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Category: Falling Skies

Silo Superb Science Fiction Dystopian Drama Set for Season Two!
Welcome Silo Science Fiction Lovers,

Image courtesy Apple TV

Apple TV has become one of the few places where good science fiction drama series can not only be created, but thrive since the recent dearth of such programs on United States broadcast television. With the final episode of recently completed season two of The Ark, no science fiction programming is available until Alien Earth premieres in 2025 on Hulu and hopefully FX Networks.

Thankfully streaming services such as Apple TV have filled the broadcast television science fiction void with series like Silo, based on the successful novels by Hugh Howey. Following their success of For All Mankind created by Ronald D. Moore and the fabulous Foundation series based on the famous Isaac Asimov novels Both series have been renewed for a fifth and third seasons respectively.

Now comes Silo, created by Graham Yost who is well known in the science fiction community for his time as an executive producer for the great Falling Skies series that encompassed five fabulous seasons from 2011 to 2015.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Silo begins it’s second a season on Friday November 15, 2024 after a well received season one. The series stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible series) as Juliette Nichols, Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) as Bernard Holland, Harriet Walter (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) as Martha Walker, Common (Rapper) as Robert Sims, David Oyelowo (Star Wars: Febels) as Sheriff Holsten, Billy Postlethwaite (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Angela Yeoh (The Batman) as Deputy Molly Karins, and Will Patton (Outer Range) as Deputy Marnes.

Image courtesy Apple TV

This superb science fiction series features a large ensemble cast that makes the dystopian drama of life underground both frightening and exciting in a place where mining minerals is mandatory.

How do we know? As seen in season one, children are observed drawing with colored chalk that is made from mined gypsum. Everything the survivors deal with to survive including food production that must occur inside the Silo.
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Season One – Going Outside:

Image courtesy Apple TV

Subsequent to a past apocalypse on the surface that has apparently poisoned the planet, sets the tone for Silo making it a very believable science fiction story.

Mining is only part of what these survivors of humanity have to do to survive where the inhabitants deal with extreme stress of living in a confined space that causes some to go crazy and seek escape to go outside “Outside” even if the only job available is to clean the view plate portal.

Image courtesy Apple TV

In the first season, to establish the observed results of going “Outside”, several characters are killed off before Juliette is somewhat accidentally involved to investigate the phenomena. As viewers learn, going “Outside” results in deaths of all who want to do so. This is due to the deficiencies of the “heat tape” used to seal the hazmat suits that apparently the secret mayor Bernard Holland and his team know about. When people want to go Outside, they are always granted permission to “clean” the view plate windows people on the inside often look through.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Of interest is that living underground ensures one thing, that some will want to escape the tyranny of Mayor Holland, forcing him to ensure they never return to upset the balance of life in the Silo. Mayor Holland’s struggle is his obsession to stay in control of everyone the Silo. This drama declines in season one when the slowness of these details falters as he must decide who will be eliminated by sending them “Outside” to certain death.

As thrilling as season one was for humanity living in such an underground sanctuary, season one story arc was a bit slow as viewers internalized the characters and their lives. None survive the ordeal of going “Outside” until Juliette uses non defective “heat tape” she found that properly seals her hazmat suit.

Image courtesy Apple TV

This is how we are ultimately introduced to the main character of the series, Juliette Nichols, a technical expert and computer hacker who successfully escapes the tyranny inside and and doesn’t perish “Outside” in the process of seeking freedom.

The tagline “Julliette Lives” is the set up for a superb season season two of Silo that begins in only ten days on Apple TV!
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What We Expect in Silo Season Two:

Image courtesy Apple TV

One thing is certain in season two, just like season one; Silo inhabitants are convinced that they must avoid going outside. The exception is Juliette Nichols, the hacker who beat the odds by having non defective “heat tape” to protect her from the poisonous atmosphere when Mayor Bernard Holland orders her “Outside”.

“Julliette Lives” is where things start in Silo season two. Based on the latest chapter adapted from Hugh Howey’s popular book series, the action picks up right after the season one cliffhanger. Season two introduces Steve Zahn (War For the Planet of the Apes) as a survivor named Solo from another Silo when Julliette sees there are more than one Silo and take refuge in one.

Image courtesy Apple TV

If everything in season one was about the few souls who are searching for the truth, while Mayor Holland and his gang are about hiding the truth from the inhabitants, in season two viewers learn what happens when political power changes hands.

As for the supporting cast, other than who we see in the season two trailers, it is not known if we will see all of the season one ensemble cast who were at the point of rebellion when Julliette escapes the Silo. IMDb shows only that the Juliette character is scheduled for nineteen episodes. Season one hinged on Juliette’s plowing forward to find out what lies beyond. Based on the five minutes sneak peek released by Apple TV, where a rebellion has indeed broken out, Juliette will likely devote her efforts to learning about building communication with the other Silo’s survivors.
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Image courtesy Apple TV

The first few minutes of the sneak peek finds us with a torch carrying young person running past signs that are reminiscent of the Fallout series that took the world by storm. It is also similar to the dystopian Snowpiercer series that completed a fourth season thanks only to AMC which brought the third season Warner Discovery (TNT) cancelled series to viewers for closure.

In the extended five minute trailer, the rebellion in the past at other Silo leads to the death of everyone who went to the surface. Juliette finds their skeletons on the surface as she heads to another Silo to meet the new character.

Image courtesy Apple TV

In Juliette’s mission to learn what else of humanity has survived outside her own Silo, she meets the new character named Solo, portrayed by Steve Zahn. Zahn realistic acting takes the science fiction dystopian drama in a new direction by being someone who appears to be nice guy from an abandoned Silo raising the question; are there any other active Silo’s? Or is Juliette’s that only one that is still fully functioning?

Image courtesy Apple TV

While Juliette will apparently invest much of her time in the first episode investigating the rebellion that occurred in the other Silo, she will also literally be building a relationship with Solo after leaving Mayor Holland behind to deal with a potential rebellion, Zahn’s arrival will undoubtedly provide a refreshing perspective juxtaposed against Juliette’s world where the people she knew that escaped only wish in their dreary lives to only get outside to clean a Silo portal window.

Since becoming interested in Silo as a series, I can offer that Apple TV science fiction series have proven to be desirable dystopian worlds to explore and invest time in since it is unique from other worlds such as Snowpiercer and Fallout.

Image courtesy Apple TV

The adventure is about what people seeking to escape their own lives in real life reality. What is fascinating is that Juliette Nichols and her new pal Solo, who promises to provide additional perspective, will also perhaps some much needed comic relief. No doubt they will explore the other Silo in detail to reveal where the series is going.

Since the other Silo rebellion is from that appears to be a failed experiment, it should reveal what the Silo’s are really all about. This factor is similar to Fallout where the world fell apart with only a small percentage of the world’s population surviving to enjoy the spoils of their protected shelters.

The season two questions that arise are;

Will the new rebellion end up the same way as the skeletons found near a tattered flag on the surface?
How many of the season one characters will join the rebellion or will they perish as in the past?
Will Robert Sims question what Bernard Holland has been brainwashing everyone with?
And critically, will Juliette be able to help her former friends to avoid the horrible fate of the other Silo(s) as she learns about the truths of the outside world?

Image courtesy Apple TV

As we prepare for Silo season two, Graham Yost, in his genius at story telling, will provide viewers many other avenues of discovery that are just up ahead for all the survivor’s (if any) in all the Silo’s.

Clearly as the dystopian adventure unfolds, viewers will be impatient biding their time for other doors of knowledge to be discovered that have yet to be opened to learn the chapters of the past history regarding the Silo’s. This factor will deliver excitement since there is so much more story to tell. No doubt viewers will be waiting in eager anticipation to learn what is coming in each new episode!

We will be back to continue our analysis of Silo in the future during season two. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!

We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR
November 5, 2024
As The Wormhole Turns – La Brea The Road Home Part Two Ends An Era?
Welcome Back La Brea and Wormhole Science Fiction Lovers!

Image courtesy NBC

As our article title and the third season La Brea poster header indicated all season long, is this an end of an era in scripted science fiction series on major network television channels like NBC?

Do such science fiction series, subsequent to lower ratings as compared to police, fire, and hospital scripted programs (which are flourishing), spell the end of the science fiction genre on major network channels in the United States?

Unfortunately, this would appear to be the case for new science fiction series that could be broadcast on the United States television networks ABC, CBS or NBC.

There is good news however. Beloved science fiction television genre series is well underway via movement to streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Crackle TV, Disney Plus, Hulu, MGM Plus, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Peacock TV.

Image courtesy NBC

What this means is that although science fiction on major United States based network channels may be at the End Of Life (EOL) for now, the science fiction television genre will live on to be loved by tens of millions of viewers as evidenced by recent science fiction series successes such as Fallout, Foundation, For All Mankind, Outer Range, Halo, The Mandalorian and other new content being created for and by streaming television services!

The Forty Year Back Story:

Image courtesy ABC

ABC Network (now part of Disney) was a player in the modern science fiction broadcast world subsequent to their highly successful Lost series from 2004 to 2010 with 121 episodes. After a notable original V mini-series success on NBC in 1983, V The Final Battle in 1984 and a shortened nineteen episode weekly series on NBC that left science fiction fans with huge cliffhanger, ABC picked up the franchise. ABC subsequently left the science fiction genre after a two season run of a reboot of V Series from 2009 to 2011 that also disappointed fans who had hoped the story arc would be completed in a third season.

City On The Edge Of Forever. Image courtesy Paramount Plus

CBS Network had never been a significant science fiction content producer until it picked up the Star Trek franchise now broadcast on the Paramount Plus streaming service.

Likewise, the CW Network (originally UPN – The United Paramount Network until 2006), like SYFY, is actually a cable channel that produced significant science fiction related content including The Secret Circle (2011), The Vampire Diaries (2009), Arrow (2012), iZombie (2015), Legends of Tomorrow (2016), Riverdale (2017) and the popular Superman & Lois (2021) entering its fourth and final season soon.

Image courtesy SYFY

With very few exceptions, notably the SYFY Channel in the United States (a cable channel that is owned by NBC), there are few relatively new science fiction scripted series on network television remaining.

These include as The Ark headed for a second season and comedic science fiction series Resident Alien (hopefully pending renewal for a fourth season).

Now in 2024, virtually all of the other recent science fiction series are now exclusively only on streaming platforms.

Streaming Roots and How We Arrived Here:

Image courtesy SYFY

The roots of successful streaming programs can be said to have arguably begun in earnest in May 2007 with the Sanctuary web series first broadcast on the Internet. The Sanctuary web based series was so successful it actually crashed the Internet servers on launch day. I was peripherally involved in a support role for fans to interact with the series star Amanda Tapping while running a popular website dedicated to supporting the Stargate franchise prior to the launch of WormholeRiders News Agency in 2008. Sanctuary, produced in conjunction with Space Channel of Canada (now known as CTV SciFi), was such a success that the web series was picked up by SYFY (then the SciFi channel) that ran four seasons from 2009 to 2001.

The Invaders Image courtesy ABC

SciFi began broadcasting in September 1992 with the hit movie Star Wars Episode IV (The New Hope) as its first broadcast.

SciFi had much early success over their early years which can be attributed to broadcasting re-runs of iconic science fiction programs such as the early episodes of Dr. Who, The Prisoner, The Invaders, Star Trek the Original Series (TOS) and many various fan favorite science fiction movies.

Image courtesy SYFY

SYFY’s first original hit series was the short lived one season dystopian space opera Mission Genesis in 1997. Then came First Wave co-produced with the Space Channel broadcast from 1998 to 2001.

This was followed by the now classic Farscape series that was broadcast from 1999 to 2003. Farscape was co-produced with Nine Network.

Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios

SciFi then invested heavily in additional science fiction scripted series beginning when it acquired the rights in 2001 to broadcast Stargate SG-1 owned by MGM Studios (Now known as Amazon MGM Studios).

Stargate SG-1 was originally on Showtime from 1997 to 2001, then continued to be broadcast on SYFY until 2007 for a combined total of ten episode years totaling 214 episodes. SYFY then added the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica in 2004, and Stargate Atlantis in 2005. MGM released two follow on direct to DVD Stargate SG-1 movies in 2008 that SYFY also broadcast. Stargate Universe began in 2009 and in 2010 SYFY created Caprica, a popular Battlestar prequel series that sadly only lasted one season.

Image courtesy SYFY Sharknado

SYFY also became well known for their weekly wild and often wacky science fiction movies for which it became famous in their own right.

The wildly successful weekly movie series generated huge followings of millions of viewers every week that culminated in the success of the Sharknado movies (1 to 6) series that concluded in 2018.

Image courtesy TNT

Close competitors in the with superb science fiction content in the twenty-first century were the Turner Network Television (TNT) Network and its fabulous Falling Skies series with five seasons broadcast from 2011 to 2015.

TNT’s also broadcast their subsequently successful program called The Last Ship, a dystopian action science fiction drama series that ran for five seasons from 2014 to 2018.

Image courtesy Warner Brothers TV

The Fox Network was a strong contributor with their original The X-Files series from 1993 to 2002, Sliders in 1998, Firefly in 2002, and the iconic fabled Fringe series produced at Warner Brothers Television that ran for five years and 100 episodes from 2008 to 2013. Fox and the fascinating time travel mystery series Alcatraz was not renewed after one season in 2011 despite strong ratings when the network decided to renew Fringe for a fifth season instead. Fox left the genre after NexT rogue AI series in 2020 which ran for only one season. Fox Network television was subsequently acquired by Disney which has its hands full with Marvel and Star Wars streaming series.

The Beginning of The End:

Image courtesy NBC

The decline of science fiction series like La Brea on network television channels can be traced back to its roots on December 03, 2009 when telecommunications giant Comcast announced its intent to acquire mass media company NBC Universal from General Electric corporation amid concerns at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of potential negative effects within the vertical entertainment industry since Comcast was also heavily involved in cable television and internet services in many United States media markets.

Image by Mark Taylor courtesy NBC

On March 19, 2013 General Electric divested itself from NBC giving Comcast sole ownership and a free hand to reduce employees located within duplicate internal divisions. Through this acquisition, Comcast gained ownership of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the film studio Universal Pictures, cable channels such as SYFY, Universal Parks & Resorts. Among other assets owned by NBC Universal was the USA Network and the E! Channel who often ran large entertainment convention events at San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon in San Francisco and Anaheim as well as at New York ComicCon at the Javits Center.

Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC

SYFY reigned supreme for many years via their continued strong interest in scripted science fiction series (many were acquired and developed with Canadian UK network partners) subsequent to beginnings of the merger mania in 2009.

These fabulous programs included Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, Eureka, Helix, Haven, Alphas, Lost Girl, Merlin, Defiance, Continuum, 12 Monkeys, Dark Matter, Killjoys and The Expanse. Their last major five year successes concluded with the supernatural science fiction thrillers Van Helsing, Wynonna Earp, and The Magicians.

The cracks in the formula became apparent when SYFY, out of nowhere, stunned viewers when it dumped The Expanse despite rave reviews and being the highest rated science fiction program in 2018.

Fortunately The Expanse was picked up by Amazon Studios, running on Amazon Prime for three more seasons on the streaming service with success and high praise.

Image by Mark Taylor courtesy NBC

In 2018, the pressure on broadcast networks became evident when a fabulous science fiction series on the NBC’s USA Network named Colony became a casualty. The NBC and Comcast merger “Reductions In Force” (RIF) became known as “the night of the long knives” which impacted the majority of staffers, employees and publicists whose careers ended abruptly with what many believe were unanticipated layoffs. Another great NBC series, Manifest, was not renewed but was saved by streaming service Netflix.

Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC

Great SYFY series such as Primeval New World, Ghost Wars, Incorporated, and Day of The Dead were subsequently not renewed after single seasons, likely a result of terminating publicist marketing employee teams in “the night of the long knives” that were needed for continued series success. Krypton, based on the DC Comics Superman franchise, made it to two years to 2019 but effectively ended cable channel SYFY’s dominance as undisputed king of science fiction series as an NBC network affiliate. SYFY original programming suffered as a result. Alien Nation and horror based Chucky remain as the only multi-season survivors.

Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios

However, all these events actually jump started the streaming services movement which can be traced in large part to huge success in 2015 with a The Man In the High Castle broadcast on Amazon Prime Video for four seasons concluding in 2019.

This factor was repeated with the Warner Brothers Discovery merger last year that cancelled a completed season four production of Snowpiercer ready to be broadcast on TNT (the fourth season now will broadcast by AMC in 2025), and Westworld which had been renewed for a fifth season on HBO but will not be produced after the merger that produced the Warner Discovery conglomerate. With talk of further consolidation in the entertainment industry looming in the future, all this could mean the end of ABC, CBS, or NBC network channel science fiction series in the United States.

Image courtesy NBC

Since that time a few months ago, new science fiction series broadcast on major network television channels ABC, CBS and NBC are few and far between. After NBC chose not to renew a superb series named Debris with good ratings created by J.H. Wyman of Fringe after broadcasting only thirteen episodes in season one ending in late May 2021, the beloved La Brea time travel science fiction series on NBC may be the last major network television effort in that regard, at least for the time being.

The Future of Science Fiction Television is Streaming:

The Mandalorian Image courtesy Disney Plus

Streaming services accelerated during the transition subsequent to the entire Star Wars and Star Trek franchises moving to streaming platforms when Disney purchased Lucas Film.

CBS, broadcast owner of Star Trek franchise launched Paramount Plus, the renamed CBS All Access streaming service.

Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian, Obi Wan Kenobi, The Book of Bobba Fett, and Andor have been a success on Disney Plus. Star Trek series including Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds have been huge successes on the Paramount Plus streaming service.

All of this begs the question:

Will ever be another science fiction series to be launched on a major network channel in the United States?

Or is the science fiction genre to only find life only on streaming services in the future? We shall see.

In the meantime, enjoy the wildest moments of La Brea courtesy of NBC included below.
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The Road Home Part 2:

Image by Mark Taylor courtesy NBC

We here at Team WHR believed that there is much more to this superb La Brea story remaining to be told. Unfortunately, “The Road Home, Part 2” is the finale for this terrific time travel science fiction adventure series. Although we had been hoping for at least five full seasons of the La Brea series, as the old adage often applied to television programming saying goes; “Don’t Cry and Be Sorry it’s Over, Be Happy Because It Happened”, and we are because the series ended without cliffhangers!

On that note, we waited to post this analysis hoping that series creator David Appelbaum would be able to place La Brea with one of the major streaming services. As of this post, that does not seem to be happening at this time, but will remain hopeful that may occur in the future after we publish this feature article.

“The Road Home, Part 2” finale aired subsequent “The Road Home, Part 1” after a remaining character named Helena (Emily Wiseman) surfaced in the episode “Fire Storm” where we learned that Helena is Gavin Harris’s (Eoin Macken) half sister. We also learned that Time Travel was invented by their father who finished setting up the technology in 1965 using modern 2020’s computer technology to create jet aircraft that in the end help save our heroes.

Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC

The good news of La Brea is that the series producers and creator ensured the series would conclude on a happy note creating an enjoyable ending for their fans. Eve (Natalie Zea) and her family of Gavin, Josh (Jack Martin), and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), in fact all the main characters including Sam Velez (Jon Seda) and his daughter Riley (Veronica St. Clair), Scott Israni (Rohan Mirchananey), Veronica Castillo (Lily Santiago), Lucas Hayes (Josh McKenzie), Judah (Damien Fotiou), and even Petra (Asmara Feik) daughter of deceased villain Maya Schmidt (Claudia Ware), all safely make it back safely to 2021 either using the prototype Time Travel jet aircraft or utilized a wormhole portal to return home to their own time, most likely closing once and for all after everyone returned to 2021.

Image courtesy NBC

In the end, Ty Coleman (Chiké Okonkwo) decided to stay in 10,000 BC with his wife Paara (Tonantzin Carmelo) to live out their lives. Levi Delgado (Nicholas Gonzales) sadly passed away sacrificing himself to save the others.

We never learned the fate of Silas (Mark Lee) and other characters in 10,000 BC. Likewise, Leyla (Edyll Ismail) daughter of Ruth (Chantelle Jamieson) never consummated her relationship with Izzy due to the shortened third season.

Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios

Lastly, the La Brea series finale reminded me of the famous two part Stargate SG-1 episode “Moebius part 2” where the main characters went back in time to fix the future. The end result was that Stargate SG-1 main characters lived as themselves in ancient Egypt as a method to ensure that the future characters never had to go back in time in the first place so they could fish at Jack’s pond that had no fish before Moebius but did have fish when the future characters ended the eighth season knowing they had changed the future.

Image courtesy NBC

Therefore, speaking of endings, there are a La Brea few items that were not addressed in the finale: Did Gavin destroy the trouble making Time Travel computer chip in the jet aircraft?
Did everyone get back to the correct time at the end (pun intended)? Did the original wormhole ever occur in the pilot episode if Gavin destroyed the time chip technology after returning to 2021? Did the finale cleanly avoid all time paradoxes of having two of several main characters that existed at the same time (again pun intended)?

Image courtesy NBC

In closing our analysis of La Brea, one of our favorite science fiction series by the way, we wonder If Gavin did not destroy the time chip after they all returned after the wormhole occurred in 2021, since the items above were never really addressed, what could happen in the future?

Although unlikely, It remains a long shot possibility that a La Brea series could return in the future, perhaps on a streaming service, so everyone can learn more about Gavin’s father in 1965, and the fate of humankind in the future.

We certainly hope that to be the case!

We will be back in the near future with more of your favorite television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments!

We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR
April 25, 2024
Falling Skies: San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Cast Interviews Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Colin Cunningham, Connor Jessup and Jessy Schram!
Hi there Falling Skies fans!

On Friday July 23, 2012, during the festivities at Comic-Con San Diego, and with courtesy of Turner Network Television and Dreamworks Studios, we had the privilege of attending the Falling Skies Press Room where the excitement was beyond a fever pitch since the announcement of a third season renewal a few days earlier!

Based upon world-wide distribution, Falling Skies is without a doubt the world’s number one science fiction series since production began two years ago, and it glowed during the Falling Skies Press Room!

Excitement, in fact outright glee flowed freely among both the cast, the creators and the media. All were quite pleasantly edified by the huge media draw versus Comic-Con 2011 before the series had swept across the world to widespread fan acceptance.

The “buzz” in the press room was palpable. While waiting for the special guests to arrive, the conversation among press contemporaries was lively as we too celebrated a science fiction series, once doubted by some of the critics, that had deservedly “made it”, a success in the highly competitive television programming industry!

When the cast members arrived, there was an audible cheer that erupted across the room as they lined up for a group cast photo opportunities!

In fact, this press observer and everyone in attendance were delighted with Falling Skies accomplishment of maintaining high ratings, not an easy task in today’s entertainment market for a full fledged alien invasion, science fiction television series.

All of these factors and more made this media event a highly sought after press room opportunity in 2012 as you can observe below in our exclusive video.
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Conservative estimates placed the media presence at three to four times larger in terms of people in the room. With many extra video camera crew’s, each packing high definition equipment, and more photographers packed into the press room than 2011, everyone was all “a Twitter” (literally) at the conclave.

The mood was festive with the presence of many fan favorites from the series including Noah Wyle (Tom Mason), Moon Bloodgood (Dr. Anne Glass), Will Patton (Captain Dan Weaver), Drew Roy (Hal Mason), Sarah Sanguine Carter (Maggie), Colin Cunningham (John Pope) as well as “Skitterized”Connor Jessup who portrays Ben Mason, and Jessy Schram as Karen!

The excitement at this years Falling Skies Press Room event was further amplified by the fact that more than twice as many media outlets from around the world were all ready and waiting eagerly for interviews with the cast members, each of whom were in extremely jovial spirits themselves having heard of the wonderful third season renewal news only recently.

The cast members talked about celebrating after their panel and how happy they were over the renewal. It was a pleasure to see their pride of ownership over a successful and well received science fiction entertainment product.

Now that tens of millions world wide have become Falling Skies believers, the creators were prescient in thinking ahead by increasing the number of celebrities in attendance at this years Comic-Con geek convention in San Diego.

Turner Network Executive Michael Knight beamed at the press reception as were series Executive Producers Justin Falvey of Dreamworks, and Remi Aubuchon of Falling Skies!

Also in attendance, coming in after the press room session ended, was science fiction legend and superstar in his own right, the one and only Wil Wheaton!

Falling Skies 2012 panel moderator at Comic-Con, Wil is well known as host of 2nd Watch, the runaway hit web “after show” that airs each week live on the Internet! Wil mentioned that he loves doing 2nd Watch and is a big fan of the series himself! It was nice to chat with Mr. Wheaton and to see him in person once again.

As I left the Falling Skies Press Room event with happy thoughts, I did something many journalists and celebrities alike seek when attending San Diego Comic-Con;

A quiet place to be away from the throng of humanity for a few minutes before the next assignment, panel or event squarely presented itself.

I sought out a little known area of the hotel with a view of San Diego Bay. As I turned the corner, there was Noah Wyle and Will Patton with their female companions seeking the same thing; 15 minutes of relaxation before the long walk to the next event.

Not wanting to intrude, I asked if it was okay to join them. Truth be told, I asked them how in the devil had they found my secret spot!? (Just kidding).

Noah motioned in a friendly fashion to join them, stating he “remembered meeting me last year”. Will Patton also looked up with a recognizing nod and smile. This was to be one of the special moments at a convention when the pressure of the event was off and we could chat freely.

I remembered them fondly from our interviews with Will and Noah last year during Comic-Con 2011 San Diego. This year however, with the success that brings more media attention, time had run out before interviewing them in the 2012 Falling Skies Press Room.

Keeping the cameras off out of reverence for the chance encounter, I enjoyed about 12 minutes of private time (compared to the gleeful bustle of the press room) chatting with Noah Wyle. I asked how he felt about his accomplishment as a producer of Falling Skies. From a business perspective he related that he was proud of what had been accomplished.

We also discussed the change in production locations to Vancouver British Columbia. Noah said he “was happy with everything that the move went very well in Vancouver, and was looking forward to shooting season three there”.

As we parted company, Will Patton remembered that I had asked him if he would be marrying Hal and Maggie in the future. He briefly went into character indicating he was going to “keep an eye on Maggie and Hal pending further developments”. As I wished them well, and thanked them for their time, Noah Wyle was gracious enough to do a spur of the moment photo opportunity, which I will think of fondly for a long time.

Thanks Noah!

Thank you for reading, watching and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. TeamWHR and I look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR
July 24, 2012
Falling Skies: Why Is It So Popular As the Wormhole Turns?

Hey Falling Skies fans!

Falling Skies, an apocalyptic science fiction drama from Dreamworks Studios, is entering its second season on TNT. It stars Noah Wyle as a father of three sons doing his best to keep them alive and fighting back against an alien invasion force.

As a teacher of American History, Tom Mason (Wyle’s character) knows all about resistance against a superior enemy invasion force. He uses examples from the American Revolutionary War to teach the others that as long as they keep fighting, there is hope.

The history teacher in Tom Mason might not be able to explain it, but Falling Skies has become a very popular show. This series is one of survival in the face of an overwhelming enemy.

According to TNT, “Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. At the center of the series is Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), a Boston history professor whose family was torn apart.

Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) is a pediatrician who becomes the primary medic of the 2nd Mass. Capt. Weaver (Will Patton) plays a fierce leader of the resistance.

The series also stars Drew Roy (Secretariat) as Hal, Tom’s oldest son and a growing fighter in the resistance movement; Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters) as Matt, Tom’s youngest son; Connor Jessup (The Saddle Club) as Ben, Tom’s recently rescued son; and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) as Lourdes, a former med student and Dr. Glass’ only support for medical emergencies. Colin Cunningham (Living in Your Car) is John Pope, a rebel who will stop at nothing to kill the aliens.”

One must ask, what is it about Falling Skies that is attracting so much attention?

Despite premiering on Father’s Day in North America, Falling Skies turned in a winning performance Sunday June 17 with a “Prime Time” victory of 4.5 million live viewers (US only).

Falling Skies scored well for a holiday evening with solid ratings of 1.5 in the critical with adults between 18 to 49 years of age and nearly reaching 2.2 million live adult viewers in the 25 to 54 age group. Not since Stargate SG-1 has a science fiction program attracted so many adult viewers.

Seemingly down 25% from the 2.0 rating earned during the 2011 series launch, overall viewership is expected match the 2011 numbers, increasing to approximately 6 million when “Plus 7” DVR and on-line numbers are factored in.

This from a public who often time shifts their entertainment viewing to on-line network sources, mobile devices and or recorded sources (DVR) now widely available in many homes. Perhaps even more telling is the huge crowd that joined the Falling Skies cast at the dedicated Falling Skies TNT web site to participate in “2nd Watch”.

2nd Watch is an on-line program web cast that is conducted after the broadcast at the TNT Network web site. 2nd Watch, hosted by Wil Wheaton, set the Twitter and Facebook world on fire Sunday evening as eager fans set off to invade the TNT web site where they can chat and send text messages to the host and guests!

In this weeks episode of 2nd Watch, Mpho Koaho (Anthony) and Colin Cunningham (John Pope) will be awesome! Speaking of Pope, this week TNT also launched “Pope’s Blog” featuring insight into the enigmatic “bad boy” portrayed “in character” by Cunningham!

Here is the answer: Stories like the ones told by the TNT writers of Falling Skies attract us because they reflect humanity’s greatest strength, the power of adaptation. As a social animal, people are very curious about how others overcome challenges that might terrify us. We are fascinated by the thought that a person’s attitude can make a difference between life and death.

But it is more than that. Falling Skies has come along just as problems in the United States and around the world seem to be spinning out of control. The heroes in this show are doing more than just surviving.

They are people who are able to stay calm and reasonable in the face of fear; people who have retained their optimism and determination in spite of great odds. They are survivors focussed on others rather than themselves, either thinking about their families or their fellow survivors.

And that, I believe is what makes the show important at this particular time in America. Many Americans are facing challenges known only to their grandparents from the Great Depression often referred to as “the dirty thirties”.

Many today have lost their homes or have gone bankrupt. Many others cannot find jobs. The United States government is basically bankrupt. Horror stories from other countries abound. The world seems to be going crazy.

So, Americans and others around the word watch television as a means of escape. Comedy helps them feel better for a half hour at a time. Crime dramas produce a feeling that justice can occur and the good guys will win in the end.

Falling Skies has chosen to use a period in American history to support the characters belief that they will prevail over an enemy with better technology and greater numbers. Americans need that. It provides a sense of hope and empathy. “If Tom Mason and his group can survive all these bad things happening to them, maybe we can too”.

By watching how others cope with a traumatic event, even if it is fictional, we learn to cope with challenges in our everyday lives. “The biggest difference between our cool-headed heroes and the rest of us is not that those people are somehow fearless; it’s that they relate to their fears in a much more harmonious way than others do. In other words, these poised people have learned to work with their fears rather than against them — they don’t get preoccupied with their nerves or struggle to eradicate their anxiety — and this important shift frees them to focus on the moment and perform their best”, says Taylor Clark, author of the book, Nerve, a book about dealing with fear and stress.

During periods of upheaval, we look more to entertainment to help us feel better about ourselves. For example, during the depression in the 1930’s, popular films at the time were Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Frankenstein.

These are all films where a few heroes were forced to overcome what seemed like insurmountable odds in order to survive. I believe that our entertainment often reflects the difficulties that we face as a culture. When the economy is booming, our entertainment is far different from what we watch when things seem to be falling apart.

As the creators of Falling Skies state, the show, “focuses on the resilience of the survivors and their determination to maintain their humanity when all else has been destroyed. It is a tale of endurance, commitment and courage in which everyday people are called upon to become heroes. They may be outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned, but nothing can beat the human spirit. Most of all, the series is about the ties that bind people together in the most difficult of circumstances”.

“Tom, I’m old and I can’t remember stuff from one day to the next, but who is that new guy at the back?”

Despite our circumstances, we as a civilization will adapt and change. It is who we are as a people. Falling Skies shows us the best and worst of us in compelling ways. It helps us to learn more about who we are. And it shows us what we are capable of.

Thanks to Kenn for assisting with the audio video embeds for my Falling Skies review and analysis. And thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!

Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Regards.

ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia)

June 20, 2012
Falling Skies: An Interview with The Charming and Talented Mpho Koaho
Hey there, fans of Mpho Koaho!

On Friday, September 30th, Mpho was kind enough to sit down with the WormholeRiders News Agency for an exclusive Skype interview from his home in Vancouver, Canada.

Mpho Koaho has appeared in a number of television shows, such as animated series MetaJets, Combat Hospital, Rookie Blues, Flashpoint, and most recently TNT’s new sci-fi drama, Falling Skies. The show was a massive hit for the network and it is what we spent the majority of our conversation with Mpho discussing.

Falling Skies, which is produced by Steven Spielberg, told the story of the aftermath of a crippling alien invasion, that has wiped out nearly ninety percent of the Earth’s population. The monstrous race of beings that seemingly lead the invasion are fast, six-legged, and insect-like; which prompted people to call them “Skitters.”

The Skitters main weapon against humanity are towering robotic “Mech” soldiers that are made out of a near-indestructible metal. As if this would not make them a dangerous enough foe, the Skitters also capture and brainwash young earth children; by use of mechanical “harnesses” that attached to their spines. The aliens used them to do their bidding and as cannon fodder.
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It is eventually discovered that these harnesses do much more than just control the minds of the children they are attached to – they also mutated their bodies into monstrous creatures much like the Skitters. As the show’s first season continued on, it was discovered that the Skitters were merely foot soldiers, themselves a “harnessed” and mutated race of conquered beings, that are doing the bidding of tall, thin grey-skinned aliens who rarely appear to the people of earth. The show focuses on a group of resistance fighters, called the “Second Massachusetts” (2ndMass).

On the show Falling Skies, Mpho Koaho plays Anthony; a former Boston police officer who has allied himself with the Second Massachusetts. Anthony became close with another resistance fighter named Dai (Peter Shinkoda), as well as the unit’s second in command, Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), a former college professor who joined the unit to better protect his three sons Hal (Drew Roy), Ben (Connor Jessup) and Matt (Maxim Knight).

During our exclusive interview, Mpho Koaho spoke about his time working on Falling Skies and past projects that he has done including being one of two finalists for a role in Stargate Universe with his friend Brian J. Smith (they both recently tweeted with other ).

Mpho’s character, Anthony, has become a fan favorite character on Falling Skies and is slated to appear in the show’s second season. Falling Skies will begin production in mid October in Vancouver, Canada. Be sure to follow Mpho Koaho’s fan page on Facebook by clicking here. Have fun and enjoy our audio interview with Mpho to find out interesting tidbits like who would be Mpho’s dream guest-star on Falling Skies, what kind of physical training he undergoes, and what his favorite moment is on the show.

Thank you for visiting the WormholeRiders News Agency.

Special thanks to Kenn for orchestrating the details of this interview and embedding the video. Also, a HUGE thanks to Mpho Koaho for his time.

Feel free to share this article by clicking the social media icons below. You can visit WormholeRiders or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars here. In any event, the Wormhole Riders will look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side on Twitter to tweet about Falling Skies.

Thanks for reading,

Kimberly Mace, (@kimmyxoxo)
October 10, 2011
Falling Skies Colin Cunningham Discusses “Loose Cannon” John Pope, Centigrade and Stargate!
Hello Colin Cunningham fans!

Falling Skies actor, Colin Cunningham very kindly consented to join two of the staff of WormholeRiders News Agency recently for an exclusive telephone interview from his Los Angeles home.

Our exciting interview with Colin Cunningham occurred on September 15, 2011 and was a real insight into the famed character actor who has has enchanted us in many television series including Falling Skies, Stargate, DaVinci’s Inquest, Eureka, Sanctuary, and movies such as The 6th Day and Stargate Continuum!

Despite being very busy Mr. Cunningham over the past few years guest staring on a variety of science fiction shows and dramas as well as producing his own project, Centegrade with Yellow Crow Films (trailer included below), Colin graciously granted us over an hour of his time.

However his biggest project, and the one he is the most excited about is his character, John Pope, on TNT’s Falling Skies.
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Produced by Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Television, the show premièred June 19, 2011. Falling Skies tells the story of the aftermath of a global invasion by several races of extraterrestrials (including the bug-like beings know as Skitters; a race of seemingly humanoid grey-skinned beings that seem to be their commanders; and mechanical Attack Drones called mechs) that neutralizes the world’s power grid and technology, quickly destroys the combined militaries of all the world’s countries, and apparently kills over 90% of the human population within a few days.

The invasion and the objectives of the Aliens is not explained, though the aliens try to round up children between 8 and 16 and attach a metallic obedience device onto (and into) their spines. Forcibly removing the device instantly kills the child. The story picks up six months after the invasion and follows a group of survivors who band together to fight back. The group, known as the Second Massachusetts (an allusion to a historical regiment from the Continental Army), is led by the retired Captain Weaver (Will Patton) and Boston University history professor Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) against the alien invaders!

John Pope (Colin Cunningham) is the leader of a post-apocalyptic criminal gang who captured Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), Hal (Drew Roy), Karen (Jessy Schram), Anthony (Mpho Koaho), Margaret (Sarah Sanguin Carter) and Dai (Peter Shinkoda) and intended to trade them back to the 2nd Mass in exchange for an M2 Browning, food and one of their Pontiac GTO. However, the plan backfired when Margaret helped Tom and the rest escape, and Pope was captured and the rest of his gang killed. Pope earns his keep with the Second Mass. by acting as a cook for the group when he isn’t trying to kill aliens.

In our exclusive interview, Colin Cunningham shares his perspective on acting, his work on Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, his opinion on nudity and love scenes in film and his thoughts on reality television.

Of course, everyone is excited about his role on the highly rated science fiction drama, Falling Skies. He has become a much beloved character on the show that will be entering its second season in the summer of 2012! Principle production for the second season begins in October in Vancouver. Do not be surprised to see “Centigrade” on your screens in the near future by this talented writer, producer and director.

Thank you Colin Cunningham for a wonderful interview, thanks to Kenn for embedding the interview and many thanks to you for reading and stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency

Please feel free to leave a comment here, or click a social media icon below to share this review.

Or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right and we can tweet about Eureka

Thanks again.

Regards.

ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia)
September 28, 2011
Falling Skies Interview: Moon Bloodgood is Positively Packing!
Hello again Falling Skies fans!

We continue our exclusive coverage when on of July 22, 2011 Team WHR was granted the honor of interviewing the fabulous Moon Bloodgood of Falling Skies!

Ms. Bloodgood is of the strongest leading ladies in the world of entertainment. Her attendance at the Comic-Con International 2011 convention excited the crowds to no end during the panel with yelling and screaming when TNT presented the Falling Skies panel which you you view in its entirety by clicking here.
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Gorgeous as well as talented, Moon Bloodgood brilliantly portrays Dr. Anne Glass on the science fiction series that fans around the world adore. Falling Skies is seen on on TNT in the United States produced by Dreamworks Television Studios and with the realistic characterization by Ms. Bloodgood, the program soared in the ratings to the strongest position witnessed in many years.

People who have followed Moon Bloodgood’s career will note she has a long history of very believable roles including the much loved “Katie” an arctic pilot and researcher in the Disney production “Eight Below” (one of my very favorite movies). Her role in Falling Skies included a pending romance similar to the “Eight Below” with Tom Mason played by Noah Wyle which we are sure to see develop in the coming second season.

Moon Bloodgood’s many accomplishments great working in movies and television including Burn Notice, Monk, Human Target, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (the original series), Terminator Salvation (all versions), Moonlight Serenade, and a string of new movies such as “Conception” as well as a rumored role in the planned 2012 “Resident Evil: Retribution“!

During our private time with Moon Bloodgood in the TNT Press Room, she related that she has a hidden nature to Dr. Anne Glass and about both the shame and sorrow she eloquently displayed in several scenes. She discusses the tension in several sequences and working with Steven Weber (Dr. Harris) and her friendship with Margaret portrayed by Sarah Sanguin Carter and as a result what she is “packing” these days!

We hope you enjoy Moon Bloodgood as much as I did meeting and interviewing her.

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will have more in our series of exclusive Falling Skies interviews over the Labor Day holiday. Like you we look forward to seeing the the entire Falling Skies cast talking about season two that will be filmed in Vancouver British Columbia in 2012!

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn
September 2, 2011
Falling Skies Interview: Will Patton Preaches Resistance While Eating John Pope’s Bread!
Hello again Falling Skies fans!

On July 22, 2011 Team WHR was granted the privilege of interviewing several Falling Skies celebrities during the worlds largest entertainment convention conducted yearly in San Diego. Of course we are discussing Comic-Con International 2011 where TNT brought out the celebrities in their panel you can see by clicking here.

Part of those interviews included the enigmatic Will Patton who brilliantly portrays the character we have all come to love known as Captain Weaver in the new hit series Falling Skies as seen on on TNT in the United States produced by Dreamworks Television Studios.

Will Patton’s career in television and movies spans 30 years including the final season of 24, CSI (the original series) Numb3rs, The Agency, Remember The Titans, Armageddon (a personal favorite), Silkwood, a 1980’s classic Desperately Seeking Susan and many more you can learn about here!
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Fans of Will Patton are reveling in his role as curmudgeon Captain Weaver where he plays a National Guard veteran assigned to lead a contingent of civilians commanding Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) and reporting to the regional resistance leader Dale Dye (Porter) !

During our private time with Will Patton he shared his feelings about the fighting the aliens, thoughts on the suspicious John Pope (Colin Cunningham) and his culinary skills, National Guard commander Porter, and becoming involved with the Falling Skies series. We hope you enjoy Will Patton as much as we did meeting him!

Thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will have more in our series of exclusive Falling Skies interviews over the Labor Day holiday. Like you we look forward to seeing the the entire Falling Skies cast including Moon Bloodgood talking about the 2012 season two that will be filmed in Vancouver British Columbia!

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn
September 1, 2011
Falling Skies San Diego Comic-Con Press Room and Panel: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Colin Cunningham and Sarah Sanquin Carter!
Welcome Falling Skies fans,

On July 22, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con we had the pleasure of attending the Falling Skies Press Room and Panel conducted by the wonderful people who created Falling Skies at Turner Network Television and Dreamworks Studios.
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Many Falling Skies fan favorite celebrities from the series were present in the Falling Skies Press Room including Noah Wyle (Tom Mason), gorgeous Moon Bloodgood (Dr. Anne Glass), Will Patton (Captain Dan Weaver), Drew Roy (Hal Mason), Colin Cunningham (John Pope) and lovely Sarah Sanguine Carter (Maggie).
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Series creators Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Mark Verheiden joined Turner Broadcasting Executive Michael Knight who introduced the press world to what we are certain will become a runaway science fiction hit!

The atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Frankly, I was surprised there were not more press there. This reviewer is sure that will change when the secrets of this great series completes the process of spreading around the world! We are sure that next year there will be far larger interest after a renewal for a second and hopefully third season of Falling Skies!

Thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. Team WHR and I look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn
August 15, 2011
Falling Skies: Sanctuary Part 2 and What Hides Beneath!

Welcome back Falling Skies fans!

Our analysis of episodes “Sanctuary part 2” and “What Hides Beneath” reveals the darkest side of humanity. In both episodes the fate of innocent people hang in the balance. In both episodes Dreamworks Television continued to dovetail the travesty of human against human interaction during a disaster begun in the previous weeks episode “Sanctuary Part 1”.

As reported previously It seemed like our survivors might be getting some help from the Seventh Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard when Terry Clayton portrayed by Henry Czerny appeared on the scene. As we learned however, Terry had no intention of saving anything but his own skin in a deal with the Skitters! Terry Clayton even come from? He came out of nowhere just in time to save the day as the episode opened.

Hal Mason (Drew Roy), Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) and Margaret (Sarah Sanguin Carter) had rescued the children from the hospital and Dr. Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) had surgically removed all of the harnesses from their backs. All but one child survived and to my surprise Ben Mason (Connor Jessup) actually remembered his father.

We learned that our tough girl Margaret is a cancer survivor and her and Hal seem to be getting close. I hope to see more of a relationship for these two in the future. We found out the Skitters have a maternal bond with our children.

Speaking of mothers, Sarah (Melissa Kramer) had her baby shower which brought a bit of normalcy to the survivors. Anne Glass and Captain Weaver (Will Patton) both mourned the loss of loved ones quietly and we actually got to see Anne turn bad ass and kill a Skitter. What sweet revenge!

While Anne is treating Eli, a desperate set of parents hold her at gun point and demand all her medicine. Medicine has been so hard to come by for the resistance, and Anne is reluctant to give it up. It looks like the pair is gonna get the medication until Terry Clayton comes along. Thank goodness it is someone that Captain Weaver recognizes. Weaver thought that the 7^th Mass had fell apart after most of it was destroyed by aliens.

Terry Clayton looks tired, beaten, and very frustrated that his entire unit was taken out by the Skitters. He tells Tom Mason, Captain Weaver. Dai (Peter Shinkoda) and Mike (Martin Roach) that the Skitters are on their way to the school within days! According to Clayton, Porter (Dale Dye) wants him to take anyone under the age of 20 and leave the camp. He is to go to a farm that is not too far from the school. It seems reasonable that the children would be safe there.

According to Clayton, the Third Mass is in between them and the last attack. Finally a new face with ideas on how to keep the children safe! A few of the parents are reluctant to send their kids away. Tom Mason does not like the idea but of course Captain Weaver, who always has the final say, makes Tom relay this information to the rest of the parents. I would not want my children to be away from me if there were Mechs and spider-like aliens roaming around.

Newly recovered Ben Mason seems to be doing well this episode. So well in fact he can do 102 sit ups without even breaking a sweat. What on earth did the Skitters do to him? Talking to his younger brother Matt Mason (Maxim Knight), Ben tells him how the Skitters were like family to the children. The Skitters knew what they wanted and when they needed it without saying a word. Ben said he actually missed that. Missing multi-legged aliens? Hal hears Matt and Ben talking and takes his concerns to Anne. Hal is impressed that Ben is no longer a brat!

Jimmy Boland (Dylan Authors), who had been in trouble for an incident involving a pet dog and a robot, is eager to be put back to work. Captain Weaver agrees to let him act as a sentry and stand watch over the school. Parker and Jimmy are on sentry duty and see an approaching Mech. Parker who is not thrilled to be working with a 13 year old, is killed and Jimmy comes face to face with a Mech! Barely escaping Jimmy runs through the camp yelling “Mech Mech” to anyone that can hear him.

Captain Weaver comes to the rescue killing the Skitter and gives Jimmy a warm hug. We get to see a softer side to Captain Weaver. Jimmy is visibly shaken and what 13 year old would not be. This theme plays out in every episode we see. Humans being forced to deal with inhumane situations. The writers have done an excellent job with the script and each episode the characters get back in touch with their humanity. We still see humans fighting with humans in a fight for survival.

Some of the camp members are suspicious of Ben and the children that were rescued. One of the members refers to them as “razor backs”. Ben tells his father that he wants to leave with Clayton. He appeals to his father’s love of history by comparing the blitz of London in world war II to their parents having to send the children out first to keep them safe. Tom realizes his son has grown up and decides to let Matt and Ben go with Clayton. Tom is convinced the Third Mass will be there the next day so he convinces the other parents to let their children go as well.

There are touching moments between the Mason family this episode. Hal feels guilty having fought with Ben the day their mother died. Hal’s promise to his mom was to look after his brother and father. The one thing I did love this episode was we saw Tom Mason and Anne Glass hold hands towards the end as they watch the children leave with Clayton. I could not tell if they were feeling some sort of hope or was Anne lending support to Tom as his children leave.

Finally the children arrive at the farm and there are happy faces everywhere. Once the children get settled Clayton goes to see someone. That someone turns out to be Eli! Eli is the child whose parents left the camp with him just the day before. Where are his parents? Clayton says he is taking Eli to see his parents. Taking Eli to a path in the woods, he meets up with a girl named Megan.

Megan tells Eli she is taking him to see his family. Megan has a stoic look on her face and Eli starts feeling apprehensive. He makes one futile attempt to go back to camp but a Skitter quickly grabs him and takes him away. Clayton has just given one of the children to the aliens! I have contemplated over this for days now. How does Clayton benefit from this? Clayton leaves Eli with the Skitter and goes back to the farm. It is very obvious the survivors trusted their children with the wrong man.

Clayton heads back to camp and goes to the basement with a bowl of food in his hands talking to someone sitting at a table. I was excited to see that is was John Pope (Colin Cunningham)! Pope told Clayton about the children at the school in exchange for his life. I hope to see a lot more of Pope in the coming episodes. His comic relief adds extra to the show that Steven Spielberg has already made a winner.

This episode begs the question what do the Skitters want with our children. Ben talked fondly of the Skitters in one scene and it leads me to believe they have some control over the children even after they escape. I think we will be getting answers to this very soon.

Falling Skies continues this Sunday with “Mutiny” followed by “Eight Hours” season one finale. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn

August 5, 2011

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