Full Of Stars
Episode 9 of Invasion Season 1 begins with a flashback. Mitsuki and Hinata start to grow closer together, with the latter claiming that Mitsuki is “full of stars.” As Hinata continues to throw these space references out, the pair start kissing. However, this then paves way for a scene that literally defies physics and our understanding of space. Hinata checks notes swims through space. She manages to propel off nothing to move her forward, swimming breast stroke back into the spaceship again. Once there, she manages to communicate with Mistuki. Meanwhile, Trev heads to the hospital with Casper. Trev, Casper and Jamila threaten a neurologist and demand she give Casper a seizure in order to communicate with the aliens. Casper is hooked up to an MRI machine and, with a headset on, starts having a seizure. In doing so, Casper see flashes of different visuals that appear to be an overriding pattern, which allows him to see what the aliens are seeing. When Jamila flashes up in his vision, Casper bolts upright as he realizes the aliens have arrived. And just like that, a rogue alien enters the hospital. The trio work together, desperate to escape. The trouble is, the aliens seem to know where Casper is and begin chasing him. Locking him in a closet, Trev faces the alien head-on and grabs a gas canister. Twisting the seal, he manages to burn the creature with a massive jet of fire. The flames are mighty powerful too, continuing to burn brightly despite the sprinkler system soaking the hallway with water. (edit thank you to those in the comments re. The cannister. It makes sense that this was filled with oxygen, which can burn despite water. Many thanks for the massively helpful correction!) Meanwhile, tests are conducted on the alien specimen using the shard of metal Luke had. With Aneesa holding it close, the scientist uses hydrochloride and watches as the entire specimen completely disintegrates. How this works though is unclear but one thing’s for sure – the Malik family are going to the Pentagon. On the way though, several rogue bandit transports show up and begin firing on them, tipping over the truck. Thankfully the family are okay and they rush into the woods, charging away to safety. The bandits appear again with guns though. Ahmed decides to stall for time, allowing the others to leave. Unfortunately a gunshot pierces the air (we don’t actually see Ahmed die though, so it could be another fake-out) as Ahmed is shot. Aneesha meanwhile, tumbles down a hill and finds an entire sea of black goo before her. Using the shard of metal, she manages to navigate across with the kids. After swimming back into her ship, Hinata communicates with Mitsuki and asks her to “help us.” But who could the “us” be referencing? Well, it seems that the aliens are using synthesized speech and with no breathing patterns, it seems Hinata is being controlled by the alien. They haven’t got long to find a solution though, as the US general has plans to send a nuke into space. Still unsure whether this is really Hinata or not though, Mitsuki decides to test that theory and communicate directly. “What did you say the first time you came home?” She asks. In return, David Bowie blasts through the speakers. It’s a momentary segment, one that catches Mitsuki off-guard, before it disappears completely. As we cut across to Casper again, he manages to telepathically communicate with the aliens, demanding they stop. And just like that, they agree to his terms and freeze in place. It seems Luke is the key to this now and he could well stop the invasion. However, he passes out as Trev takes him out the hospital. A blinding flash sees all of our characters look to the sky as the nuke is detonated. The brilliant flashes of the missile hitting the remnants of this shuttle pave way for a dramatic finale to come.
The Episode Review
So what do the aliens actually want? If they’ve already started their invasion, why are they asking for help? It’s certainly a bit of a puzzling inclusion but more alarming than that, this episode throws logic and physics completely out the window. Even if Hinata was being controlled by an alien, seeing her change direction and swim through space, using her hands to propel her forward, is just absolutely ridiculous and defies everything we know about space. (edit 3/12: many have theorized in the comments that Hinata was being controlled by the alien, which does make sense but doesn’t quite explain how the aliens managed to move through space or potentially infect and control hosts. Thank you so much for your comments!) It’s moments like this though that completely take away from the increased action this time. Normally I wouldn’t nitpick over this but given how meticulous this show is over talking about science and chemistry – especially the emphasis on Mitsuki’s work – it just feels clumsy to include these moments. Everything is building up to a dramatic final episode though, in what’s otherwise been a pretty indifferent and disappointing series so far. Let’s hope this one picks up and sends us off with a grand finale.
