Contributor: Henry T.
Written by Heather Regnier
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
It seemed like half of the first season had Tom dedicating himself to finding and rescuing his son, Ben, and keeping him from the effects of the alien harnesses. My memory of the first season may be a little faded by now, but I thought the storyline was a bit grating at times. It did demonstrate the importance of the children to the world of “Falling Skies”, though.
That was the main message of this episode. Given what happens to many of the kids in the episode, it would be wise for the 2nd Massachusetts to form some kind of guard around the children in the camp. This is after all, a world that has been decimated by the invading aliens and their primary targets are children to enslave or control. Getting all of the children would be the worst thing the aliens could do to the resistance because if they control them, it kills all hope for the resistance. The episode doesn’t really advance the overall plot, but serves as a potent reminder of what the adults are fighting for in the resistance and how the next generation can sometimes affect their actions.
The 2nd Massachusetts still continues its trek towards Charleston but stops on the way to check for any threats. Hal and Ben come to a factory that looks to have power where it shouldn’t, and is guarded by mechs and skitters. I doubt the skitter presence will decrease the further the camp goes on this journey to form up with the rumored resistance stronghold in Charleston. The opening sequence with Matt serving as bait for two skitters was a sparse and dark way to start things up. This is the worst nightmare for a parent like Tom. On the heels of Matt constantly begging Ben to teach him to shoot a gun, being skitter bait increases the danger factor exponentially. Tom warns Matt of the dangers he could face, and I liked how even-handed everything about that conflict felt. Matt’s little rebellion against his father has roots in his fear of him in the previous episode.
The situation here is very fluid and there’s a small sense that Tom was losing his grip on his children. Their father-son conflict is complicated by Hal and Ben encountering a group of children who are fending for themselves in an abandoned building. Their leaders are a pair teenagers, Diego and Jeanne, and their little group lacks the command structure and discipline that is present in the 2nd Massachusetts. When that little group decides on their own to raid the building guarded by mechs and skitters, Matt joins them. Of course he joins them as a rebellious gesture against his father.
That leads to the episode’s most harrowing scene, as all of the children are strapped down on tables in what turns out to be a harnessing facility. The process for harnessing is very creepy and disturbing, from the skitters oddly stroking the hair of the eventual victim to how the harness starts out as a living parasitic organism that attaches itself to the victim’s back and then growing metal plates to complete the process. Matt is almost harnessed, and just the fear from that drives him into the arms of his father. For all of his rebellious attitudes, Matt still needs his father for comfort in the midst of all this danger. Hopefully, this is the last time the show does something like this.
The scene at the harnessing facility is also notable for complicating the mystery surrounding Ben and his connection to the aliens despite the removal of his harness. As with last episode, the spikes on his back suggest some kind of telepathic bond with the harness organisms and/or the fully matured skitters. Keeping it a secret for now means that it will eventually be revealed in some way later, and Ben is right that he won’t be able to explain the glowing spikes in a way that everyone will understand.
The other major storyline in the episode was a very touching one, much to my surprise. I had completely forgotten about Captain Weaver’s backstory, and still, the reunion with Jeanne, who turns out to be his thought-to-be-lost daughter, was very emotionally effective. Weaver miraculously gets a part of his family back, and as expected, he is unwilling to let her go or demonstrate that he has changed since the invasion began. He reverts back to “protective father” mode and the episode plays around with the traditional notion that the father will never approve of any of his daughter’s boyfriends. The return of his daughter softens Weaver, and as long as she remains in his camp, his judgment is going to be compromised.
That’s the most damaging thing that could happen to the leader of any military regiment. Their relationship also provides a good contrast to the parenting style employed by Tom on his boys. Hal and Ben are grown up so Tom loosens the reins on them, giving them freedom to do their own thing within the camp. But he’s stern with Matt, if only for his own protection. Jeanne has lived an entire life away from her father. She has been on her own, made decisions without him, and knows that she can’t stay with him no matter how much he wants her to do so. Her goodbye by letter is heartbreaking to Captain Weaver, but a very adult decision on her part. “Falling Skies” spends very little time showing this relationship, but I found it much more affecting than what’s going on with Tom and his kids. It would be akin to the first time a parent had to say goodbye to their kids as they head off to college, away from home and their protective umbrella.
There’s nothing too big going on here in terms of the overall plot, but I like that the show is willing to have these little one-off forays that mine more emotional territory rather than wall-to-wall action and military strategy. It demonstrates what exactly is at stake. The show has to be willing to be malleable and change things up from week to week. Otherwise, it gets stale and the action has no real meaning. In that sense, the show is still trying to figure out what it does best, which is something laudable. Many shows don’t get far enough to experiment with its own format. “Falling Skies” just needs to build on what came before as it continues its run.
Score: 8/10
