Susan Granger’s review of “Invasion: Season 1” (Apple TV+)
On the advice of my friend critic-turned-director Rod Lurie (“The Outpost”), I just caught up with the ominous sci-fi series “Invasion” that made its debut in 2021.
This 10-episode saga begins as strange objects descend from the sky. In Oklahoma, a mysterious circular crater in a cornfield attracts the attention of retiring small-town Sheriff John Bell Tyson (Sam Neill). who is searching for meaning in his career.
In a suburban Long Island neighborhood when an explosion destroys every home except theirs, Syrian immigrant Aneesha Malik (Golshifteh Farahani) is desperately trying to save her two children (Tara Moayedi, Azhy Robertson) when she discovers that her philandering husband Ahmed (Firas Nassar) has a mistress.
In Afghanistan, Trevante (Shameir Anderson), an American Navy SEAL, discovers he’s alone in the desert as his squadron eerily disappears. In London, young Monty (Paddy Holland) relentlessly bullies Caspar (Billy Barratt), an intuitive epileptic who then saves his schoolmates after a bizarre bus crash suddenly strands them in a quarry.
And in Tokyo, an aerospace engineer, Mitsuki Yamato (Shioli Kutsuna), is distraught and defiant when the Japanese shuttle flown by her astronaut lover, Hinata Murai (Rinko Kikuchi). apparently implodes en route to the International Space Station.
Everywhere, spiky, metallic, seemingly indestructible, spider-like creatures from outer space are wreaking havoc and destroying cities around the globe.
Co-created by Simon Kinberg (“The Martian”) and David Weil (Prime’s “Hunters,” “Solos”), who consulted with experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the SETI Institute, which investigates life beyond Earth, it’s perfectly timed to coincide with recent government revelations about UFOs and extra-terrestrial visitations that indicate we are not alone.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Invasion: Season 1” is a slow-paced 6 – with Season 2 just starting to stream on Apple TV+ and it’s shaping up to be far better.
NOTE: If you subscribe to Apple TV+ for $7@month, you can watch BOTH seasons of “Invasion,” along with Emmy-winning “Ted Lasso” and “The Morning Show,” for free during Apple’s seven-day trial period.
