Time-travelling Young M.O.D.O.K. executes his dastardly plan to take revenge on his older, disappointing self, but will he succeed?

Last week saw M.O.D.O.K. being invited back to the house by Jodie, for what seemed like an overdue make up/makeout session, and this episode picks up, shall we say, the morning after. Jodie is so happy her M.O.D.O.K. is back, and will do whatever he wants, the kids make him multiple breakfasts in bed, and the bathroom has been soundproofed – could his life get any more perfect?

Of course, there’s a small hitch in this happy family portrait, which M.O.D.O.K. fails to spot even when it becomes really obvious, so overcome is he by his family’s new enthusiasm for his long-held dream of them forming a band. While M.O.D.O.K. allows himself to be seduced by this vision of his own personal heaven, his loved ones watch on in horror, desperately wondering if he will realise the trap before it is too late.

And then…well, I’ve been watching a lot of Bond movies lately and I watched Black Widow last night so maybe I’m just really aware of these things but there’s a set of increasingly over the top twists, reveals and ‘Aha! But you didn’t realise that I meant for you to…’ moments as the show devolves into its usual levels of excessive gore, violence, profanity and silliness.

But it really works on multiple levels. There’s a quirky, albeit hugely dysfunctional charm to the M.O.D.O.K. family which really shines when they’re up against it, and watching the specific ways in which they come together in this one is genuinely delightful, especially in relation to Lou, who is once again the weird but oddly endearing member of the entire family unit.

Verdict: Equal parts touching, hilarious and gross. M.O.D.O.K. delivers again. 9/10

Greg D. Smith