Give Us a Moment

Nolan Grayson reveals to Mark Grayson that the Viltrum Empire originally sent him to Earth to determine whether humans could serve as a viable genetic match for Viltrumites, whose population had been severely diminished. Nolan then urges Mark to join the ongoing resistance against the Viltrum Empire and that they must depart the next day. Nolan later goes to Debbie Grayson's home and attempts to apologize to her for the harm he caused to her family and the devastation he caused to Earth. Debbie rejects his apology, stating that the damage cannot be undone or repaired.

Meanwhile, Tech Jacket, revealed to be a girl named Zoe, finishes a battle with the Walking Dread before meeting Allen with her father and agreeing to help fight the Viltrumite Empire. Later, Mark attempts to provide comfort to a still upset Debbie. Oliver Grayson soon enters, frustrated that Nolan did not acknowledge him during his visit and insists he join Mark in fighting the Viltrumites. Before departure, Debbie requests a dinner with the Grayson family before Mark and Oliver leaves, which Eve and Paul join in on.

The next day, Zoe, Mark, and Oliver board the ship to fight the Viltrum Empire, despite Nolan's apprehension to Oliver's joining. Deep into space, Viltrumite warriors Kradd, Lucan, and Conquest ambush the ship. Conquest immediately confronts Mark, while the other Viltrumites divide their attacks across the group as Oliver faces Lucan, Allen and Zoe engage Kradd, and Mark becomes locked in repeated combat with Conquest. Oliver begins to lose oxygen in space, prompting Nolan to direct him toward a nearby planet to recover, leading Conquest to follow him. Mark intercepts Conquest on the planet’s surface, leading to a violent confrontation. They ravage the planet's terrain as Mark chokes Conquest. Conquest disembowels Mark, but Mark maintains his hold long enough to ultimately suffocate him and kill him. Oliver and Nolan arrive to find Mark barely conscious and gravely injured. Separately, Allen and Zoe remain concealed beneath a Viltrumite vessel, unsure of their survival.

"Give Us a Moment" was written by Adria Lang, executive produced by David Alpert and Margaret M. Dean,^[5][6] and directed by Sol Choi.^[2] The episode continues the comic adaptation of the Viltrumite War arc from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley’s comic series.^[1][7] The Coalition of Planets, led by Thaedus and Allen, escalates its conflict with the Viltrum Empire by recruiting allies including Mark Grayson, Nolan Grayson, Oliver Grayson, Battle Beast, Space Racer, and Tech Jacket.^[8]

The episode introduces Tech Jacket as a key addition to the coalition, using Geldarian-designed armor that allows her to adapt to interstellar combat scenarios. It also features a space infiltration sequence involving Allen and Tech Jacket evading Viltrumite forces aboard an enemy ship, noted for its resemblance to The Empire Strikes Back (1980) in its tactical execution.^[8] Guest stars in this episode include Zoey Deutch, LeVar Burton, Bobby Moynihan, Andrew Morgado and Phil LaMarr.^[9]

Audience and aggregator responses were notably strong, with the episode receiving high user ratings and being described in some coverage as one of the season’s best-performing entries in terms of audience reception, reflecting significant engagement with its climactic sequences and emotional payoff.^[10] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the episode holds a rating of 6.7 out of 10 based on 7 users rating.^[11]

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN gave "Give Us a Moment" a positive review, calling it a pivotal episode that effectively balances emotional character work with the series’ signature graphic violence. The review praised the long-awaited reunion between Mark and Nolan Grayson, as well as the episode’s focus on the emotional fallout of Nolan’s past actions, particularly in his interactions with Debbie Grayson and Art. Sandra Oh’s performance as Debbie was noted for adding strong emotional weight to the episode’s quieter scenes. Adlakha also highlighted the final confrontation with Conquest as exceptionally brutal and one of the most violent sequences in the series to date. Overall, the episode was described as a strong improvement over the previous installment and an important turning point in the season’s narrative. Adlakha gave the episode an "incredible" rating of 8 out of 10.^[12]

Gary Catig of AIPT felt that episode received attention for its combination of intimacy and action, with Catig praising the fact that the show still stands out due to its ability to contrast its tone and tell stories based on real consequences. Nolan Grayson's efforts to reconcile with his family were cited as the main story driver of the episode.^[13]

Keith Noakes of keithlovesmovies.com highlighted its focus on the emotional fallout of Nolan Grayson’s return and the strained dynamics within the Grayson family. The tension between attempted reconciliation and lingering mistrust was frequently noted, particularly in scenes involving Mark Grayson and Debbie Grayson. Noakes also pointed to the episode’s transition between family drama and space-set action, including the introduction of Tech Jacket and the coalition-bound mission. The Viltrumite attack, led in part by Conquest, was cited as a key escalation in both plot and stakes.Overall, the episode was described as a solid transitional entry that advances the season’s central conflict while maintaining the series’ established mix of character-driven storytelling and large-scale action. He gave the episode an "incredible" rating of 85% out of 100.^[14] In her review for Bubbleblabber, David Kaldor lauded the efforts made in exploring the story of Nolan Grayson trying to reconcile and his past. The acting skills displayed by Sandra Oh in her portrayal of Debbie Grayson were also recognized as one of the highlights of the episode. The vicious rematch between Mark Grayson and Conquest was one of the notable scenes. According to Kaldor, the episode is definitely one of the more impressive episodes of the season.^[15]