Invasion Season 1 Episode 8 review: The narrative comes to a standstill

A weak episode that threatens to undo the slow build-up and narrative structure adopted by the series.

Story:

Trevante Cole is on his own in a ravaged London, Casper and his friend return home to find his mother killed by the aliens, Aneesha makes shocking discoveries about herself and the alien object Luke discovered, and Mitsuki is finally close to making contact with Hinata.

Review:

It is well established that the series has adopted a very unique take on the alien invasion genre. It is in fact the show’s greatest strength and weakness. Unfortunately, the episode leans more towards the negative aspects of the show. Despite the criticisms the earlier episodes had, they deserved praise for a clear identity and what was expected out of the narrative - four character-driven tales from different corners of the globe. Episode eight on the other hand struggles with its pacing and unnecessarily ponders on character development.

Considering the fact the finale is on the horizon, drawn-out expositions and monologues should have been avoided taking into account how far into the story the narrative has taken these characters. It has come to the point where survival should be the only thing they should be focused on. Instead, some of the characters spend an awful lot of time contemplating relatively trivial pursuits when the apocalypse is imminent.

Aneesaha and her family, and Trevante Cole appear to be the only ones who have their priorities straight. Casper and the English children could be excused as the naivety of the young, but Mitsukis’s arc continues to baffle. While it is understandable that people might go to unimaginable lengths to reunite with loved ones, considering the circumstances, her actions seem over-the-top. She appears to be oblivious to the fact that millions of people are being killed across the globe.

Elsewhere Aneesha, or rather her son Luke, may have accidentally stumbled upon secrets about the extraterrestrial visitors. However, this plotline has come to a relative standstill - which is disappointing considering the show’s best episode was the one where the narrative focused entirely on Aneesha and her family. Ideally, the series should have continued in a similar fashion as it heads towards the finale.

The one positive aspect of the episode is the fact that Trevante Cole meets Casper and Jamila - a worlds colliding moment. Hopefully, this will set up for an engrossing finale, especially after it’s been revealed that Casper may be connected with the aliens which could help stop the invasion.

Verdict:

The weakest episode of the series so far, but is hopefully just a minor blip before the final episodes of the season.

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