Cathode Ray Mission 11 - War of the Worlds - A Multitude of Idols

"Yeah, I look like a jackass, but check out these pecs."

War of the Worlds
S01E04 A Multitude of Idols

In 1953, Earth experienced a War of the Worlds. Common bacteria stopped the aliens, but it didn't kill them. Instead, the aliens lapsed into a state of deep hibernation. Now the aliens have been resurrected, more terrifying than before. In 1953, the aliens started taking over the world; today, they're taking over our bodies! - War of the Worlds opening narration.

A Multitude of Idols brings us the aliens kidnapping busloads of churchgoers in order to populate an abandoned town and better infiltrate into human society. The plan makes zero sense but we do get some slow-motion semi-truck stunts and Ironhorse killing aliens with a tomahawk, so all is forgiven. The outcome is mostly a draw since the Blackwood Project escapes the town only to return with reinforcements and find it empty. Better luck next time, jerks.

A Multitude of Idols is War of the Worlds slipping into Invasion of the Body Snatchers mode in a big way. One of the key elements of the series was the fact that aliens could take over human bodies. In many ways, it is the core element that is even more important than the connections to the 1953 movie. From a budgetary standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. There is no conceivable way to feature hundreds of inhuman aliens and fleets of war machines every episode for a small price.  It also has the advantage of making these stories into more of a shadow war that is happening while most people happily go about their lives. Had this show been made thirty years later we’d almost certainly see it start this way and then slowly escalate to something larger by the closing of the series. There are story elements that carry from one story to another but it is still largely episodic.