Review of 'Invasion' 2.1-2.2

Invasion -- the latest narrative that explores an H. G. Well's War of the Worlds scenario -- is back on Apple TV+ in the past two weeks with the first two episodes of its second season. Episode 2.1 is entitled "Something's Changed," but I don't think all that much has changed, unless change is defined as zooming into elements that were already there in the first season, which is fine with me.

Episode 2.1 is indeed less crowded with simultaneous stories of the interstellar invasion that were happening all over the world, and I found myself missing that frenetic, often inchoate pace. On the other hand, at least one of the remaining segments has some promise, and the other one coming into focus looks like a pretty good if less original story, too.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

The mind-bending story, maybe literally, is Mitsuki's, who opts to go face-to-face, or mind-to-mind, with the interstellar intelligence mounting the invasion, although I guess we don't know for sure that this billowy entity mounted the invasion. Significantly, Mitsuki is not so much brave as certain that she'll survive this encounter, because she already feels some undefined connection to the invaders.

How's that? We'll no doubt find out. But I'll hazard a guess and say that's because these destructive visitors have been here before. In the one scene in which she and the extra-terrestrial have close to a physical but apparently not yet a figurative meeting of the minds, the two seem to know each other. At very least, the star-traveler doesn't kill Mitsuki or destroy her mind -- at least, not yet.

The other main story in this episode is Aneesha and her children, who come under the protection of the "Movement," a human para-military operation who are trying to help. As I said, this is a far more conventional science fiction story, found not only in invaders-from-space narratives, but threats to the human species that come from Earthly pathogens. But Aneesha and her kids are so appealing that I really don't mind seeing this kind of invasion story again.

***

Episode 2.2 of Invasion had two good, non-intersecting stories about Jamila in the UK and Trevante in the USA.

I thought Jamila's story was tighter at this point than Trevante's. She's determined to find Casper. She knows he has some sort of mental connection and control over the invaders. She feels she's been in some sort of touch with him. She joins up with the two of the young gents from last season, picks up another other guy and his young sister, and they're off to Paris, where she has reason to believe Casper may be, and the newbies say their parents have a flat. The makings of a good story.

Trevante's starts off a little lamely. He saves his young nephew, who jumps into the deep end of a pool, and screams at him after he's out of the water and awake. Trevante's sister is so furious at him for screaming at the kid that she throws Trevante out of the house. Does that make sense? She wouldn't be happy about Trevante screaming at her son, true, but where's her gratitude for Trevante saving the boy's life?

Fortunately, Trevante finds a better reason to leave Florida -- he finds there's some kind of invader activity in Oklahoma. At this point, his story gets back on track, as he maneuvers his way to getting where he wants to go, and gets put behind bars for his effort.

In both cases -- Jamila's and Trevante's -- the authorities and their military and police are worse than useless. getting in the way of our heroes, obstructing their worthy actions, at every turn. This is an old story in science fiction, but one which alas seems ever reasonable. See what I said about governments and invaders from space on Ancient Aliens (at 1 min 23 seconds in the video) 13 years ago: