Invincible's newest episode doesn't deserve the hate it's getting

Invincible's Season 4 - Episode 4 landed on Prime Video amid a lot of pressure, since the show has usually transitioned into more animation-heavy episodes in the later half (as seen in Season 3 as well). The reaction to the most recent chapter, "Hurm," however, has been extremely mixed. Fans have flocked to Reddit and other forums to let a common sentiment be heard: the episode felt like "filler," it was too slow, and it lacked the trademark brutal spectacle that comes bundled with the entire franchise.

CAUTION - SPOILERS AHEAD

Look, some of the criticism is warranted. It’s absolutely fair to dislike the new voice actor for William Clockwell. Andrew Rannells, who caught the character’s sarcastic side extremely well - for three whole seasons - was quietly recast for Season 4. Based on the show's extensive use of big celebrities, like J.K. Simmons, Steven Yeun, and Aaron Paul, the most logical reason for the switch seems to be scheduling conflicts. With an ensemble cast of this magnitude, matching production calendars is usually a logistical nightmare. While jarring, this change doesn't define the episode - not even close. "Hurm" is quite a necessary breath between storms, and it doesn't deserve the sheer amount of hate it is receiving (although an equal number of people seem to like it as well).

Season 4 episode 4 is the worst episode of invincible by a mile.
by u/Savings_Coconut7353 in Invincible

For those who are dismissing "Hurm" as 'meaningless', the episode gave Mark Grayson something he has been desperately needing: time to think. The story began with Mark admitting to Art that he is terrified of his own recent violent impulses. Mark spent much of the previous seasons reacting, recovering, or running. In the quiet (if terrifying) stretches while in the underworld with Damien Darkblood, he wasn't immediately fighting for his life. This pause let the show explore Mark’s mind, which made it more of a character-driven crucible rather than a plot-driven episode.

Aside from giving us an update on Ka'Hor, the episode also helped us see Damien Darkblood’s unique perspective. Mark has sought guidance from his mother, his employer, and his father’s old tailor in the past, but Damien came through with an angle no one else could. Having spent eons in Hell, the demon detective has observed the failures of human nature. Damien sees humanity through the lens of absolute consequence. When Damien tells Mark that his guilt is the only thing validating his soul, he gives Mark a very concrete metric of his morality. He helps Invincible understand that it is not his potential for violence that defines him, but his genuine terror of it. You can tell Mark needed to hear that.

I liked S4 E4 A LOT more than I thought I was going to
by u/BetSea5155 in Invincible

Furthermore, this setting let the show make good on its own premise: making Mark feel "Invincible" again. The "little combat" complaint is strange when we analyze the fight that did happen against Volcanikka’s forces. Since the first season, Mark has primarily served as a supernatural punching bag. He gets his ass beaten by Battle Beast, Omni-Man, Conquest, and Angstrom Levy. "Hurm" brought us face to face with Mark cutting loose against opponents he could actually defeat. Tearing through hellfire and beasts to retrieve Satan’s crown gave him a hilariously rare moment of competence. It was a cathartic and necessary reminder that Mark is not just a tough victim.

"Hurm" may not have moved the primary narrative too much (minus the final scene with Nolan and Allen), but it was a much-needed development for Mark’s self-awareness. It gave him perspective from the most unlikely source (I was sure Darkblood was going to puppeteer him or something like that), helped him to reflect on what makes him human while surrounded by demons, and jogged everyone's memory that before he can face the absolute threat of the Viltrumite War, he needed to know that he is, in fact...