Apple TV+ ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 9 Review - A Turning Point With Uneven Notes

I watched "Homecoming" with a sense of repressed anticipation and guarded optimism, before winding up at the conclusion of it, while emerging both pulled by its aspiration and heavy with its shortcomings. Overall, it touches on many of the emotional arcs and narrative beats that this show does well, and while somewhat hindered by some pacing issues and uncomfortably half-unanswered questions at times, it achieved more than less.

From the opening frames, the episode establishes itself as a pivot: the characters who have struggled through geographies and moral lines now turn to what “home” means in a time of invasion and transformation. Mitsuki’s central rhetoric bears considerable impact: having forged some complicated connections with alien inhabitants, she simply no longer knows what side she belongs to anymore. The character's scenes resonate with weighty energy. Shioli Kutsuna imbues her character with a haunted and calculated embodiment of someone balancing the elements of fear, betrayal, and resolve. We see her starting to reflect on what she has assumed all of this season, and it remains one of the most interesting threads, for sure.

Simultaneously, Trevante, Aneesha, Nikhil, and Jamila (and others) are moving toward choices that require them to reconcile their personal loss with the larger conflict unfolding. There is one moment late in the episode where a group has to decide if they are going to move forward or withdraw, and you can feel the tension in that moment. The implication that "going home" may not entail a return to what existed, but a redefinition of what is left, is embedded in the bones of the episode.

The direction and cinematography take care of most of the heavy lifting. The contrasts in visuals, darkened alien landscapes, shaky humanity in interior shots, and jets of movement in otherwise still moments maintain momentum when the script stumbles. There’s one shot where two characters move across a shattered landscape in dim moonlight, and the camera even uses enough time to create the feeling of vulnerability without overstating it. The use of silence and sound design also succeeds: in scenes, what is not heard (or is whispered) holds just as much weight. At times, the show remembers that in this genre, less is more, or restraint can be more powerful than spectacle.

Character-wise, the cast mostly holds up. The new faces introduced this season have struggled at times, but in "Homecoming," a few of them come into clearer focus. Some of them made decisions where you know how you feel about it, others you aren't so sure about. The moral ambiguity is again one of the show's strengths: no one acts in pure hero or villain mode, and that tension means I'm always invested in what any of them will do next.

Plot-wise, the episode addresses multiple threads that had been dangling: the alien "gardener" presence, the shifting alliances among human factions, and possible impending attack. While it does not resolve all of the threads, it does lean into some turning points, alliances are forming, and fractures are revealed. There is a scene where one character, who you would expect would be aligned with one of the factions of humanity, does something unexpected, and the ripples are felt. That felt earned, not shoehorned, because it flowed from the logic of the show that had been established.

Yet, as much as I appreciated those strengths, there are moments when the script wobbles. Certain dialogue is somewhat too on-the-nose, with characters having to say their internal conflicts rather than letting me experience them through the dramatic action. The pacing can occasionally drag on the segments that are too incidental, where characters’ small talk about logistics or reassuring each other takes center stage more than it should. There is the so-called mid-episode drag, which I would just prefer if the writers would either cut altogether or tighten instead of lingering. That said, I found a few transitions frustratingly abrupt; being pulled from one emotional beat to the next before the landing of the previous beat can, at times, jar the continuity.

Another question I had about the plot was the stakes. Because the show has laid many claims or mysteries down on the table, there's just a potential with so much that it can potentially overload the viewer with too much narrative. At one time, "Homecoming" does an admirable job balancing this; at other times, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a character felt like they were carrying way too much narrative baggage to be believable within the same short time frame. Some revelations or motivations didn’t feel quite explored. I feel I want just a little extra connective tissue as it relates to a character flipping or wrestling with inner guilt, so that I could feel I had a complete understanding of a character's actions and arc.

Nevertheless, when the emotional stakes and visual storylines align, the episode lifts off. There’s something meaningful about the way a character arrives in a place once called home to acknowledge its transfiguration and the danger ahead. The third act builds uncertainty convincingly: you feel the storm coming. There aren’t huge promises of fireworks, but you get the sense that the stakes in the next confrontation will matter.

“Homecoming” also made me reflective of what I love about this show at its best: the willingness to let characters wrestle between shades of gray, the depiction of alien contact not only as spectacle, but as an upheaval of identity and membership within community. I’m invested in every beat when the show leans on those dilemmas. The direction, performances, and design, more often than not, push toward that tone, rather than away from it.

In summary, this episode is not always seamless, but it further solidifies the course toward the climax. There are some missteps with pacing here and there, some transitions felt undercooked, but it also delivered emotional, grounded moments, tension, and new trajectories that feel like real turning points. I am excited to see if the show can take this forward toward its finale.

Final Score- [7.5/10]