'Invincible' Season 4 Episode 3 Recap & Breakdown: Is Eve Pregnant?

After leaving the Order for good and staying out of Machine Head’s metaphorical hair, in Invincible Season 4, Episode 3, we see Titan meeting the unhinged supervillain again. Why? Well, because Machine Head comes bearing bad news (something the audience is aware of already). Liu is still alive. Now, since Machine Head is the leader of the Order, there are certain rules that apply to him that protect him from Liu’s scourge. As for Titan, he is not a part of the Order anymore, which means that Liu can make him pay for his betrayal by harming him and his family any time. So, to return the favor of helping him rise to the top, Machine Head offers Titan a “seat at the table” so that he and his family are protected from Liu. Titan rejects the offer and leaves, because he thinks he can take care of himself all on his own. Meanwhile, at GDA HQ, Cecil wonders if he has made a major mistake by bringing Mark back into the fold after he had left because, right after his return, he killed Livingston. He knows that Mark has been through a lot, and “a lot” is an understatement at this point. So, Cecil is legitimately afraid that if Mark loses what remains of his mental stability, it’s going to lead to an uncontrollable situation that’ll only add to the troubles posed by the supervillains that treat Earth like their playground. How are these plot threads furthered in this episode? Let’s find out.

Spoiler Alert

Rudy Had a Sequid In Him

At the Guardians of the Globe’s HQ, while everyone is of the opinion that Mark did the right thing by exploding Livingston’s head, Rudy thinks that Mark shouldn’t have done that; instead, he should have waited for Bulletproof to deliver the stun gun and incapacitated Livingston and the Sequids. Since Bulletproof was in the thick of it, he argues that the dome was about to break and the Sequids would have spread all over the country. If Mark hadn’t done what he did, they would have ended up spending the next few years fighting a Sequid pandemic. When Rudy tries to counter this, Brit reminds Rudy that he’s in no position to be judging others when he himself didn’t follow orders and went into the sewers filled with Sequids all by himself, and that too without his supersuit. Rudy assures Brit that it won’t happen again and he’ll always follow whatever Brit tells him to do. 

However, the damage has already been done because, as I predicted in my recap of episode 1 of Season 4, when Rudy was unconscious, one of the Sequids had entered his body and was lying dormant, waiting for the opportune moment to make its presence known. When Rudy is about to step into the shower, the Sequid makes its way out of his stomach and then tries to latch onto Rudy’s head so that it can make him its puppet. Rudy would’ve been a goner if it weren’t for Monster Girl. This altercation really triggers Rudy, and he starts wondering if the Guardians and the GDA are really going the distance when it comes to dealing with Earth’s enemies. He thinks that they always pull back at the last moment or let their enemies live because of humanitarian reasons, which allows them to hit back after a loss. So, they must ensure that whatever enemy they face is eradicated.

Mark Meets Cecil

Mark ties himself in knots thinking that he has become a genocidal maniac like his father just because he killed Livingston. Regardless of what Rudy or anybody else thinks, it is obvious that Mark had to take down Livingston to stop the Sequid infestation. Since Mark can’t see that, he calls up Eve so that he can have a chat with her and calm himself down. Unfortunately, Eve is unable to pick up Mark’s call because she is busy dealing with her own personal problem of being unable to conjure anything out of thin air in some remote valley. Anything that she creates becomes liquid and disintegrates, which really worries Eve, because if her powers aren’t working, she won’t be of any use on the battlefield. As Mark waits for Eve to pick up his call, Donald shows up at his doorstep, asking him to come with him to GDA HQ for a chat with Cecil; Mark accepts the offer, because he desperately needs to talk to someone to avoid spiraling out. 

Amidst all this superheroic stuff, we see Paul and Debbie discussing whether or not they should sell their houses and move into a bigger house with the boys, of course. While Paul thinks that this is the right choice, Debbie seems to be of 2 minds, because she has spent around 2 decades in her house, and she doesn’t want to let go of it on a whim. She understands that change is important, because the past can weigh you down, but at the same time, I think she feels that holding on to some things that are unique to you is important, or else you are going to forget who you are in the first place. Anyway, going back to Mark, Cecil advises him to stop making do-or-die decisions and leave that up to Cecil so that Mark can sleep peacefully at night. Although Cecil seemingly means well, Mark is unwilling to accept his helping hand because of his deep mistrust of the man. Spencer interrupting Mark and Cecil’s meeting to apologize for all his actions doesn’t help the case either, as it prompts him to take off.

Oliver Goes On A Titan Assignment

While taking a leisurely stroll through a park, Titan and his family are attacked by Magnattack, a Magneto-like supervillain who can control the metal that he uses to make his armor, on Liu’s orders. For a second, it seems like Magnattack is going to slice up Titan’s family, but thanks to some timely help from Isotope, Titan manages to take down Magnattack and then beats him to death. Isotope thinks that Titan has taken things too far, but given how Titan has repeatedly said that nobody should mess with his family, his reaction to Magnattack’s assassination attempt seems really rational. To ensure that this doesn’t happen again, he contacts Invincible Inc. Unfortunately, he catches them at a really bad time in their lives because, on the one hand, Eve is losing her cool because she can’t understand why her powers aren’t working properly, and on the other, Mark is having an existential crisis after killing Livingston. They want to be there for each other, and at the same time, they need to keep their business running so that they can earn enough money to build a future for themselves where they won’t have to put their lives on the line every day. So, they outsource this particular assignment to Oliver. 

Titan doesn’t exactly appreciate this because, well, he wants the services of Invincible if he has contacted Invincible Inc., not Oliver. However, since the situation is dire and Titan needs to attack Liu and his bodyguard at their new lair (the information has been provided to him by Isotope) before the old timer greenlights another assassination attempt on his family, he joins hands with Oliver. Since this frees up Eve, she goes to Rudy to get herself checked out. Rudy performs some initial scans, but he can’t promise any immediate solutions, because this is uncharted territory. To make matters more complicated, the Flaxans arrive on Earth again to capture humans, leaving Rudy no other choice but to join the Guardians and Mark on the assignment to take them down.

Rudy and Monster Girl Are Gone

While the Guardians and Mark arrive at the location where the Flaxans have attacked, we get a small reminder about the superheroes’ last few altercations with this species. These guys perceive time very differently than those on Earth do. Which is why they need to stay close to some kind of time dilation emitter placed near the portal that allows them to walk from their planet to Earth. Every time they have been defeated, they have managed to come up with a new way to bypass their weakness. Before Nolan revealed his true colors, he went into the Flaxans’ dimension and destroyed everything there. However, even that didn’t stop them from retaliating once again, and this time, they have prepared very well. For starters, their time dilation emitter is undetectable, so if the Flaxans’ aging process can’t be triggered, they can’t be defeated. Secondly, the Flaxans have upgraded their mecha-suits; they are powerful enough to get the better of Mark. And thirdly, the Flaxans are kidnapping humans and taking them to their dimension for some unknown reason. 

The Guardians make it their mission to find that time dilation emitter and destroy it before the Flaxans take over the planet. That’s easier said than done, because there are way too many Flaxans out there for them to handle. After sifting through all the possibilities, Rudy arrives at the conclusion that the time dilation emitter is on the other side of the portal. So, he and Monster Girl go against Cecil’s orders and walk through that portal, and Rudy manages to destroy the device. As the Flaxan start withering and dying, the Guardians see that as a win. However, when Rudy notices the actual might of the Flaxan armada, he refuses to leave the planet until they are eradicated. The Guardians rush to join Rudy and Monster Girl in this endeavor, but one of the generals closes the portal, thereby trapping the duo in that dimension. Since the GDA hasn’t figured out how to open a portal to the Flaxans’ home planet, Rudy and Amanda are on their own.

Mark and Oliver Send Liu Packing

After Titan and Oliver make their presence known to Liu, he unleashes the dragon. So, while Oliver takes on the dragon, Titan deals with his bodyguard. It doesn’t take a lot of time for Oliver to figure out that he is no match for Liu. Hence, he calls up Eve for backup. Since Eve’s powers are not working and Mark is busy with the Flaxans, she tells Oliver to forget about the assignment and just run away from the dragon. But Oliver refuses to give up, and he stands his ground. By the time Mark’s GDA assignment is over, and he gets to Oliver after learning what kind of a pickle he is in, Oliver is wounded pretty badly. Mark asks him why he didn’t just leave the scene like he was asked to, and the kid says that he didn’t want to let down Eve and Mark at a time when they are both struggling. 

Mark appreciates the sentiment, and asks Oliver if he can get up and assist him in taking down the dragon. As soon as Oliver says that he can fight, the Grayson brothers take to the skies and give the dragon a solid beatdown. When Liu senses that he can’t kill the Graysons, he orders his bodyguard to take his body so that he can carry them off the battlefield. Mark thinks about pursuing them, but he abandons that plan to get to Titan and beat the hell out of him for jeopardizing his brother’s life. Titan tries to explain that he was just trying to take care of his own family, but Mark doesn’t listen, and keeps raining punches on him. If Oliver weren’t there to stop him, it’s possible that Mark would have killed Titan. Yeah, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mark is getting more and more unhinged. He isn’t genocidal like his father, but with each passing day, it’s becoming difficult for him to be anti-violence. Maybe Adam was right; Mark has to seek retirement to avoid turning into a mass murderer.

Eve Is Pregnant

In the ending of episode 3, Machine Head assembles the Order to announce the fact that Titan has chosen to take his seat at the table so as to protect himself and his family from Liu’s wrath. Now, before Titan can discuss the terms of his renewed candidacy with Machine Head, the bossman reveals that Titan isn’t the only one returning to the table; Liu is back as well. Apparently, this ploy to make Titan and Liu a part of the Order was the brainchild of Machine Head and Isotope. I guess their intentions are pure; they wanted the fighting to stop, and if all the supervillains are a part of the Order, they have to follow its rules and be each other’s allies. The only issue here is that if people decide that they don’t need to follow rules, then Machine Head will have no choice but to cut and run. And I foresee some cutting and running in Machine Head’s future, because based on a brief exchange between Liu and Titan, it looks like they are fed up with Machine Head’s manipulative maneuvers, and it’s only a matter of time before these foes-turned-allies join hands to take down Machine Head. 

Will Mark and Invincible Inc. be roped into that mess once again? I don’t know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that they will. Speaking of Invincible Inc., the mid-credits scene reveals the true reason behind Eve’s wonky powers: she’s pregnant. This is monumental on so many fronts. For starters, everyone has to prepare for this pregnancy because, seeing what’s happening to Eve’s powers, this is not going to be a normal delivery. With Eve out of commission, temporarily, Mark and Oliver have to step up and take care of the business. Mark also has to take care of his mental health. Who knows? Maybe fatherhood is going to reduce his homicidal tendencies. And I think Debbie has to postpone her plan to move in with Paul, because a major change like that is going to complicate this already overwhelming situation. Well, what are your expectations from this major development? Let me know in the comments section below.

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