Invasion (Season 2) Episode 1: Invasion created by Simon Kiberg and David Weil is more of a drama than a thriller. While it deals with an incident of global alien invasion, it is hardly as terrifying as other works of this type. Its first season took a slow-burn approach to show different narratives across the globe. Instead of being a fight against evil, it focused on the lives of its characters and how they deal with one another in the middle of a calamity. It tried to portray how people act and react in the face of the unknown; be it racial prejudice, domestic abuse, or queerphobia, we saw characters trying to break these barriers and survive.
Now the second season of Invasion, on Apple TV+, begins with the aftermath of the alien invasion that we got a glimpse of at the end of the first season. A larger ship had arrived on the Earth and the repercussions were inevitable. Now, the show works like a survival thriller, where humans across the globe try to make sense of their dying world and the depleting resources. While Mitsuki is brought to an alien ship in the Amazon jungle, Aneesha and her children come across a rebel group during their fight for survival.
*Spoilers ahead*
Invasion (Season 2) Episode 1 “Something’s Changed” Recap:
The season two premiere begins with the events from Day 121 after the alien invasion. The incident has wreaked havoc across nations, and we see bits and pieces of its aftermath. All the nations are trying to overcome this common enemy. The aliens have infected the air in over 30% of the Earth. An authority professional urges people to cooperate with the military and comply with the codes. However, on the ground, there is utmost chaos. Everyone is confused about how to behave and act. Among them are Aneesha Malik (Golsifteh Farahani) and Mitsuki Yamato (Shioli Kutsuna), whom we met before.
Mitsuki’s New Life
In East Asia, the public is in shambles. People run away and act instinctively since there seems to be no other way. Mitsuki walks among them to help them survive. Suddenly a few men arrive on the scene. She asks them if they are from the government or the Coalition. They just kidnap her and bring her in their helicopter. A man of influence seeks her help in what looks like a battle they are losing. He brings her to the Amazon Rainforest from Brazil and shows the alien ship that they shot from the sky.
President Benya Mabote (Moshidi Motshegwa) speaks with Nikhil Kapoor (Shane Zaza), who is in charge of the facility that operates near this ship. Meanwhile, Mitsuki lands in the forest and gets taken to meet him. Turns out, they were trying to track Mitsuki since her codes managed to communicate with the aliens. Her coordinates helped humans shoot that ship out of the sky. Unlike Nikhil, she does not consider it a victory. He does not think that the ship is dead and wants her to re-establish communication with the aliens. Besides, he also clarifies that he is not with the military to gain her confidence. He seeks her help to find answers to win the war against these enemies.
Before Mitsuki goes on the mission, Dr Maya Castillo (Nainan Gonzalez Norvind) asks her a series of questions for her psychological evaluation. The questions also include ones related to her partner, who got unjustly killed because of the military forces. Maya informs Nikhil that Mitsuki failed the test and isn’t psychologically stable. Despite knowing the dangerous implications, Nikhil wants to send Mitsuki on the mission. He sends Maya with Mitsuki to contact the ship. When they approach it, Maya warns Mitsuki about aborting the mission if she senses any malfunction.
Maya introduces her to their lead chemist Tomas (Santago Godoy-Giraldo). She informs how the walls of this place have microscopic neural pathways. That’s how they can study how the aliens transmit data. Eventually, Mituski sees the drop-ships that the aliens came in. Maya brings her to see an enormous power source from a distance. Then, she takes her to a strangely fluid section and warns her of the danger of memory loss. Despite that, Mitsuki agrees to walk in. According to the protocol, she needs to leave within fifteen minutes and higher functions will check on her every two minutes.
Aneesha’s Survival
A still from Invasion (Season 2), Episode 1.Aneesha is now a single mother due to Ahmed’s untimely death. She tries to survive with Sarah (Tara Moayedi) and Luke (Azhy Robertson) in the United States. We see Sarah walk into a gas station shop, trying to keep the cashier busy with her queries. By then, Luke tries to steal some things from the shop whereas Aneesha steals the gas for their car. Luckily, they leave right before the cashier could approach them with a gun. Afterwards, Luke shows all the tools he procured. Aneesha gets upset at him since he took longer than what they had agreed upon to escape.
Once they return to their base, Aneesha starts packing their bags and rushes to leave immediately. This is because Luke made the mistake of overstaying at the shop and breaking their rule. All she wants is for her kids to stay safe. ‘Safe from Aliens or Humans?’ he asks. Ahmed was killed by the humans who did not trust him due to their racist prejudices. So this family needs to stay safe, not just from the aliens but from humans as well. Now Aneesha wants them to change their pre-planned direction.
Aneesha starts driving and stops at a rest stop. Luke sees the military men and thinks of asking them for food. She disapproves of doing that. While Aneesha walks out to bring some things, Luke sees the men bringing petrol from cans. Against Aneesha’s advice, he walks out to steal some of them. An army man catches him stealing. So, to save her son, Aneesha walks out and pretends that Luke made a silly mistake. The military asks her if she is with ‘the movement’. They check through her car and find a grenade. She tries to maintain her cover, but the men quickly learn who she is. So, he arrests her and the kids and holds them in their convoy.
Invasion (Season 2) Episode 1 “Something’s Changed” Ending Explained:
Does Mitsuki establish communication with the alien ship?
In the convoy, Clark (Enver Gjokoaj) joins Aneesha and her children. He reveals that he was an English teacher before the alien invasion. He also makes her not take anything at face value. The convoy suddenly stops because of a girl lying on the road. Then, a few people suddenly come out of the woods and attack the army men. They handcuff these men and save Clark. He gets Aneesha, Luke, and Sarah to join them. Before leaving, she takes back all her stolen stuff, and he steals the armoury. Turns out, the girl on the road was Clark’s daughter – Ryder (Olivia-Mai Barrett).
Even if Clark saved their lives, Aneesha does not want to be a part of Clark’s anarchist movement. Nevertheless, he brings her to a hideout to keep them safe. There are many others like her family, who seek refuge in this place. On the other hand, Mitsuki dares to establish a connection with the ship. A fluid, fluorescent form approaches to interact with her. They notice something strange happening and Maya worries that prolonging Mitsuki’s stay might harm her. Nikhil still wants Mituski to stay there. The fluid form moves towards her. David Bowie’s Space Oddity starts playing, which was a special thing between Mitsuki and her late partner.
Since Mitsuki takes a step forward to communicate with the aliens, Luke starts to hear the humming again as he did before. Aneesha senses a possible danger coming their way. Casper, who was hospitalised after his accident, suddenly starts showing changes. The doctor in charge notices that it isn’t a random tremor, but rhythmic. This is an indication of a possible change and a direct contact with the aliens.
Read More: Invasion (Season 1) Review: This sci-fi series about people of Earth reacting to an incoming alien invasion is a stifling bore
Invasion (Season 2), Episode 1 Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Invasion (Season 2), Episode 1 Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna, Billy Barratt
Where to watch Invasion
