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!
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea that "The Shriek" as you call it, is designed to disrupt the overlords/skitters communication! The new guys certainly weren't coming in stealth were they? Big weather disruption, lit up pods and a deafening shriek. They mean business. I did have one other idea about the noise. Remember the "Skitter Call to Prayer" when Red eye's group and Ben were screaming on the rooftops with their hands held to the sky. Perhaps that was an invitation or plea, and this was a "reply"?
Oh, I love it! Nice theory! Of course there is a part of me that is still hoping for the religious angle but this pretty cool. So does this mean the Skitters have a connection to the new Alien? Were they the new Alien at one time? Why aren't you blogging yourself? Argh, never mind, I don't need the competition. Oh, never mind the never mind. You remind me of me, a genius! Now if we could only straighten out the Red Sox.
DeleteWell, Ben indicated at some point that he was holding back more information on the "weapon". I think the rebel skitters were aware of it's purpose and that they are probably at least aware of the other aliens. It would be cooli if they were reaching out to them for help.
DeleteI don't know if I have the coherence of thought or dedication for blogging. My schedule is sometimes eratic and I frequently don't have anything insightful or interesting to say about every episode of a show. I prefer to share thoughts as I have them with like minded friends like yourself :)
I made some notes concerning the Skitters and Ben vis a vis the Super-gun weapon. The Skitters had said the weapon at the 35th parallel was, "not relevant to their purpose". I wondered if they really knew what it was for. Ben later on said, if completed the weapon will wipe out "everything" if finished. It's hard to know what context they are speaking in. I thought Ben may have been misinformed to the true nature of the weapon. It became apparent that he knew where the weapon was but not what it was for. At least seemingly anyway. Later, Ben divulged that the gun wasn't meant for humans.
DeleteIt all seems a little inconsistent but like I said we don't have a full measure of what each one of them knows. In context it might make more sense. Perhaps the writers haven't fully formed their plot outline for the future. Even the Overlord said that the 2nd Mass at the Super-gun site was, "an unpleasant surprise". If Ben could sense him why couldn't the Overlords sense Ben? Maybe their network isn't all its cracked up to be or perhaps we discovered some more errors in continuity.
I like the idea that Anne's pregnancy could be abnormal and have something to do with Tom's missing time aboard the Overlord's ship. Freaky and much more interesting than just another pregnancy story.
ReplyDeleteOn Ben not knowing about Hal's parasite. He didn't sense Tom's did he? Granted, Tom's didn't take control of him as Hal's seems to have. That was a very well acted scene, so creepy.
I really wonder what Karen will be up to now that her beloved master is gone? I half expected her to just "wake up" after he died. The actress is invovled in 2 other series this fall, so it may be a while until we see her again. (I also have similar questions about Terry O'quinn since he is also invovled in other series.) Did she sense the pregnancy or did she deduce it from Anne's behavior? I really hope they fill in Tom's missing time at some point.
You may have caught them in a little continuity error. Either that or my theory is right out the window. Thanks for that! These shows do try to cram a lot into the time they are given. I'm convinced Karen had a "network" insight into Anne's pregnancy. So you may have caught them with a little blip into their story line. The latest Batman movie nearly had three hours to play with but the blips abound. (I still loved it though, such a geek.) Maybe Ben would've sensed the parasite had it not exited Tom. So perhaps he can't pick up genetic anomalies. Too bad. Imagine if he started hearing the thoughts from Anne's womb? Now that I think of it that is a huge missed opportunity. Super creepy.
DeleteActors are so busy these days. Back in the day they had one job and they stuck to it. Now they are everywhere. When do they sleep? What's the incentive? Oh, right, $$$. I suppose I would make hay while the Sun is shining also.
As for Karen, she is still networked. She taunted Tom so she is totally over to the other side. They are going to need an exorcist to bring her back. Maybe a lot of has to do with in intoxicating affect of the harness. In that case she needs some serious rehab.
I just rewatched the arrival scene again and spotted something interesting. When the humans are running up out of the tunnel there is a message printed on the wall behind them. Big white letters printed on a red background in all caps. "I AM FOR V..." (?) and then "ONLY OUR DEAD ARE FREE". You can see it best if you pause when the lightning flashes. Kind of a bleak twist on NH's "LIVE FREE OR DIE" ?
ReplyDeleteOne other thought. I was surprised by how little Pope had to do in the finale. There was that moment when he accepted Tector back, but other than that his role was pretty minor.
Sorry for the multiple posts, I keep thinking of more things. The wrist blade thing, thank you for bringing up Signs. I knew I had seen that somewhere. It was so quick I almost missed it. I too wish more time had been devoted to that scene. Ditto the death of Red Eye, I was hoping we'd get more to his story. The info about the Overlord's being their own data storage was from him through Ben.
ReplyDeleteThe new alien reminds me of G'Kar and the Narn race from Bablyon 5. The coloring and the nose are very different, but I don't know. Something in the expressive eyes.