Abhiroop Das
Created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil, Apple TV+’s ‘Invasion’ begins its third season with Trevante Cole seemingly returning to life after two years of radio silence. This heralds a new wave of alien invasions, jolting all of humanity awake from its brief period of peace and stability. The subsequent crisis gave birth to various beliefs and perspectives all around the world, and the battle eventually turned inwards. However, what remains unchanged is Mitsuki Yamato‘s unique ability to communicate with the aliens. Following the loss of her lover during the invasion, Mitsuki unlocks a new mode of communication and has to endure untold cruelty by the World Defense Coalition, who are eager to extract and harness that power for themselves. However, over the course of this Science Fiction Thriller, she carves out a path of her own, free from not just human influences, but also alien impositions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mitsuki’s Alien Abduction Doesn’t Necessarily Point to Her Death
In the final moments of the third season of ‘Invasion,’ Mitsuki is swept up by an alien portal that appears right after the destruction of the mothership. With the alien hivemind severed, it is unnatural for a dimensional gap to manifest all on its own. This suggests that Mitsuki might have been abducted by aliens who are not even on Earth. However, the fact that she goes out of sight does not translate to her death, as it is very possible that the extraterrestrial entities have bigger plans for her. Across the seasons, Mitsuki has been one of the few humans capable of making a genuine connection with the aliens, be it via their shared language or her empathy. The fact that the hunter-killers refuse to kill her suggests that the communications expert is valuable to the enemy, and in that case, her being killed is an exceedingly unlikely outcome.
While Mitsuki’s demise is unlikely, the show doesn’t shy away from teasing a number of death flags, many of which converge in her final dream sequence. While being lifted in the air, she envisions a collage of memories, including her relationship with Hinata, as well as her time as a space communications expert and a fugitive. These excavated memories appear to be linked by a singular theme: her latent desire to break free of the world. Her inexplicable supernatural abilities double as a representation of that thought, as she is constantly reminded of the distance between her and other seemingly normal humans. As such, the abduction sequence can also be interpreted as Mitsuki giving in to her fate, no matter the nature of the outcome. Though this is a grim interpretation, it does not discard the more likely possibility of Mitsuki becoming a bigger player in the aliens’ camp, and this reframes her dream sequence as she is pondering whether to retain her humanity.
The gardener aliens’ decision to heal Mitsuki in episode 8 of the third season means that they are already familiar with her. Yet, the overturning of that decision in the finale results in the same alien force actively hunting her. This reversal suggests that, while the aliens are operating via a hivemind, they do not necessarily discriminate between friend and foe in their pursuits. As such, the true source of their neural networking is likely an extraterrestrial entity that is way more advanced than humans anticipate. Mitsuki’s unique ability to communicate with the aliens makes her the unintentional bridge between the two realms, and whether she chooses to protect humanity, as she has done thus far, or submit to the whims of the aliens can alter the course of the story. Although her death is a lingering possibility, the efforts made by characters like Nikhil in locating her are bound to yield results sooner or later.
Shioli Kutsuna Has a Strong Chance of Returning for a Potential Sequel Season
With Mitsuki’s fate up in the air, there is a high probability of actor Shioli Kutsuna stepping into the role once again if the show is greenlit for a fourth season. This would follow the pattern established by season two, which similarly ended with her walking a tight rope between life and death. On top of being a core narrative pillar, Mitsuki has also transformed into one of the most engaging presences of the series. Thus, it is unlikely for her role to end on a cliffhanger. However, given the possibility that the show ends its run here, the creative team has intentionally made her final moments ambiguous. The idea of Mitsuki meeting her end also reframes her contribution to the season finale, as her decision to help Nikhil speaks to humanity’s innate potential for good, which she recognizes and responds to.
Throughout its run, ‘Invasion’ has teased the death of beloved characters multiple times, using the eventual reversal to exceed expectations as an intentional effect. As such, there is a strong possibility that Mitsuki’s death scare only serves as a cliffhanger to end the season on, with more attention being put into her future potential as a character. For Shioli Kutsuna, this brings another chance to flex her acting prowess, capturing both the pain her character endures due to social isolation and the unending empathy she has for all creatures, regardless of whether they are friend or foe. In a conversation with Rose & Ivy, the actor expressed her love for the character and said, “how she is able to be so reckless and throw everything she has left of herself to save the one person that she truly loves. Something about her being so empowering but so fragile at the same time…” As such, there is still plenty of room for exploration in Mitsuki’s arc and how Kutsuna brings it to life.
Read More: Invasion Season 3 Ending Explained: Where Does Mitsuki Go?
