Secret Invasion: Harvest
July 19, 2023 7:55 PM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe
Fury gathers his allies. Gravik deals with unrest.
If this goes into an S2, hopefully it won't have some of the (rumored) problems with lining up with The Marvels, the release of which was pushed back multiple times (it was originally supposed to come out this time last year). One of the things that I liked about this episode is that we find out that, yet again, Fury was in charge of a secret project of dubious (at best) ethical basis that comes around to bite him in the ass. I think that it may have been someone else's idea that he should be off the planet.
One thing that I just realized this ep: Sonya Falsworth may be related to James Montgomery Falsworth, who was one of the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:08 PM on July 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
One thing that I just realized this ep: Sonya Falsworth may be related to James Montgomery Falsworth, who was one of the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:08 PM on July 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I'm not entirely clear if the Skrulls in New Skrullos realize they're being set up as sacrificial lambs and that's why they're rebelling, or ... I mean, it would be fun if it turns out there were counter-Skrulls imitating Gravik to turn the paranoia up to 11, but that's not the show we got - it almost always sort of feels like we're getting exactly who we see, except for that one moment in the Russian bombing in the first episode.
(Like ok Rhodey is a skrull, and presumably his _entire security detail_ are also Skrulls, and they've shown that there's a big ol' chunk of skrulls in important positions. At some point, just grab the brass ring, guys, and take over the president and launch the missiles?)
This has, weirdly, the feel of a Covid production - a whole bunch of tiny little groups that never interact.
posted by Kyol at 5:42 AM on July 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
(Like ok Rhodey is a skrull, and presumably his _entire security detail_ are also Skrulls, and they've shown that there's a big ol' chunk of skrulls in important positions. At some point, just grab the brass ring, guys, and take over the president and launch the missiles?)
This has, weirdly, the feel of a Covid production - a whole bunch of tiny little groups that never interact.
posted by Kyol at 5:42 AM on July 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah this is just a show which simply doesn't pay enough attention to plotting. Or characters. It occasionally manages a good action scene.
On plotting: why would the president attack Russia? And would he really launch an air assault based on the word of one military leader which would likely start world war three. And that's the insanity of this particular plot thread, thinking that a full on nuclear exchange, which would be the result of a direct assault on Russian soil, is better than letting Skrulls live? It's absolutely insane, but the plot needs us to buy it as a real threat, that the president thinks this is a good idea. And the thing is, there's so many better ideas here, one of which would be to send agents like Nick Fury to go take down the base first, with some plausible deniability. That's the sort of things the USA and Russia actually do, precisely because they want to avoid a nuclear exchange.
The whole DNA thing is absurd. So skrull agents went and picked up blood from the battlefield, somehow identifying it as coming from specific superheros, and managed to preserve it all in a vial? Maybe it's all a big mislead but it seems obviously ridiculous even from the MCU science nonsense we often get. And why keep it? Why not destroy it? And no-one noticed this happening?
Another thing driving me nuts, I really hope we will finally get a resolution on this... but what did happen with finding the skrulls a new home? There literally hasn't been a word about it, and frankly it's just weird.
Last plotting note, but "its personal" is simply not a good enough justification to not bring in characters who can resolve the plot in ten minutes. I get that they can't afford to do that, but in that case come up with a better justification, or a plot that doesn't require them!
Finally, on a character note, it feels off for Fury to not be at Talos' funeral. I get that he's busy, but he really hasn't mourned any of these characters who are presumably his closest friends.
On a positive note, Olivia Coleman remains an absolute delight throughout.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 6:10 AM on July 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
On plotting: why would the president attack Russia? And would he really launch an air assault based on the word of one military leader which would likely start world war three. And that's the insanity of this particular plot thread, thinking that a full on nuclear exchange, which would be the result of a direct assault on Russian soil, is better than letting Skrulls live? It's absolutely insane, but the plot needs us to buy it as a real threat, that the president thinks this is a good idea. And the thing is, there's so many better ideas here, one of which would be to send agents like Nick Fury to go take down the base first, with some plausible deniability. That's the sort of things the USA and Russia actually do, precisely because they want to avoid a nuclear exchange.
The whole DNA thing is absurd. So skrull agents went and picked up blood from the battlefield, somehow identifying it as coming from specific superheros, and managed to preserve it all in a vial? Maybe it's all a big mislead but it seems obviously ridiculous even from the MCU science nonsense we often get. And why keep it? Why not destroy it? And no-one noticed this happening?
Another thing driving me nuts, I really hope we will finally get a resolution on this... but what did happen with finding the skrulls a new home? There literally hasn't been a word about it, and frankly it's just weird.
Last plotting note, but "its personal" is simply not a good enough justification to not bring in characters who can resolve the plot in ten minutes. I get that they can't afford to do that, but in that case come up with a better justification, or a plot that doesn't require them!
Finally, on a character note, it feels off for Fury to not be at Talos' funeral. I get that he's busy, but he really hasn't mourned any of these characters who are presumably his closest friends.
On a positive note, Olivia Coleman remains an absolute delight throughout.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 6:10 AM on July 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
The whole DNA thing is absurd. So skrull agents went and picked up blood from the battlefield, somehow identifying it as coming from specific superheros, and managed to preserve it all in a vial? Maybe it's all a big mislead but it seems obviously ridiculous even from the MCU science nonsense we often get. And why keep it? Why not destroy it? And no-one noticed this happening?
"Might need that at some point when Cap finally retires and we need to make a new super soldier. You think Sam Wilson's just going to manage it through sheer pluck? Y'all go out there and collect some DNA, guys."
Another thing driving me nuts, I really hope we will finally get a resolution on this... but what did happen with finding the skrulls a new home? There literally hasn't been a word about it, and frankly it's just weird.
Fury decided it was more useful to have a bunch of shapeshifting Skrull spies in his super agent back pocket than finding them a new home, more or less. But yeah, given that we've seen various Dead Worlds in the MCU continuity, let's maybe repopulate one with some Skrulls? Unless if they have the intergalactic tuberculosis or something.
But yeah, Olivia has been the high point of the whole thing for me.
posted by Kyol at 6:31 AM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
"Might need that at some point when Cap finally retires and we need to make a new super soldier. You think Sam Wilson's just going to manage it through sheer pluck? Y'all go out there and collect some DNA, guys."
Another thing driving me nuts, I really hope we will finally get a resolution on this... but what did happen with finding the skrulls a new home? There literally hasn't been a word about it, and frankly it's just weird.
Fury decided it was more useful to have a bunch of shapeshifting Skrull spies in his super agent back pocket than finding them a new home, more or less. But yeah, given that we've seen various Dead Worlds in the MCU continuity, let's maybe repopulate one with some Skrulls? Unless if they have the intergalactic tuberculosis or something.
But yeah, Olivia has been the high point of the whole thing for me.
posted by Kyol at 6:31 AM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Happy to see Rick Mason again!
Secret Invasion Recap: Who Isn’t a Skrull These Days? [Vulture / Archive]
posted by ellieBOA at 7:54 AM on July 20, 2023
Secret Invasion Recap: Who Isn’t a Skrull These Days? [Vulture / Archive]
posted by ellieBOA at 7:54 AM on July 20, 2023
Olivia Coleman remains an absolute delight throughout.
I totally agree, but she's doing all the super-spy stuff that Maria Hill should have been doing throughout the series instead of being fridged in episode 2.
About the DNA stuff, given that there are still no mutants in the MCU, it seems of dubious value. Steve Rogers famously gets his powers from a serum, not his own weakling DNA. Dr Strange is master of the mystic arts. The Mans Iron and Ant get their power through tech, Black Panther through tech and mystical ancestral forces, Spider-Man from a spider bite, the Hulk through radiation. Most everyone else is an alien or has no power. The Super-Skrull originally got the Fantastic Four's powers, which are also not directly DNA-based. I have overthought this plate of beans.
posted by whir at 4:22 PM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
I totally agree, but she's doing all the super-spy stuff that Maria Hill should have been doing throughout the series instead of being fridged in episode 2.
About the DNA stuff, given that there are still no mutants in the MCU, it seems of dubious value. Steve Rogers famously gets his powers from a serum, not his own weakling DNA. Dr Strange is master of the mystic arts. The Mans Iron and Ant get their power through tech, Black Panther through tech and mystical ancestral forces, Spider-Man from a spider bite, the Hulk through radiation. Most everyone else is an alien or has no power. The Super-Skrull originally got the Fantastic Four's powers, which are also not directly DNA-based. I have overthought this plate of beans.
posted by whir at 4:22 PM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
the Hulk through radiation
It was established that Jennifer Walters has DNA similar to her cousin, Bruce Banner, which is why a dose of his blood brought out She-Hulk rather than giving her a lethal dose of gamma radiation poisoning. So that's OK.
Otherwise, you're right. The whole High Evolutionary-esqe idea of using superhero DNA to do... something falls apart.
posted by SPrintF at 5:20 PM on July 20, 2023
It was established that Jennifer Walters has DNA similar to her cousin, Bruce Banner, which is why a dose of his blood brought out She-Hulk rather than giving her a lethal dose of gamma radiation poisoning. So that's OK.
Otherwise, you're right. The whole High Evolutionary-esqe idea of using superhero DNA to do... something falls apart.
posted by SPrintF at 5:20 PM on July 20, 2023
Fury decided it was more useful to have a bunch of shapeshifting Skrull spies in his super agent back pocket than finding them a new home, more or less.
Hmmm. There’s no way Fury would have done this without having tech developed that discern Skrulls. It would have been one of the first things he’d think to do. Unlike me, who only thought it after five weeks 😂
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:25 PM on July 20, 2023
Hmmm. There’s no way Fury would have done this without having tech developed that discern Skrulls. It would have been one of the first things he’d think to do. Unlike me, who only thought it after five weeks 😂
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:25 PM on July 20, 2023
I watched the first episode and thought it was OK, but I've just been reading these recaps waiting for someone to say "OKAY now we're cooking! I see why they slow rolled it before, the real plot was this all along!!" but sadly it seems like it's as half-baked as everyone feared. I really was looking forward to this... maybe I'll binge it on a plane one day.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 6:55 PM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 6:55 PM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just one more episode to go and we're done.
What bugs me particularly is that in both "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and "Ms Marvel" we've already done the "leader of dispossessed minority uses their anger over lack of a homeland for evil" plots. This is about the third time. Fourth if you count Wanda Maximoff.
I don't think they've had a single show where a government is the bad guy. Not even Latveria or somewhere.
Stop with the murderous immigrants already.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:09 AM on July 21, 2023 [14 favorites]
What bugs me particularly is that in both "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and "Ms Marvel" we've already done the "leader of dispossessed minority uses their anger over lack of a homeland for evil" plots. This is about the third time. Fourth if you count Wanda Maximoff.
I don't think they've had a single show where a government is the bad guy. Not even Latveria or somewhere.
Stop with the murderous immigrants already.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:09 AM on July 21, 2023 [14 favorites]
It was established that Jennifer Walters has DNA similar to her cousin, Bruce Banner, which is why a dose of his blood brought out She-Hulk rather than giving her a lethal dose of gamma radiation poisoning. So that's OK.
That may be the case in a number of other superhero origins, as well. For most people, being bitten by a radioactive spider would result--based on what sort of radioactive isotope(s) and how much of them is in the venom--in a) nothing or b) cancer. Same thing with Daredevil or the FF. On the other hand, tech obviously doesn't apply, and we know that Steve Rogers got to be Captain America rather than the Blue Skull or whatever because he's a good guy, but also some of the genetic predispositions might also be difficult to trigger--maybe Carol Danvers was genetically predisposed to be able to absorb a detonating starship engine, but where are you going to find another one to blow up to create your Captain Skrullvel, especially since it was powered by the Tesseract, i.e. the now-destroyed Space Stone?
Then again, Extremis is a tech thing, not a genetic thing, so maybe things are different for the Skrulls.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:35 AM on July 21, 2023
That may be the case in a number of other superhero origins, as well. For most people, being bitten by a radioactive spider would result--based on what sort of radioactive isotope(s) and how much of them is in the venom--in a) nothing or b) cancer. Same thing with Daredevil or the FF. On the other hand, tech obviously doesn't apply, and we know that Steve Rogers got to be Captain America rather than the Blue Skull or whatever because he's a good guy, but also some of the genetic predispositions might also be difficult to trigger--maybe Carol Danvers was genetically predisposed to be able to absorb a detonating starship engine, but where are you going to find another one to blow up to create your Captain Skrullvel, especially since it was powered by the Tesseract, i.e. the now-destroyed Space Stone?
Then again, Extremis is a tech thing, not a genetic thing, so maybe things are different for the Skrulls.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:35 AM on July 21, 2023
maybe things are different for the Skrulls.
This is my favourite Joe Jackson song.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:25 PM on July 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
This is my favourite Joe Jackson song.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:25 PM on July 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
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Talos is a huge loss, what with Ben Mendelsohn's excellent chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson. Hopefully Talos's death was more about Mendelsohn wanting to move on and thus they had to get rid of the character.
Speaking of which, how terrible is it that we never had Fury, Talos, and Sonia all in the same scene?! Talk about lost opportunities, that chemistry would have been amazing!
But that's true for most of the show's cast, they're all very good, but unfortunately they haven't been given great material. Emilia Clarke's line about "I'll put on a good face" was a great example of what could of and should have been: sly jokes and banter about appearances and meaning, all woven in a guessing game of who is actually a Skrull and who's human.
Or even an examination of the Skrull's and what their concept of identity is since they can look like anyone. Giah hinted at it with her crack to Vara about whether Fury would have accepted her in her natural form. Such potential, wasted.
It was good to see many Skrulls rebelling against Gravik's plan, but it felt a bit hollow. The show needed a few more episodes to develop all those interesting plot points and characters, but instead we're just barreling along side Nick Fury's mid life crisis.
Hopefully the finale with tie up the loose ends, but I'm afraid it'll just devolve into a standard MCU punch out, which would be a shame. The series wasn't terrible, but neither was it good, let alone great.
Perhaps with a million Skrulls around we'll get a more developed season 2.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:08 PM on July 19, 2023 [1 favorite]