Invasion 1.5: "Unnatural Selection"
Written by Shuan Cassidy and Michael Burns
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
In which an old friend of Russell’s is killed by Underlay in a suspicious incident, and when Russell begins conducting his own investigation, he discovers more than he bargained for…
This is another episode that doesn’t really go anywhere for most of its running time, but at least the final act or so brings the story a little further along. In terms of the overall narrative, the battle lines are being drawn between Underlay and Russell rather distinctly, which may or may not be the best thing for the story. In between stands Mariel, who has already shown signs of being on the fence between the two men.
That core triangle is where the key dramatic conflict lies, and that’s where this episode is largely centered. Underlay is firmly behind whatever process is taking place, because his own previous survival (and apparent “possession”) leads him to believe that it’s all for the benefit of those who become hosts. Russell, on the other hand, represents those who resist this process. Or at least, he’s being prepared for that role, since at the moment, he’s still not sure what it is he’s resisting.
I imagine that the purpose of this episode was to show how Russell is becoming more and more aware of the lines being drawn by Underlay. Underlay has been making his decisions based on the preservation and benefit of those “possessed”. Of course, Underlay refers to them as the “survivors”, which might be a reference to the fact that some encounters with the “aliens” don’t end well.
But Russell finally begins learning from the events since the pilot, which is something I was waiting (impatiently) for. He takes measures, even in ignorance, to keep Rose away from the water and to keep Jesse from being directly involved in his personal investigation. Slowly but surely, he’s pulling together the start of a resistance. If I have any sense of where this story is going, that proto-movement should really gel right around episode 6 or 7.
So I try and look at these first few episodes on the assumption that this is the introduction phase of the season arc: it’s all about getting to know the characters and the basic conflicts. I’m just not sure that the writers have framed the early stages of the story in the most interesting way. I get the premise, and I get the style used to provide it scope, but it’s not the most fascinating introduction in the world. Until the final act, I wasn’t feeling this episode.
One problem has been the inconsistent portrayal of Larkin. Not just in terms of the character herself, but rather, in terms of how others react to her. Clearly she should have a reputation for pushing the buttons of authority and getting into things she shouldn’t. But she’s dealing with a sheriff with a secret agenda and the military. She seems to get treated with kid gloves by both. Underlay, at least, had some hope that he could control Larkin, but I’m not at all impressed by the military security in this episode. (Yes, I realize Larkin was ultimately followed, but she never should have been able to see anything in the first place.)
The goal is apparently to have Larkin discover information useful to Russell, with the efforts to keep her quiet being another reason for Russell to pursue the truth. At least, that’s how I interpret it. Meanwhile, Mariel is the window into Underlay’s agenda, but this episode seems to suggest that he doesn’t quite know what’s happening either. I imagine that the extended family will become pawns in the battle between Underlay and Russell.
At least the network is giving the series a chance to make its case. The series gained a full season pickup this week, based on the fact that it’s performed better than any other series in the same hour for something like five years. Surely the “Lost” lead-in is a huge factor, but that wouldn’t matter if the series had completely tanked. Hopefully the hint of a growing momentum for the story will actually come to fruition.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
In which an old friend of Russell’s is killed by Underlay in a suspicious incident, and when Russell begins conducting his own investigation, he discovers more than he bargained for…
This is another episode that doesn’t really go anywhere for most of its running time, but at least the final act or so brings the story a little further along. In terms of the overall narrative, the battle lines are being drawn between Underlay and Russell rather distinctly, which may or may not be the best thing for the story. In between stands Mariel, who has already shown signs of being on the fence between the two men.
That core triangle is where the key dramatic conflict lies, and that’s where this episode is largely centered. Underlay is firmly behind whatever process is taking place, because his own previous survival (and apparent “possession”) leads him to believe that it’s all for the benefit of those who become hosts. Russell, on the other hand, represents those who resist this process. Or at least, he’s being prepared for that role, since at the moment, he’s still not sure what it is he’s resisting.
I imagine that the purpose of this episode was to show how Russell is becoming more and more aware of the lines being drawn by Underlay. Underlay has been making his decisions based on the preservation and benefit of those “possessed”. Of course, Underlay refers to them as the “survivors”, which might be a reference to the fact that some encounters with the “aliens” don’t end well.
But Russell finally begins learning from the events since the pilot, which is something I was waiting (impatiently) for. He takes measures, even in ignorance, to keep Rose away from the water and to keep Jesse from being directly involved in his personal investigation. Slowly but surely, he’s pulling together the start of a resistance. If I have any sense of where this story is going, that proto-movement should really gel right around episode 6 or 7.
So I try and look at these first few episodes on the assumption that this is the introduction phase of the season arc: it’s all about getting to know the characters and the basic conflicts. I’m just not sure that the writers have framed the early stages of the story in the most interesting way. I get the premise, and I get the style used to provide it scope, but it’s not the most fascinating introduction in the world. Until the final act, I wasn’t feeling this episode.
One problem has been the inconsistent portrayal of Larkin. Not just in terms of the character herself, but rather, in terms of how others react to her. Clearly she should have a reputation for pushing the buttons of authority and getting into things she shouldn’t. But she’s dealing with a sheriff with a secret agenda and the military. She seems to get treated with kid gloves by both. Underlay, at least, had some hope that he could control Larkin, but I’m not at all impressed by the military security in this episode. (Yes, I realize Larkin was ultimately followed, but she never should have been able to see anything in the first place.)
The goal is apparently to have Larkin discover information useful to Russell, with the efforts to keep her quiet being another reason for Russell to pursue the truth. At least, that’s how I interpret it. Meanwhile, Mariel is the window into Underlay’s agenda, but this episode seems to suggest that he doesn’t quite know what’s happening either. I imagine that the extended family will become pawns in the battle between Underlay and Russell.
At least the network is giving the series a chance to make its case. The series gained a full season pickup this week, based on the fact that it’s performed better than any other series in the same hour for something like five years. Surely the “Lost” lead-in is a huge factor, but that wouldn’t matter if the series had completely tanked. Hopefully the hint of a growing momentum for the story will actually come to fruition.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 10:44
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