"Come and Take Them"

We're talking about the children right?

The famous two word quote, "Molon Labe" is attributed to King Leonidas in response to the Persian demand to lay down his arms during the battle of Thermopylae.  "Come and take them" is the translation.  It is also the title to our most recent episode of Falling Skies.  So, its safe to assume the Overlord invaders aren't after the weaponry of the 2nd Mass.  They're after the children specifically Ben Mason.

Before I get too deep into this episode let's talk about a child they already have, Karen.

Don't you just love her now?  I used to think she was so vanilla.  A simple two dimensional adolescent.  Not anymore!  Now she is deliciously evil.  Her speech is wicked and cutting, not to mention arrogant.  She still exudes a teenage charm with her placid pale face and pulled back blonde hair.  The perfect cupie doll.  Or rather than doll, puppet to the Overlord "Master" that pulls her every string.  How about her little performance in front of Ben when she dangled the neck hugger with its opiate like effect.  Creepy!

But one child like her isn't enough.  Thanks to Ben's brief link with the Overlord master he knows they are afraid of the nascent rebellion.  With that there is renewed vigor to his capture.  There have been many solid themes to this seasons Falling Skies, family, home and the importance of children.  This was definitely a "child" episode.  One minor case  in point were the heroic actions of Matt Mason.  No panic or infantile mewling this time.  He took charge of the situation with Anne and Lourdes and even was willing to sacrifice himself and gave up his weapon.  Impressive.  Speaking of Lourdes, despite her adult responsibilities, I still count her as one of the children.  She learned a cruel and bitter lesson about love and war.  Her demeanor thereafter was dark and broken much like her newly wounded heart.  A laceration a child should carry forever.

Let's get back to Ben.  He was duped (seduced) by Karen but in that short lived relationship he (and we as the viewing audience) learned two important facts.  The Overlords have a "task" before them and they will eventually move on.  Secondly, the Overlords attack populations that they perceive as at war with each other.  Karen divulged this through her parroting of the Overlords taunts.  The planets they attack are always divided and weakened by historical/tribal feuds.  I think its safe to extrapolate from this that the Overlords target planets in a weakened state.  I take from this they aren't as powerful as they seem and may well be very few in number.  Hence they need for children to increase their number even if it is in the form of slave labor.  My hope is that this is linked to my original theory that the Overlords are on the run from something bigger and badder than they and need to accomplish the "task" at hand and move on quickly.

So what is this task?  The secret of the Universe of course and the miracle nature of sub-atomic particles!  (Too bad for Falling Skies we discovered the Higgs Bosun in the real world.) Another telling gem provided by Karen.  Let's hope we get more information into the useful nature of these sub-atomic particles.  I have a suspicion they have something to do with altering time.  Whatever the Overlords are guilty of they want to flee from it's protectors.  Hopefully, the Galactic police are after them and they need these particles to escape their prosecutors.  Not that the Overlords harbor any remorse for their crimes, they are just looking for the ultimate getaway.  Time.

In closing, did anyone else get a Battlestar Galactica vibe at the end of this episode?  Especially after Lourdes bitter outlook for the future.  What happens if Charleston is a smoldering cinder much like the first Earth the Humans and Cylons discovered near the end of that SyFy series? (Spoiler alert!)  Things did not bode well despite the 2nd Mass getting away. (Did anyone else yell "Shoot him" at Tom when he had the Overlord at gunpoint and Ben was being tortured?).


Oh yes, Ben.  He's gone and he had to go.  This will breathe life into the rebellion storyline and we should learn more about the Skitters and their past. But I still can't get Lourdes recriminations out of my head.  Her loss of hope was harsh and acrid. 

Is there no hope for the future?

A Homecoming of Sorts?

Falling Skies is now officially more than half way through it's second season and with it we get the episode, "Homecoming".  As I have often blogged before the test of family unity is often explored in Falling Skies and that theme is no different in this particular episode.  The title, "Homecoming" suggests an end of trials of sorts and a return to normalcy that one should get when one "comes home". 

Unfortunately, that is far from true for the 2nd Mass  and the word "normal" rarely applies. 

Let's start with the relationship between Tom and Anne.  (Above image courtesy of VaginaCon.com and is perfect for my discussion.)  It seems Tom and Anne's relationship has moved to the next level.  They have built a "home" of sorts despite the vagaries of war and find solace in each others company.  I'm all for this because I find nothing wrong with two mature people with common needs seeking the reassurance of love amidst the turmoil of war.  Sadly, this seems tenuous at best when the stress over how to treat the infected Capt. Weaver spills over and Tom reverts to his prior relationship and calls Anne, "Rebecca".  This shatters the illusion of this relationship and despite Tom's efforts to patch things up later and uneasy truce is settled upon.

Homecoming denied.

The most overt example of a "Homecoming" is the return of Karen to the fold.  In my previous blog post I wondered if the return of Rick as a "reborn" or Lazarus like figure was portentous of the return of the other children (Read A Skitter Call to Prayer.) and that seems to be the case as many of the harnessed children were found in the woods with Karen the only survivor. (Not much of a homecoming for those other children!)  Yet despite the obvious affection that Hal still has for Karen, we eventually find it all a ruse as Karen is linked to Ben instead and she not the person she used to be.  She's a Trojan Horse of sorts and her inclusion into the fold is also illusory and short lived.

Homecoming denied.

 The character of Ben has been a conflicted one ever since he returned to his family and the 2nd Mass.  The group as a whole is suspicious of him and their trust in him is at a pitiful low.  He's mostly reviled and insulted behind his back.  Even Ben is suspicious of himself and is well aware he is not the person he used to be.  His harnessed enhanced body sets him apart and he is uncomfortable in his own skin and with the others.  Even in within his own family.  When we learn of the connection between Ben and Karen and we, as the audience, become suspicious of Karen's motives we suspect Ben is a short timer in his familial surroundings.

Homecoming denied.

 Ironically, the most authentic homecoming belongs to the prodigal son Pope.  (Above image courtesy of Wormholeriders.net) At one time reviled and banished from the group, he returns with a crucial piece of information that the 2nd Mass has been duped by Karen and her Overlord masters.  Pope's return marks the most truthful part of the episode and instead of being illusory it exposes the facade that the 2nd Mass has been living behind in their stay in Richmond.  This is what Weaver may have been alluding to when he told Tom and the militia that they have become complacent and need to pull up stakes.  The illusion in that message turns out to be the very low stockpile of fuel.  Something that Weaver didn't confide in with Tom.

Homecoming realized with Pope but denied to Tom and the rest.

So once again we find the family unit tested and the sense of home broken.  Our hardy ban hits the road once more with none of the comforting solace they should find in their relationships, family or sense of roots.  The diaspora continues and the promised land is no where in sight.  What does the future hold?

A Skitter Call to Prayer

 

There were some significant devlopments in the last episode of Falling Skies not the least of which was the skitter "Red Eye" telling Tom Mason that there was a skitter rebellion fomenting and that Tom could become a crucial part of it.  With this information we learn why Tom's life was spared in the second episode of this season and we also learn that Red Eye is definitely "off world" and not someone that Tom formally knew perhaps as a student or family member.

This is significant information.  It means we'll possibly learn of the other worlds the Overlords have visited, not to mention the back story of Red Eye.  If you'll pardon the term, this will tend to "humanize" our favorite skitter and make he or she a sympathetic figure not just a rapacious tool of the invaders.  We may even find out if Red Eye was also taken as a child and if the "harnessing" of children is true to all worlds.  I'd be curious to know if one can mature as a skitter despite being taken as a child or if you are "frozen" at the age you are harnessed. 

What was also fascinating was the skitter "call to prayer" that opened up this episode.  It reminded me of the Islamic practice of "Adhan" where a "Muezzin" leads and recites the call to prayer.  It seemed as though the skitter, "Red Eye" as  fulfilling this role and that others skitter echoed the practice which also included Ben Mason.  Islam is known to be intolerant of any parody of their religion and it seemed strange to me that Falling Skies and TNT would be unaware of any parallels.  It was pretty obvious to me.

The skitter "call to prayer" could be just an innocent recognition of the sun rising or the Sun could even be the focal point of worship if not the embodiment of the skitter deity in the form of our sun or perhaps any star.  Either way I would like to hear TNT's explanation and if there has been any backlash towards this scene.  

In addition, Ben was heard to exclaim to his father that, "He is here!"  Is Ben referring to the deity that the skitters were supposedly calling to or was he simply referring to Red Eye?  It seems the latter but you never know as TV shows these days love to drop clues or place Easter eggs.  (See Lost, Fringe etc.)

If I was to extrapolate upon this further one could argue that Rick was "reborn" as in the Christian faith only to be sacrificed again.  Better yet, Rick's return in "Love and Other Acts of Courage" is closer to the story of Lazarus coming back from the dead only to die again.  Does this portend the return of other children and can we extend this parallel to the harnessed children?

 Questions answered and many new ones asked.

We Aren't Family...

It seems to me one of the major themes that Falling Skies is pursuing this season is the disintegration of the family unit and the desperate attempts by Earth's survivors to preserve this fragile entity.  Yet, at times, Earth's human inhabitants are their own worst enemies.  Witness last Sunday night's brain puzzler.  Fresh after the events of "Young Bloods" where Capt. Weaver is reunited with his long missing daughter, he confronts Tom Mason in, "Love and Other Acts of Courage" and basically tells Tom that his son Ben is a liability and should be put down.

Huh?

Didn't Weaver learn anything about the cost of war, the pain of separation, bittersweet reunion and the agony of being separated again?  I guess not.  Weaver even went so far as to threaten Mason with mutiny and  death not long after saying he couldn't do without his number Two just a few episodes ago.  Maybe Weaver isn't cut out for command.  He certainly doesn't portray much of a father figure.  (Also after realizing he wasn't much of one to his daughter.)

Weaver isn't the only one bent on destroying the nuclear family.  Take the case of Maggie and Hal.  I think we all know that future lies with the children and what better way to produce children than to, well, couple!  After some serious cuddle time with Hal in a damaged car  Maggie flashes her best bedroom eyes and then spends the rest of the episode pushing him away.  Good grief.  Granted, Maggie's is a bit damaged.  What with Pope's entrapment and servitude not to mention her bouts with cancer.  But, really, Hal's old girlfriend, Rita, may have had Jazz pants but the way Hal looks at Maggie she is Jazz all over!  C'mon Maggie I thought you were made of finer steel.

Here's another way that Falling Skies has contradicted itself.  Another one of the children (the future, remember?) returns to the fold in the form of Ricky and by episodes end he is dead.  It wasn't that long ago that Jimmy met a similar fate (Another lesson lost on Weaver) in the episode "Compass".  Maybe that's the point, these people have no compass and they have lost their way.  They can't even preserve and protect their future. 

It could be that the writers want to beef up the maturity of the show and do without so many "child" story lines.  I can understand that.  Jimmy wasn't much of a character anyway.  I was thinking it would be interesting to introduce a pregnancy into the show and replicate some sort of "Flight to Egypt" type of biblical analogy as they flee their oppressors.  Then again we had a pregnancy in season one and we haven't heard from that again!

Strikingly, the Overlords and the skitters seem to understand the value of children.  If it wasn't for the harnessing of the children the Overlords would have no one to impress into slavery.  So do you see what I mean by a contradictory message delivered by Falling Skies?

OK, one last example.  Tom Mason, as in Masons being the founding fathers of our country and our aptly named Tom as the new leader of a new world?  Nope, children are dying all around him.  What are we to think Falling Skies, should Matt be watching his back?

I think I've made my point no matter how fractured my presentation.  Perhaps the first half of the season is all about the splintering of the family unit and the second half will be about it's re-integration and preservation.  One can only hope.  At least Tom and Anne have the right idea, judging by their off camera "room exploration".  Remember you two, the children are our future!!!

Next up:  A skitter call to prayer?

The Road to Victory

In my last blog post for "Battlin' Boston" I promised you that I would divulge the "secret" behind the "Red Eye" skitter or as some would call it in the blog-verse "Scarface" for the scar that runs down the face of our favorite skitter.  Well, I guess it isn't much of a secret if in my first feedback response to this blog is thinking along the same lines as I am.  Thanks Lynne, great minds think alike!

I would dearly love for this skitter to be the "deceased" wife of Tom Mason.  But as most skitters seem to be evolved from harnessed children that would seem to be impossible.  The rules would would have to be broken as we understand them.  But since we don't fully know all the rules there is always an outside (waaay outside) chance that Red Eye could be Tom's wife that was flipped to the other side.  If Lynne and I have any chance for this to be true it would be evidenced in the scene from last season where we saw a skitter involved in some sort of nesting ritual with the newly harnessed children one of which I think was Ben.  Awfully maternal don't you think?  That skitter was also seen to be stroking and cooing to the children.  It was a little creepy but it does support the theory to some degree.

As Lynne also speculated in her feedback, the Red Eye skitter could also be a former pupil of Tom's.  I like how Red Eye let Tom go in the first episodes of this season.  Sadly, everyone else was gunned down but Tom was allowed to live.  Does Red Eye owe Tom a favor?  Did she slip from the monkey bars and get a nasty scar over her eye ( I say her but I really don't know what "sex" this skitter is or used to be) and was Tom the first to render assistance? I'm sure we will finally get an answer to the identity of Red Eye.  The eye and the scar are just too obvious a marker to let go of.  Tom is bound to notice the red eye and scar and make the connection.  I bet it will be in a face off that will determine the fate of Ben.  Tom and Red Eye will make a claim to the permanent "ownership" of Ben and the truth will come out then.

Here's some observations from the most recent episode of "Falling Skies".

• Wouldn't you know I title this blog, "Battlin" Boston" as a tribute to the locale of Boston and Falling Skies and the 2nd Mass promptly marches out of Boston and Massachusetts altogether to start season two of this series.  The show-runners must have thought a beleaguered band of fighters on the run is more dynamic than staying in one place.  They're probably right but I'm going to miss all the local reference to the Boston area.  I know those places!
• Many on the internet have noticed (as have I) how the events of Falling Skies mirror those of the American Revolution.  The Revolution started in the Boston area but the fighting eventually moved south.  The 2nd Mass seemed to be in the Virginia area as of the last episode judging by the Robert E Lee wall mural seen in the episode "Young Bloods".  If that's true the show-runners missed a chance to follow the fighting that took place in New York, Trenton and Princeton during the Revolution.  But as winter is coming they still have the opportunity for a "Valley Forge" type of episode for the 2nd Mass and maybe we will even get another river crossing that leads to a skitter defeat much like Washington crossed the Delaware and defeated the Hessians on Christmas day. 
• In addition to continuing the theme of the war moving to the South, I'll be looking forward someone to be named "Francis" or "Marion".  The "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary War fame was named Francis Marion and was credited with harassing the British of that time period in Colonial South Carolina so it fits.  You'll be able to pick out a lot of nods to historical figures in this show.  Even though Winston Churchill wasn't a figure from that era, we did get a nod to that inspirational figure and ally of America when we met the pilot "Andrea Churchill" of the South Carolina resistance.  Tom Mason is also a shout out from the Revolution as all the founding fathers were Masons from that period such as Washinton etc.  Keep an eye peeled for more of these names!
• Don't you love how the CGI has evolved for this show?  The success of the first season must have afforded the show some extra bucks.  Case in point the skitters that chased down Matt in the last episode weren't animatronic anymore. The the one that was hanging from the ceiling was far advanced than anything they did last season.  A very nice closeup of them in action.

• BTW, the trap Matt was involved in was classic guerrilla tactics and the same fighting was employed by the revolutionaries during the Revolutionary War.  The British hated it as they wanted set piece battles to confront the Americans.  Those battles eventually came about but like the Minutemen of yesteryear the 2nd Mass isn't ready for that yet.  The British did counter with Banastre Tarleton (seen above) who was infamous for "Tarleton's Quarter" which is to say no quarter or prisoners at all.  A vicious fighter that had no mercy for the Americans.  We may see a skitter figure of the same nature in the future.
• Oh, and speaking of Revolutionary War figures, do you suppose John Pope will take on the role of Benedict Arnold?  Arnold started out the war as a hero of the early New York battles but felt unappreciated by Washington et al.  Now that Pope is on the outs do you think he'll turn traitor on our hardy band.  Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treachery.  In real life he gave up the plans to Valley Forge to the British.  Like I said, "Winter is coming" and it may be Pope's time to betray or heroes.