Aneesha Malik

**Aneesha Malik** is a character featured in the Apple TV+ series, *Invasion*.

For her entire life, Aneesha struggled to find her place in the world. She was born in Dearborn, Michigan to Syrian immigrant parents and her devout Muslim faith defined her early life. But in college, she began to rebel. She sacrificed her career ambitions to raise a family. Aneesha now has a seemingly perfect life and marriage with her husband of 10 years, Ahmed, but all of that quickly changes when Aneesha discovers a devastating secret about her husband. It’s a secret that threatens to shatter her entire life, right as the world as she knows it may be coming to an end.

## History

### Ahmed's infidelity

Aneesha takes Sarah to see a doctor after a school-wide nosebleed leaves all the children, except for Luke, with a bloody nose. That night, after Ahmed fails to answer his phone, Aneesha tracks him down and discovers that he's been cheating on her with a woman named Amanda Hornsby. When he finally returns home, she confronts him, but they don't get a chance to address his infidelity, as the entire neighborhood is shaken by a massive explosion.

After the neighborhood is hit by yet another massive explosion and Luke suffers some kind of inexplicable ear ache, the Maliks prepare to flee the city. However, before doing so, Aneesha overhears Ahmed on the phone with Amanda, confessing his love for her. The two stray even further after Ahmed attempts to leave them behind.

### Fleeing the city

Aneesha drives her family out of the city and watches from the bridge as the entire city goes dark. The following morning, they stop at a gas station for supplies, where Aneesha steals another family's car. For the night, the Maliks stay at a motel, where she and Ahmed further discuss his cheating and how she gave up everything for him.

Annesha and her family are forced to evacuate the motel due to a declared federal emergency, during which Aneesha makes another upsetting discovery about Ahmed, who she confronts, leading to Luke running off in the woods. Aneesha and Ahmed chase after him and follow his trail to an older couple living in a house on the other end of the woods.

### Posing as Dr. Lockhart

Aneesha goes out scavenging for supplies and is picked up by the military after she claims to be a doctor. She introduces herself as Dr. Angela Lockhart to David Barton, and the two of them are taken to a mobile medical unit in the next town over, where Aneesha discovers a foreign life form inside an injured patient.

### Saving her family

Aneesha comes to her senses and heads back to her family on foot. On the road, she comes across a military outpost that has been completely obliterated and finds a handgun, which she brings back with her. She arrives at the house only to discover that it's under attack by aliens, and seeks refuge in the attic with her family before plotting her escape, during which she comes face-to-face with one of the aliens.

After killing an alien, Aneesha pulls over to the side of the road and performs an emergency procedure on Ahmed in order to save his life. Once Manny is stable, the Maliks seek refuge in a retro-styled diner for the night and then drive to a safe haven located at Northview College, where Aneesha runs into Dr. Barton.

Aneesha follows David to see what little medical supplies they have at their disposal. After she and David share a passionate kiss, Aneesha reveals that she's not actually a doctor and that she only actually has medical training.

### Escort to the Pentagon

After discovery that they can defeat the aliens with the device in Luke's bag, Aneesha and her family are escorted by the U.S. military to the Pentagon, but their convoy is hit and they are forced to flee into the woods, where Aneesha sneaks off with the kids while Ahmed provides a distraction.

### End of the invasion?

With Ahmed presumably dead, Aneesha takes the kids out of the woods and to a nearby abandoned fire station, where they find refuge for the night. There, they learn over the radio that the invasion is over, but Aneesha isn't convinced it's safe to return home just yet.

## References

1. ↑ Season 1, Episode 1: Last Day
2. ↑ Season 1, Episode 2: Crash
3. ↑ Season 1, Episode 3: Orion
4. ↑ Season 1, Episode 4: The King Is Dead
5. ↑ Season 1, Episode 5: Going Home
6. ↑ Season 1, Episode 6: Home Invasion
7. ↑ Season 1, Episode 7: Hope
8. ↑ Season 1, Episode 8: Contact
9. ↑ Season 1, Episode 9: Full of Stars
10. ↑ Season 1, Episode 10: First Day