Invasion (2005-2006)

What is Invasion About?

Invasion is a science fiction series that revolves around a classic premise: aliens attacking the Earth. The events of the first two seasons explored the initial attack and humanity rallying to fight our extraterrestrial invaders, and season 3 picks up in the aftermath. The aliens have been defeated and the world is at peace, but it’s not long before a new threat emerges. The war against another world may have only just begun. 

Our Honest Invasion, Season 3 Review

Perhaps the biggest strength of Invasion Season 3 is that you don’t need to worry if you’ve forgotten what happened before. The previous season wrapped up over two years ago, and we’ve watched a lot of movies and TV shows since then, but season 3 is remarkably accessible. You don’t have to remind yourself of what happened, or even to have seen a single episode before. Invasion 3 is a continuation, but it’s also a soft reboot. 

It’s also very entertaining. Alien invasion stories have been done many times before, but this show is still fresh and engaging. Season 3 sets a moderate but engaging pace in the first episodes, gathering all the chess pieces on the board, then proceeding to kick them into oblivion. 

The latter half of the season is an explosive, action-packed experience and well worth watching. Thanks to the efficient writing, you don’t need to be an Invasion expert to enjoy it either. 

What Do the Critics Think of Invasion, Season 3?

The third series of Invasion received mixed reviews, although it leaned more to the positive side. The special effects, acting, and writing were all praised, but there were criticisms for the pace. 

• “Season 3 is Invasion at its best yet, bringing in a host of factors to meet new challenges, and it pays off as this group of heroes pivots from defence to offence.” - Jeff Ewing, Collider. 

• “The newest season continues to take this globe-trotting sci-fi thriller in interesting new directions as a fresh threat emerges.” - Andrew Murray, The Upcoming. 

• “This is a rare case that, while this is part of a continuing story with lots of characters that are familiar to fans of the show, it’s in a way an entirely new story and adventure.” - Joel Keller, Decider. 

• “Invasion Season 3 is very slow, slower than you'd expect, and although it does pick up later on, it feels a little too late.” - Archi Sengupta, Leisure Bye. 

• “[Invasion] still manages to miss the giant step it's trying to take to secure itself as a prestigious sci-fi drama.” - Katie Doll, CBR.

What Awards and Nominations did Invasion Receive?

Season 3 is not currently eligible for awards; however, the show has previously been nominated for a variety of prizes, including:

• Best Supporting Actress - Drama (Television) award for Naian González Norvind at the Imagen Foundation Awards. 
• Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic or Real-Time Project, at the Visual Effects Society Awards. 
• Best Fight award at the 1.4 Awards. 

Cast & Crew of Invasion Season 3

Fun Facts About Invasion Season 3

• Simon Kinberg has described this season as a science-fiction version of a ‘heroes on a mission’ story. He has cited Saving Private Ryan and The Guns Of Navarone as inspirations.

• Simon Kinberg has said that Mitsuki Yamato is the “soul of the series,” and he couldn’t create Invasion without including her.

• The show has been written as a four-season arc. 

• This season features the debut of Erika Alexander as a regular cast member. 

Themes of Invasion Season 3

Season 3 differs slightly from the previous ones. It focuses on the aftermath of the war rather than humanity’s attempt to counter it, and there is a growing sense of anxiety in the new world. Mankind defeated the aliens, but we now know that we’re not alone in the universe, and our enemies could attack again. 

This paranoia is explored on both a global and personal scale. The character Trevante Cole has returned as if from death, and the others are understandably suspicious of him. Is he a hero, or is he something more sinister? It returns to the themes of high-stakes missions against an otherworldly foe for the explosive finale, but has an interesting twist on the standard alien invasion theme. 

How Does Invasion Season 3 Compare to Simon Kinberg and David Weil’s Other Work?

We’d argue that this is the best season of Invasion so far. We thoroughly enjoyed the first two, especially the second, but the third gripped us from the start. The mystery over what happened on the mothership and the gradual realisation that the danger wasn’t over were handled very well. 

Plus, the cast is excellent. Shamier Anderson is the standout, but Shioli Kutsuna’s Mitsuki is still sympathetic, and there isn’t a bad performance to be had. The alien designs are striking, and the last few episodes are exceptionally tense. 

They continue the storytelling tactic of having events unfold in real time through the eyes of ordinary people rather than military leaders, although the narrative is less globe-spanning this time. We’ve got a fondness for Simon Kinberg’s previous show, Star Wars: Rebels, but this is very good sci-fi TV regardless. 

Iconic Scenes from Watch The Naked Gun (2025) 

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

• This series was partly inspired by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simon Kinberg told Polygon: “It was the closest thing to a global invasion we’ve ever experienced. It hit everywhere, across borders and ethnicities, and then we went back to our lives - having kids, getting married, going out. But there were remnants. That’s what interested me: how society and individuals build a life again, but with threads of a changed world still visible.”

• The design of the new Apex aliens was intended to be scary and beautiful at the same time. They incorporate elements from jellyfish, blowfish, insects, and amoebas, and the VFX team gave them movement qualities that were inspired by underwater life.

• Simon Kinberg was a fan of the multiple perspectives of Independence Day. Invasion has a similar approach, but casts a wider net and has a multinational cast and stories from all over the world, not just the United States.
  
• ‘Wajo’ is the Japanese word for ‘castle.’

• The previous series was set all over the world, but this one sees the main storylines coming together. Consequently, most of it was filmed in Vancouver, Canada.  
  

What’s the Soundtrack Like for Invasion Season 3?

The soundtrack for season 3 was composed by the returning Max Richter, along with his season 2 collaborator Bobby Krlic (also known as The Haxan Cloak). It largely consists of ambient music, designed to complement the sense of wonder, fear, and danger of the alien invasion. It can be very laidback, but it also includes more pulse-pounding, fast-paced moments. It’s reminiscent of eighties synthwave and is nicely atmospheric.

Best Quotes from Invasion Season 3

• “What happened before is just the beginning.” - Trevante Cole has an ominous warning.

• “I’ve got this itch in the back of my head that I’m never gonna scratch.” - Trevante Cole is haunted by memory loss.

• “All this time, I wanted to destroy them. Maybe humanity’s time is over. Maybe, it’s their turn.” - Mitsuki Yamato becomes disillusioned about mankind’s chances of victory.

• “Victory requires sacrifice.” The team are under no illusions that they will all come out alive.
  
• “What I saw was new, more powerful, and they’re not done.” - Cole describes the Apex aliens.

What People Are Asking About Invasion Season 3