Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

Invasion continues its slow pace. This is episode 4 and it seems we’re still only days after the Hurricane hit. The true nature of the threat is unclear, what their goals might be are completely unknown. Hints and red-herrings are everywhere. It’s a style of storytelling which is clearly copy from Lost, but it isn’t working nearly as well here.

The episode is filled with yet more hints that the Sheriff is up to no good in some fashion, but as before there’s nothing that can be pinned to him. Much of this episode is spent pursuing baboons, a storyline which doesn’t actually appear to relate to the main storyline at all. We’re teased with yet another conversation between Mariel and the Sheriff which might reveal something about what is going on, but it never actually happens. Oh and we get one of those annoying, teens partying, scenes.

Just as I was starting to think that nothing of any real significance was going to happen at all in this episode, the water starts glowing. The storytelling in this episode is actually very well plotted. Characters are beginning to develop some depth and there is an undeniable air of tension to the proceedings. But its all happening so damn slowly!

Even when we do get bursts of action like the boy being sucked into the glowing water, it never seems to develop into anything meaningful. At one point the safety circle is lifted, only for it to be locked right back in place within 30 minutes. By the end of the episode I’m left feeling like it’s all been smoke and mirrors.

It’s infuriating that it feels like there’s a more interesting story to be told here, but we’re not being told it. Or if we are, we’re being told it at a painfully slow pace. At some point Invasion needs to get beyond presenting us with a series of unusual occurences and start joining some dots together.