Colony, TV Shows

Colony Season 2 Premiere: The Only In-Depth Review & Discussion You’ll Need

colony season 2 premiere
(USA/Colony)

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Colony‘s first episode of Season 2 (Eleven. Thirteen) premiered tonight, and it definitely did not disappoint. There weren’t any major twists that left us dumbfounded, but it gave us a good background on how the invasion started and some really eerie moments that set the tone for a darker second season. There will be spoilers for Season 2 Episode 1, so don’t read on unless you’ve seen it. (If you want to rewatch Season 1, you can stream it on Amazon here.)

Here's the only review & recap of #Colony's premiere that you need to read! Share on X

How Did No One See the Alien Ships?

The episode was primarily a flashback, letting us know just what happened with every character when the aliens first invaded. There were a few questionable moments here and there too, so we’re going to be really honest about all of it.

First, we loved finally getting to see how the invasion began. (And it wasn’t quite as dramatic and “war-torn” as we imagined — the aliens really had everything down to a science.)

The Hollywood Reporter shared that the premiere was written this way so that people who never saw the first season could jump into season 2 and still understand most of what was going on. And I can totally see that perspective, thinking back to how it went.

How did no one see the alien ships flying in front of the sun? Share on X

Our first clue that let us know this was a flashback happened when we realized that Charlie, Will and Katie’s missing son, was back with them. It didn’t take long to ascertain that this was a flashback and not a flash forward. But the camera panning to show us there was no wall, complete with very dramatic music, made darn certain that not a single viewer would miss figuring that out! We also got to see some alien ships flying in front of the sun one morning. This caused me to pause… OK, I can believe that they are able to avoid radar because of their advanced technology. But if we can see them on camera, am I really supposed to believe that no one else saw them too? No one in California happened to look up when they were flying overhead?

One part that we absolutely loved was when we found out how the wall was constructed. The wall is made of lots of little tiny alien ships! That was one easy world takeover.

We also loved the EMP. It was really eerie when it happened, and made me decide that we should probably write a post soon on building a Faraday cage. If you haven’t read it yet, you really must read our story on how to create your own offline Wikipedia on a tablet. Then store that tablet, along with a solar panel charger, in a Faraday cage!

Will’s Partner Is Probably Replacing Beau, Who Won’t Be Back This Season

We got to see Katie’s life before the aliens, Will’s job and how it was going (along with a falling out that he had with his partner, Devon,), and exactly how the aliens approached Snyder. We got to see a little bit of Maddie and how completely broken up she was about the whole thing. We saw Bram, Will and Katie’s high-school son, and Grace, their daughter. Bram seemed among the most stoic of everyone, taking everything really well. Being more scientifically minded, he probably was looking at this from a more objective, curious standpoint.

Will’s falling out with Devon was done well. If he had only waited a couple hours to confront her, he never would have and they wouldn’t have this tension right now! We like the actress chosen to play Devon and think this could be a good match.

Will's partner Beau won't be back this season on #Colony. Share on X

But in case you’re wondering, Will’s partner Beau won’t be back this season. Carl Weathers has been heavily involved in Chicago P.D. (and Chicago Fire) and he’s now moving on to a brand new series as part of that family, called Chicago Justice. So he won’t be on Colony anymore. That might be part of the reason why Devon was introduced.

Broussard Was Calm, Cool, & Calculating – But He Had a Softer Side

Broussard was, once again, the smartest in the group. But Devon wasn’t too far behind him! Devon figured out pretty quick that the FBI headquarters were a bad place to be when something crazy was going down. And Broussard figured out fast that something really fishy was going on when every veteran got a message telling them to show up at the VFW.

Remember: In case of alien invasion, do not come to a gathering you were invited to, especially if it involves a big group of trained fighters or law enforcement, all gathered in the same place.

In case of alien invasion, don't go to the VFW! Share on X

We also saw a glimpse of Snyder’s life pre-invasion.

Snyder had been embezzling from the university, so the aliens essentially blackmailed him into his job. We got to see what he did to make sure his daughter was safe, but how he really didn’t care what happened to his ex-wife. Yes, there were flashes of what he was going to become, even then.

The Invasion Prepared Us for the Present, Where Things Are Even Tougher

At the very end, the episode flashed back to present day, showing us Will searching for his son and not-so-smartly telling a bunch of strangers in the Santa Monica Bloc that he had some really valuable things to trade for Charlie. (What did he think was going to happen?) Then he found Devon, who’s camped out in Santa Monica at her home that he was so suspicious of. Not surprisingly, she has mixed feelings about seeing him again.

Katie visited Bram in jail, and he is in deep trouble. No one can help him. He knows the despair of his situation; he’s not a fool. We may get to see more about who the aliens really are through his point of view. Will he be shipped to the moon?

All in all, we loved this season opener. It was a brave call, leaving behind the entangled troubles of the finale and starting out somewhere we didn’t expect. I feared it would start out as a flash forward and skip over the messy parts. Instead, I got to see what I didn’t realize I’d been wanting to see all along.

Looking forward to next week.

We’ll be writing more about Colony in the coming weeks, so you’ll want to join our email list to stay updated. Join our email list by clicking here. 

    Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

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