Per Matt
After an alien attack practically wiped out the entire human race, the end of the world is a grim environment, full of bleak colors and endless bloodshed for the pockets of humanity still alive. Surviving this dystopian future seems impossible, but there might be some sort of hope dangled about, but only if the survivors can properly decipher the clues. This is how Season 2 begins for War of the Worlds.

Earth was invaded after detecting extraterrestrial life in the first season of this television series that’s loosely adapted from H.G. Wells’ masterpiece of the same name. Pseudo dog robots attack, killing millions of people and a blind girl named Emily (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) gains sight whenever they’re around.

In the season premiere, we learn that Emily was abducted by an alien ship and the London resistance is finally fighting back against these extraterrestrial threats. But the plot twist is that these aliens may a similar genetic code as humans and some DNA mutations could be exploited.

Suddenly, Emily has a huge importance to the ongoing storyline, as well as Professor Bill Ward (Gabriel Byrne). While she’s not exactly opening up about her out-of-this-world experience (and her character doesn’t generally seem to make too many smart decisions), he may be humanity’s last hope (he’s also made some questionable personal decisions when everything hit the fan).

“They’ll find us and kill us. They always do.”

There’s not a lot of humor in this show and it seems this is a serious take on the truth is out there… somewhere… and what might happen if it ever lands on Earth. We receive a brief dark future being foreshadowed for the human race. The ones that are still breathing must do whatever it takes to see another day. Kids have been drafted as fighters and the only known pockets of humanity scattered about the globe seem to be located in London and France. As this is an international production, it only makes sense that this international cast speaks in their native tongues, so expect more subtitles.

The teen angst (which gets old quickly, but there’s something for everyone in the audience, I guess) and time loss are quickly explored, venturing deeper into The X-Files and Project Blue Book territory.

Dead bodies have been found within rivers, lakes and canals but are these rejects really human? The aliens seem to be helpless without the dog bots, but they share the girl’s tattoo. Are they branded? Could they be clones? I love bringing in elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers into the storyline! I’m also thankful there haven’t been any out-there ufologists or conspiracy theorist characters written into the script. Those reused tropes have got to go!

As far as the rest of Season 2, these are my biggest questions:

  • Please return to the kidnapped human babies and fetuses. Can we see their nursery?
  • Is it possible the strange teenager has rejected his alien brethren to help humanity?
  • How is Emily entangled within these creatures’ quantum web?
  • And please have Prof. Ward’s virus run slightly amuck, mirroring our planet’s 2020 struggles. That feels like a way-too-obvious storyline possibility.

I’m very excited to see where the rest of the season takes these characters. I just hope the script writers don’t try to outthink themselves or the audience.

There are a variety of ways to watch War of the Worlds‘ Season 2. Your options include the EPIX premium cable network, the streaming service EPIX NOW, Philo TV, Sling TV, FuboTV or through Amazon Prime.