Invasion 10/19 (SPOILERS!)

[Jamdin]

I'm still watching Invasion and I like most of it.

 

[mmu1]

I'm still watching it, and if anything, my interest in it has grown.

I think that, compared to "Lost" they're revealing new information at lightning speed - and I like the way in which the reality of the situation is slowly sinking in with an increasing number of realistically sceptical people. (without any of those annoying Scully-like characters that will obstinately refuse to see that something screwy really is going on)
I also definitely enjoy the way Russel's ex-wife, while "taken" by the aliens, is clearly struggling with what she's going through.

Most of all, I like the way they've had some nice character-driven drama and good production values as a result of keeping things relatively subtle, and going easy on cheap and cheesy special effects. I think the acting is also a hell of a lot better than in the "other alien invasion shows".

 

[mmu1]

Well, nothing that anyone's done has been overtly suspicious. The Sherriff even helped out Larkin (reporter woman) and led her (perhaps in spite of himself), to some clues. The point is that the music and the mood suggest something ominous, and we're left to infer the rest. That's why it gives me a delightfully creepy tingle down my spine.

I'm trying to decide whether the sheriff is a manipulative evil mastermind (did he have the Air Force guy killed, and shoot another man to protect the dead man's wife and her secret?) who's playing everyone like a fiddle, or just someone who actually believes that what's happened is a blessing for humanity - a (relatively) good guy who thinks he's working for a greater good.

 

[TDRandall]

I'm still watching it, Remus.

Yeah, the Sheriff is definitely "other" - his "not to me" line at the end of the recent episode cinched that for me. For the longest time I thought he was "merely" a human collaborator (but with the aliens of military I didn't know).

I was favoring a "dopplegangers who ate their targets to gain enough memories" method and thought the corpse found was actually Muriel. I forgot the picture was of the first wife so it had to be either her or the sheriff.

They are giving up information slow enough that I remain frustrated, but quick enough that I remain hooked. Sounds like they've got the right mix for me!

 

[Seaver]

The Sheriff's first wife has been dead a long time, I guess in the crash in the Everglades back in the 90's that he mentioned at the end of the show.

His current wife, the blonde doctor character Mariel, is one of the "survivors". She's also the one that mentioned losing her wedding ring a couple episodes ago. She's also the ranger's ex-wife.

I believe that was the same episode where the corpse that Dave had in his trunk disappeared and all they found was a bunch of sludge and a wedding ring.

They resolved that mystery pretty quick.

Whatever they are they are shapechangers rather than victims of possession.

As far as regular replacements so far we have the sheriff, the doctor (the ranger's ex-wife), the priest, the head of the tv station (the reporter's boss), and now apparently that blonde kid the sheriff's daughter was messing around with a bit.

Dave (the funny alien conspiracy nut) and the son of the ranger and original doctor were almost replacements, but in both cases they escaped and survived.

The airforce captain the ranger found was attacked, apparently escaped after being wounded badly, but died.

Maybe from his wounds, maybe not. He was alive last time we saw him in the scene where the sheriff calls in the priest and tells him to perform last rites telling the priest "he's not going to make it through the night."


Oh and as far as what "they" are, my guess is a deep sea race of highly morphic creatures dredged up during the hurricane. They are obviously aquatic initially. They use luring lights similar to other deep sea life forms. Plus the blood taken from the replacement doctor had an extremely high hemoglobin count similar to what is seen in marine animals such as dolphins according to the show.


Oh and in addition to the lights, strength, and morphic abilities they apparently they have wicked claws since they found that one imbedded in the skull of the airforce pilot.

Ah I believe there were a few gooey tentacles wrapped around the corpse in the trunk.

I'm picturing a glowing jellyfish/octopus thing with hooks or barbs at the tips of their tentacles.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Yes, but the inscription on the ring was from his FIRST marrage, and the wedding picture with the date was of his FIRST wife. Remember, the little girl is only about what, 7 years old. If the Ranger guy was married to the doctor when she was born, they would still have been married in 1998 or so, but the picture and inscription indicated 1980-something.

As for being shapeshifters, I think it's more complicated than that. The creatures seem to absorb the memories and the personality of the people they attack, so that the "creature-identity" is subsumed under the "victim-identity," yet the subsequent "victim-creature" only understands him or herself to be the victim, but with strange urges and motivations.

This is actually what I find most intriguing about the show, since it seems to suggest that some of the victim-creatures could decide to assert their victim-identities and resist the creature-identity. What that all might mean though is a mystery to me.

And, according to tonight's episode, there's a "bootcamp" for little thugs like the blonde kid, presumably to make them the stormtroopers of the invasion. It kind of reminds me of the slimy traitor guy in "V"?

Has anyone else thought that this is all just an allegory of terrorist sleeper cells? "They live among us, ordinary people like you and me, but unbeknownst to us, they are the seeds of our destruction!"

 

[Banshee16]

The Sheriff's first wife has been dead a long time, I guess in the crash in the Everglades back in the 90's that he mentioned at the end of the show.

His current wife, the blonde doctor character Mariel, is one of the "survivors". She's also the one that mentioned losing her wedding ring a couple episodes ago. She's also the ranger's ex-wife.

I believe that was the same episode where the corpse that Dave had in his trunk disappeared and all they found was a bunch of sludge and a wedding ring.

They resolved that mystery pretty quick.

Whatever they are they are shapechangers rather than victims of possession.

As far as regular replacements so far we have the sheriff, the doctor (the ranger's ex-wife), the priest, the head of the tv station (the reporter's boss), and now apparently that blonde kid the sheriff's daughter was messing around with a bit.

Dave (the funny alien conspiracy nut) and the son of the ranger and original doctor were almost replacements, but in both cases they escaped and survived.

The airforce captain the ranger found was attacked, apparently escaped after being wounded badly, but died.

Maybe from his wounds, maybe not. He was alive last time we saw him in the scene where the sheriff calls in the priest and tells him to perform last rites telling the priest "he's not going to make it through the night."


Oh and as far as what "they" are, my guess is a deep sea race of highly morphic creatures dredged up during the hurricane. They are obviously aquatic initially. They use luring lights similar to other deep sea life forms. Plus the blood taken from the replacement doctor had an extremely high hemoglobin count similar to what is seen in marine animals such as dolphins according to the show.


Oh and in addition to the lights, strength, and morphic abilities they apparently they have wicked claws since they found that one imbedded in the skull of the airforce pilot.

Ah I believe there were a few gooey tentacles wrapped around the corpse in the trunk.

I'm picturing a glowing jellyfish/octopus thing with hooks or barbs at the tips of their tentacles.

Why are they certainly shapechangers? I thought they were possessed....

I had thought the body they found in the glades was that of the sheriff's first wife...it had her ring, afterall. Or is that meaning that the skeleton actually is the original sheriff?

I missed the episode where they explained why the skeleton disappeared.

It was kind of creepy when Russell is using the tracker, and it points at that somewhat dimwitted appearing fellow. Maybe Russell will finally start to believe Dave that this wasn't just a fish..

Banshee

 

[trancejeremy]

Maybe it's sort of a gestalt critter? That is, when it becomes a person, or takes over their identity, it's more of a merge than a replacement?

Also, maybe being held (or staying) underwater helps them remember? The blonde doctor did that at the end of an episode a few shows ago, then got an evil grin. And now this week the Sheriff held that blonde kid under water and when he came up, he was less goofy.

Anyway, I used to think they were just possessed. But after tonights episode, it seems obvious that the yellow glowing thing in the water was the dimwitted son. Unless the aquatic yellow thing can detach from its host and go swimming...


Anyway, it's funny, I was looking at the actors (or actresses, actually) and the sheriffs daughter is actually pretty old (hard to tell under all the makeup), 22-23 I think, quite a bit older than her character, while his 2nd wife is younger than the character (she's 34-35 and presumably her character must be in her early 40s).

 

[Banshee16]

Maybe it's sort of a gestalt critter? That is, when it becomes a person, or takes over their identity, it's more of a merge than a replacement?

Also, maybe being held (or staying) underwater helps them remember? The blonde doctor did that at the end of an episode a few shows ago, then got an evil grin. And now this week the Sheriff held that blonde kid under water and when he came up, he was less goofy.

Anyway, I used to think they were just possessed. But after tonights episode, it seems obvious that the yellow glowing thing in the water was the dimwitted son. Unless the aquatic yellow thing can detach from its host and go swimming...


Anyway, it's funny, I was looking at the actors (or actresses, actually) and the sheriffs daughter is actually pretty old (hard to tell under all the makeup), 22-23 I think, quite a bit older than her character, while his 2nd wife is younger than the character (she's 34-35 and presumably her character must be in her early 40s).

I originally thought these things were inhabiting the bodies of the people they were possessing. But after seeing it last night, the creature is actually fairly large.

Maybe they are shapechangers or something. Afterall, it seems the only ones who are wounded by the creature are ones that didn't get taken over (ie. Dave, the diver, etc.), whereas ones that were taken over by the beast (ie Muriel, the kid, etc.) don't have any marks on them.

That would of course mean that those characters are lying dead in the swamp though.

With the whole tracking device thing last night, I had just figured that the beast was inside that man's body, which is why the tracker was picking him up. Like swallowing a cellphone or something.

It almost looks like Larkin may be taken over next week. I hope not...

Banshee

 

[KaosDevice]

I'm still watching it. Mostly because it is on after Lost and I am way too lazy to reach for the remote. I like it, but it is pretty obvious that Shaun Cassidy has some serious issues with authority figures. I mean the Sherriff and the priest both are aliens? C'mon.