The following is a spoiler-free review of episode 5 of Secret Invasion, ‘Harvest’, streaming now on Disney+.
Following what has been quite a messy journey so far, episode 5 of Secret Invasion finally lays its cards on the table and brings the rebel Skrulls’ plan into full focus. As a penultimate chapter, ‘Harvest’ does plenty to neaten plot threads and prepare Nick Fury for his final confrontation with Gravik. While all this does fall foul of Secret Invasion’s tendency to suck the excitement out of its best ideas, there’s a better sense of brewing tension this week that builds to a finale that promises a stronger concluding episode.
Secret Invasion has struggled to convey the sense of tension that its premise demands, but this week there’s something of a breakthrough. After their strike on the President, the Skrulls have Fury on the ropes and he’s noticeably rattled. Samuel L. Jackson puts in his best performance since the season premiere, balancing anger, determination, and a little bit of defeat. The tension bubbles as Gravik continues to push him into a corner from which there seems no way out. It’s not that Fury is broken – surely his natural strategic smarts will bloom in the finale – but for now, there’s finally a glimmer of the long-awaited element of fear.
Similar tension can also be found in the episode’s action sequences, which play out as scrappy struggles with an enjoyably violent streak. They’re the best of the season so far, mostly because the editing captures a desperation for survival that reflects Secret Invasion’s overall desired tone. Guns blast bloody holes at close range, blades sink into flesh, and the use of a plastic bag to suffocate a victim looks notably painful. While seeing Emilia Clarke toting a shotgun does bring back surprise memories of Terminator Genisys, it’s not enough to distract from the scene’s tactical tension.
Gunshots aren’t just used to dial up the action quota, though. On a couple of occasions we see them used as punchlines, delivered by Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth. I’ve had my misgivings on Secret Invasion’s approach to comedy, which can sometimes detract from the otherwise serious espionage tone of the piece at large. But Sonya really is the show’s ace in the hole when it comes to jokes since Colman’s delivery is so delightfully unhinged that she comes across as equally funny and terrifying. Her near psychopathic approach to spy work helps puncture the darkness while maintaining a sense of convincing menace. And with Colman shifting into a more significant role this week, it hopefully means there’s more to come in the finale.
The editing of the action captures a desperation for survival that reflects Secret Invasion’s overall desired tone.
Episode 5 is a marked improvement over last week’s low point, then. But Secret Invasion continues to let itself down in many areas that matter. While this episode does plenty of work to bring Gravik’s plan into clear focus, the reveal does highlight how shallow the Skrull rebellion has been. It has solid foundations, but a failure to develop any complexity means the entire plot feels much more one-note than its nuclear sub and presidential assassination missions would suggest. There is an attempt to throw a spanner in the works this week, with Gravik’s leadership quite rightly questioned, but very little time is spent exploring the implications of that. It’s also a plot thread that somewhat echoes the journey of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Flag Smashers and their leader, Karli Morgenthau. This further contributes to the feeling that Secret Invasion is repeating some of the same ground as previous MCU projects.
The lack of depth in Gravik’s plan undermines any effort made by Kingsley Ben-Adir to bring gravity to the rebel Skrull. Week by week he’s worked admirably with very little, but the absence of any intrigue in the plotting or authentic emotion in the script means even his best turns are struggling to add up to anything vital. It’s an issue that spans much wider than just Gravik’s story, too. This episode also fails to spark any sense of sadness or grief in the fallout following Talos’ death last week. Between the high points are far too many tepid moments that feel like they move the plot forward through obligation rather than enthusiasm. While this week’s episode may not be boring, its edge is most certainly dulled.
After a couple of years of multiverse-hopping stories and space adventures, Secret Invasion is a welcome return for the MCU’s lesser-used gritty espionage template. It shares a lot of common ground with the Winter Soldier projects, but manages to stand apart thanks to an almost total absence of superheroes and a solid cast of messy central characters. The first two episodes lack the sense of fear that a paranoid thriller really needs, and there’s already the sense that any reveal won’t match the impact of those in the story’s comic book inspiration, but Secret Invasion’s dark tale is nonetheless off to a solid start.
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