Under direction of Dreamworks Television, the previous weeks episode “Sanctuary Part 1” is awesome! It seems like our survivors might be getting some help from the Seventh Mass. Well, what is left of it anyway.
When we last saw our survivors, 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!
This weeks episodes title “Sanctuary Part 1” actually makes you wonder where on earth would you find a sanctuary amidst an alien invasion. Could it even be possible? According to Terry Clayton (Henry Czerny of The Tudors) of the Seventh Mass there is sanctuary. Where did Terry Clayton even come from? He came out of nowhere just in time to save the day as the episode opened.
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 7th 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 “Sanctuary Part 2” followed by “What Hides Beneath” on July 31, 2011. In the meantime we include the full “Sanctuary Part 1” episode below courtesy of TNT!. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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 the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. In any event we will look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“! Thank you.
We are now entering the sixth and in my opinion the critical turning point in awesome series. Unless you have been living on another planet you should know that Falling Skies has been renewed for an exciting sure to be super second season!
If you have not heard this news via tweets, our posts and news around the Internet we are going to send you to the Skitters and their two legged metallic minions “The Mechs” to be harnessed along with the rest of the children on planet Earth!
This is a pre-review of this evenings episode entitled “Sanctuary” (part one). In this analysis we examine several aspects of the story arc so be forewarned that although no spoilers will be discussed herein other than what is already revealed by TNT (known facts), the images are. So If you do not like spoilers, please stop reading and looking now. Thank you.
As we shared last week, the ideas we discuss herein are as private among our Falling Skies review team. The WHR Falling Skies review team is led by RedOne68 (Sandra), and includes DragonBayne (Angela), OffworldTravelr (Ginger), Celtica (Jen) and myself. We will say it again that we all believe this is an excellent series produced in coordination with TNT by Dreamworks Television Studios!
Our entire Falling Skies team is very much looking forward with excitement and in fact absolute glee to covering the series this coming week at Comic-Con in San Diego! Let me share with you here and now that the eight (8) of us who contribute to WHR whom are attending Comic-Con in San Diego (and you can be sure) that we will all be on patrol for Falling Skies Skitters, Mech’s and for that matter Gummy Bears too!
(You will find out why that last item is important tonight!)
Speaking of Gummy Bears, poor Lourdes and Anne may not get much of a chance to eat any based on what happens in the first few minutes of “Sanctuary” part one as discussed by Noah Wyle in the promotional trailer included below courtesy of TNT.
As the promotional trailer below indicates, a new guest star arrives after the trouble with Dr. Glass. Known to Captain Weaver it is one Lt. Terry Clayton portrayed by veteran actor Henry Czerny (Mission Impossible, The Tudors, and The A-Team [2010]) who warns of an impending Skitter Mech attack on the safety of the John F. Kennedy High School compound.
The following main characters including Uncle Scott (Bruce Gray), Captain Weaver (Will Patton) , Porter (Dale Dye) Hal Mason (Drew Roy), Mike (Martin Roach), (Daniyah Ysrayl) do not have Twitter account as of drafting this article. Hint, hint, hint your Twitter followers await you!
SPOILER ALERT: For those who must know, the answer is YES, Colin Cunningham returns in this evenings Falling Skies. Now that really is not much of a spoiler since everyone can go to IMDB and see for themselves he is scheduled to appear in several more episodes. However we will not tell you the what, where, why or when in the episode.
Let us simply share that you will be as pleasantly surprised as we were when we first saw Sanctuary part one many weeks ago. We will however give you a single image frame so you can savor the return of the one and only John Pope to Falling Skies! All we can say is it is simply awesome!
As we continue our coverage I would like to pay homage to two other critical contributors that some take for granted, and the series wonderful guest or supporting stars.
First I would like to mention Julia Valente and her crew for an outstanding job with make-up in Falling Skies. For those who may not be aware, the make-up used on set locations is crucial to obtaining the correct look and feel of the final product due to set lighting conditions. Well done Julia to you and your team!
Next a note (pun intended ) to Noah Sorota for his fine original series music score and accompaniment in Falling Skies.
This is another area that fans often forget when they are caught up in the willing suspension of disbelief when watching a superb science fiction drama such as Falling Skies. Without the hard work of a person like Mr. Sorota, the series would surely be lacking. So our thank yous to the musical Noah of Falling Skies for bringing the haunting and melodic scores to our homes to accompany scenes like the one below!
I mention these individual actors because when I read peoples tweets or articles about Falling Skies and other series we all tend to focus only on the leading actors, actresses as celebrities. I can certainly understand their sentiment, it is an easy thing to do. Although we all love the lead stars in any series or movie, we must not forget the supporting actors and actresses whom help make the scenes so believable and enjoyable.
So our sincere thanks to all supporting cast members for all that you do!
As we alluded to last week trouble and friction is brewing in the local community. This time it is not about keeping a Skitter in the resistance compound at John F. Kennedy High School. No it is something entirely different that anyone who is a true family person at heart will understand; being separated from your children even if that is what is best for them.
Falling Skies returns each Sunday 10 PM east/pacific, 9 PM central time in the United States. “Sanctuary” (part one) is the sixth episode in the series, but is the fifth in terms of air dates.
This evening the story arc takes a tremendous turn about several things including the where, why and what for regarding the enslavement of the children! And much more will be revealed in this fabulous first part of a two part Falling Skies Sanctuary! In the meantime, we include the episode sneak peek below courtesy of TNT for your enjoyment!
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency and reading the theories, book history back story and historical reference material imparted by the creators in Prisoner of War.
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, WHR on Facebook 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“!
We are halfway through the season and already the TNT network has picked Falling Skies up for a second season! It certainly appears Steven Spielberg has a winner with this new show that introduces us to spider-like aliens called Skitter and their mechanical monsters the “Mechs”!
I cannot help but notice the resemblance between the Skitter’s and the aliens portrayed in J.J. Abrams movie Super 8 which Steven Spielberg was also involved in.
However, I must point out that while similar, Neville Page is the man who created the Cloverfield monster and was the individual behind the alien out of Super 8..
I am excited to be writing about this weeks episode of Falling Skies “Silent Kill”. Under the direction of Dreamworks Television we learned even more about the characters and one shocking thing about the Skitters! When we last saw our group of survivors they had just discovered that the Skitter have a vulnerable spot inside their mouths behind the soft pallet. Uncle Scott (Bruce Gray) and Matt Mason (Maxim Knight) found that the Skitter also communicated through radio waves to deliver their messages to their victims.
This must be how they control the children, telepathically via short distance radio waves. We know this because the caged Skitter actually used Ricky (Daniyah Ysrayl) to communicate with the humans of the resistance. The Skitter appeared frightened or even scared, but I suppose maybe it is because it is a prisoner of war. The Skitter asked the members of the resistance to kill it via its mental link to Ricky.
Could it be that bad going back to Skitter high command without his child prisoner? Is there a punishment by the higher echelon in the Skitter hierarchy for failure? It appears so since the Skitters we have observed are actually be the foot soldiers in the Skitter army that watch over the children. The question lingers though; Why so much interest in our children?
Falling Skies illustrates how humans can band together in a time of crisis to fight for their freedom and the safety of their families. We started the series six months after the invasion. That was enough time for our survivors to get over the shock but not far enough into the future for their mourning to be over.
With Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) losing his wife the very first day of the invasion and Dr. Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood), a pediatrician, losing her son there are moments in the show where we get to see real human emotions. Falling Skies nails that! During the “Silent Kill” episode we saw a softer side to both Captain Weaver (Will Patton) and Anne who have been mourning their own family losses quietly.
Falling Skies is not your typical alien invasion show. We were spared the spaceships arriving, the blowing up of buildings, as well as world leaders including our President trying to communicate to make peace with the aliens.
Also nice were the scenes not included like people running around frantic in panic. They have been here for six months and let us all face the facts; the Skitters kicked our ass plain an d simple. They then proceeded to kidnap our teens and turned them into slave worker drones!
Silent Kill opens with Margaret (Sarah Sanguin Carter) and Hal Mason (Drew Roy) getting back from a recon mission with hard drugs, in fact narcotics that they had procured from the local drug pusher. We do not know the precise details, but thanks to Margaret’s street smarts and survival instincts, the drugs have been obtained while Tom prepares for a mission to save the enslaved children!
During this and future episodes, Doctors Michael Harris (Steven Weber) and Anne Glass will need these drugs to keep the victims from dying during removal of the harnesses from the backs of the children. But are the harnesses nothing more than bugs with metallic drug injecting tentacles into the children?
The reason the invading aliens attach these harnesses to the spine of the children is more than troubling. The act literally turns them into walking zombies that follow every command the Skitter give them. It now seems certain that the harnesses are a bio mechanical interface between the humans and the Skitter. The harness can inject an opiate like substance to control the children and when removed, the children suffer from withdrawal and die. Keeping the children addicted to the drugs that the harness releases is an easier way to keep the children obedient. It appeals to their pleasure seeking side that all humans are prone to favor.
As we learn during “Silent Hill”, it appears that each Skitter controls a certain amount of teens so they can work the children around the clock. Are they training them so later the children can go inside the Mech? Could it be the two-legged Mech’s are actually operated by harnessed children like poor Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl) who remains haunted by his time with the Skitters?
Tom Mason, Hal Mason and a small group of soldiers are planning on going to the hospital intent on rescuing the children and using the harness removal procedure observed in “Grace” to save the children and the “missing”.
Margaret, who was (against her will) with John Pope’s (Colin Cunningham) group at first, has proved herself to be quiet useful. With her crossbow skills and her knowledge that helps her navigate the soldiers around the hospital. Tom and Hal have a lot to thank her for. .
Doctors Anne Glass and Michael Harris are at odds on how to treat the alien that Tom Mason brought back. Anne is giving the skitter water and trying to communicate with it. Does it really know what she is trying to do? I think we will come to find that the Skitters understand much more than we give them credit for.
Dr. Michael Harris has such a dislike for the Skitter that he shows it no mercy while he is holding it captive. Antagonizing it seems to be something he enjoys. In the end though it is the Skitter who has the last laugh as he kills Dr. Michael Harris. I saw that coming. Did you as well?
However, I did not think it would come so quickly in Falling Skies. Steven Weber is such a brilliant actor and I really would have liked to see more out of him in this series. With Harris’ death by Skitter, now it is up to Anne to remove all the harnesses from the children. With the loss of her own son she has found she can get peace of mind knowing that she can save others. In one scene that to me was full of emotion, Anne shows Hal and Tom how they can actually kill the Skitter.
We see Anne remember when Mike (Martin Roach) knocked the skitter unconscious by hitting it in a nerve center behind the soft pallet. Not wanting to risk the mission and Hal’s life on a theory, Anne takes a scalpel and plunges it into the Skitter mouth and twists it until she kills it!
Hal and Tom are shocked at what they just witnessed but if you asked me it was time Anne actually got mad at the aliens for killing her family. Storming into the hall, Anne goes to the bulletin board with all the missing family members and tells Tom that she does not have anything that belonged to her family that she could put up. The only thing that she has is the blood from the skitter that she had just killed. Anne slams her hand onto the bulletin board and smears it with blood. She walked off leaving Tom standing there in disbelief. Actually, I think it was really good to see Anne getting angry and taking her revenge out on the skitter.
In Silent Kill, we get to observe a side of Captain Weaver’s character that we did see not in the previous episodes. A softer side that shows he is suffering a loss of sorts. What exactly the loss is that he is experiencing is yet to be told. Could it be the loss of his wife or the loss of his child? Maybe that loss is what has turned him into a hard yet determined man. Together with Mason’s knowledge on military tactics surely they will find a way to keep the civilians of the “Second Mass” safe from the Skitter and bring the children home safely.
In the first few episodes it appears that the Skitter are just using our children for hard labor. In Silent Kill we see a different side of the Skitter. As Hal Mason sneaks into the hospital with the harness strapped to his back, he follows the other children to a room. The Mech looks at Hal Mason but does not notice that he is not with the group. One can only speculate as to why. The children all lie down in a circle and the Skitter climbs over them and protects them like a mother protecting her children.
The Skitter rubs each of them on the head as if it is showing the children affection. Why are they doing this? Could there really be children inside the Mechs? Maybe the Skitters are training the kids by making them work so hard to get them ready for insertion inside the Mechs?
After the resistance soldiers raid the hospital and they rescue the children, they are all taken back to the camp where Anne, assisted by young Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel), Tom and others remove the harnesses. Speaking of Lourdes, I am hopeful she gets more lines and more of a character in the future. Lourdes helps and the harness removal procedures are successful for all the salved children except for one child who perishes in the process. We are immediately reminded that with the loss of a patient, a child, proves to be a painful reminder to Anne about her own loss.
However, even with removal of the harness, are the children really saved? With Ricky, he did not even remember his father. We observed that he even strapped the harness to his own back in last episode to try and free the captured Skitter. Can removing the harnesses really free these children from the Skitter control? Why does Ricky not notice and recognize his father? The answer is that some of the children are obviously affected and brainwashed more than others “bonded” to their Skitter masters.
With each episode we see the characters getting closer to each other and forming new relationships. Could this mean something for Tom and Anne? It would seem so. I for one would not mind seeing a relationship form between these two characters. Both of them suffer the loss of someone. Maybe bringing the two of them together will help them heal. Hal and Margaret seem to be getting closer to one another in a budding romance.
My biggest question would be what happened to Karen after she was kidnapped by the Skitters and harnessed? No one has been looking for her which I think is odd, but maybe I am just impatient? Hopefully in future Falling Skies episodes we will see what has happened to Karen (Jessy Schram). I hope it is possible that Hal or the others will be able will rescue her? as you may recall Karen was last seen being dragged off likely to be harnessed! 🙁
Overall, “Silent Kill” was a very good episode. Anne and Margaret both took on a much more important role in the show, which had mainly focused on or been about Tom Mason and his efforts to rescue some of the harnessed kids including his son Ben. After the harness removal, much to my surprise Ben wakes up and actually recognizes his father. This being said, it was heartwarming to see Ben (Connor Jessup) and father Tom reunited at the very end of the episode.
In the Silent Kill episode I definitely missed John Pope’s crazy antics. However what the episode lacked in “Pope comedy” it made up for with several touching moments over and above the reunion of the Mason family. None of the moments were more touching than Captain Weaver (Will Patton) listening to the record at the end of the show. I hope we soon find out who it was that Weaver lost during the invasion. Maybe Weaver will eventually put a picture up on the bulletin board with the rest of the missing?
I would like to share a few more observations; Will our survivors be able to remain at the abandoned John F. Kennedy school? Or do they plan to move to a more safe and secure location? Some sense of normalcy was kept in this episode with Sarah (Melissa Kramer) and her baby.
Anne Glass showing up to demonstrate her support at the baby shower was a step towards healing for her and was quite touching. And will we see John Pope again soon? It seems certain because Colin Cunningham is listed for more episodes, so I cannot wait to see what he has been up to. I also hope that he is written into season two of Falling Skies!
Falling Skies returns each Sunday evening in the United States at 10 PM E/P 9 central on TNT. Make sure to tune in to the next episode. “Sanctuary” (part one) and find out what is about to happen to our band of heroes! In the meantime we include the video recap of “Silent Kill” courtesy of TNT!
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 the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. In any event we will look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“! Thank you.
We are now four episodes into this great series and based on the overwhelming support from the fans, as I am sure you have heard by now, Falling Skies has been renewed for an epic second season! The tweets and posts around the Internet confirm that fans are enthralled with the Skitters, their two legged metallic minions “The Mechs”, their plans for enslaving the Earth, and most mysterious of all, the reasons behind the “harnessing” of the children!
In this pre-review of “Silent Kill” we will explore a few theories without revealing spoilers about a turning point episode in the mid season.
Please bear in mind these are our theories, nor do we look at other peoples reviews or tweets with one exception below. The ideas shared herein are as discussed privately among our Falling Skies review team by people many of you tweet with. The WHR Falling Skies review team is lead by RedOne68 (Sandra), and includes DragonBayne (Angela), OffworldTravelr (Ginger), Celtica (Jen) and myself. We all believe this is an excellent series produced in coordination with TNT by Dreamworks Television Studios!
Before continuing with our theories, one of the most exciting aspects of the series on TNT was a hint that a second season was a virtual certainty if you looked for the clues much like the budding adult romance we are sure to see between Tom and Anne and the adolescent love growing between Margaret and Hal Mason.
Simple, the contest sponsored by the great people over at by Klout! What contest you may ask? What the heck kind of rock have you been sleeping under for goodness sakes?!? The contest giving away tons of swag AND a walk on role in Falling Skies, that’s what contest! Well, if you missed it you can still rally your forces for The Resistance by clicking the link below and re-tweeting your favoriite Falling Skies tweeter with the #FSInCentivized hash tag!
SPOILER ALERT: Now on to our theories about the Skitters and the Mechs in Falling Skies. To reiterate although we have seen the first seven (7) episodes, no one at any official TNT or Dreamworks source related these theories to us. And while we may be wrong, what I am about to share with seems highly logical and fits the story arc.
During several recon missions, a few of which were aborted due to the harnessed one apparently giving away the positions or activities of the resistance, we always noticed the Skitters and the Mech’s are in close proximity. These pair of aliens operatives in each circumstance always seem to be looking after the harnessed kids carefully. To further complicate the theory, several on Twitter have asked, myself and members of WHR team included, why do the Mech’s walk on two legs?
As many a recon party have returned to base, they always reported to Dale Dye as Porter and Will Patton as Captain Weaver that wherever a Mech was, a Skitter was close by. Our theory? That the harnessed kids are in training to see which ones will qualify to be placed inside the Mech metallic body shells. Further proof that this is likely the case? The images below tell the tale of the emotional state of the young harnessed victims.
Lastly, some may say what about the harnessed slave children killed by the Skitters in “Prisoner of War”? Does this not negate the theory? Perhaps, however as in any circumstance, not everything works out in life. My hypothesis is that the harnessed kids who were sacrificed did not “pass” the test to be inserted into a Mech. If you go back and look at their faces, they were obviously in a drug induced state so they were used to set the example and send the message the Skitters wanted to deliver to the resistance.. Their expressions below also illustrate the facts of the matter for the poor “sacrificial lambs”.
As we observed in episode four “Grace”, Anthony willingly place the bio-mechanical harness back on his own body even after removal when prompted by the caged Skitter. Nearly dying in the process, Anthony was mesmerized to do the bidding of the caged alien invader oblivious to the consequence since he he was obviously telepathically controlled to do so. What could make more sense that to have the most compliant and cooperative harnessed adolescents be placed inside a Mech body to be controlled by a Skitter?
Silent Kill is a more intense and serious episode as the elements and characters explored so far coalesce. Now that John Pope (Colin Cunningham) has escaped, it is clear that there will be no more fine cuisine for the resistance to feast on. We know Pope will resurface because he is listed in the cast credits at IMDB for more episodes. The question for all of us to consider is what kind of trouble will John Pope get into before he surfaces again?
Other troubles in the local community are a growing aversion to keeping a Skitter in the resistance compound at John F. Kennedy High School. Specifically Steven Weber who portrays Doctor Michael Harris is in vehement disagreement with keeping the alien alive any longer. Many feel the same way and a confrontation is definitely brewing as is revisited at the chow line.
Now as to the episode itself and thrust of where the story has been heading. It is no spoiler to say that Tom Mason has been steadfast in his determination to plan and effect the rescue of his missing son Ben (Conner Jessup) from the Skitters whose picture he placed on the honored wall of the enslaved along with so many other missing kids.
Then we come to the name of the episode itself, “Silent Kill. From the title we know it is entirely obvious that death is going to occur. Is it a Skitter, a resistance member? Both? More children sacrificed? All three? More than one? As the Falling Skies screen fades to black, we will be left to wonder; Where is John Pope? Will the children be saved? How do the Skitter actually treat their captives and what role will Dr. Anne Glass play to make things happen? And will Dr. Harris continue to help or hinder the circumstances?
Falling Skies returns each Sunday 10 PM east/pacific, 9 PM central time in the United States. “Silent Kill” is the fifth episode in the series. As we have mentioned before, I suggest you do not want to miss Silent Kill. Why? Key plot elements about the where, why and what for regarding the enslavement of the children are revealed! In the meantime, we include the episode sneak peek below courtesy of TNT for your enjoyment!
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency and reading the theories, book history back story and historical reference material imparted by the creators in Prisoner of War.
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, WHR on Facebook 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“!
The “Skitters” have attacked Earth. Downed the Power and technology which humans have relied on for years now. Adults are killed and young humans are captured and harnessed by the “Skitters”. When the youngster gets ‘Harnessed’ they seem to become under complete control of the Skitters. In past episodes, we have seen the teens walking like subdued zombies, doing menial tasks.
When one sees a Skitter around, there are usually guards of a robotic nature nearby. These guards are called “Mechs” in this case, meaning Mechanical. The Mechs are quite tall, walk on two legs like man, and have powerful lights and emit a long droning sound as they search the terrain for humans who would pose a threat to the Extraterrestrials’ mission. In the last episode, a Skitter was caught and Anthony, Dai (Peter Shinkoda), Hal Mason (Drew Roy), Margaret (Sarah Sanguine Carter) and Karen (Jessy Schram) are going to try to learn more from it.
“Grace”
In this episode, our band of resistance fighters Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) and some of the people they care for are in their refuge which used to be John F. Kennedy high school. We see the captured skitter in a large holding cage being wheeled through the hallway. The resistance members are speculating about their hostage. Doctor Harris (Steven Weber) says; “For all we know, he’s a prime specimen. The Brad Pitt of Skitterworld…”
They also wonder what the creature must be thinking of them. Dr. Harris then says “They could be making sounds that exceeds the scope of human hearing. For all we know he could be cussing us out right now.” Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) says; “Look at his eyes… He’s probably studying us just as we are of him.”. The caged Skitter is indeed looking at the humans intently. One can tell by their eyes seen in earlier episodes…. and the fact they got to Earth from where ever it is they came from, that these Skitters are intelligent. Unlike the Mechs, the Skitters are a biological, living species. The cage and humans arrive in a part of the medical area where a fortified holding cell has been set up. With the use of electric ‘cattle-prods’, they guide the Skitter into its’ new home.
John Pope (Colin Cunningham) is questioned by Captain Weaver (Will Patton) and is then taken by Tom and Ben Mason (Conner Jessup) along with Anthony (Mpho Koaho) to go off to find Motorcycles which they might be able to use from a bike shop nearby. Tom wants to go save his son, Ben from the Skitters, but Captain Weaver tells him that would have to wait. Of course the tactic being that having this transport will make it easier to get the drugs they need for the unharnessing of kids, getting other supplies, with the ultimate goal of getting the kids back from the skitters.
Good point. One means to an end. If I am correct, the bikes are not as ‘electric’ based as modern cars or the EMP (Electro-magnetic pulse) would have rendered the motorcycles useless as well. EMPs pretty much disables anything with a circuit board.
In the medical area, Anne is examining Rick, with Rick’s father Mike present One of the unharnessed kids. Before the invasion, this boy had Cystic Fibrosis. A debilitating lung disease “CF” as it is usually called results in chronic, potentially fatal congestion, among other whole-body symptoms, needing medications, inhalers, nebulizers and ‘cupping’ which is where one’s cupped hands are pounded over the back of the patient in order to break up the congestion, assist in clearing the mucus and allow some relief. But normally, CF patients are faced with a shorter life span, respiratory failure etc.
In this case, Ann is finding that Rick has gone through a spontaneous remission of the disease. “His lungs are completely clear” she tells Mike. “Are you sure he had cystic fibrosis?” Mike replied “Five specialists in three states sure. He had to go o n a nebulizer twice a day just to be able to breathe” It seems that being ‘Harnessed’ by the Skitters has actually cured him of CF! I guess it is practical that they keep their ‘slaves’ healthy.
A recon team returns and tells Captain Waever (Will Patton) that they saw some harnessed kids at the hospital off Second street; Same one they were at before. Weaver speculates the invaders and their mechs have decided to use the hospital like a base. As the others in the party return to wherever they are situated in the school,
Capt. Weaver and Margaret (Sarah Sanguine Carter) face each other as she asked Weaver if he had others keeping tabs on her. Weaver says that he has. Reminding her that the convicts trusted her with a gun asking if she had ever thought of using it. Margaret replied that she had. On herself at first, then later, on them. Weaver asks her “and what about now?” Margaret replies “I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
As the lead men all take off ..with Pope… to the bike shop, Matt tries to go with them, but Tom lays down the law and tells his son to stay at the school. Next, we are walking through the woods with the guys about a half mile from the bike shop. Pope is asking what gang Anthony was in before the invasion. Bloods? Crips? Slitheren (Shades of Harry Potter anyone?). Anthony tells Pope he was in one of the largest gangs in the world; The Boston Police Department.
Pope makes a comment about “smelling a little ham…” when Anthony retorts back about after all this being over and Pope not being needed anymore, they would have a chat about (Anthony’s) friend called “Clip” as he held his rifle out a bit. He has made his point. Hal and Tom talk a bit about life before the invasion, and Dai sidles up to Tom as Hal moves forward with the others. Tom said he missed his wife Rebecca most at these times.
Next, we’re in the School at the wall where pictures of the missing are. Amy stands there touching the pictures. when asked what she is doing she said she was saying a prayer for the missing.
Once the humans have their captive Skitter ensconced in a side part of the Medical area, Ann is showing it photographs of Earth, The local solar systems and galaxies. She is hoping to get a reaction from the extraterrestrial. Short of a few sounds from ‘him’ in reaction to other people in the room, she is not having much success and is being ridiculed by Doctor Harris. “You think he’s going to start speaking in skitter-ese?”. I note it is interesting how -again- females are the communicators.
She is at least trying to communicate with it albeit on a very basic level, while Dr. Harris is standing back with his own ideas of how the creatures might communicate. “Well, if that doesn’t work, you can try exchanging recipes…No fear, conscience or remorse, maybe that’s why it’s so easy for them to kill us.” Anne tells Harris to “Read what you want. I think it’s scared out of it’s mind” then she looks at the Skitter intently she said “I wonder what it sees when it’s looking at us… Are we as hideous to it? As strange?” Dr. Harris picks up; “Yeah, that’s a good question…I got an idea..”.and leaves the room
Captain Weaver enters one of the classrooms in the school, to find Uncle Scott (Bruce Gray) Building and trying to set up radios. He used parts from an old fallout shelter survival kit and is making what he hopes will be a listening device for their group, as well as anyone else, to listen for activity outside of the “2 Mass” base. He has made a dynamo-style crank up radio receiver.
Captain Weaver is looking it over as he says “The other regiments will be working on their radios. We’ll need to monitor the frequencies…See if they’re up and running. But, I don’t want it to take you away from making explosives.” Uncle scott agrees and on impulse gestures to Matt Mason saying “That’s why I brought along a very capable volunteer!” Matt comes down off the stool he was sitting on and comes to ‘Uncle Scott’ as he continues; “See, all he has to do is wind the handle and slowly turn the dial… He’s lookin’ for something to do…” Capt. Weaver says ‘right.’ as he walks out. Uncle scott Scott tells Matt, “Guess what? I just made you the communications Officer”
Back with our intrepid group on their way to the bike shop, Poke veers away from the others. “I thought I smelled something” He gestures to the others who are telling him to stay in the tree line, and we see he is looking at a few Skitters, hanging like bats under an old bridge. Hal cmes up seeing the skitters and wants to shoot them. Poke says “SHHHH, You’ll wake ’em!’ As he smiles broadly.
Gently, the team gets closer to the sleeping skitter and speculate about the creatures. Poke says “I guess they get a bit of shut eye when ever and where ever they can… ” Tom Mason continues “Like soldiers anywhere…” Tom looks like he is readying his gun to fire, but Dai comes up from scoping the surrounding area. “Mechs, North and south… Sleep mode”. Poke wants to open up on the Skitters, but Tom says “The minute we open up on them, those Mechs will open up on us!” Shaking his head he continues “Engaging them is not the mission. Let’s go.”
Back in the Medical area, Anne is offering the Skitter a bowl of water. The Skitter seems to feel calmer, but is not accepting, it just stands back from the window of the cage as Anne passes the bowl in. As she withdraws her hand, Dr. Harris comes in “Get your hand out of that cage!” We see he is pushing a gurney into the room covered with a sheet. He speaks to the Skitter directly “Hey, Chief, remember that Skitter Poke and his boys killed? -watch this…Remember this guy?” as he whips the sheet off the dead skitter with a flourish.
The caged Skitter becomes very upset, and we can see maybe they DO have emotions…Like fear, or could it be grief? It is at this same time Matt Mason, back in the ‘radio room’ hears a burst of static on the radio he is monitoring. Back in the medical area, the Skitter is trying to reach through the cage and we can hear it ‘screaming’ as it seems to be reaching for its’ colleague…or the humans… Harris secures the window to the cage as he tells Anne “Want a friend? Get a dog!” As the skitter looks directly at Anne, I felt that Anne looked a bit sad. Uncle Scott and Mat at the radio, no longer hear the burst of static.
Our fearless group has reached the bike shop and are now looking for bikes that can run. They find some gasoline in the repair bay and Poke is wordlessly told to start siphoning gas from the tanks for the bikes in front of the store.
Hal and Tom see a very nice little keyring with a motorcycle on a pink background. Hal said Karen would have loved that. “She wasn’t a ‘Girly-girl’ but… she would’ve taken this” Hal said. “We could leave an IOU…?” Tom muses. Hal and Tom remember Karen and they also talk a bit about Rebecca-Tom’s wife who died during the takeover.
Tom guesses at what Rebecca would have said at this time, but Hal said “She would’ve just said ‘Suck it up!’… and if that was your attempt at parenting, uh, it was pretty lame…” They both got a smile from this. Eventually Tom gives Hal the keyring and they leave. Not sure, but it is as if they hope to see Karen again.
Dr. Harris is now laying out surgical tools and Anne is saying he cannot do this. That their job is to try to communicate with the Skitter. Porters’ Orders. Harris just meets her remarks with total derision saying “I’m not going to be second guessed by a pediatrician” Okay, I understand that the ties between Tom and Harris is that each was with the others’ spouse when they died during the attack. Harris could be like most Doctors. They seem to want to be able to “FIX” anything and when they cannot, they face a lot of frustration. But Dr. Harris had best know the true enemy is NOT Anne or anyone else in this situation.
-Gosh, nothing like a bit of Ego maniacal chest-beating. One thing I note about Falling Skies, is that as they fight an invading force, many people here hold onto their sexists, or racists feelings. They begrudgingly unite with each other to fight the Skitters, but I believe if they win, they will go back to their everyday lives with the same prejudices they always had.
Mike is sitting at his son Rick’s bedside in the infirmary, as the skitter in its’ cage looks on. Rick opens his eyes and asks Mike “Who are you?” Mike replies “It’s me, Ricky, It’s Dad” Rick asks again, as if not understanding the words… “Who are you?” Mike replies “I’m your father.” Rick rises a little from the bed and looks over at the Skitter who looks back at him making their noises. Rick stares for a while and then back at Mike. Resting his head back down on the pillow he says in a heavy sigh “Father”.
Mike gets up and walks over to the Skitter. He tells the Skitter that the boy in there is is son. He is everything to Mike. and he is healthy, probably because of that thing the skitters put on him. The Skitter is making his usual guttural, growls and ‘whines’ but does not seem agitated at the moment. Mike said to the Skitter that that is why it gets this chance….To live, or not. At this point the Skitter gets a bit riled. am thinking they can understand what a human says, but cannot articulate in our language. Mike is telling the Skitter that it is alive right now because the humans want to communicate with it. Mike tries with the pictures again and finally, walks over gets his rifle and comes back to the cage. “So maybe you didn’t understand me, or you need some motivation” as he aims the rifle at the Skitter.
Back in the radio room, Anne, Matt and Uncle Scott hear static on the radio again. It seems to happen when the Skitter is agitated or frightened. Anne wonders what is causing it, and at this point no one knows. Meanwhile, Mike is provoking the Skitter and shoves the rifle hard into it’s face, while yelling at it to “SPEAK!” when this happens, the static on the radio goes crazy. The Skitter seems to pass out and the static stops.
Next, we see Mike explaining to Anne and Harris that he was just trying to get the Skitter to talk. “What, by sticking a gun into it’s mouth?” Anne asks him. Harris said the Skitters’ heart and breathing seem fine. It seems during the dissection of the other skitter, they found there is a vulnerable spot between a nerve bundle and soft palate in the Skitters. Harris said it could be a pressure point, Mike most likely gave it a concussion. Anne said “So… this just happened five minutes ago?” Ah, I think she has clicked on to the possibility of the Skitters effect on radio waves.
Uncle Scott walks into an area where the dead Skitter is. Seems the connection is made of the Static and the Skitter. Seems the static bursts happened during the times their captive became agitated.
Back in the infirmary, the caged Skitter is looking at Ricky. I am impressed that as ugly as the Skitters are, I actually think the eyes are really expressive. The effect of seeing big, expressive eyes in a Skitter face is a bit unnerving. Rick gets up and sees the ‘harness’ he once wore on a tray beside him.
The Skitter looks on and seems to be talking to Rick telepathically or somehow. Rick gets up and in a trance-like state, slowly goes to the harness, picks it up and lays the harness back onto his back. The CGI with the harness attaching itself to Rick is pretty cool.
Rick seems to be comfortable with this thing on his back and the Skitter seems also pleased.Rick is back in a more direct communication with the Skitter.
In the other room where the dead skitter is, Anne, Mike Harris and Uncle Scott are told by Anne that it has been dead too long. “There’s mush in there.” Just at that point the static becomes very audible and intense. Harris says “There’s your proof right there!” Anne asked “what?” Harris says “That the skitter and the static are unrelated! It’s not being provoked, we’re all in here, it’s all alone unless it’s hangin’ itself right now…” Mike says “Ricky’s in there!” and they run to the infirmary!
They find Rick is trying to open the cage. Mike is restrained by the others as Harris asks the skitter (or Rick!): “What do you want from us?” Rick, looking very unemotional and almost zombie-like looks at them and says “You want to hurt me” Harris replies “We just want to know why you’re here.” Ricky is in fact being used by the Skitter to speak to the humans.
Rick says to the group “Let me go.” Harris tells him/it; “No we can’t do that. Ricky in monotone says “This child is one of ours.” Harris tells him/it “Not anymore. we cut off his harness”. Ricky (Skitter) replies “Then I’ll be punished.” The skitter-through Ricky then says “Help me”. “How can we help you?” Harris asked. Through Rick, the Skitter replies “Kill me”. It is at this point Mike loses control, runs to Rick and forcibly pulls the harness back off from him. The Skitter seems to ‘scream’ and Rick falls to the ground.
Back in the bike shop, they got one of the bikes to start and others start up soon too. Pope tells Dai that the gas can is dry. As Dai goes to investigate, Pope hits Dai, rendering him unconscious and Pope speeds off on one of the bikes. The others go in to get Dai, and assuring that he is alright, They see Pope speeding off on a bike from the side of the shop. they take off to the front of the shop to get going.
But Pope is now stopped by the sleeping skitters under the bridge and has gasoline, and what appears to be a grenade. Poke says “Rise and Shine!” as he tosses this super-sized Molotov cocktail right into the cluster of sleeping skitters!
The explosion is heard by the others at the bike shop. They all stop for a second and Hal said “That wasn’t good…” They all go outside to see a plume of smoke off in the distance. “Looks like Pope’s work” one says and Tom says “That’s going to draw some attention…”
Now, our heroes are getting ready to leave with their new transport when they are surprised by a group of armed harnessed kids. They know a Skitter is nearby because they always seem to be in the vicinity of the kids, and Mechs are also usually around. The harnessed kids advance on the bike shop and start to fire assault rifles into the store. Dai is hit and is dragged into the store. Anthony says the unthinkable and Tom shouts back “NO!! We’re NOT shooting Kids!”
… Maybe another reason the Skitters harnessed the youth. People are so hesitant to fire on or hit the youth… even if the youth ARE being controlled by the invading force. Tom says something about getting the Skitter who is controlling the kids instead. As the guys all get ready to make a break for freedom, they hop onto the bikes and start out. using an old truck as a distraction, blowing it up with a smaller Molotov.
As Dai is helped onto a bike with Tom, a Skitter comes out of what seems to be an office in the store, crawling up a wall and jumping out in front of Dai and Tom.
Shots ring out from Toms’ gun and the Skitter falls back. As they race past, the Skitter tries to give chase, but Dai takes it out with his gun. They fly out through the window frames and past the emotionless kids…. who now are standing still and facing ahead. Not seeming to care about those escaping. Dai asks Tom “What about those kids?” Tom says “Next time”… As they drive away.
Back at the school, we see Dai being taken in for treatment on his leg, Captain Weaver asked why, with the Mech superior weaponry, why the Skitters had to arm children. Tom replies he does not know. “Human shield… we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. Psychological warfare…” Weaver replied “It worked… You couldn’t shoot ’em. No one would be able to” Tom said “Oh, we’ll figure it out… There is a silver lining” Weaver says “I’m not seeing it” Tom points out that “The more we get to know them, the more we see they’re not so different from us which mean we can understand them. Means we might be ablt to gain them (the kids) back if we figure out how we could end up beating them” Capt. Weaver says “We are a long way from figuring that out” Tom says “Well, we know a helluva lot more about ’em then we did yesterday.”
Hal Mason is putting the motorcycle keyring into a box as Tom walks in. Hal holds up a book “I didn’t know you still had This!” The book was “Harry Potter Deathly Hollows” Tom remembers he and Ben were halfway through the book when the attack happened. As they spoke about Ben, Hal said when he took Karen, he was staring at him…and it wasn’t Ben looking back.
In the infirmary, Anne is saying the good news is that the Skitters’ radio frequency isn’t very strong, otherwise it could have sent out for reinforcements and they would have been attacked. She tells Tom about Matt’s new job with uncle Scott and the dinner bell chimes out for all to come eat. Tonight’s meal includes freshly baked bread. A gift from Pope. As they all gather at tables, remarks of what they are thankful for are said, and Pope’s bread is passed around. Then grace is said.
My Take… For what It is worth…
I know it is important for people in general to hang on to things that comfort them in trying times. at a time like this when your own family may be gone or scattered, those around you become a ‘second family’ so to speak. This seems not so much an invasion TV show, but more of how the characters try to hold their familiars close to them in times like this. It is indeed a human trait to want to be with others of a like mind or belief when surrounded by chaos and uncertainty. I am a bit saddened to see that while some are reaching out to others, there are those which hold on to the destructive traits of racism and sexism
I also found the Skitter’s comment through Rick interesting. Instead of facing it’s species in defeat, to be “Punished” it wanted to be killed. Perhaps this speaks of a ‘society where it is better to die at the hands of the enemy than it is to return in defeat…Seems the Skitters forgive nothing on their operatives. Like some cultures here in this world.
Falling Skies returns on TNT this Sunday at 10 PM EST/PST 9 PM central time with “Silent Kill”. Check back soon for our exclusive pre-review on the exciting fifth episode of this exciting series created by Dreamworks Television Studios for TNT! We include the full episode below courtesy of TNT!
Please feel free to leave a comment here or If you prefer, you may also click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or we will See You on The Other Side“!
The premiere of TNT’s exciting new science fiction television series brought us a new perspective on the classic alien invasion story. In Falling Skies, the human population has been decimated by extraterrestrials who appear to be bent on killing everyone—except teenagers, for some mysterious reason. The surviving adults, young children, and teens not captured by the aliens have banded together and are struggling to survive and to find some way to fight back.
Falling Skies has just about everything a scifi fan could want: great aliens and alien technology, cool-looking ships and weapons, exciting action sequences, and strong human interest elements. Add to that the combined expertise of Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks Television Studios, and a host of others, and you get a very promising new television series.
There was certainly a lot of drama and excitement in “Prisoner of War,” and you can look forward to more of the same in Episode #4: “Grace.” Without revealing anything that has not already been shown in trailers and sneak peeks from TNT, questions that come to mind:
What will happen with the Prisoner[s] of War from Episode #3? What is the Resistance going to do with its unexpected captive? Interrogate? Perform medical experiments? Try a prisoner exchange? Will the prisoner break out of his/her/its makeshift prison and get away? If he/she/it escapes, will he/she/it take anyone with him/her/it? (And have you noticed that the English language still has no good solution to the problem of referring to living beings as gender-neutral?). Below is a special from NT on animating the Skitters!
Why are the Skitters making the harnessed kids gather scrap metal? Is that why they came to Earth in the first place? Are they here for the resources? Is this an “invade-the-planet-and-strip-it-bare” scenario?
At the start of the series, the aliens have been on Earth for six months. Are they planning to stay? Is this a wipe-out-the-residents-so-we-can-colonize plan?
What are those harness things, anyway? They look like they are part biological, part mechanical. Do the Skitters engineer them somehow from tissue? Are they another type of alien creature that the Skitters are just using on us (kind of like our leeches)? Maybe there is some kind of queen bee Skitter that gives birth to the harness things, or maybe they are actually young Skitters, like larvae, that need a host before they are fully developed.
Episode 4’s title, “Grace,” does not reveal very much about what it might be about. “Grace” could be someone’s name, or it could refer to a state of grace, or saying grace, or even moving with grace. Here is the official episode sneak peek from TNT:
Just for fun, while you are watching “Grace,” see if you can pick up on the Harry Potter references. I noticed two in this episode, but would love to hear from you if you notice more.
Falling Skies returns each Sunday on TNT at its new scheduled time 10 PM east and west, 9 PM central. The WHR Falling Skies reporting team will be tweeting during the airings and look forward to your tweets too!
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, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!
Well my dear friends it is all completely, yet tragically true! The danged multi-legged aliens, the Skitters, whom along with their hideous two legged metallic “Mech” monsters are indeed loose on Earth and they are looting our fair planet! To make matters even scarier they have enslaved some of our most cherished; the children! Just what the devil is going on here?
When we last left our band of survivors, Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) had successfully escaped the greater Boston area and the resistance was in process of establishing a base of operations outside the city. They had secured supplies as well as enlisted, or should I say captured, John Pope (Colin Cunningham), a trained culinary expert, who is in fact a trained chef obviously guilty of leading a band of criminals and rogues.
While the Earth may be overrun with the alien monsters, at least our focal group of resistance fighters now stand a chance to be better fed by John Pope. So long as they can forage and find food, a few spices, some wild radishes and side dishes for John Pope to prepare, this group will eat hearty. Always a fun topic, expect a few more tasty bits of humor (pun intended) from eating jokes and pranks in Prisoner of War!
Can anyone say Skitter soup or Skitter Nuggets? Well, just hold on a moment and you may very well get a chance to sample such delicacies in Falling Skies “Prisoner of War” by Dreamworks Television Studios!
When we last left off with our heroes Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) had safely and successfully led his group of survivors out of the greater Boston area. John Pope (Colin Cunningham) and his evil band were thwarted saving Anthony (Mpho Koaho) from the racists and Margaret (Sarah Sanguine Carter) from further sexual abuse.
Uncle Scott (Bruce Gray) continued educating the children in a makeshift outdoor school classroom while Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) focused on finding a way to remove the Skitter “harnesses” from the children as a way to divert her attention from tragedy to something positive over the grief she feels about the loss of her own child during the invasion.
In the meantime Captain Weaver (Will Patton) had established a base camp of sorts outside the city. Of paramount import is that Tom Mason is determined to rescue his son from the Skitters. These children are indeed (and sadly) Prisoners of War of a sort.
We observe them in slave labor like conditions sorting through scrap metal under the watchful eye’s of a Mech and a Skitter. A comment is made that certainly an advanced race of aliens has conquered the Earth and has better things to do that go in the recycling business when things begin to go terribly wrong?
One can only wonder why the poor children are being harnessed. It certainly is not simply to use them for slave labor gangs? Or is it that simple?
Similar in several respects, Falling Skies has the harness whereas unlike “The White Mountains” that featured “capping” with an electronic mesh affixed to the skull of the children at puberty. Both devices mentally control their victims by suppressing their ability to resist. The similarity we see is that such works effectively in both stories and the devices are only used on the young. Why? Because as in real life the young are impressionable before they mature into adults. We will clearly see this factor illustrated in Falling Skies!
In Falling Skies the harness is a biologic type of attachment affixed to the victims spinal cord with metallic probe like tendrils connecting the harness to the biologic device. There is no doubt that this interface uses some form of telepathy to control the enslaved since a Skitter is always close by when the victims are working.
To reiterate though, is the story arc virtually the same as The White Mountains? Not really. In that great series of books now tentatively being considered for production as a series of movies by Disney Studios for the 2012 release, the “capped” victims were used to perform the menial tasks by their masters referred to as “Tripods” because of their multi-legged bodies. In “The White Mountains” trilogy of books, the entire technological infrastructure was laid waste, not so in Falling Skies, yet!
In Falling Skies the Earth has been conquered and each city has significant debris to clear for their ultimate purpose. We are left to ponder if the harnessing could be as simple as slave labor, yet I wonder if there is more to it? In any event, the harnessed victim status in Falling Skies is an effective mechanism and will become the center of the adventure in Prisoner of War.
Naturally Tom Mason’s son Ben (Conner Jessup) is not the only kidnapped and harnessed victim as indicated by Mike (Martin Roach) whose son Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl) has been harnessed. When Mason returns to the compound he admits that during the reconnaissance they observed twelve (12) children enslaved by harnesses. Rick jumps to Tom Mason’s defense as he becomes overwhelmed by the many parents whom are at wits end over their missing children likely enslaved by the Skitters!
And what parent would not be driven to a crazed state to get their children back? This element of a parent’s “drive” to protect their young is heartbreaking. A basic motivation in humanity is artfully displayed and is part of what makes Falling Skies so enjoyable to many, but not all. More on those thoughts later.
We observe the look of utter frustration on Tom Mason’s face from the fact that his mission to rescue failed when an alien Mech opened up with laser guided automatic weapons fire when a part of the building roof parapet broke loose and gave away their position.
The recon mission is aborted as they run for their lives! All these elements transpire in only the first few minutes of Prisoner of War and more than effectively set the foundation of the excellent chapter of what is about to come.
As the recon party returns to base, next we observe two of the programs strongest character actors, Dale Dye as Porter and Will Patton as Captain Weaver in a classroom setting with resistance fighters and candidates with whom they are conducting a training and briefing. Porter shares with them there is good news and bad news.
I enjoy this ageless method of story-telling perhaps best done during World War II by Gabriel Heatter, a famous war correspondent of the time. He always began his radio broadcasts with “I have good news” or “I have bad news”. Occasionally Gabriel Heatter would say “I have good news and bad news” and so it is from Porter and Weaver.
The good news is that the resistance has linked up with others in the United States as far west as California. The bad news is that the tower structures we have observed over Boston are confirmed as being built in each major city across the United States and likely the entire alien dominated world. Yikes!
The resistance briefing concludes with a discussion, in fact a debate between Porter, Mason and Captain Weaver about the harnessed kids and the reason to learn how to free the poor little souls from a life of horrible subjugation as slaves to the Skitters.
Another time honored resistance philosophy is imparted to the viewing audience; “Better (for the kids) to Die Free than Live Enslaved” by the Skitters when we learn once again that removal of the harness leads to death within two to three hours of removal. Mason volunteers to use his own son Ben as a guinea pig to help find a solution to help all the children.
Here once again the creators have imparted a masterpiece in story-telling about the human condition. I mentioned Gabriel Heatter and World War II for a specific reason; the horror, no, the absolute scourge of Fascism and dictatorships we witness everyday in real life around the entire world, Libya, China, Iran, The Taliban, and even racism here in the United States. All are forms of fascism filled with hate and bile towards others in the human race.
The open and frank dealing with realistic issues in life are among the Single Effect the creators want to be shared with the viewing audience during the telling of the story in Falling Skies. It is this honest focus on the dark side of humanity via the Skitters that make the story so excellent in the opinion of this reviewer.
Prisoner of War is not without humor, and all of the story arc is coupled with more displays of real life situations. The scenes with John Pope (Colin Cunningham) and Uncle Scott (Bruce Gray) discussing how to ruin, errr cook chicken are superb! Pope spits up the food and shoves the plate of chicken and rice back to Grays character Uncle Scott.
The jokes, in fact gag lines by John Pope (Cunningham) about “rots and rots” of rice are deliberately delivered to illustrate his characters racism even to the point about how he feels about even eating “lots and lots” of rice. For those who may think the item is a cheap shot, you are missing the entire point of the routine. Racism is not funny and putting such a display directly into our faces is a message about the tragedy of fellow humans hating races other than their own.
Moving on in telling of Prisoner of War, the story also features a guest star in one Steven Weber (Leaving Las Vegas, Parenthood, Happy Town) as Doctor Michael Harris. In a poignant scene with Tom Mason, both reveal that they were with the others spouse and were unable to save the others wife.
Just prior to this scene, we sense a bit of rivalry had occurred in their past? Perhaps the two had been competing researchers. As Doctor Harris, Weber is introduced as the genius who says he will be able to safely remove the harnesses from the enslaved children.
We can see Mason wince a bit about Doctor Harris, but the rivalry, whatever the details were, fade as the two realize the fate of humanity rests in their hands and with good cause. If the children are lost an entire generation will be forfeit to the Skitters, much like the youth in Germany and Japan during World War II, the results can and will be devastating.
As we near the end of the episode, Tom Mason and his crew are able to save one of the enslaved children, but he is subsequently jumped by a Skitter while still on his mission to find and save his son. During a fight with visual and special effects that are superb, by pure luck and perhaps a bit of sloppy overconfidence by the alien Skitter, Mason prevails when he is able to reach for his shotgun and blasts the alien creature at point blank range.
The up close and personal aspect of the hand to hand combat creates a clear perspective of the relative size of human versus Skitter. In this scene the VFX by Dreamworks Television are very realistic and quite believable.
After the shotgun blast, Tom subsequently beats the Skitter to within an inch of its life with the butt of the weapon for what they have done to Earth. Suddenly Tom then realizes that a live Prisoner of War is far more valuable to the resistance than a dead Skitter carcass.
In a sequence very similar to Will Smith in Independence Day (1996), Tom drags the creature back to the compound headquarters as the first Prisoner of War for the resistance to study alive! Different from ID4 only slightly, the resistance also has dead Skitters they have been studying. However much different than ID4, that study of the aliens has not been occurring for many decades in Area 51.
The sequence was quite good. Tom Mason gets the automatic weapon he had asked for previously and heads back out alone to rescue his two sons and fighter left in the field.
However being a video editor and camera man in a past life, I did notice a minor flaw in the scene between Noah Wyle and little Matt Mason (Maxim Knight) that detracted from the emotion of the scene between father and son when Matt reveals he knows what Dad has to do and say “Go Get Them”! Rather than zoom in sooner, two adults are observed talking in the background. Camera focus was on the adults and not on Wyle and Knight. It only lasted about 3 seconds. A pan zoom in post edit in could have enhanced this, but it is possible the scene was left in for effect.
In the final critical sequences we experience several “special treats” the creators saved for us, the viewers ; learning about how the Skitters think and operate versus how humanity reacts under such circumstances.
First, Hal Mason (Drew Roy) is observed alive after the earlier street battle. We were not sure since he and Karen (Jessy Schram) were themselves apparently captured. Writhing on the ground, Hal is obviously still dazed, stumbling and confused from being nearly hit by rocket launcher direct fire and explosion from a Mech. Hal then sees two “harnessed” adolescent slaves dragging Karen off to an uncertain fate while a Skitter orders a hideous act!
Too weak to offer resistance, we segue to a Mech and Skitter coming into view with a group of slaved children while Hal is unable to stay on his feet. Much to our surprise, the youngsters appear to be drugged (more later), Hal figures it all out screaming as the Mech opens up with its arm mounted machine gun and kills the five innocent victims right before his eyes and then let him go!
Why is this sequence significant to viewers and real life situations as well as very well done in Falling Skies? Because it is precisely what tactics the Nazi’s used in World War II and those modern day fascists use to send a message back to their opponents in a war.
The antagonists typically leave one person alive after a massacre to deliver their “message” back to the resistance fighting against them. What is the message? Leave us alone or we will kill more innocent victims, including the hostage they just took, Karen while Tom and Hal escape for now to deliver the message.
Next up is an amazing scene we have been waiting for, the removal of a Skitter harness without killing the victim. Doctors Michael Harris (Steven Weber) Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) are assisted by young Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel) while Captain Weaver (Will Patton) and the distraught Mike (Martin Roach) father of Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl) look on. They watch as his son is strapped in for the horrifying procedure. As suspected the Skitter “harnesses” probes utilize a bio-metallic needle which is delivering a morphine like substance to control the enslaved children directly into the spinal cord! Yikes!
The harness removal procedure was developed by Doctor Harris at the cost of several lives until he figured out that the victims die from withdrawal from the drug, not the actual harness removal. His procedure is to administer a morphine drip via IV to offset the loss of the Skitter narcotic.
The good doctor actually uses a frakkin blow torch to cut the metal probes and remove the harness. As he is working we learn that the harnesses metal tendrils have a biologic mutation with the tips melding and blending with the victim spinal tissues. The upshot of this horrid discovery is that if the harnesses remain on the enslaved too long, removal will become impossible!
The seriousness of the situation is offset with a humorous section where John Pope has prepared a culinary masterpiece!!
The final sequences are heart wrenching and frightening! A confrontation between Tom Mason and Doctor Harris. Both had lost their significant others. Harris is drunk having located a bottle of what appears to be Glen Livet Scotch. Tom punches Harris for what he knew, that his wife was left for dead when Doctor Harris ran off to protect his own life.
Knocked to the ground and bleeding from the lip, Harris gives Tom the real news. Yes it was true, but it was actually his day on duty and Tom’s wife let him sleep rather than pull another shift foraging for food and supplies. It gets worse, drunk Harris informs Mason that had he tried to save his wife, he would have been killed too and then would not have been alive to perfect the harness removal procedure to potentially save Ben, Tom’s other son whom is still enslaved by the Skitters! After talking with Anne, we see Tom go to the wall of the missing and place his son’s picture there with a tear in his eye!
The very last sequence is a most horrifying development. We see the Prisoner of War begin to come out of his gun butted unconscious state. We segue to the poor victim. His eyes open wide! So know we know that the Skitter harnesses metallic tendrils create a permanent telepathic bond with the enslaved kids as illustrated below.
Editors Note: As the screen fades to black, I recall very few tweets on Twitter about people who do not like Falling Skies. The one who did seemed unable to link together the historical elements of fascism, sexism and racism that still exist in societies around the world to this very day. A few others said the story moved too slowly wanting instant gratification and answers. We here at WHR must disagree strongly with such thinking. Each episode of of Falling Skies is akin to the chapter of a fine novel and we hope that those impatient people will simply sit back and enjoy the ride. Thank you!
Falling Skies returns each Sunday 10 PM east/pacific, 9 PM central time in the United States. “Grace” is the fourth episode in terms of actual numbering. Having seen this episode I can only say you do not want to miss it under any circumstances since the interaction between the Skitter “Prisoner of War” and the enslaved children are explored further in Silent Hill! In the meantime, we include the full Prisoner of War episode below courtesy of TNT for your enjoyment!
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency and reading the theories, book history back story and historical reference material imparted by the creators in Prisoner of War.
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, WHR on Facebook 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“!
Welcome back Falling Skies and science fiction television fans!
I hope you are as excited as I am about Falling Skies! This new science fiction drama on TNT Sunday nights is simply spectacular!
Many of us have been disappointed this year with the cancellation of several original science fiction television programs such as Stargate Universe, The Event, Caprica, and V Series. However, there is hope my friends with this fantastic brand new series on TNT Networks called Falling Skies!
The outstanding two hour pilot was directed by Carl Franklin (Out of Time, One False Move). In fact the pilot is actually two distinct episodes known as “Live and Learn” (episode one) and “The Armory” (episode two) broadcast.
I have seen a few complain (on Twitter) that they found the story moving to slow wanting all action and “shoot em up” action science fiction. Falling Skies is not that kind of alien invasion story Instead, Falling Skies is designed to artfully blend action without distracting from the real story, that of human survival against nearly impossible odds. If you want only shoot em up action only, then pull out your DVD’s and watch series that have been canceled for spending too much time on that plot type. I for one welcome a change in the alien invasion story line with action blended where needed.
At the beginning of the two hour pilot episode, the youngest son Matt Mason (Maxim Knight) gives us a short epilogue of what has happened. The aliens have invaded Earth and killed their parents. They take children and teenagers and attach “harnesses” to them. These harnesses serve as a captive device that controls the children so they cannot escape, and trying to remove the harness kills the child.
Let’s take a look at the main characters of Falling Skies. Each character is well developed in this show and plays a role in the survival of others. Tom Mason, played by Noah Wyle is often known for his 1992 role in A Few Good Men. Mason is second in command of the Second Massachusetts. The Second Massachusetts is a group of volunteers in charge of protecting large groups of civilians.
Tom was a history professor before the alien invasion and now finds himself thrust into the daily battle of survival taking orders from a skilled military man known as “Porter” (Dale Dye). The shock of becoming a resistance leader coupled with the need to help is own family survive without the everyday technological conveniences of our modern world is daunting to say the least!
There are also moments of catharsis with Uncle Scott portrayed by Bruce Gray (How I Met Your Mother, Stargate SG-1 as Senator Fisher) who provides spiritual guidance to the survivors.
The pilot opens with scenes right out the hell of war as the surviving youngsters are sharing their recollections of what has transpired in the past six months. One is immediately drawn to what life must be like for children living in war torn societies around Earth in real life. Like any child, they cannot understand why the adults failed to protect them from the alien invaders we come to learn are referred to as “Skitters”. Falling Skies is not void of action as we observe in a street battle scene as the resistance is attacked.
The Skitters are hideous looking multi-legged creatures by human standards, a deliberate method by the creators no doubt since they look like spiders from the waist down and more humanoid in appearance from the waist up.
The Falling Skies creators use of a cross between spider and human life form clearly draws on many human beings fear of insects. We catch glimpses of the horrible “Skitters” in several battle sequences that occur right after the children share their horror with the viewing audience.
I am a huge history buff and was pleased to see the Tom Mason character quoting history. In one scene Mason is sifting through a pile of books. We see him trying to decide between taking “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles dickens or “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. In this scene we are reminded of daily things we have taken for granted all of our lives as well as the fact that the survivors will be unable to take much with them. The question for everyone to consider is which which book would you take if you only could take one?
Tom Mason has three boys Matt (Maxim Knight), Hal (Drew Roy), and Ben (Connor Jessup). They lost their mother on the first day of the invasion. Tom is struggling trying to protect his children and keep them alive while protecting the civilians he has been assigned to keep safe. Tom’s middle son Ben was taken in the invasion and Tom is torn between his duty to protect the civilians and rescuing his child.
Dr. Anne Glass is a pediatrician who is portrayed by the very talented Moon Bloodgood (Interview above courtesy of G4 TV). You may remember her from Eight Below and in Terminator Salvation. Glass lost her only child in the invasion and is drawn to helping the younger survivors as a surrogate mother. Dr. Glass treats the injured while attempting to find a way to remove the “harnesses” attached to the back of younger humans. More on those “harnesses” a bit later.
There is a definite attraction between Dr. Glass and Tom Mason which will prove to be the adult romance in the story arc. Glass and Mason come from similar backgrounds as researchers and I look forward to the development of this part of the story. We will also be observing adolescent romance as is befitting the family story blended with science fiction.
Will Patton commands the screen as Captain Weaver. He is commander of the Second Massachusetts. His character is a militant one and he has little time for anything that is not about survival. He is opposite of Tom Mason and his character lends a dimension of reality to the show.
What are the aliens like on Falling Skies? I had anticipated this for months! These aliens do prove to be quite scary. They are called “skitters” and they resemble spiders, shuffle sideways, and they are obviously very intelligent. Simply ask Anthony (Mpho Koaho) and Dai (Peter Shinkoda)! Each knows a lot about these filthy invaders and their mechanized monsters as you will find out in episode 3, Prisoner of War!
Speaking of which, there is another type of alien invaders the survivors call “mechs”. The “mechs” are robots that walk on two legs and shoot nasty laser blast and bullets from their mechanized arms. Together these aliens and their robotic slaves prove to be formidable adversaries.
Worse yet, as mentioned above, is the enslavement of the children by the Skitters with an attachment affixed to their backs. The “harness” forces the children to do the bidding of aliens by some sort of mind control. Truly a nightmare by any standard, this factor in the story arc reminds one of the enslavement of needy children around the world by various fascist societies we all are aware of in real life.
In addition to these horrors we also observe just how cruel humans can be to each other. During several crucial sequences, we learn of a ruthless survivor one John Pope portrayed by Colin Cunningham (Stargate) who takes Tom Mason and his recon force prisoner threatening to abuse the women and kill the rest.
The vile subject of racism comes up during these sequences and accurately displays the outright hatred Blacks, African Americans, Asian and other races often encounter throughout the world. We are quite pleased when a woman named Margaret (Sarah Sanguine Carter) who was raped by Pope’s gang of hoods turns on the evil racists and blasts them to death before our very eyes. Although death by an automatic weapon may seem harsh, in the world of survival can anyone argue these criminals deserved any less?
Dreamworks corporate obviously heads up the leadership with regard to the special effects for the Falling Skies television show. There is a cinematic look and feel to the show more akin to movie production than television. The artful blending of the VFX with family drama and location shooting lends much to what I believe will be the ultimate success of the show as seen below in a lighter moment between father and son.
By episodes end we witness the triumph of good over evil as the resistance heads out to live another day. This triumph is also a fact for the series a success realized when 6.9 million viewers tuned in live within the days after the airing of the pilot episodes. This set a new record in the United States for a cable network science fiction premiere. Well done Falling Skies, well done!
Falling Skies returns each Sunday evening at its new time 10 PM east/west 9 PM central time on TNT. I also suggest that you join the resistance to save the Earth from these vile insect like alien invaders as soon as possible at www.fallingskies.com. For even more fun you can tweet with WHR and the Falling Skies Team of resistance fighters each Sunday night and for that matter everyday to celebrate the wonder of science fiction that is Falling Skies!
I trust you have enjoyed this review of Falling Skies co-written by the managing editor WR_Systems (Kenn) due an unfortunate illness with my child as I tweeted last evening. Thanks Kenn! And as always we here at the WHR Fallings Skies team thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.
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I hope you were all glued to your televisions for the exciting two-hour U.S. premiere of Falling Skies on TNT. But if you missed it, or if you saw it but want to watch it again, good news! The pilot episode will be shown several times more before next Sunday and is available by Comcast XFinity On Demand, so check your local listings and or cable provider for viewing times and availability in your area.
Falling Skies is definitely a show you will want to watch from the beginning, although you could jump in at any point and join the story in the midst of the action.
If the rest of the season is as solid as the premiere, we are in for a real treat as you can see below when Noah Wyle recently discussed Falling Skies on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! Actually, thanks to the good people at TNT and as part of the Falling Skies reporting team for WormholeRiders News Agency, I had the great good fortune to view next week’s episode in advance and I can tell you that it is well worth watching. But for the benefit of those readers who have not yet had a chance to see the pilot, I will refrain from giving away any spoilers (people in the UK have to wait until July 5, for goodness sake!).
Several different story elements were introduced in the two-part pilot, and you may be surprised at how some of those elements start to play out beginning with Episode 3, “Prisoner of War.” The title alone may start you wondering about what might happen next—Will this episode focus on the harnessed kids? Are they the POWs referenced in the title? Will the Skitters capture one or more of the adults? Will the Skitters capture some of the resistance, or will both occur? If an adult survivor were captured, what might the Skitters want with them? There was certainly some taking of prisoners in the pilot episode; perhaps episode three is a continuation of that story?
I cannot divulge what will happen next, except to say that you will get to see even more of the Skitters and how they interact with each other and with humans. Ick! I think it is also safe to say this is a very dramatic and moving episode, with an unexpected twist involving a romantic interest and some very intense family scenes as well as some nail-biting action sequences.
The special effects artists have done a terrific job of creating the creatures and ships for this show. The six-legged Skitters move smoothly, like spiders or crabs, whereas the Mechs appear to have real weight when their mechanical feet hit the ground. Of course, some of the effect is achieved with sound, but the result is two different types of creatures altogether, one biological and one technological.
For those of you looking for even more of a Falling Skies experience, TNT has put together some fun things to explore on two Web sites: The TNT Falling Skies main web site and Falling Skies Dot Com. I put my home address in the Last Defense app and watched the Skitters blow up my house and take over my neighborhood. A little cheesy but still cool. There is also a Web comic published by Dark Horse Comics that you can view online.
Falling Skies returns each Sunday on TNT at its new scheduled time 10 PM east and west, 9 PM central. The WHR Falling Skies reporting team will be tweeting during the airings and look forward to your tweets too!
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, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!
One of the most anticipated new science fiction programs in recent history premieres beginning on Sunday June 19, 2011 at 9 PM on TNT(Turner Network Television).
The new series is named Falling Skies and we have not only heard great excitement about the series on the TNT web site, on Facebook, Twitter and fan based web sites across the Internet, but a real “buzz” about this new venture into science fiction drama by TNT (Turner Network Television), we have witnessed it for ourselves to share with you!
As described by the creators, Falling Skies is about “the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force, whose nature and purpose remains a mystery”
In our opinion the series pilot takes a new direction in a tale about alien invasions. Falling Skies is not focused entirely on alien ships and their superior technology, but is instead blended artfully into the story arc. Although viewers will observe that their technology is superior as a result of the successful campaign that conquered the citizens of the Earth, the story focus is on the everyday human struggle to survive after the veneer of our civilization is stripped away. The two hour pilot of Falling Skies leaves a lasting impression about the hearty band of survivors in their search through the remnants of what remains available to them for their very existence!
Without spoiling the plot line other than already released promotional trailers included below, in the two hour pilot episode we will observe the emotions of the younger survivors describing what they witnessed to Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood). The youngsters tell the tale that the governments of Earth decided not to repel the attack with nuclear weapons to defend the planet. And here is where the nightmarish downfall of humankind begins.
In the promotional trailers above we also learn that the invaders come in ships that were really “big” as the children commented, and in two types; the biologic multi-legged “skitters” and their biped “mechs” who do their bidding as far as destroying the human resistance is concerned.
We also witness scenes of the freedom fighters including those lead by Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), veteran actor (and a real life military leader) Dale Dye as Porter and a delightfully evil Colin Cunningham as John Pope!
The sequences revealed in the extended promotional trailer then segue to the adults who share their plan to cause so much trouble the invading army leaves leaning on past human history from lessons learned as the guiding principle. The question will certainly become, will lessons humankind has learned from its existence have relevance? Can mankind with all of our technology diminished and only remnants remaining be enough to counter the alien invasion? And just who or what are the “skeeters”? Where did they come from and why did they choose the Earth to conquer?
Thanks to TNT and Dreamworks, we have been granted the courtesy of obtaining the initial seven episodes for pre review. I can speak for the entire team here at WormholeRiders when I say that Falling Skies pleasantly surprised me not only with the story and its beginning some six months after the fall of human civilization, but with the attention to detail that makes the series so enjoyable!
Now as to what to people who love science fiction television and movies will experience: First the special effects by the creators is exquisite, blended in where needed but not overpowering the drama. And that is what Falling Skies is really all about! It is a human drama family program sure to be enjoyed by everyone.
Some may ask yet additional questions such as is Falling Skies yet another “space opera”? The answer in the episodes we have previewed is a definite no. Others may ask will the display of alien technology over power the human drama? The answer is also a clear no with much of the substance devoted to the human condition in its quest for staying free and on guard.
What then is the powerful nature of the Falling Skies story? The powerful nature of the story is multi-faceted: What would happen if all of our technology was suddenly removed? Can humankind learn to get along and work together to stop an invader? Will the basic instinct for survival cause human to turn against human as they struggle to survive outside the new infrastructure established by the invading masters of Earth?
Will love still exist on a planet devastated by aliens? And what of the children and young adults who are part of the resistance whom are following the new leaders of humankind (their parents) as they leave the cities to begin the fight for freedom? How will they grow up? What will their lives be like as they grow up in an alien dominated world?
More questions will arise including will we see aliens? What is their plan of domination and why are they enslaving the populations of Earth? Most critically, can they be reasoned with or barring that outcome be defeated. Lastly one must ask, what will be the consequences for humankind when the aliens discover that a resistance, a force of freedom fighters has taken not only shape but with a determination to stop them?
All of these answers and more are revealed in the initial episodes which are premiering starting this Sunday evening at 9 PM on TNT. The story is exciting and compelling. The action is intense, the human drama is heart rending and the soldiers are determined!
Having seen the first seven episodes, I cannot reveal spoilers, but will leave you now with our initial grade for the two hour season opener: A straight “A”! Falling Skies has great acting, a superb cast, outstanding cinematography, solid direction, wonderful location shooting and a very believable story. I would strongly suggest that you make sure not to miss this epic action packed new series starting this Sunday night!
I am sure you will enjoy Falling Skies as much as we have here at WHR!
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, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!
When we last saw our survivors, 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. 
As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you.
