When it comes to unwinding the central mystery of alien invaders, at times it feels like Apple TV+’s sci-fi drama Invasion seems to move around the same loop without actually revealing anything new. The first season had already hinted that some of the gifted teenagers, like Caspar and Luke, had an intriguing connection they shared with the aliens, and at present, the series is already halfway through its second season, hovering over that aspect only. In the previous episode, while making a rather bold decision, Mitsuki came into direct contact with the alien hive mind stationed at the research center, where she was confronted by a young version of Hinata and was able to peek through a portal door to look at Caspar on the other side. At the Movement shelter, Aneesha’s real identity was revealed, which initially put her in conflict with other group members, but the insurgency leader Clark came to her rescue by taking the blame for secrecy on himself.
In the fourth episode, viewers learned how Jamila, Alfie, Darwin, Monty, and his sister Penny managed to cross the Channel Tunnel while also being chased by evolved quadruped hunter aliens and finally arriving in Paris in search of Caspar. In the sixth episode, titled “Pressure Points,” the group finally finds out about Caspar, whose telepathic connection with the alien hive mind might prove to be a glimmer of hope in countering the invading alien forces.
Spoilers Ahead
Alien Ambush: Will Luke’s newfound abilities bode well for the Malik family?
Invasion Episode 6 opens in Wyoming, where the entire convoy of Movement members, along with Aneesha and Luke, are heading towards the military outpost of Camp Pierce. In the previous episode, viewers learned that the military has abducted Aneesha’s daughter Sarah, and Clark considers rescuing her to be the team’s responsibility, given the fact that he insisted Aneesha stay with them in the first place. As the convoy moves through the wilderness, with foggy weather obstructing visibility, Clark and the rest of the team members notice a crater, which is supposed to be the site where an attack on the aliens occurred. Just as Clark’s vehicle passes by the crater, Luke in the backseat suddenly feels a psychic pull and starts hyperventilating.
Now the fact that Luke shares some sort of connection with the alien entities was hinted at throughout the series, as noticed for the first time when he remained unscathed during the mass nosebleed situation at their school, then later when he was able to find the alien shard using which Aneesha killed one alien, etc. But now it seems his connection has turned into sort of an ability as he tries to warn the team about an upcoming attack, which soon takes place as a pack of hunter aliens attack the convoy. Most other vehicles fall to the hunters, and Clark’s one tumbles down a slope. Clark gets injured in the process, and Aneesha, having a background as a medic, is able to quickly patch him up. Afterwards, it is revealed that the majority of the group members survived the attack, and after they reunite with their leader, it is decided that they will continue their journey to the nearest Movement outpost, en route to Camp Pierce, on foot. Luke once again experiences a psychic pull as he senses more hunter aliens laying low nearby, and as the group notices as well, they get chased by the vicious monstrosities.
Mitsuki’s Findings: How Did She Learn The Way To Decode Alien Language?
At Nikhil Kapur’s research center in the Amazon, Mitsuki shares her experience of watching a boy on the other side while coming into physical contact with the hive mind. To probe into the hive mind further, Mitsuki insists on re-attempting her communications with the hive mind, and Nikhil happily agrees, but Dr. Maya Lopez is concerned about her mental condition as she believes the psychological pressure might be too intense to handle for her. It almost seems at times that her concern for Mitsuki is somewhat personal.
Maya attempts to psychoanalyze Mitsuki once again by bringing up her past relationship with Hinata, as she believes that the hive mind will once again use her memories to deceive her and get under her skin. Frustrated and anguished, Mitsuki leaves, and later, gaining Nikhil’s approval, starts communicating with the hive mind once again. Claiming itself to be Hinata once again, the hive mind connects itself with Mitsuki’s brain by making her remove the protective gear and takes her into an augmented reality—a dreamscape-like vision from Hinata’s childhood. It almost seems Mitsuki is losing herself while getting carried away, and as her physical condition goes through a rapid change in the real world, Maya repeatedly asks Nikhil to pull her out of the process. Nikhil disagrees and is hell-bent on completing the procedure, while one of the research team members observes Mitsuki making deliberate gestures with her fingers, which he translates as ‘Magnet’ in morse code. Contrary to Maya’s speculations, Mitsuki is well aware of the dreamscape being an augmented reality; she knows that the hive mind is trying to get to her using her emotional vulnerabilities, and that she is never going to see the real Hinata ever again, who is truly gone.
Understanding what Mitsuki is trying to convey, Nikhil and co. increase the EMP discharge output of the hive mind, which results in it releasing a powerful neural wave as a reaction, which knocks Mitsuki out. Later, as Mitsuki wakes up in recovery camp, Maya acknowledges her mistake of underestimating Mitsuki and states that their EMP charge resulted in the hive mind releasing a new kind of signal. Mitsuki analyzes it and considers it to be part of the alien language, which she can learn and use to trigger the hive mind’s pressure points to learn more about their motivations, plans, etc. Once again, Mitsuki’s segment of the series is preoccupied with her relation to Hinata and learning to comprehend alien communication systems, just like the previous season, and we are back to square one. The most interesting segment in the entire series is becoming repetitive, which is not a good sign at all.
Did Jamila and Co. finally find out about Caspar?
Due to him sustaining an injury while fleeing from the aliens, Darwin could not join the teen group of Caspar’s search party, which consists of Jamila, Alfie, Monty, and his sister Penny. The group reaches a dystopic Paris, rather uninhabited due to previous alien attacks, and comes across a wall of memoirs. Even though they have been riding their luck so far and haven’t come across harm’s way, there is a real chance that they might not make it in the end. Therefore, Alfie suggests writing a memoir of their own, which the team does and affixes to the wall—on the off chance that their family gets to learn about their presence at the location.
On the other hand, while fleeing from the hunter aliens, almost the entirety of the group manages to reach another Movement outpost where another convoy has been waiting already. However, Lucy, one of the members’ daughters, unfortunately goes missing in the ruckus, and Aneesha rushes back to the wilderness to find her. After all, these people were willing to risk their lives to rescue her daughter Sarah, and in return, this is the least she can do—at least that’s what Aneesha thinks in her mind. As Aneesha manages to bring Lucy back to the group, she is confronted with a hunter that corners the duo, and emptying an entire magazine of a handgun seems to have no effect on it. However, Luke displays a strange ability as he is able to connect with the creature’s mind and temporarily incapacitate it, which gives Aneesha and Lucy enough time to escape, and along with them, the group flees in a rush. Although Aneesha’s courageous, selfless actions might have helped her earn the group’s trust, it remains to be seen how the group accepts Luke’s unique abilities because they have been persecuted for their ‘differences’ throughout their lives, especially in post-invasion time.
Elsewhere, the teenage team decides to stay the night at Monty’s father’s place in Paris. After realizing about his father’s extramarital affair from the photographs on the walls of the house, Monty starts feeling despondent, but Jamila comforts him by reassuring his parents that he might not have been affected by this. After waking up to a nightmare where she isn’t able to find Caspar, Jamila starts having second thoughts about the usefulness of their mission, and Monty tries to encourage her in the best way he can.
The group reaches the hospital, which, due to the hunter alien attacks, has turned into a nightmarish arena as numerous deceased WDC soldiers are seen scattered all over the place. After an initial search, the group comes up with nothing except proof that Caspar was admitted to the hospital and also a few of the trinkets that belonged to him. Considering the possibility that Caspar perished in the attack, Jamila tearfully apologizes to the group, as she feels responsible for dragging them into this mess and jeopardizing their lives multiple times in the process. However, in a far corner of the room, Caspar is seen writing on the walls in a seemingly dazed state. He comes back to normalcy after reuniting with his friends after so long. Jamila asks him about how he survived the alien assault, and he states that his memories about that are vague. Monty seems a bit skeptical initially, but later shrugs off his inhibitions and welcomes Caspar. With Caspar by their side, Jamila wonders whether this will be the chance humanity needs to escape from the shackles of alien invaders—and as viewers, we also know how important a role he might play, as foreshadowed since the beginning. All that remains is to bring the key players—Luke, Caspar, and Mitsuki—together to assess and counter the alien threat, but this is highly unlikely to happen this season, judging from the pacing.
