This is another one of those sci-fi series I've gotten on Netflix--along with Firefly, The 4400, Enterprise, and the Lost Room--that I absolutely loved and couldn't get the DVDs in fast enough to watch before I'd be waiting for the next one.
This was a variation of old "body snatchers" sci-fi scenario, with a very good delivery of the story, good acting, and subtle nuances unique to the series. The mood was morose and slow-paced at times, which may bore some people, or may remind them of Stanley Kubrick and paint vivid still pictures of the unfolding semi-tragic scenario.
Let me say right off the bat that William Fichtner's portrayal of Sheriff Underlay cannot be overpraised, and he really steals the show from the ostensible All-American hero played by Eddie Cibran. The show and had unexpected depth for a prime-time show in portraying the Sheriff Underlay's "Anti-Villain" character, someone pursuing good but compelled to effect evil by his own ambition, overwhelming responsibility and the impossible circumstances in which he finds himself. (Think of Agammemnon or Anikin Skywalker). Also a nice touch was Fichtner's broad head/wide-eye socket appearance that had a subtle fish-like quality.
"Invasion" was no exception to "body snatcher" sci-fi story containing portraying modern archetypes and latent social fears. Among them are various governmental agencies that are ubiquitous and meta-powerful in the setting of the series, both a source of support and an agency of control and intrusion. Another theme, in the aftermath of a hurricane, is modern society's inability to cope with assaults by natural forces, be they meteorological events or the passion and crusading aggression of a predatory "people". Throughout the series there is a point where the protagonists learn a way to keep the "hybrids" from thriving, but which would involve violence, violation of moral imperatives, and destruction to their community and loved ones. The result is a Hamletesque moral vacillation in the face of an existential threat to humanity until the threat is too large and pervasive. Alternatively, a more "liberal" view of the theme is the struggle of an established class in society to view the intrusion of outsiders--or insiders who have changed into outsiders--when their arrival may not be as big of a threat as they thought.
One can't help comparing the events to the modern conflict with radical Islam or other viral ideologies, as during the 1940-60s Cold War era conflicts with fascism/communism, when these types of themes in science fiction were also popular. You can chalk "Invasion" up as typical of the post-9/11 "malevolent universe" sci-fi, where aliens have gone from being cute, cuddly friendly creatures to being a threatening presence whose motives and actions are questioned and feared.
"Invasion" will also go down as a show canceled before it's time, too sophisticated and niched for the broad audience that it's budget required, doomed with Firefly and Arrested Development to be an incomplete cult-classic.
This was a variation of old "body snatchers" sci-fi scenario, with a very good delivery of the story, good acting, and subtle nuances unique to the series. The mood was morose and slow-paced at times, which may bore some people, or may remind them of Stanley Kubrick and paint vivid still pictures of the unfolding semi-tragic scenario.
Let me say right off the bat that William Fichtner's portrayal of Sheriff Underlay cannot be overpraised, and he really steals the show from the ostensible All-American hero played by Eddie Cibran. The show and had unexpected depth for a prime-time show in portraying the Sheriff Underlay's "Anti-Villain" character, someone pursuing good but compelled to effect evil by his own ambition, overwhelming responsibility and the impossible circumstances in which he finds himself. (Think of Agammemnon or Anikin Skywalker). Also a nice touch was Fichtner's broad head/wide-eye socket appearance that had a subtle fish-like quality.
"Invasion" was no exception to "body snatcher" sci-fi story containing portraying modern archetypes and latent social fears. Among them are various governmental agencies that are ubiquitous and meta-powerful in the setting of the series, both a source of support and an agency of control and intrusion. Another theme, in the aftermath of a hurricane, is modern society's inability to cope with assaults by natural forces, be they meteorological events or the passion and crusading aggression of a predatory "people". Throughout the series there is a point where the protagonists learn a way to keep the "hybrids" from thriving, but which would involve violence, violation of moral imperatives, and destruction to their community and loved ones. The result is a Hamletesque moral vacillation in the face of an existential threat to humanity until the threat is too large and pervasive. Alternatively, a more "liberal" view of the theme is the struggle of an established class in society to view the intrusion of outsiders--or insiders who have changed into outsiders--when their arrival may not be as big of a threat as they thought.
One can't help comparing the events to the modern conflict with radical Islam or other viral ideologies, as during the 1940-60s Cold War era conflicts with fascism/communism, when these types of themes in science fiction were also popular. You can chalk "Invasion" up as typical of the post-9/11 "malevolent universe" sci-fi, where aliens have gone from being cute, cuddly friendly creatures to being a threatening presence whose motives and actions are questioned and feared.
"Invasion" will also go down as a show canceled before it's time, too sophisticated and niched for the broad audience that it's budget required, doomed with Firefly and Arrested Development to be an incomplete cult-classic.
Tell Your Friends