Following the intensity and drama of the previous episode Home Invasion, this feels like a slight backwards step. Aliens are invading, that truth is out there, but the series now shifts back to the considered pacing of the opening episodes.
Aneesha and family are back on the run and reach – following a strange pitstop at an abandoned diner where they throw caution to the wind and turn all the lights and music on – a well-guarded refugee station. Casper and chums are back in London, which has quickly become a dystopian landscape that throws up more questions relating to the passage of time. And Trevante is rudely muscling his way through the desert in search of a plane.
The most interesting storyline at present revolves around Mitsuki and her quest to find the Hoshi’s beacon and identify a curious sound pattern. As other characters focus – understandably – on survival Mitsuki is driven by love (a primary theme throughout Invasion) to solve a mystery only she seems able to see.
But as viewers we need, and perhaps deserve more. Episode 6 was well-earned, a reward for persevering with the languid, steadily paced build-up. Returning to that position feels like cheating the audience; we know aliens are here and things are bad, so let’s show a little more resistance and action. Yes, the show’s premise is built around individual experience in the face of extreme global events, but surely there’s room for a little more excitement.
Invasion streams on Apple TV+. Read our reviews of previous episodes:
