Abhiroop Das
Created by Simon Kinberg and David Wei, Apple TV+’s ‘Invasion’ follows the lives of numerous characters who are all affected by the titular alien invasion. The show focuses its lens on how the seemingly inexplicable turn of events molds one’s psyche, with several paths being unlocked in the face of crisis. While some, like Trevante Cole and Aneesha Malik, strengthen their ties to society, some outliers, such as Mitsuki Yamato and Caspar Morrow, gain a deeper understanding of the forces at hand, creating a spectrum of reactions based on individual experience. In season 3 of the science fiction thriller series, Infinitas is introduced as an activist responsible for revealing many of the government’s secrets. However, she is not a one-person phenomenon, and the story gradually reveals not just the origins of the Infinitas movements but the physical circumstances that informed their creation.
Rivington is the Fictional Birthplace of the Infinitas Cult
While Rivington is a fictional Illinois town created by the writing team of ‘Invasion,’ including Simon Kinberg, Dan Dietz, and Aditi Brennan Kapil, it does share its name with a real-life location. Located in the region of Lancashire, in England, Rivington is a quaint village that also has an ambience that overlaps with its on-screen counterpart, given its large swathes of uninterrupted green cover. However, given that the narrative places the region of Rivington inside the United States, it makes the connection between the two locations superficial at best. Notably, the state of Illinois does have a village called Irvington, nestled within Washington County. Besides the similarities in moniker, the general setting syncs up with the show as well, as it is situated less than 300 miles away from Chicago, from where Marilyn and Langston make their escape.
Given that a significant portion of the third season of ‘Invasion’ was taped in and around Vancouver, in Canada, it is possible that the surrounding villages stood in as a source of inspiration. This brings up places such as Steveston and Edgemont villages as potential reference points because of their geographical overlap, but with not many landmarks to add distinction to Rivington as portrayed in the show, these commonalities cannot be labeled as a direct connection. The central feature of the region appears to be its church, which becomes a place of refuge for many of the town’s inhabitants as well as people. From there, the church becomes a microcosm of society, dealing with a wide variety of social concerns, such as isolation, food crisis, and belief. It is only fitting, as such, that Rivington becomes a safe harbor for many people of faith, who eventually contribute to the creation of the Infinitas cult.
Infinitas is a Fictional Cult That Brings a New Perspective to the Alien Crises
As is the case with Rivington, the Infinitas Cult is an invented cult designed by the show’s writers specifically as a creative device. However, the nature and operative methods of the cult bear a striking resemblance to the phenomena which are known as UFO religion, where belief is centered around extraterrestrial lifeforms rescuing humanity and transporting it in some shape or form. While the followers of Infinitas believe that the aliens who have entered the planet harbor the souls of the dead and cultivate them into something greater, several real-life cults share a vaguely similar opinion. Some of the most popular UFO religions include Siderella and CEIRUS, originating in France, as well as Raëlism, which is one of the largest known UFO religions. Many of these cults claim that alien interference in human lives is inevitable, and one must prepare for it; a motto shared by their fictional counterpart.
While Infinitas originally begins as a relatively harmless cult, nurturing positive human values to gain the aliens’ favours, the destruction of the mothership in the season 2 finale switches things up. In the face of her hopes being crushed, Marylin, the leader of the cult, decides to remodel it as a violent organization capable of seizing power. To that end, the cult not only becomes an armed group but also creates an extensive intelligence network capable of matching, if not outperforming, the government itself. Doubling as a haven for conspiracy theorists, Infinitas quickly gains even more steam, transforming into the antagonistic figure that it is in the present. This trajectory has a number of real-life antecedents, which makes the transition more believable. Despite having differing beliefs, Infinitas’s affinity for using force puts it in proximity to real-life cults such as Aum Shinrikyo, which was infamously involved in a series of terrorist attacks in the 1990s, predating the fictional cult’s period of activity.
Read More: Is Caspar Dead or Alive? What Happened to Him in Invasion?
