I was a bit underwhelmed by the Thraxan parts of this episode, in part because I had such high expectations. One of the things the comics did well was the sheer terror of Mark going against an adult Viltrumite other than his father, from the chase by Lucan to the ass beating he was getting from the random Viltrumite. Here, Mark is somehow able to get the better of Thula and only loses because of his hesitation. It reduces the future tension if he can already hold his own against an adult Viltrumite, a veteran no less.

From a narrative standpoint, I also don’t like how they changed Nolan’s motivation for staying on the planet. In the comics, he thought that he could make Thraxa a part of the Viltrum Empire. It showed the even though he was changing, old ways die hard. Considering how he’s more cruel and brutal in the show, the redemption comes a bit too quickly. You’d expect the show version to be more set in his Viltrumite ways.

As for Debbie, I always had a problem with her show character. Comic Debbie is meek and co-dependent, exactly the type of person who would get with an all powerful being with anger issues and not question his past too much. The type of woman who would welcome back an ex-husband who almost killed her son. Show Debbie is a lot stronger and smarter. This makes her more palatable and likable for a mainstream audience, but the relationship no longer rings true, especially if the two later make up. The actions and characterization don’t quite match up, which has been a problem for the show series in an attempt to sanitize the “problematic” elements of the comics.

Anyways, this has been a great adaptation overall, so this criticism comes from a place of love.