept going past my review then you’ve either already watched the finale or don’t care about getting spoiled. Let’s get into it.
One of the things that disappointed me about this show was how the status quo hasn’t changed enough by the finale. Outside of Ritsen’s paranoid campaign to eradicate all Skrulls, we are essentially left in the same position as the story started. The only difference is now that Skrulls are being actively hunted. Luckily we hear from Fury that the Kree may be willing to end their war and have peace with the Skrulls. However, we already know from trailers for The Marvels that things don’t go as planned. Ergo, nothing will change and the Skrull’s main issue remains.
Meanwhile, Giah now enters into a similar relationship as her father did with Fury, only this time she’s working for Sonia Farnsworth. However, I don’t think we can go any further without talking about the elephant in the room. Is Giah now the MCU’s most powerful character? She seems to have the combined powers of… everyone at this point. Which I still don’t understand, why do their character DNA contain traces of their powers exactly? I guess I should not think too much about it.
RELATED: Secret Invasion Episode 4 Review: No Mid Season Slog – Hallelujah!
Giah defeating Gravik felt like a bit of a cop out to me. One Cap Marvel blast and he was gone, but didn’t heal like Giah? I bet Giah would have repaired herself ha. However, ultimately, giving Giah that power set I think was a very bad idea which will prove costly in the future. She really is just too OP and it’s bordering on silly to me. Maybe if the MCU was about to revolve round the adventures of Giah, I could see it. However, who knows when we will see her again? We haven’t seen Shang-Chi, Starfox, or any Eternals since their movies and right now there’s no sign of when we will. I therefore would not assume that Emilia Clarke is signed up for the next Avengers Movies.
It is also worth mentioning that there is no post-credit scene for Secret Invasion and that’s also disappointing. We already know by the time we get to Captain America 4, Ritsen has been replaced by President Ross (Harrison Ford). I also kinda felt like we needed more from Rhodey. Like a post-credit scene showing just how long he had been out for. Many fans think his gown indicates he’s been a Skrull since Civil War. That would be a lot to deal with. Therefore, a post-credit scene showing Rhodey dealing with his life could have been a nice set up for where his character goes next. Nope.
Ultimately Secret Invasion didn’t really matter. The story hasn’t really altered the universe all that much, bar the current anti-Skrull sentiment. Fury is back in space ready for The Marvels and Giah has replaced her father except she now works for Sonia.
Disappointing!
As always, let me know what you thought of my Secret Invasion finale review or leave your own in the usual place below. What did you think of the Secret Invasion finale?
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