| "Origin of Species" | |
|---|---|
| Series Invasion Season 1, Episode 10 | |
| |
| Air date | November 30th, 2005 |
| Writers | Shaun Cassidy; Juan Carlos Coto |
| Director | Steve Shill |
| Producers | Neal Ahern, Jr.; Jonathan C. Brody; Shaun Cassidy; Juan Carlos Coto; Nne Ebong; Becky Hartman Edwards; Timothy Marx; Reed Steiner; Lawrence Trilling |
| Starring | William Fichtner; Eddie Cibrian; Kari Matchett; Lisa Sheridan; Tyler Labine |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Dredge" |
Next "Us or Them" |
"Origin of Species" is the tenth episode of the science fiction television series Invasion. It was directed by Steve Shill with a script written by Shaun Cassidy and Juan Carlos Coto. It first aired on ABC on Wednesday, November 30th, 2005 at 10:00 pm. In this episode, two people from Homestead named Pria and Healy accost Dave Groves about the conspiracy theories that he has been writing about on his blog. Lewis Sirk speaks with Tom Underlay and identifies the woman whose body was found in the bay. Sirk then becomes a first-hand witness to the strange occurrences taking place in the water.
Cast[]
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| William Fichtner | Sheriff Tom Underlay |
| Eddie Cibrian | Russell Varon |
| Kari Matchett | Doctor Mariel Underlay |
| Lisa Sheridan | Larkin Groves |
| Tyler Labine | Dave Groves |
Guest Starring[]
Note: Listings marked with a (†) symbol indicate cast members who are credited in this episode, but their character does not make an appearance.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Alexis Dziena | Kira Underlay |
| Evan Peters | Jesse Varon |
| Ariel Gade | Rose Varon |
| Nathan Baesel | Lewis Sirk |
| Aisha Hinds | Mona Gomez † |
| Ivar Brogger | Jeffrey Scanlon |
Co-Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Rocky Carroll | Healy |
| Kamal Marayati | Pria's husband |
| Robert Peters | Craig |
| Meera Simhan | Pria |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Invasion was created by Shaun Cassidy. The series is largely inspired by the 1956 sci-fi/horror movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers by director Don Siegel. The subject of the film involves alien entities that come to Earth and slowly take control of the populace by subverting human beings and taking possession of their bodies.
- This episode is included on the Invasion: The Complete Series DVD collection. The collection was produced by Warner Home Video and released in Region 1 format on August 22nd, 2006.
- This episode marks the first time that we see an alien entity subverting a human host, by attaching tentacles to its body.
- The identity of the skull that Russell Varon and Dave Groves discovered is revealed to be Tom Underlay's. Will the real Tom Underlay please stand up? Please stand up. Please stand up.
- Mariel Underlay's comment to Tom Underlay, "You're only human", is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that he has been subverted by an alien.
Allusions[]
- The title of this episode is taken the book On the Origin of Species, written by Charles Darwin in 1859.
- Dave Groves is reading a book called UFO Abductions in the Gulf Breeze, which was written by Ed Walters and Francis Walters.
- Reference is made to hurricanes that had struck Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba, suggesting that these areas have also been visited by alien hybrids.
- Dave Groves makes reference to Yoda in this episode. Yoda is a fictional alien from the Star Wars franchise who is known for his backwards phraseology when speaking.
Quotes[]
- Mariel Underlay: You can't save everybody. You're only human.