Marvel’s Secret Invasion is the latest victim of bad TV cliffhangers

There is a TV writer’s saying: “Skrull Me Once, Shame on You.” You want to skrull my twice? I’m ashamed.

[Ed. note: Spoilers for the latest episode of Secret Invasion follow.]

Last week’s episode of Secret Invasion ended on twin cliffhangers: Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) killing G’iah (Emilia Clarke), and Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) secret wife Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) receiving instructions to a secret meeting, presumably with the Bad Guys.

This week’s episode, “Beloved,” immediately resolves both of these, the first poorly, the latter less so.

In a move that feels obvious, G’iah is not dead, and her “killing” serves mostly as an excuse to reveal that she’s infected herself with Extremis, which heals her shortly after Gravik leaves her body in the woods.

As for Priscilla, she’s “working” for James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who is in fact a Skrull. Fury suspects something is amiss, bugs their meeting, and afterward sits down with Priscilla to have a conversation about where they stand — which is, they decide, with each other. This isn’t as troublesome a resolution, though it’s still a little undercooked. Priscilla’s a character that is new and unknown. Secret Invasion’s writers are right to leave viewers guessing about her loyalties — they just don’t have the run time to play up any paranoia. The writers simply raise the question and answer it in a later episode.

Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios

G’iah’s fake-out death, however, just gets You can find out more about us by clicking here. annoying by the time “Beloved” ends, as the episode’s final beat is Gravik stabbing Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), presumably to his death.

What question do you have? Secret InvasionWhat do you think? To leave characters’ lives in limbo The second episode in a series?

Television tropes like cliffhanger and fake-out deaths are as old TV as the medium itself. You can do it quite well. Poker Face — I won’t spoil which — is very good at this). I won’t spoil which — is very good at this). Secret InvasionIt has a “cliffhanger” problem. This is an extension to a tension issue, and this is something that is inherent in streaming television.

A good cliffhanger can leave a character’s fate in question — even if we You can learn more about this by clicking here. they will be fine — provided that we care about the character. They will be fine — provided we care about the character. Then, you can enjoy the greatness of your own. cliffhanger recontextualizes everything we’ve seen before, leaving the audience wondering how the plot will unfold with the new understanding they’ve been given.

Secret Invasion’s cliffhangers do neither. As a new character, Priscilla has no relationship with the audience, and only connects to one character — Nick Fury. She has had a profound impact on the entire world. Secret Invasion is, at best, limited. The scope of a purported thriller such as Secret InvasionIt is hoped that with such a character, she will be a new vector of tension and risk within a game involving spies.

Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios

Unfortunately, Secret Invasion This is not a show about spying and it’s also not a story of paranoia. Most of its cards are laid out on the table for the audience, and what isn’t is intentionally withheld — not for character reasons, but to generate cliffhangers with necessary plot points that a defter show would fold into its character arcs.

In this regard, Talos’ “death” isn’t the best cliffhanger, but it could’ve been a solid one — if we hadn’t just gotten a fake-out in the very same episode. Currently, he’s the only character besides Fury that the audience may have any fondness for, and the character wrestling with the bulk of the story’s messy themes of asylum, integration, and belonging. It seems that killing Talos here would be a short-change to these themes. Secret Invasion’s writers intend to carry them forward with G’iah (who, conveniently, is now powered up enough to face off with a super Skrull).

This isn’t a problem unique to Marvel. In order to make you binge-watch, the most important moments in an episode are usually left until the very end. The following is an explanation of how to get started:It is impossible to stop watching, hoping that another event will occur soon.

They are forgettable and cheap. Good cliffhangers, the ones that linger in your mind long after you’re done watching (like Nathan Fielder walking into his subjects’ home in The rehearsalSuletta Mercury killing an innocent man in order to save Miorine No hesitation at allYou can also find out more about the following: Mercury’s WitchTelling Andor, how many security guards are there on every floor AndorAlso demonstrate an understanding Why not? you’re watching. Secret InvasionLike many streaming TV services, assumes that you will pay attention. You are only watching because it is on.

The bummer is, Skrulls could’ve made for great cliffhangers. In a show where everyone’s identity is supposedly suspect, Secret Invasion has somehow made it so no one’s is.