Invasion 1.15: "The Nest"

Written by Julie Siege and Shaun Cassidy
Directed by Lawrence Trilling

In which Christina and Derek return and kidnap Kira, who wants to understand what is happening in the water, while Russell and Mariel make a startling discovery about her biology…


This episode continues to take the series into new and intriguing territory, and I’m very pleased. Initially, I was a bit concerned about the characterization of Christina, since I was more impressed by the calm and deadly version, but over time, it began to make more sense. It all comes down to something I hadn’t considered about the differences between this invasion and the ones that apparently failed.

Underlay and Zura are both unusual in that they have overwhelmed any murderous and self-destructive tendencies through what appears to be a sense of hope or driven purpose. Apparently Underlay has been trying to keep his “people” under control in the wake of the hurricane, but unexpected aspects of the “invasion” keep getting in the way. This time around, of course, it’s his inability to anticipate and control an aspect of the invasion that wouldn’t have come to light until now.

Previous to this invasion, the only long-term survivors were Zura and Underlay. What do they have in common? Simple…they’re men. More than that, they are acutely aware (if Derek’s experience is any indication) that biological compatibility is a big issue between the changed and the unchanged. Male “aliens” have some serious sex drive, but I doubt they could mate with normal humans. No doubt, that was part of the reason he wanted Mariel to be changed as well.

But that also means that neither Zura nor Underlay could possibly know what would happen with women who survived the process. More to the point, since how could they understand the biological mating imperatives of an “alien” species? This is apparently of interest to the writing staff, though they avoid some of the more kinky and psychologically disturbing aspects of the concept.

There are certainly some primal forces at work, especially as it pertains to super-ovulation and the mating imperative. The net effect is not unlike a variation on animal “heat”, though human reasoning does seem to override it to a certain extent. The females have a desire to mate (and that may play into Jesse’s encounter in “Us or Them”), and males of a certain age pick up on the pheromones. The rest is rather obvious.

The implication is also obvious. Once a female is pregnant, the male is most likely to be biologically predisposed to protect the female and the unborn child, whether he’s aware of the reason or not. Christina puts it very simply: Derek does what she says because he can’t help it. It’s more than just sexual; it’s biological.

It all leads to the revelation that the “aliens” are getting ready to mate, and even Underlay can’t predict what will happen as a result. All he can surmise is that the situation is getting out of hand. Christina (played with psychotic gusto by the engaging Elisabeth Moss) and Derek strike on one side, and in a completely different way, Russell and Mariel strike at the other. Underlay has been losing control of events for a long time, and watching him deal with each crisis is the best part of the show.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10