Invasion season two

The second season of Apple TV+’s Invasion is a marked departure from its last. Whereas initially, the series followed a group of characters discovering that Earth has been invaded by an alien species, the latest chapter puts a greater focus on survival. The shift is a natural change, which seems to be taking the show in interesting new directions. However, a clunky and scatterbrained delivery undermines the urgency of the alien threat.

Set four months after first contact, the creatures have started to take over the planet, and the series wastes no time in emphasising the severity of the situation. Millions have died, the military have taken control, and what little survivors remain are being evacuated. The action then cuts to the aliens slaughtering civilians in one of these safe zones where Mitsuki (Shioli Kutsuna) is helping to fight back before she’s whisked away to work on a means to communicate with the invaders. Meanwhile, Aneesha (Golshifteh Farahani) and her two children are fending for themselves while on the run.

First impressions of the newest season can be described as Arrival meets The Walking Dead. At its best, the show is a grounded exploration of humanity and survival that’s sprinkled with moments of jaw-dropping visuals. The looming vastness of a crashed ship, for example, puts the sheer scale of the extraterrestrial threat into perspective. Likewise, the brief scenes with Mitsuki during the first episode point to the possibility of there being something grander at play, and the closing moments (fittingly accompanied by David Bowie’s Space Oddity) will leave viewers wanting more.

Outside of key scenes, though, Invasion is a cumbersome affair. While the intent behind cutting between the parallel narratives was likely to create tension, the opposite holds true here. Just as a plot thread starts to gain momentum, the show cuts to another character and the cycle begins again. Similarly, the alien threat is so far removed from most of what viewers see that it would be easy to forget that hordes of them are wreaking havoc across the globe.

Season two of Invasion is, so far, a mixed bag. While its impressive visuals and compelling plot developments point to a promising sci-fi series, the lacklustre delivery serves to only detract from the pressing nature of the ongoing global situation.

Andrew Murray

Invasion season two is released on Apple TV+ on 23^rd August 2023.

Watch the trailer for Invasion season two here: