At the end of my last blog post I asked some questions about some of the mysteries left behind by that season two finale. So let's explore one of the more salient points and that would be that ear piercing shriek that heralded the arrival of the new species of alien.
The Shriek.
Judging by the screen grab above that shriek that sounded off when the new aliens began their descent I would say it was pretty harsh. Could it be just a mechanical by product of their retro rockets firing off or is there a real purpose behind that ear splitting noise? I vote real purpose! My first thought was that it was a way to break the telepathic link between the Overlords and their minions. It may also serve to shatter the mental reservoir the Overlords use to store their knowledge since it was divulged by Karen that they don't use computers. (Or was it Ben that spilled that little gem?) This audio disruption may even serve to break the mental link between each Overlord or as I should say, "The Eshpeni".
When I saw how it effected Ben I drew the conclusion that is why he couldn't detect the alien parasite that now infects Hal. Earlier in the episode Ben embraced Hal just before the events of the Continental Army's massacre of the Skitter camp. I thought that was deliberately inserted as foreshadowing to the events that came later as in "post Hal infection". By the way, can we all agree that Hal was infected by Karen when she planted that eerie kiss on Hal once they were captured by the Overlords during the "Super-gun" attack?
It could be that Ben's link with the Skitters was broken once "Red Eye" died. But then again Ben sensed the Overlord just before the breach to access the Super-gun and so this may mean his harness networks him with all aliens concerned. The "shriek" inconveniently disconnected Ben from the Overlords so Hals infection now goes unnoticed. Way to go new species.
Anne's Pregnancy.
Speaking of networking, Karen discovered Anne was pregnant by merely touching her or at least being in close approximation to her. Did Karen just tip the hand of the Espheni's machinations? Maybe now we have learned what happened to Tom once he was released by the Overlords in the first episode of this past season. Tom may have been manipulated by the Overlords at a genetic level as some sort of lab rat so that if he impregnated somebody (poor Anne) a new skitter species may be born or some sort of Espheni derivative. I'm thinking the Overlords are looking into making new minions much like the Skitters but this time without all the messy work behind getting a harness attached. Seeing that the Skitters can maintain an independence of sorts, a new birth of Overlord slaves may prove more reliable. Perhaps the Overlords are having problems with replicating but I think rather that this is a new form of slave to do their dirty work.
Karen's Prophetic Warning?
Just before Karen "skittered" up the wall of the Super-gun base she called out to Tom, "It's not over Tom, you'll never win". When I first heard this I assumed that the Overlords may have lost a minor skirmish and Karen was just taunting Tom and the 2nd Mass and there are bigger battles to be fought. But she may have meant more than that. Knowing that the new aliens now have a toehold thanks to the Super-gun destruction, she may have been referring to the new aliens being worse for Earth than the Overlords. "You'll never win" because these "newbies" aren't any better than the enemy you know. Personally, I hope not. I'd rather see this new bunch as a "third option". Wherein, they aren't Space Police or a "rival gang" but a species that manged to throw off the yoke of oppression of the Espheni and are now seeking retribution. Their numbers may be small so by allying themselves with Earth we may be able to defeat the Espheni together.
The Espheni
I'll have to admit I was pretty disappointed that Tom slew the alien Overlord "off camera". With the past that these two shared you'd think we'd see them locked in mortal combat. I can only imagine that with the Overlord being a totally CGI'd character a battle between Tom and the "Fish Head" leader would have been too difficult to capture on film. Now that Doug Jones has joined the cast as the new alien I'm sure we'll be able to see a closer interaction between the various aliens and we earthlings. Look how far the Skitters have come in the context of how they are depicted on screen.
What I found interesting about the Overlord alien is that he had a "blade" extension that protruded from his wrist when it came time to do battle with Tom. It reminded me of the extension that came from the alien from the movie "Signs". Both were meant to incapacitate their respective foes and I wonder if the show-runners behind Falling Skies drew their inspiration from the Signs alien. They are both certainly ugly enough!
Come to think of it the Signs alien is a little more humanoid and may even bear a closer resemblance to the new arrival alien of Falling Skies. What do you think?
More clues are sure to be dropped during this off season, when they appear and they have any link to the season two finale I'll be sure to blog something about them. Til then keep your heads down and your eyes to the sky. It could be falling!
