TV Review | Secret Invasion (Episode 3: Betrayed)

“This week’s episode of Secret Invasion is a tensed and riveting one. This series continues to impress and is not afraid to take risks as it showed right from the first episode.”

It is time for our weekly dose of Marvel content with a new episode of Secret Invasion. So far the series has been quite impressive with its first two episodes and its spy thriller style.

THE LIFE OF NICK FURY

(L-R): Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Charlayne Woodard as Priscilla in Marvel Studios’ *SECRET INVASION*, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

Last week’s episode ended with the reveal that Nick Fury had a wife (Charlayne Woodard) who is a Skrull. This week’s episode picks up on that and explores a bit more the relationship between the two. With this series, we spend more time with Fury which allows the story to dive deeper into the different sides of this character. And him being married is definitely something interesting to explore especially since he is married to a Skrull. As usual with Fury, everything is complicated. There is definitely more to learn about Priscilla. She is not just the wife character, she has a role to play in the story.

FURY AND TALOS

(L-R): Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos in Marvel Studios’ *Secret Invasion*, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

Back in 2019 when Captain Marvel was released, I immediately loved the interactions between Fury and Talos. So having them back together again in Secret Invasion was definitely a selling point of the series for me. The first delivered on that side with a touching reunion. There is a strong friendship between the two with a lot of respect and also a good amount of banter. Fury and Talos work so well together. It is an efficient team with a great dynamic. In fact, they have a dynamic similar to the good cop/bad cop, which is fun to see. These are two characters who have different personalities while also being similar. In the middle of this tensed atmosphere, it lightens the tone a bit. Though, episode 2 separated them. Fortunately, we get more of this duo in this week’s episode. I would actually call it an iconic duo.

The previous entries of the MCU portrayed Fury as the guy who knows it all. But here, he is completely out of his depth. And he doesn’t like that. It shows him in a new light and exposes his vulnerabilities. I think this plot with the Skrulls is the perfect challenge for Fury. It is something personal. This is why it is compelling. There is so much at stake with the Skrull rebellion, not just for Fury but also for Talos. The story explores both characters in a meaningful way.

THE SKRULL REBELLION

(L-R): Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik and Emilia Clarke as G’iah in Marvel Studios’ *SECRET INVASION*, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

Moreover, the mounting menace of the Skrull rebellion is like the Cold War except the world doesn’t even know what is going on. There is this constant feeling of impending doom. Right from the first episode with Maria Hill’s death, the series showed its audience it isn’t afraid to shock them and take risks. No one and nothing is safe. This keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

It is a dangerous game of cat and mouse between Gravik and Fury/Talos. We see what is happening on both sides. This episode reveals more of Gravik’s plan and shows the growing distrust between Gravik and G’iah. Gi’ah is in a tough position as she is helping her father from the inside. It is an intriguing storyline. This plays all the right cards of the spy thriller.

VERDICT

This week’s episode of Secret Invasion is a tensed and riveting one. This series continues to impress and is not afraid to take risks as it showed right from the first episode.