The Royals Suffer a Loss in Inhumans, “The Gentleman’s Name Is Gorgon”

“The Gentleman’s Name Is Gorgon” Plot Summary:

The Royal Family splits up once again to counter Maximus’ (Iwan Rheon) trap and find Crystal (Isabelle Cornish). Back on the Moon, Maximus deals with the resistance.

I’m running out of things to say about Marvel’s Inhumans, yet I’ve come so far in my review series. In fact, I’m nearly at the end of the series. Let’s not kid ourselves, thinking ABC will grant Inhumans another season. I doubt many people expect it or want it, of course. This isn’t to say that I haven’t derived any enjoyment out of the series. But it’s more of a distraction than something that keeps me crawling back.

I’ve said this before, but this story could have been great if Marvel had more faith in it, perhaps making it the movie it was supposed to be. The narrative is simple enough: Maximus overthrows the Royal Family, the Royals grow from their experiences on Earth, and the Royals regain control and use the lessons they’ve learned to make Attilan better. The trick is the execution. Maximus’ descent into madness could be much better than it is. Iwan Rheon was a superb villain in Game of Thrones, so I know he can act. I chalk it up to bad direction.

As for the heroes, I give the writers credit for showing their flaws, but they don’t do enough to make them all likable despite those flaws. It worked in Thor, so it could’ve worked here. I can never tell what Black Bolt (Anson Mount) is feeling for sure. The characters can’t even rely on Marvel’s trademark humor, because no one in the Royal Family is funny. Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor) at least added levity, but now he’s dead. Karnak (Ken Leung) is really the only character I like.

There are a few points that I enjoyed in this episode. The fight scenes continue to be pretty exciting, and the diversions that Louise (Ellen Woglom) and Gorgon come up with are clever. Also, Maximus’s flashback does a good job of developing his cunning, but I question why they weren’t sparring on a padded mat. That’s about it, though. Still not the worst thing ever, but Inhumans can’t hide its mediocrity any longer.

Rating: 6 out of 10 (Average)