How fast can you trace a phone call? And Tony still needs a mute button? Larry Ellison’s cameo gets its payoff finally. Tony figures out Ivan’s in the Tri State Area. It’s a picture wrap on Irena! But what was the original fate of Ivan’s beloved pet? And Tony’s new element, Starkium, is actually healing him! Huzzah!
Justin wants to get laid. Or is it lei’d? And he’s trying to get his stooges to babysit Ivan, which doesn’t go well. How complicit is the cleaning lady who works at Hammer, by the way? Meanwhile, Tony’s hanging out with DUM-E and U. And Ivan gives him a jingle to tell him he now double cycles. And just what is a trifle anyway?
Sam Rockwell continues to absolutely chew up the screen. Ivan clearly doesn’t care, but we do, very much. We get some great positioning, hubris cementing disaster, and an admission of intellectual ignorance that leads us straight out to the expo.
Irina has a terrible minute. Ivan can make salute. Turns out he can also make a suit in this glorious retcon that exists to justify later minutes. There’s a hallway of significance, and Sam Rockwell begins an exceptional moment of monologue performance.
There is a ton of surprising CG in this minute. Real glow, real light, but no stuff. We’re pretty excited about it all so prepare for some gushing at the micro scale. We hard cut to Ivan and his arc reactor and we’re overjoyed to get Irina and the Hammer back with us. Justin is taking the good Senator out for golf on the wrong side of the country.
Tony turns a wrench. But he does it with his shirt off. That’s right, it’s full beefcake laser workshop destruction as we work with Smart Stark to make a new element with science. The big question remains: just how far does that laser cut into the side of the cliff? Even JFav tells us to settle down and let the science wash over us. We do our best.
Tony and Coulson are parading their way through an awkward conversation. Thankfully, we learn about New Mexico along the way. You didn’t see THAT coming. We have some great character moments in this minute especially with Clark Gregg as he heads out to the American Southwest for some secret stuff. And Tony gets back to work on his prismatic accelerator.
Tony has found that atom-smashing machines that can be delivered same-day. Coulson is back, and furry freaks are mentioned for some reason. We go deep on Cap’s shield and make a big deal over things that the creators likely intended no one to make such a deal about such things. Along the way, we have problem’s with cutting Vibranium.
A brand new element! Hidden in a schematic for a theme park! And it can SAVE TONY? And he can make it in his basement‽ You guys, this minute is amazing. Like, head-tilting, quizzical expression amazing. We pull apart just who is — and who is not — a scientist this minute, and as confused as we might be over the narrative holes and home reconstruction, this is a fun and good-looking minute.
We’re going into wireframe mode. Tony removes some layers of dad’s fair model and gets to the juicy, sciencey center: a new element. We have some quibbles with Howard’s strategy vis a vis hiding incredible discoveries in very, very plain sight. Even JFav agrees with us: don’t think about the plan too much. But, it LOOKS incredible and that, as it turns out, matters.
