Something’s Changed – Season 2 opens on day 121 of the invasion, with an emergency broadcast. The World Defense Coalition’s President Benya Mabote (Moshidi Motshegwa) urges citizens to cooperate with the military and evacuate contaminated areas. She reports that 30% of the air is infected with alien spores before assuring that the Coalition is doing everything it can to win the war.

In Osaka, Japan, large alien bugs are causing chaos in the streets. While leading a group of fleeing locals to safety, Mitsuki Yamato (Shioli Kutsuna) stops at a vehicle barricade and watches several giant invaders scale down nearby buildings. When they get close enough to the barricade sets off an explosion. She continues fleeing as she kills several aliens along the way. Shortly after saving a child, Mitsuki is dragged against her will into a helicopter. She insists on going back to help the others before a third man offers her the opportunity to save even more people.

Luke Malik (Azhy Robertson) and Aneesha Malik (Golshifteh Farahani) steal gas and food from a British, Colombia convenience store. Sarah Malik (Tara Moayedi) has a confrontation with the clerk before alerting Luke and fleeing. On the way out, Luke attempts to grab automotive tools, causing him to fumble and spill his bag. He manages to collect his stolen loot and escape right before the clerk bursts through the barred side door. Speeding away, Aneesha berates Luke for breaking their 17-second rule.

At an Amazonian DharmaX facility, Nikhil Kapoor (Shane Zaza) tells Mitsuki he’s been looking for her for a month. Leading her to a room with a view of a crashed alien aircraft, he claims her codes brought it down. She confesses to not trusting the military. He says they have that in common and offers her a tour of the ship if she is willing to commit to baseline psychological testing.

At a safe house, Aneesha tries to convince Luke and Sarah to go north. He accuses her of trying to run away from humanity. She reminds him that it wasn’t aliens that killed his father. While gathering their weapons, Aneesha realizes the alien artifact is missing. Luke approaches with the artifact but refuses to give it to her until Sarah starts crying.

During the psychological evaluation, Dr. Maya Castillo (Naian Gonzalez Norvind) uncovers that Mitsuki was hoping to reach her former lover, Hinata Murai (Rinko Kikuchi) when she communicated with the alien craft. Mitsuki curses the tech and storms off when the Dr. continually asks her if she feels responsible for Hinata’s death.

Pulling into a diner, Aneesha teaches Luke and Sarah a new safe word. Sarah complains about being hungry and Luke suggests asking the soldiers dining outside for food. Aneesha reminds him of their rule to stay clear of the military before going inside. Attempting to steal gas, Luke gets busted by the soldiers (Rowan Studti, Chris Langa, and Danny Meaker). Aneesha intervenes with claims of running out of gas. The soldiers accuse them of being with “The Movement.” During a body search, a soldier finds a handgun which leads to a search of their vehicle. When the alien artifact is uncovered they are detained along with Clark Evan (Enver Gjokaj).

At the DharmaX facility, Maya Castillo tells Nikhil that Mitsuki failed the psych evaluation, but is amazed by her response time. When he suggests sending her anyway, Maya reminds him of what happened to the scientists who passed the test. They later inform Mitsuki of her failed evaluation. He tells her that he’s sending her in with Dr. Castillo who is shocked.

Once suited up, Dr. Castillo tells Mitsuki that her suit is specially coded to her biometrics and suggests pulling out should she detect any malfunctions. In the belly of the ship, Mitsuki meets the master chemist, Tomas (Santiago Godoy-Giraldo). Dr. Castillo explains the neural pathways inside the craft’s walls that respond like an arm. Further in the ship, Dr. Castillo reveals the cloaked drop ships that were used during the initial invasion.

Clark probes the Malik’s in the convoy. Annesha points out how calm Clark is to be in handcuffs. He recites the mantra, “The hardest prison to escape is your own mind” before identifying himself as a former English teacher. He urges them to follow him if they want to survive. Annesha asks why they should trust him. When he confesses to not being a prisoner, the convoy comes to a grinding halt to avoid a bloody Ryder Evans (Olivia-Mai Barrett) in the road. The soldiers are ambushed and zip-tied after when they attempt to intervene. After telling the convoy leader that they are fighting the same enemy, his daughter Ryder greets him with a hug.

Approaching the potential power source room, Dr. Castillo warns Mitsuki that everyone who attempted to enter the room suffered major memory loss. She gives a quick rundown of the suit’s functions and check-in protocols as Nikhil arrives. After several minutes in the room, Mitsuki answers several memory questions correctly. Castillo informs her that the frequencies are available on her wrist device. Mitsuki activates one of the frequencies and the ethereal force inside the room reacts. Dr. Castillo warns that the 15-minute deadline is about to expire before Nikhil pushes her away from the controls. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” begins playing in the background as Mitsuki inputs other frequencies.

Ryder and Clark take the Maliks to a “Movement” compound and return their confiscated gear. While going through it, Annesha notices the alien artifact is active. Luke begins exhibiting strange behavior and claims to hear a humming.

The final scene shows a presumed brain-dead Caspar Morrow (Billy Barratt) lying in a hospital bed and hooked to monitors. Dr. Esmee Gagneux (Emeline Lambert) informs a college that Caspar is now exhibiting strange brain activity.

 

Invasion Review

Not a terrible way to kick off a new season. The stage is certainly set for a lot of exciting things to come. The show feels like a knockoff of “Falling Skies,” which was a pretty great series. The relationship with the children and the UFO acting like a living thing were intriguing concepts, as they were on “Falling Skies.” Clark, Ryder, and “the movement” are a welcome addition. Although the Maliks are an interesting bunch, the actors playing them don’t do the characters any justice, especially Azhy Roberston. Other than that, the show was decent, despite the played-out theme. A solid premiere that gets a 5.4 out of 10.

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