Invincible Episode 5 (TV Review)

Most television series' have at least one episode per season that ends on a cliff hanger; some leave you in shock while others come out of nowhere. However, the latest episode of Amazon's adult superhero show, Invincible, ends on one of the most shocking and suspenseful cliff hangers in TV history making this the best episode of the show yet.

Episode five of Robert Kirkman's latest show continues the plot line and shows the adventures of the title lead. Mark's (aka Invincible) relationship with Amber (voiced by Zazie Beetz) is on the rocks due to his lack of responsibility while he gets some more training with his father.

The show has clearly found its stride and we are starting to see the story come together. In this week's episode we see characters from previous episodes return and given depth that I didn't really expect. Villains are also given more layers to their motives; some characters thus far had felt quite one dimensional and had a superficial backstory but in episode five, we see why they must commit villainous actions and we can understand their morals. The show has done an excellent job building each character up in a way that feels very relatable but also can see the right and wrong to each scenario they are thrown into. Invincible makes each character feel very human and while they do have superpowers, you feel the emotion leaping off the screen and impacting the viewer.

The action is dialled up even more in this episode. There are multiple violent and bloody sequences that are filled with suspense and the way the scenes are crafted to make you question who will come out on top is executed to perfection. There is more action that in any other episode in the latest chapter and because of this, you can feel this threat emerging and this raises the stakes even more.

I think the character with the most development this episode is Amber Bennett; she really comes into the spotlight and is given more character growth that anyone else. You can see her frustrations with Mark and can understand her anger which made me empathise with her.  The story really is allowing her to become a leading character as she is given more depth, development and an arc that many will relate to.

Invincible episode five left my jaw on the floor. The stakes are higher than ever, characters are given more development and the ending is truly shocking. I am craving for more and next week's episode can't come soon enough. As always, the animation is beautiful and this show has become an all-time favourite of mine after five episodes.