We got big reveals and new relationships blooming last week in Invincible. Luckily, the writers get to write a more personal struggle for Mark and his team in “This Was Supposed to Be Easy,” while bringing back a Season 1 frenemy. The return of Titan is a big deal for the ground-level exploration of this world, and helps expand the lore of the gangsters in the city.
Invincible – “This Was Supposed to Be Easy” – The Recap
Titan (Todd Williams) prepares for work and walks his daughter to school. His neighborhood looks exceptionally well-kept, and the neighbors show respect to Titan as he walks down the road. He’s interrupted by Isotope (Chris Diamantopoulos), who tells Titan there’s a problem.
At the prison, Multi-Paul (Simu Liu) creates dozens of copies of himself to break his cell door. Many of his copies are crushed to death as he continues to create his copies, but eventually, the door and glass break under the pressure. Multi-Paul Prime uses the opportunity to continue making copies and works to escape the prison. However, before one of the guards puts a collar around his neck to stop him from making copies. The guards kill the other copies and capture Multi-Paul Prime.
Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow) speaks to Mult-Paul in a prison interrogation unit. She had been trying to get her brother out to work with the GDA, but his escape attempt broke that trust. We get a quick flashback of their past, including their Dad going insane from the number of copies and the GDA’s experimentation/training on them as children. Paul left Kate alone at the training facility, and they’ve been on opposite sides ever since. She’s mad he keeps going back to the Order, but they’ll never agree on their path forward.
At the Graysons, Mark (Steven Yeun) and Eve (Gillian Jacobs) wake up with the call for breakfast. Debbie (Sandra Oh) made pancakes for everyone, knowing that Eve spent the night even if the couple had not brought it up to her. Oliver (Christian Convery) gives away that Eve flew out the window and that they were too loud the night before.
Mark brings up the idea of renting an apartment with Eve, and while Debbie is supportive, she does like having them around. Eve was surprised Mark brought up the apartment but agrees it would be best for them. Now they need to figure out how to afford a place, which Eve uses to start a new private security firm – Invincible Inc. She offers the prison the first call for free. At home, Mark is impressed with Eve’s business, but they’re interrupted by Debbie. Oliver has gone missing.
Mister Liu (Tzi Ma) and the Order demand Titan break Multi-Paul out of prison. Titan declines, telling Liu about Invincible being brought in on-retainer, and the teleport shield that has been deployed around the site. Liu does not accept this option and threatens Titan’s family. He rushes upstairs to check on his wife (Nicole Byer) and daughter, but they appear safe. However, he realizes Mister Liu checked in on Fiona. Titan adds security measures for his family.
Later, Titan and Isotope discuss Master Liu’s intrusion into Titan’s life. Isotope warns Titan that the Order does not cross lines, they do whatever they need to do. Isotope reveals that Liu turns into a dragon and the last person who went up against Liu got eaten. Titan asks how Machine Head survived, and Isotope admits that Machine Head wants Liu’s spot on The Order.
Mark and Eve fly out into the night to find Oliver, and it does not take long to find him. Oliver made friends with other young adults, as the group plays on their skateboards. Mark and Eve watch from the bushes and try to leave Oliver to make his own mistakes. Bullies arrive and start to push Oliver around, but when he uses his superspeed to pants them, they run away. Eve reminds Mark that Oliver is a good kid.
At Teen Team HQ, Rae (Grey Delisle) watches reality TV until someone knocks on the door. Rex (Jason Mantzoukas) made her dinner, and while its after midnight, he followed the meal kit instructions to make the meal. He also stole a bottle of wine from Immortal, which, despite being hundreds of years old, is gross. Rae thanks Rex for the dinner.
Titan visits Machine Head (Jeffrey Donovan) in prison, and there’s considerable tension from the former boss. Machine Head tells Titan to start begging for forgiveness from The Order, or he will die. Titan admits Liu crossed a line with his daughter, but Machine Head remains furious with Titan. He sarcastically tells him to call HR. Titan reminds Machine Head that he got overthrown because he underestimated those below him in the organization.
Mark tells Debbie about Oliver’s night but gets interrupted to stop another prison break. Outside, Titan waits for Invincible, telling the hero he needs help to prevent many more from dying. While hesitant, Invincible flies back to Titan’s neighborhood. Titan tries to show Mark/Invincible the difference he’s made in the community and then tells him that the Order demands for Multi-Paul to get out of prison. If Titan does not follow through, he’ll get replaced, and the neighborhood will become a war zone. When Mark tries to take Titan to prison, the boss escapes into a crowd.
Mark gets stuck in his head back at the apartment. Eve tells Mark he did the right thing by not getting in bed with Titan. Meanwhile, Mister Liu returns to take out Titan. Isotope reveals his betrayal immediately, and Mister Liu turns into his dragon form. He throws Titan out of the window, and Isotope confirms his former boss could not survive the fall without his shell. Mister Liu tells his guard to remain with his body, and the dragon flies to the prison.
Mark and Eve are alerted about Liu’s attack. They suit up, and while Mark hesitates to bring her along, she reminds him they’re in a supportive relationship. Mark and Eve battle Liu in his dragon form as the prison around them becomes collateral damage. As Liu destroys parts of the buildings, Eve rebuilds them with her powers. The anti-teleport field goes down, allowing Machine Head and Multi-Paul to escape their confinement. Eve gets Multi-Paul behind bars, but one of his copies escapes.
In the battle against the dragon, Invincible gets bit by Liu’s teeth. The wounds are massive, and despite killing the dragon once, Liu’s dragon regenerates. Back at Titan’s HQ, Machine Head arrives to kill Liu. He uses Isotope to dispatch Liu’s handler and then executes Liu.
When Liu is shot in the head, Titan returns to the prison with Isotope. They intentionally let Liu believe he had killed Titan so that he would be in his dragon form, and during that time, they assassinated him. He’s helped Machine Head rise to be on the Order, and keeps his place as the neighborhood boss.
Mark is unhappy about how things went down, but Eve reminds him that he has no choice. They had to step in and help out regardless. They got paid, but Mark is not sure that he can move away from his home yet. Eve agrees and thinks they might have been moving a little fast anyway. Mark tells Debbie he’s staying, and she’s thrilled to hear it. She then tries to let him know about sex, but Mark quickly runs back to his room and tells her goodnight.
Machine Head sits at the head of The Order, reminding the other members that killing Liu guarantees him a seat. Titan uses the opportunity to tell Machine Head he wants the City and to be out of the Order. Machine Head agrees but warns he will torture Titan’s family if the new boss backstab the Order again. After warning the table to watch out for Titan, Machine Head tells the table that it’s time to make money. In the Guardians’ locker room, Multi-Kate finds a paper family. Meanwhile, Mister Liu’s bodyguard performs a ritual and revives Mister Liu from death.
Is it worth watching “This Was Supposed to be Easy?”
Another good episode of Invincible provides a check in on the ground level of crime. While the big alien and baddie episodes undeniably take up our attention, sometimes we need a breather. That is, if you call Invincible nearly getting eaten by a dragon as “a breather.”
The big events certainly focus on the role Titan and Machine Head will play going forward. We’ve known of The Order for a few seasons, but it’s not been the biggest threat to the Guardians. With Machine Head leading the group, can we expect more super-powered skirmishes? It seems possible, but Titan has set himself up as firm outside force from the other Invincible antagonists roaming the streets. At “This Was Supposed to Be Easy” provides us a glimpse of how his rule is far more palatable than others.
Mark also needs to learn to let go of things. He blames himself for not trusting someone who genuinely backstabbed him in the past. At the same time, he is worried about his mother and brother without his protection. “This Was Supposed to Be Easy” allows Mark some of the freedom he craved for so long, and even then, his immaturity seems to step in the way. While Oliver is the literal kid, Mark needs to continue to grow.
Meanwhile, Atom Eve has fully grown into her own. Unlike the version of her from the future, this Eve is ready to rock the world on her own terms. Invincible Inc. is an excellent idea for the heroes while they’re away from the GDA, and opens up their options to stand by their work with more agency. Eve rules, and she’s consistently showcasing why Eve is actually the best hero of the bunch. She missed the Multi-Paul escape, but without her, the fight against Mister Liu might have been a disaster.
Ultimately Invincible needed a breath before the next major incident. After all, last episode Mark killed a friend while Allen/Nolan murder Viltrimites. Not every episode can bring quite that much smoke. At the same time, the more personal and local effects of Invincible’s actions make “This Was Supposed to Be Easy” a great low-key episode.
Watch Invincible on Amazon Prime Video every Thursday. “This Was Supposed to Be Easy” aired on February 20, 2025.
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