Invasion Season 2 Review: Created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil and starring Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Tara Moayedi, India Brown, Enver Gjokaj, Sam Neill, Paddy Holland and others, the sci-fi series continues after the devastating events of the first season. Season 2 has 10 episodes, each with a runtime ranging from 45 – 60 minutes.
Invasion Season 2 Plot
The aliens are back after the previous devastating events, and our protagonists from the first season continue to try and keep the invasion at bay while trying to stay alive. As Aneesha tries to keep her two children safe, Trevante tries to find the meaning behind Caspar’s drawings to end the madness once and for all. Meanwhile, Mitsuki continues to nurse her heartbreak while trying to find a way to re-establish contact with the aliens. Lastly, Jamila, Monty and their friends try to find out whether or not there is any hope of finding Caspar.
Invasion Season 2 Review
Following up on our journey from last season, our protagonists are back, and this time, everyone is about to figure out the ins and outs of the alien invaders who have destroyed their lives in every way possible. Mitsuki, Aneesha, Trevante and Jamila try to do everything in their power to right the wrongs in their lives while simultaneously trying to find an end to the horrible devastation once and for all.
And, like last season, Invasion season 2 is a slow-paced narrative that takes its time delivering the punches, focusing more on pushing the character backgrounds and motivations in order for the viewers to latch on to them more and form a deeper connection with the story. This was also one of the main grievances from last season, with most viewers complaining about losing patience and waiting for too long for something to happen.
However, that’s probably the point of Invasion – focusing more on the people than the aliens. Because, in times of catastrophe, people’s lives rarely just turn into a hero moment. They would rather struggle to process the rapidly changing environments and try to find some form of normalcy, even if fleeting. I think that’s what we mostly see in the series, although I’d say, having established its leads, the second season showcases them in environments wherein they can show some sort of action.
Also Read: Invasion Season 1 Recap: Aliens, World Domination and Psychic Powers
Our old heroes, moreover, are in new territories this season. While all are trying to end the aliens, we see them going for a shared goal individually. It’s nice seeing all the threads come together as one, slowly as most start to get connected to the hive and understand how it works… and how to destroy it. But, with new environments come new characters, and I must, unfortunately, point out that the new characters are nothing close to the ones that we have seen in the last season.
That is saying something because previously, we were made to sit through minutes upon minutes of dialogue with some people whom we might never see after that moment. However, they still turned out to be real characters who made an impression on the characters’ lives. The second season, unfortunately, doesn’t do justice to the new characters, and most turn out to be quite annoying. I found myself asking the point of a lot of them, and some, unfortunately, were written just as dark and unlikeable archetypes instead of the grey shades that we have come to know in the series.
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This is probably to give the series the push that viewers wanted in the last season. Sometimes it does work, and I found myself quite interested and engaged for most of its runtime. However, it’s these long, dialogue-heavy moments from some of the newer characters that don’t create the necessary emotional moments that will hold onto our attention.
That being said, Invasion season 2 is more complicated and has more going on when it comes to the aliens than last season. And if you thought that season 1 was just creating the base for the second season, then you’d be correct. For everyone who wanted to see what the alien wanted and how they operated, this season is going to be quite satisfying. There is simply too much happening this season surrounding the aliens, and oddly enough, almost everyone is turning out to be a psychic for some reason.
Which, you know, isn’t the worst thing out there, but after a while, it just gets a bit much. The alien lifestyle and vibe have some interesting moments, though, that will leave you mesmerised and eager to learn more. The cinematography is excellent as well, and the aliens are done well. They are different from what we have seen thus far, and their movements, honestly, are scary enough to leave you uncomfortable. There’s a scene in episode 9 where Mitsuki realises in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. It’s just so beautiful that it left me hypnotised.
Ok, so let’s talk about our repeating characters – I feel like season 2 has many more incorrect decisions happening in the series than its previous entry. And, sure, you can’t always make the right decisions when you face creatures from outer space, but this season, people just do stuff on impulse. Some of the other characters seem to meander around until the very last few episodes, when their characters finally rise up for the occasion. There are some moments wherein even the “important” characters’ arcs seem repetitive and futile, and you wait for things to get out of their repetitive blocks.
At other times, you’d be glued to the screen, wondering what can happen next. I felt that, in both seasons, the last few episodes turn out to be the most engaging. Before that, while learning some background and character arcs, Invasion tends to get sluggish, with slightly intriguing moments sprinkled here and there. That being said, in spite of more “action” moments in the latest season, season 1 was a bit better in terms of character building. Invasion season 2 takes things to another level, one that feels a bit too far-fetched, even for a sci-fi series about aliens.
Performances from all of the cast are excellent, however, and although these characters feel a bit fantastical this time around, the actors gave their 100% in order to make the series believable and engaging.
Final Thoughts
Ending on another cliffhanger, Invasion season 2 gives us more information about the rather shy aliens from the last season, but there’s just something missing in this series that sours the viewing experience. Although dealing with aliens from outer space, the character arcs seem far-fetched, and it spends far too much time on dialogues that are absolutely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. That being said, it’s an oddly emotional watch for some reason, and I blame the rather solid writing of the first season for it.
Invasion season 2 will stream on AppleTV+ from August 16 to October 25, 2023.
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