Just when you thought the Invasion was over, the war begins again.
Produced by Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past), the return of Invasion for its third season begin after last year’s attempt to eradicated the alien attackers appears to have worked. However, after time has passed, it becomes clear that their ‘victory’ was premature and that something much worse is developing. As a result, the series’ main characters finally find themselves called together for the first time. As they attempt to infiltrate the alien mothership, they must put their differences aside and use all their individual expertise to save our species.
In a lot of ways, Invasion sets itself apart from other sci-fi shows with its emphasis on multiple perspectives. For the first two seasons, each episode examined the effects of an alien invasion on people around the world in their own contexts. And, in fact, by focusing on their individual experiences, the series truly has always had a more global feel. Whereas most sci-fi series focus entirely on the American experience of it (I’m looking you Independence Day…), Invasion allows its characters to exist in their own corners of the world. After all, if the world is in peril, it wouldn’t look the same in every location.
And, frankly, that’s part of the joy of the series. Kinberg and his team have created a series about an alien invasion that cares more about the lives of its characters than it does big budgeted special effects. While certainly those sorts of set pieces are embedded within the show, it’s the personable moments in their lives that resonate most.
But all of that is about to change. (Well, not the quality of the series.)
Just like the first two seasons, Invasion is as much of a high quality, character-driven sci-fi drama as ever. However, as the third season unfolds, these characters will finally begin to see their stories overlap, creating a new dynamic for the series.
In doing so, the perspective of the series shifts dramatically. While the individual voices are kept, the show’s narrative moves into more of a singular narrative. While we’ve seen this sort of story about a ‘ragtag team of people that may or may not be able to work together’ countless times before, Invasion does feel like it has earned the chance to do so. (Kinberg has described the new season as ‘their low-key Avengers’.) After two seasons on their own, the inevitable ‘team up’ storyline works more effectively here because of the investment made in these characters already. At this point, we know them. And that makes the challenge to work together much more enjoyable to watch.
At the same time, Invasion still validates their individual experiences and storylines. These characters still carry the burdens of what transpired beforehand as they work together on their new mission. That’s always been the spirit of Invasion and, although the structure has changed, the heart behind the series hasn’t.
Here, everyone’s story matters, especially in the midst of a global calamity.
After all, Invasion doesn’t blow you away with mind-blowing special effects. But it doesn’t need to. It’s the relationships between these characters that has kept us watching this long and, should they (hopefully) return for more conspiracies in further seasons, it is what will keep us watching in the future as well.
Invasion S3 is available on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 22nd, 2025.
Photos provided by Apple.
