Inhumans Roundtable: Divide and Conquer

The inhumans struggle to find each other on earth, making friends along the way. Maximus works to abolish the caste system on Attilan, but loses control of Crystal and Lockjaw in the process.

Each of the inhumans is making connections on Earth and finding people who help, or at least claim to help, them. What do you think of the various individuals and groups the inhumans are working with? Which do you think are going to help, and which are you suspicious of?

Roz: I think my trust is firmest in Louise and the Inhuman in jail helping Black Bolt. I don’t think anyone else is going to be a long-term help.

Karen: Agreed, I like Felici… I mean Louise, and Jorg… I mean Sammy. Declan may be okay, but he definitely has a history with inhumans and who knows what that history is.

Rueben:  Well, I know for sure that the humans Karnak has “aligned” himself with are not to be trusted – maybe the girl, but still…why would he want to stay there with them?  I get it that he has a head injury and his abilities aren’t “working” right, but staying with people who are growing drugs, groan.  So I’d have to say that I want to believe that Louise will help out Medusa because she wants to get to the bottom of things if nothing else.

Cara: It seems we’re all in agreement that Louise looks like the most helpful of all their accomplices. Karnak definitely seems to have fallen in with questionable company, but I feel good about Black Bolt and Gorgon.

MARVEL’S INHUMANS – “Divide and Conquer” Episode 103 — Pictured: Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon (Photo by ABC/Karen Neal)

Separately, Louise and Dr. Declan are both seeking out the inhumans. What do you think their motives are, and should they be trusted?

Roz: Louise gets more of my trust than Declan but I want them both to mean well and be helpful.

Karen: We didn’t get to see much of Declan, so it’s hard to make that judgement call. He made sure BB had an ally in prison, which led to his escape and later, to his rescue by Declan. Louise is at Medusa’s mercy at the end of the episode, but personally, I think she would’ve helped her anyway. Probably 50/50 from me at this point.

Rueben:  I have to agree with you both.  Like I said before, I believe Louise will stick around just to get to the bottom of things and until Declan does something untrustworthy, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, for now.

Cara: There have been too many references to inhumans disappearing for me to trust Declan. I have reservations. Louise’s interest is strange, but seems driven by genuine curiosity rather than self-interest.

Maximus frees Mordus, who seems to be universally dreaded. Even Gorgon runs from him. What do you think of Mordus and of Maximus setting him free?

Roz: Maximus is looking for new forms of manipulation and control than what is already there so I think this is just another tool to show he’s in power. I doubt it’s smart because at a point the newly freed are still going to realize they still don’t have means to affect change.

Karen: Maximus’ first comment is “Next to Black Bolt, Mordus is the most powerful…”, so I think that might be the key to where this character is going.

Rueben:  Let’s look at it this way, Mordus has been locked up and Maximus asked that kid who can see the future if it is safe to open the door that kept Mordus trapped.  Shouldn’t that be an indication?  Maximus has been power hungry since he was a teenager.  That much anger, built up that long, is not going to come to any good end for him or anyone else.

Cara: I agree. Maximus is filled with way too much anger, righteous or otherwise. I’m curious to learn more about Mordus, and I definitely think it means something that everyone is uncomfortable with Mordus being free.

The caste system seems unjust and is clearly a source of strife in Attilan. Yet, Black Bolt seems like a good person. Is Maximus right, and he has been turning a blind eye on injustice?

Roz: The status quo is always a nice comfortable place for those who rule. I think as the only human in Attilan, Maximus sees things differently.

Karen: All the lower caste is human, but Maximus, living amongst the royals, sees things much differently than the majority of the population. The Royals & upper class are very comfortable in their roles, so they’re definitely not willing to rock the boat. Black Bolt senses it I think, but maybe just doesn’t know what to do about it. How do you go about enacting a change that will cause that kind of upheaval? Maximus doesn’t care what mayhem it will cause – thus his actions.

Rueben:  Karen said it better than I could.  I guess we’d each have to put ourselves within the caste system and try to imagine what it’s like.  Obviously there needs to be change, but how to go about it is the bigger question.  Maximus just wants to enact change, but what do those in the caste system do next?  Where do they live?  How do they feed their families?  You can’t just knock something down without putting things in place to help with transition.

Cara: I’m having the same thoughts. The lower castes seem to provide essential work for the city, so who knows how much chaos will come from utter upheaval of the system. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, the caste system needs to go, but perhaps with a little more caution and forethought.

Do you have an MVP this week? Or do you feel like the characters getting themselves into more trouble, rather than out of it?

Roz: I’m not sure I have one MVP this week.

Karen: Iwan continues to impress. As Maximus, he’s walking that fine line of being completely evil and having motives that we would normally see as good. I’m forgetting that there are good intentions behind his actions, although he truly is a horrible person. Anson is still amazing communicating a magnitude of emotions and meanings with minimal actions. I want to add that my least favorite performances so far have been from Serinda. It may be half writing and half acting though. She comes off as spoiled and petulant, and there seems to be a LOT of overacting. I almost think she’s doing a parody of Medusa at this point since it’s so over-the-top.

Rueben:  I don’t have an MVP either although Princess Crystal did at least get the better of Maximus, although I saw that coming from the minute she “agreed” to side with him.  That seems to be the problem with the show: predictability.  And, as Karen stated, overacting, except for Anson that is.

Cara: I agree. One of the problems with the show for me is how little anyone stands out. Anson is great, everyone else needs to tone it down a little. Then again, it could all come down to direction. If the problem is consistent, then maybe it’s more than just bad acting. I keep contrasting the show with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is unfortunate for Marvel’s Inhumans. Let’s hope the show finds its feet soon.

Marvel’s Inhumans airs Fridays at 9:00/8:00c on ABC.