First Day
How were the aliens defeated?
Episode 10 of Invasion begins with big news. The aliens have been defeated, at least according to news reports across the world. Mitsuki heads home, wallowing in her own grief, while the rest of Japan celebrate the aliens being destroyed. There are big celebrations in the streets, as we hear through broadcasts that aliens have just collapsed in the street. It seems the nuclear strike has done the trick and killed them all.
What happens with Mitsuki?
Mitsuki is still conflicted over what to do with her life in the wake of her lover dying. With a backpack on, she begins wandering down the streets. Only, she runs into a Buddhist monk who convinces her to head up with him to his temple. Once there, he informs her that he believes that all of this was one big test. The alien invasion was simply Buddha’s way of testing the human resolve. As they talk, Mitsuki contemplates whether to become a monk, given one of their core beliefs is to let go of the past. Up at the temple, Mitsuki awakens and uses her laptop to move the satellite dish remotely.
Does Casper survive?
Meanwhile, Trev brings Casper back inside the hospital, desperate to bring him back from the brink. He’s unconscious and in a rough way. He’s loaded into the MRI machine, with his life hanging in the balance. Both Jamila and Trev check the readings but he’s not responding. There’s no reactivity and the EEG is flat. Casper is dead. Trev has given up and decides to leave. He refuses to watch Casper being taken off life support, despite Jamila’s protests for him to stay. “They can’t save him, okay?” He says, as tears sting Jamila’s eyes. Trev eventually walks away where all the people in the streets cheer, celebrating the end of the invasion. Back in the hospital, Jamila says goodbye to Casper, who passes away. Outside in the hallway, her mother shows up and the pair embrace once more.
What is the black substance on the ground?
Trevante does eventually manage to head back to base – but not before answering some questions about what he’s experienced. The officer in charge updates him on what they believe the aliens were doing. The strange black substance on the ground appears to be a hint that the aliens were looking to terraform the planet. This black substance allegedly releases a gas into the atmosphere, changing the air pressure. With what? Not sure. But clearly it’s not THAT toxic given Aneesha and her family managed to cross that black goo river without much trouble. Trev uninterestingly checks out the pictures and eventually shuts the laptop, unwilling to engage further with this questioning. He just wants to go home. After getting on the plane, Trev returns back home and tries to make amends with his estranged partner. He promises her he’ll get a new job and to try and do right by her now. Out by the beach, he checks through Casper’s sketchbook and finds strange symbols which actually read “star.”
What happens with Aneesha and her family?
Out in the woods, Aneesha tries to find Ahmed. Blood spatters on the tree seem to hint that he’s been killed. Eventually the trio make it up to an abandoned house where Aneesha sees news reports confirming that the aliens have been defeated. Luke is convinced they can return home now but Aneesha is not so sure. This ultimately tears the kids apart as they disagree with Aneesha’s plan to hold tight. They just want to go back to normality. After saying goodbye to Ahmed, Luke wanders off and ends up throwing the metal shard in frustration through the forest. However, up in the sky he sees the northern lights and appears to react toward it.
How does Invasion end?
As the episode comes to a close, Mitsuki makes contact. Chatter seems to pick up on the radio. Casper inexplicably awakens after his brain has completely shut down, hinting that these aliens can control people after they’ve died. Wandering through a strange dreamscape, Casper IS handed a red box which holds a compass inside. The same compass that was discussed with Mitsuki earlier in the episode. As he looks at the needle, it begins spinning inexplicably. As all our characters seem to sense something amiss, we cut across to Trevante. The sea starts moving out rapidly, inexplicably changing to low tide as a giant, flower-shaped alien vessel comes into view on the skyline. The same aliens? Or a completely different kind? Either way, the episode comes to a frustrating cliffhanger ending.
The Episode Review
Invasion bows out with an episode of…not very much to be honest. Casper dies but then seems to come back again, potentially in the same way Captain Hoshi has, explaining that space swimming scene. Most of the chapter though is taken up with celebrations across the globe as the alien threat is thwarted and everyone celebrates their big win… until they don’t. We also don’t see any debris crash down to earth or any repercussions to firing a nuke into space, it’s all played off like a big, triumphant win for humanity. And what’s with the aliens asking them for help? That was never really resolved, along with a few other loose ends that have been hastily waved away. If we’re to believe what the officer was telling Trev, it would appear that the aliens wanted to terraform the planet for…reasons? If that’s the case, could it be that they wanted humanity’s help to try and make part of the planet habitable for themselves? But why go through the bother of doing that? There are literally hundreds of thousands of planets out there, even in the “Goldilocks zone.” We’re clutching at straws here because honestly, Invasion doesn’t really resolve anything here, it just sorta shrugs off its Invasion…and then launches another one. It would appear that the aliens are all connected telepathically, potentially through the mother ship which was blown up. Getting rid of that seems to have had a domino effect on all the other aliens down on the ground, passing away and ending up lifeless. We’ll have to wait and see what season 2 has in store for us after these tepid 10 episodee. Invasion bows out with an indifferent shrug, waving away its alien invasion threat before bringing it back into focus for the final 3 minutes. Is this a good plan? Or a shallow, baited ploy for a renewal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
