Another keen American TV show invades the British airwaves (Invasion)

Member Name: Dando83

Product:	Invasion
Date:	02/06/06 (315 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast. Alien angle not over the top.

Disadvantages: Melodramatic. First few episodes are very slow

The wife and I are always apprehensive about tuning into a new show, especially one that's a serial drama. It means another night hooked on the tube. In this case my brother in law was jumping up and down that I watch the pilot. So I did.

I was a little surprised at the combination of the cast. In the end however, I thought that everyone played their roles with a level of believability that is hard to come by in alien-themed shows.

William Fichtner, the movie veteran of the lot, plays Sheriff Tom Underlay. He's the do you or do you not trust him authority figure who knows a little too much about the strange lights, strange people, and strange things happening in Homestead Florida.

Eddie Cibrian from Third Watch is plays the part of Russell Varon, a concerned resident and father with great passion. He does unfortunately contribute to some of the melodrama that sometimes drains the excitement from the show.

Kari Matchett is Dr. Mariel Underlay who I've never seen before but serves at the inside-man. She's the character you really feel for in this show.

Tyler Labine is Dave, the wacky brother-in-law with camcorder who insists on getting to the bottom of things. Usually, this comedic sidekick role is immemorable, but Labine is very likeable.

The last regular adult cast member is Lisa Sheridan. Except for being Russell's wife, I think she's a wink link in the cast. Her character is unsympathetic and I find her role "whiney".

Evan Peters, Ariel Grade, and Alexis Dziena play the children who are shared between the Varon and Underlay families. Invasion uses them in a great way to show the tension between the characters but also as little mini-narrators. You see strange things happen through their eyes.

Keep your eyes peeled for for Szura, Lewis, Christina and Derek. These early supporting characters may feature prominently later on as the season progresses. :-)

The plot centers around strange lights and happenings that coincide with a typical Florida hurricane. Mariel Underlay who is Russell Varon's ex-wife and now married to town sheriff Tom Underlay is found at the lakeside naked the day after the storm. Her and many other town residents are soon discovered to be strangely aloof and different on an almost undetectable level.

Over the course of the show, we discover certain residents know more history about this strange event than they are letting on. The man who runs the post-hurricane town with an iron fist, sheriff Tom Underlay, knows a lot more than any of the other characters. We don't trust him at first because maybe the care and concern he has for the town of Homestead isn't genuine?

Saying anything else specific about the plot would spoil the movie. I will say that the alien angle is balanced with the characters relationships, sometimes to the point of being more a "family" show than an "alien" show. I liked the way the characters of the show progressed. There were more twists that I originally thought there'd be.

My one worry with the season's conclusion here in the UK is that the American television websites have reported that none of their network have signed up for a second season. This could mean the show gets cancelled leaving the season one cliffhanger (you knew there'd be one didn't you) without a resolution.

Summary: Good drama/alien balance. The excitement picks up after the first few episodes.