This episode might be the exit for *SPOILER*, but Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) and Talos’ (Ben Mendelsohl) relationship takes center stage.
Episode 3 “Betrayed” wants us to focus on the fact that Gavik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is dealing with a traitor in his ranks, and suspects that it is G’iah (Emilia Clarke), the daughter of Talos, who is his rival for leadership of the Skrulls. I’ll discuss spoilers on that later in this review, but needless to say, it’s not the most interesting thing about the episode. Gravik and G’iah are half-baked characters we’ve only just met, who are given sparse and shallow screen time.
The only thing interesting about G’iah is the conflict she has while serving under Gravik while remaining partially loyal to her father. She has no notable character flaws we can pick up on because the show doesn’t spend any time developing her. Gravik is almost just as bad, but we understand his motivation (partially). When you lay out his grand plan, there is still much to be desired, but the show does a decent job showing why he is bitter towards Fury leading on the Skrulls for 30 years while making no concrete progress on his promise to give them a new world.
Fury and Talos have the benefit of veteran actors who’ve been bringing their respective characters to life over multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with “Captain Marvel” and all major MCU team-up films where Fury is a major player being required viewing to understand this show. Even without all that homework, the show does a good job at reintroducing who they are for new viewers, as well as why they are important and what their relationship has been like since “Captain Marvel.”
Talos is incredibly loyal to Fury, even if Fury has let him down more than once, and Talos is one of the few people Fury is willing to admit blame to and is committed to making things right with. Talos is arguably the person Fury is the closest to and it’s great to see his character, who was so distant by design in the main “Avengers” films open up to someone onscreen. Fury feels more vulnerable — and more human — in this show than he’s ever felt in the other MCU films.
They’re also very honest and self-aware of their relationship, as old friends often are, which this show absolutely nails. It tries to sell viewers on a high-stakes spy thriller full of espionage, deception and aliens, but so far at its core, it’s about two friends working through their respective differences and issues to reach a better place.
Now onto the fate of G’iah, who (spoiler) appears to be dead. This will drive Talos into a rage next episode (even mention of his daughter has managed to do that), but in a show with shapeshifting aliens, I’m not willing to believe everything I see on face value. If you’re going to make a show filled with misdirection and clever twists, this is the one to do it in. I certainly hope she’s not dead — it would be a supreme waste of Clarke’s talents, who clearly has more to give than these first three episodes where we still have almost no idea of the kind of person she is.
For this reason, despite its pearls, this episode feels painfully average. Gravik and G’iah’s stories must be continued to drive the plot forward, but it serves to distract and detract from great character moments between Fury and Talos I want to see more of.
“Secret Invasion” Season 1: Episode 3 “Betrayed” gets a 7/10
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