Secret Invasion: What Does Episode 4's Poem Mean?
Secret Invasion dropped a reference to Raymond Carver's "Late Fragment" this week and it thematically ties together the entire Marvel TV series. Early in "Beloved," Secret Invasion makes a point to linger on the cover to the poet's "A New Path to the Waterfall: Poems." Following this moment, Priscilla and Nick Fury have a chat about her enjoyment of the text. A central theme, reflected in the episode's title choice, is to "feel myself beloved on the Earth." Samuel L. Jackson's spy, Charlayne Woodard's Skrull and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos all have a common thread there.
Carver's poetry also calls back to Fury's journey throughout Secret Invasion. Accepting the present and defining yourself on your own terms is not a feeling or desire limited to the more than 1 million Skrulls walking the Earth. For the former SHIELD director, this is a question of identity that cannot be solved by shapeshifting into another person. In the case of Talos, Priscilla and the other Skrull people, finding that dignity and identity after they have been ripped away has been a sore spot for more than a generation now.
Why Is Raymond Carver's "Late Fragment" Important for Secret Invasion?
First, a word on Carver's "A New Path to the Waterfall," this work was published shortly before his death in 1988. In the last months, the poet tried to grapple with the biggest questions known to humanity. The ones in "Late Fragment" are especially thorny. In essence, what do we really want from life? In Carver's view, being attached to people and to the places we stand is truly gratifying. It's not hard to see why Priscilla would find these questions fascinating and bring them up to Fury.
Finding a place to call home has been the central theme of Secret Invasion. From Fury's forlorn wandering to isolation after The Blip, to Talos trying to grapple with a lost homeworld and assimilation, it's all around. Priscilla has been very torn between two worlds as the wife of their commander and a Skrull who has watched promises die on the vine before being abandoned by the man she fell in love with. The emotional spectrum at play is more expansive than a typical Marvel offering.
But, there is a third path to Waterfall, and that's where it seems like Secret Invasion is headed. The path to living out in the open, or at least for a moment. At the tail end of the episode, Talos is laying in the middle of the battlefield as Fury absconds with the President. But, this seems as though a clever rouse to alert the world to the Skrull presence. (These people have seen a giant Celestial, half of the population of Earth get wiped out by Thanos, and a talking Flora Colossus that they call Mr. Tree, they're probably going to handle aliens alright. *By that we mean alright for self-destructive humans*)
Carver's Poems Actually Circle Back To The Paul Robeson Quip in Episode 1
I've covered this ground before for Comicbook.com, but it bears repeating. The Paul Robeson throwaway joke in the first episode feels like foreshadowing now. 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." (Note that this was before the Cold War and things got dicey in Robeson's personal life as he was implicated as a Communist despite never registering as one.)
The idea of walking in dignity has become so paramount for the characters in this show. Priscilla asks Fury if he would have loved her if she had chosen not to take a human form around the house. Gravik's whole deal is disgust at having to hide his "true self" by taking on the form of an Earthling. Gi'ah is similarly disillusioned with walking around wearing someone else's face. And poor Fury is finding it hard to walk in the same shoes he used to when the idea of Nick Fury was more powerful than the present.
By the end of this Disney+ series, the hope is that the Skrulls will find either a colony on Earth (like the Asgardians) or out in the stars where they don't have to assimilate to be accepted. While Talos might think there's nothing wrong with having to prove their goodness at every turn, his daughter and her intense little friend have a point. While somewhat clunky, the idea of the Skrulls as an immigrant population is fascinating in the current landscape. In fact, the entire concept would probably be worth it's own exploration. But, the latest denizens of Earth are probably going to have to settle for a little less than their full dignity as the walk to wherever's next.
The bonds between these people, their possible savior, and the planet itself are going to have to be enough. However, the message that leaves might be a bit divisive on the way to the next MCU entry.
Did you enjoy Secret Invasion Episode 4? Let us know in the comments below!