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Marvel's Inhumans Season 1 Finale Recap: …And Finally: Black Bolt

Published Mon, 13 Nov 2017 12:33:07 -0600

This article contains spoilers for the Marvel's Inhumans Season 1 episode '…And Finally: Black Bolt'.

The title of this episode comes from Black Bolt's origin story, which took place in the pages of Thor #148 from 1968. And in a way, we do get a bit of his origin as the season comes to an end. Maximus has put a programming into the protective shield for Attilan that it will come down unless he uses his hand print once an hour. The problem is that each time it starts to come down, it does damage that can't be undone. Black Bolt and Triton try to get him to the control room before it's too late, while Karnak has to take care of a resurrected but mentally scrambled Gorgon, along with Medusa and Crystal, are tasked with finding a new home for the Inhumans if the dome fails.

Maximus gets away and wants his second Terrigenesis, but the Royal Family swiped all the crystals. They offer him one in exchange for saving the city and turning over the crown, but he refuses to give in. The Inhuman people are transported to Earth through the Inhuman wall. The Royal Family follows thanks to Lockjaw, leaving only Maximus and Black Bolt on the moon. In their final confrontation, Maximus admits that he had forged his parents signature on a letter form the genetic council suggesting they do brain surgery on Black Bolt because of his abilities. We also learn that part of being on the moon was protection from another threat — one that the council thought only Black Bolt has the power to face.

Instead of killing Maximus, Black Bolt knocks him out and leaves him trapped in the royal bunker alone, where he can survive indefinitely. This brings Bronaja's final prediction to reality: that Maximus would be the king of Attilan and Black Bolt would be gone — but along with everyone else.

The season ends with some big questions remaining. What is the threat that the Inhumans now face since they are out of the safety of the Moon? Who is the mysterious benefactor that Louise worked for and has found the new home for the Inhumans? And how will Gorgon be going forward after a second Terrigenesis? But the real question is: will there be more Marvel's Inhumans?

Taking a look at the whole series, I can see what they were trying to do. They gave us a group of out-of-touch, self-absorbed characters that changed as the series progressed into something closer to the characters we know from the comics. But the story was dragged out over too many episodes, there was far too much talking, and the budget constraints were extremely obvious at times. The expectations were not well managed, and the execution left a lot to be desired.

That said, I think the cast did well growing into the characters and making us like them from a very non-likable starting point. Iwan Rheon, Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, and Ken Leung all did a very good job. And, to be honest, I would like to see a second season. I'd hope for a different showrunner, but I've gotten to where I like these characters enough and want to know the answers to the remaining questions. I'd be willing to put my time in to watch more Marvel's Inhumans.

Whether we actually get more remains to be seen, and I won't be holding my breath.

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