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?
Sorry for the delay Dave, I really wanted to rewatch the episode and those darn Olympic games were slowing me down. Some great performances in this one. So “come and take them” referring to the children. I read something in Greg Beeman’s blog that really made this hit home. It was about how Speilberg had the idea for the crawlies, that the overlords weaponize creatures from the planets they conquer. That is clearly what is happening with earth’s kids. So why do they need to do this? I think your theory of them being on the run from another bad is the best guess. They have the mechs, perhaps in limited number due to power supply and raw material limitations. But clearly the mechs are not enough so they are building skitter armies. Perhaps an array of weapons is best given they do not know the nature of the next world they will encounter. They are scavengers at any rate and probably very vulnerable if their arsenal were to turn on them. This history of theirs also means we may see all kinds of bizarre alien critters from their toy box in the future. I think the overlords were quite surprised to lose this round of the fight.
ReplyDeleteBen seems a man without a country at the moment. Kind of like Boomer/Sharon? Part of both sides, but not trusted by either. I did get a BSG vibe when he left, the Adamas were always parting not knowing if they’d see each other again. Also nice call on Charleston, I guess we’ll see if appearances deceive. Oh poor Lordes, maybe she’ll find a shoulder to cry on there. -Lynne