TITLE: INVASION - ABC 2005

Info:

Premiere Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 (Warner Bros. Television)
Network: ABC
Time: Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m.
Cast: Starring William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Lisa Sheridan, Kari Matchett, Tyler Labine, Evan Peters, Ariel Gade, Alexis Dziena and Aisha Hinds.

Introduction:

A small Florida town of Homestead is being hit by a hurricane. But is that all? For centuries man has searched the skies for signs of intelligent life forms. What if those life forms were already here? And what if some of the natural disasters (like hurricanes) we've been experiencing of late were merely smokescreens to mask something far more ominous? Invasion is a suspenseful tale of a blended family trying to recover from a devastating hurricane and its mysterious aftermath.

Following the success of ABC’s Lost, ABC brings you yet another interesting and fun show that is well acted, well written and well thought. It also makes you wonder if there are aliens out there and if natural disasters are really smokescreens to mask something far more threatening?

Cast Details:

"Invasion" stars William Fichtner as Sheriff Tom Underlay, Eddie Cibrian as Russell Varon, Lisa Sheridan as Larkin Groves, Kari Matchett as Dr. Mariel Underlay, Tyler Labine as Dave Groves, Evan Peters as Jesse Varon, Ariel Gade as Rose Varon, Alexis Dziena as Kira Underlay and Aisha Hinds as Mona Gomez.

For dedicated park ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian, "Third Watch"), a divorced father of two who is expecting a third child with his new wife, local television reporter Larkin Groves (Lisa Sheridan), the hurricane proves to be merely the beginning of a long journey into the unknown. Always skeptical about the paranoid conspiracy theories of his wayward brother-in-law, Dave (Tyler Labine, ABC's "That Was Then"), Russell may have to revise his thinking when a number of bizarre occurrences start taking place in his community. Though Russell's young daughter, Rose (Ariel Gade), claims to have seen hundreds of lights floating towards the water during the storm, Russell initially dismisses her claim - until he begins to suspect that something is very wrong with his ex-wife, Dr. Mariel Underlay (Kari Matchett, "Angel Eyes"). The morning after the storm, Mariel is found naked in the water - with no memory of what transpired the night before. As the tiny town of Homestead, Florida struggles to rebuild itself, Sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner, 2005's "The Longest Yard," "Black Hawk Down," "Armageddon," "Go," "Contact") -- who is married to Russell's ex-wife -- suspiciously orders the entire area quarantined. Russell starts to investigate the strange goings on and unknowingly begins a fight for the survival of his family, his community, and what might ultimately be the whole human race.

Plot:

The pilot is very entertaining from start to finish. We see this family preparing for a hurricane. Homestead is the small city where real Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. During the hurricane, little Rose is looking for her pet but can not find her. She wanders off a bit and sees some lights coming from the sky and landing into a pond or a lake of some kind. She later tells her uncle Dave, “Did you see the lights?” And he says, “What lights?” And ever since Dave has been interested in her story, Dave already believed in the paranormal. Dave and Rose go out to that lake and Dave does see something, but doesn’t tell little Rose. Later that night he tells Rose’s dad, Russell. Russell does not believe him so they go off to that lake and what they find is shocking. Meanwhile, Russell’s ex-wife, who is now Sheriff Underlay’s wife, was missing in the hurricane and then was found the next day…naked. Later, Rose notices and says, “Mommy, you smell different.” I will not give more away, but that should make you want to watch this show. There are a lot of characters, and all are very important and vital to the show. It will take time on who is who, though.

Analysis:

This is a very compelling show. The storyline is very fascinating. Sheriff Underlay is so creepy. William Fitchner does a wonderful job playing him. So is he an alien? You will have to watch and see if you think he is. Russell’s ex-wife seemed to act very strange after the hurricane. An alien abduction of her is very possible. So do we see the aliens? Yes, you see a very tiny and brief glimpse on a few occasions. It is very creepy and interesting. While the show is a companion to ABC’s Lost, it really is not the same type of show. But the viewers who enjoy Lost will enjoy this show for sure. That’s the best analysis and explanation I can give on it. If you don’t watch Lost, you should watch that of course, but give Invasion a try, you will not be disappointed.

Conclusion:

The pilot is awesome. The ending of the pilot is very interesting and will lead in great to episodes 2 and on. The show will threaten Law & Order and CSI: NY as the top rated show for the hour. I certainly think the show will win the hour in both total viewers and adults 18-49, especially with Lost as its lead-in. It is a very good show and I recommend all of you watch it. Airing after Lost will make this two must see hours back-to-back. Lost and Invasion are probably the best combo out there. Invasion is probably the best new show--period for the fall. Forget Threshold and Surface—Invasion is one of a kind and will be better than those two!

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Appealing: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 09/11/2005.

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