Despite receiving a mixed reception, Apple TV’s convoluted alien drama, Invasion, was renewed for a sophomore season, which premiered this week. Like the first instalment, this season of the series created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil is ten episodes long.
Where can you watch Invasion season 2 in the UAE?
Invasion season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV Plus in the UAE. There is no free trial currently available for Apple TV in the UAE, but if you buy an Apple device such as an Apple TV or an iPhone, you also get free access to the platform for a limited time.
Invasion season 2 review
- Great acting
- Stunning visuals
- Annoying characters
- Too many plot holes
- Convoluted
Humanity rejoiced at the end of season one when a nuke launched by the U.S. military brought down the mysterious alien mothership. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the invasion. Some might argue that blowing up one of their ships did little more than further anger the malicious crawlers.
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Season two starts with a message from President Benya Mabote (Moshidi Motshegwa) of what’s now the World World Defense Coalition, bringing us to date with what’s been happening since poor Trevante (Shamier Anderson) beach day was ruined in the cliffhanger. Four long months have passed since the aliens waged war on humanity, and they managed to take hold of nearly 30% of the planet.
Mitsuki Yamato (Shioli Kutsuna) has been trying to lead as many people away from the attacking creatures as possible. But billionaire Nikhil Kapoor (Shane Zaza) tracks her down and invites her to the remnants of the mothership that fell in the Brazilian Amazon. It seems Mitsuki is the only person who managed to communicate with the creatures, and she’s humanity’s only hope.
Meanwhile, Aneesha Malik has been on the run with her two kids, Luke (Azhy Robertson) and Sarah (Tara Moayedi), ever since her unfaithful husband, Ahmed (Firas Nassar), took a bullet. Given her previous experiences, it’s no surprise that Aneesha wants nothing to do with other people, especially the military, and wishes to continue surviving alone with her children.
Luke, however, has grown into a moody teenager with a mind of his own and an ill-timed rebellious streak. While child actors do age, a longer time jump would have saved viewers the confusion of watching the young character having doubled in height and attitude in only a few short months.
Too many plot holes
Luke and Sarah’s ageing is one of the many details this series conveniently ignores. Mitsuki’s dyed blonde hair couldn’t have grown out as much in just four months, and how can planes safely fly now when it was nearly impossible in the previous season? While these are minor issues, they add up to the lack of story coherence. The show keeps making up rules and forgets about them when it’s plot-convenient.
Invasion is a series that benefits from a very talented cast, and the cinematography looks stunning. Even the CGI creatures look convincingly terrifying. Unfortunately, the writing and the direction are simply lacking. There’s no attention to details, plot points get introduced then dropped without a thought, and the whole story is overly complicated.
The first episode only centres on two narrative lines, but we’ll likely catch up with soldier Trevante and magical seizure kid Casper (Billy Barratt), who may or may not be dead.
If you keep your expectations low, a few worthwhile action scenes are peppered into the series. There is a sense that we might get an explanation for the events unfolding rather than the constant melodrama.
What are the other critics saying about Invasion season 2?
Big Gold Belt Media enjoyed the second season and thought it was fantastic because while still character-driven, it allowed for more exploration of the aliens and their motives.
