Invasion has plodded a very steady and sedate path for all but one of its episodes so far, eschewing sci-fi action for more intimate, personal stories that unfold slowly over the season. Only Episode 6’s Home Invasion broke rank, standing alone as a horrific, nerve-shredding antidote to the tedium that was threatening to infect this show like alien spores. And this has presented a problem. Because if you want to crank up the tension, to build towards a dramatic finale, a change of tone and pace can feel jarring. And it does. The action feels rushed, condensed to not get in the way of the emotion, and feels neither balanced nor fluid.
But some truths are beginning to emerge. Mitsuki’s ‘conversation’ with the stricken Japanese craft now appears to be nothing more than an alien ruse, but the military has a plan (should we question why the only nation seeming to make any decisions that affect the entire planet are the Americans? We’ll move past that). And that plan is to nuke the bastards. It’s the only way to be sure, apparently.
Casper is connected to the alien hive; can see what they can see and vice versa. Which is fine. And interesting, but the how? why? and when? are not questions we need to consider it would seem. Exposition isn’t everything, and a little vagueness often enhances the mystery, but you wonder again if Invasion has earned the right to treat its audience this way.
With one episode remaining there is work to be done. For this series to be considered even moderately successful there needs to be a pay-off, some satisfactory finale to prove there was some master arc from the outset.
And… Sam Neill must be dead, right?
Invasion streams on Apple TV+. Read our reviews of previous episodes:
