Secret Invasion Episode 4: What Was the Meaning of the Poem in the Fourth Episode
This week’s Secret Invasion referred to Raymond Carver’s “Late Fragment” which thematically ties into the entire Marvel TV series. At the beginning of “Amato“, Secret Invasion lingers on the cover of the poet’s work “A New Path to the Waterfall: Poems”. Following this moment, Priscilla and Nick Fury talk about her appreciation for the lyrics. A central theme, which is reflected in the choice of the title of the episode, is that of “feeling loved on Earth”. Samuel L. Jackson’s Spy, Charlayne Woodard’s Skrull, and Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos all have a common thread.
Carver’s poem also recalls Fury’s journey throughout the series. Accepting the present and defining yourself on your terms is not a feeling or desire limited to the more than 1 million Skrulls who walk the Earth. For the former director of SHIELD, it’s an identity issue that can’t be resolved by turning into another person. In the case of Talos, Priscilla, and the other Skrulls, regaining their dignity and identity after they’ve been stripped away has been a sore spot for more than a generation.
Secret Invasion Episode 4: Why is Raymond Carver’s “Late Fragment” important to Secret Invasion?
First, a word about Carver’s “A New Path to the Waterfall,” a work published shortly before he died in 1988. In his final months, the poet sought to grapple with the greatest questions known to mankind. Those contained in ” Late Fragment” are particularly thorny. Basically, what do we want out of life? According to Carver, being connected to the people and places we find ourselves is truly rewarding. It’s not hard to see why Priscilla finds these questions fascinating and puts them to Fury.
Finding a place to call home was the central theme of the Secret Invasion. From Fury’s desperate wandering to isolation after the Blip to Talo’s attempt to confront a lost homeworld. Priscilla was torn between two worlds as the wife of Fury and the Skrull who saw her promises die before being abandoned by the man she fell in love with. The emotional spectrum at play is wider than in a typical Marvel series. There’s a third way to the Waterfall, and that’s what appears to be the direction of Secret Invasion. The road that leads to living in the open, or at least for a moment. At the end of the episode, Talos lies in the middle of the battlefield while Fury flees with the President. This seems like a clever gimmick to alert the world to the presence of the Skrulls.
Carver’s Poems Relate to Paul Robeson’s line in Episode 1
Paul Robeson’s line in the first episode seems like a foreshadowing. In our world, Robeson told The New York Times about how much he loved the USSR: “Here I am not a Negro, but a human being for the first time in my life… I walk in full human dignity. The idea of walking with dignity has become fundamental for the characters in the series. Priscilla asks Fury if she would have loved her if she had chosen not to assume human form in the house. Gravik is disgusted at having to hide his “true self” by assuming the guise of an Earthman. Gi’ah is equally disillusioned with the idea of walking around in someone else’s face. And poor Fury has a hard time walking in the same shoes he wore when Nick Fury’s idea was more powerful than the present.
By the end of this Disney+ series, the hope is that the Skrulls will find a colony on Earth or in the stars where they don’t have to hide to be accepted. Although Talos may think that there is nothing wrong with having to prove one’s goodness at every opportunity, the daughter of him and Gravik are not entirely wrong. While a bit awkward, the idea of the Skrulls as an immigrant population is fascinating in today’s landscape. Indeed, the whole concept deserves an exploration of its own. But the last inhabitants of the Earth will probably have to settle for a little less than their full dignity on the way to the future.
