Secret Invasion Has Used The Same Episode Ending Three Times

This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Secret Invasion."

If anyone can appreciate the safety and reassurance of routine, especially as the world has been invaded by shapeshifting Skrulls hidden among us, it'd be an old spymaster like Nicholas J. Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) ... but even he would have to admit this is getting somewhat out of hand. The latest episode of "Secret Invasion" (not to shamelessly self-promote, but you can check out my recap for /Film here) continued the show's up-and-down trajectory thus far, putting Fury's relationship with his Skrull wife Varra (Charlayne Woodard) front-and-center even as the bloodthirsty Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) continues his rampage against humanity. But it's precisely the Gravik of it all that's starting to result in diminishing returns, suggesting that the show's writing team has run out of ways to convince us of his villainy.

Consider this: Three out of the four episodes of "Secret Invasion" thus far have ended in the exact same fashion. In the premiere, we end on a shocking cliffhanger as Gravik in disguise as Fury murders Cobie Smulders' SHIELD Agent Maria Hill in cold blood. In last week's episode 3, we end on a shocking cliffhanger as Gravik in his normal human disguise attempts to murder Emilia Clarke's G'iah in cold blood. She got better thanks to a little brush with Extremis, as revealed in this latest episode, but even the fake-out death clearly fits the pattern. And last night's episode decided that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, as we end on a shocking cliffhanger as Gravik in disguise murders his hated enemy Talos (Ben Mendelson) in cold blood.

Sensing a trend here, folks? Is Gravik really just that unoriginal, or is there something else going on? We're as mystified by this as you likely are.

For those hoping that a series like "Secret Invasion" might help the Marvel Cinematic Universe beat the all-too-common allegations of relying on formula, well, this isn't likely to help. Sure, the MCU movies have had a much tougher time juggling the needs of a shared universe, the expectations of four entire quadrants of moviegoers, and perfecting the blockbuster model that could lead to consistent box office success. But when Marvel President Kevin Feige first announced the production of several Disney+ Marvel shows, a common narrative sprouted up that the streaming space would provide the chance for the studio to flex its creative muscles and deliver the kinds of stories audiences had truly never seen before.

Unfortunately, the results have been somewhat inconsistent on that front.

The rather mixed audience receptions for "Hawkeye," "Moon Knight," and "She-Hulk" largely speak for themselves, but the sense of flat-out disinterest surrounding "Secret Invasion" only makes this recurring trend of uninspired cliffhanger endings stick out that much more. Less is generally more when killing off major characters, especially in comic book adaptations, but "Secret Invasion" has shown no signs of pumping the brakes on that anytime soon. Gravik might be shaping up to be one of the deadliest antagonists in the entire franchise, but there's much more to a well-rounded villain than a penchant for murder. And if the only trick this series has up its sleeve is either faking viewers out with unsatisfying explanations or relying on the "Game of Thrones" strategy of shock tactics, well, it's hard to imagine "Secret Invasion" making it feel somewhat worthwhile by delivering on its own Red Wedding, at the very least.

With only two more episodes left to change the narrative, "Secret Invasion" certainly has its work cut out for it.