Invasion 1.18: "Re-Evolution"

Written by Julie Siege and Charlie Craig
Directed by Eric Laneuville

In which Russell and Dave learn more about Szura’s operation in the Florida keys, while Underlay gets a tour of the military’s activities in the region and Jesse begins his downward spiral…


Another victim of an unfortunate and unnecessary hiatus, “Invasion” returns with another episode that demonstrates how well the story arc was constructed. I believe that the network pushed for quicker pacing, but the progression of the plot feels organic rather than forced. It took a long time for things to get this bad, but now that the writing is on the wall, events are spiraling out of control in logical ways.

What’s the message in this episode? Essentially, the invasion is on, and a war for control and survival is brewing. Szura believes that the hybrids are the next stage in evolution, and he’s all about preparing his people for a successful takeover. Underlay is clearly not aware of Szura’s true goals, and it seems as though Szura has been locating and using hybrids in key positions around the region to maximize his chances for success.

The military knows a lot more than they’re letting on, and in a nice touch, their goals are left completely open to interpretation. Is it about finding the hybrids’ weaknesses? Or is it about determining the abilities of the hybrids in the hopes of yielding some benefit from the emerging species? Underlay gets the message that the military has been keeping the “invasion” secret from the very beginning, and that he and others have been allowed to roam free thanks to a power struggle within the military. If the “wrong” people were in charge, the war would have started a long time ago.

This is interesting in light of Russell’s precarious situation. He is quickly losing credibility, and sooner or later, his obsession with the hybrids will set him against the wrong people. Underlay certainly won’t like it, even if he has his own misgivings about where things are going. But if there are elements of the military looking to deal with the hybrids quietly, Russell could end up with allies among them. The problem, of course, is what to do about Mariel, since she’s “on the other side”.

Bringing the discussion around to Jesse, who has taken the predicted dark turn. Not only does his violent side come out in this episode, but it becomes the basis for another aspect of the “divorced family” metaphor. As far as Jesse is concerned, now that Underlay has “changed her”, Mariel is no longer his mother. To him, his mother is dead. It just so happens that this psychological reaction to a divorce situation has a basis in fact!

The only thing I didn’t like about this episode was Larkin. She was a lot stronger in this episode once the first act was over, but why in the world would she let some stranger into the house, even if she felt responsible for his condition? Does she forget what happened to her the last time she was alone with an odd stranger? Still, it’s a minor annoyance in a very strong episode. I can’t believe this series is still on the bubble.

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

Final Rating: 8/10