A House Divided

Falling Skies usually invites comparisons to the American Revolutionary War but on last Sunday's episode, "Badlands", we got a distinct flavor of the American Civil War.

Brother was pitted against brother, father against son, friend fighting friend and Tom Mason had a distinctly Abraham Lincoln moment.

Let's start with the "Brother against Brother". 

Pope and his Berserkers were manning the outermost positions of the Charleston perimeter when they came under sniper fire.  Pope, Tector, Matt and Craze were in imminent danger. We got a look at the "Gloved hand of doom" that drew immediate comparisons to the gloved hand that shot Arthur Manchester.  See below.

 

This turned out to be a false flag but I can't help but think that Falling Skies is playing with us and we'll no doubt see more of the "gloved hand of doom".  Someday we'll know who the real shooter of Manchester is until then we'll still get these little teases.

The real sniper turned out to be a fellow human being, much to the angst of Tom Mason who had come to the rescue, and it is here where brother was pitted against brother.  The few denizens of Earth have enough problems without shooting each other but as we are to find out, trust is an issue.

 

Speaking of trust, we get an example of "Friend Against Friend"when Pope accuses Mason of working his people too hard and its Masons' fault that Craze was shot.  (I'm using the word "friend" loosely here as there is no love lost between Pope and Mason but as "friends" they are fighting on the same side.)

 For his part, Tom does not deny this.  This is very much a "Lincoln" moment.  For those of us that are students of history and for those who are fans of the recent movie "Lincoln" we well know that Abraham Lincoln was anguished over having to sacrifice thousands of men in order to preserve the Union.  Yet he persevered despite the cost much as Tom did when he admitted his "guilt" and walked away from Pope.

Such is the cost of Freedom.

A further allusion to the Civil War is the plight of the rebel Skitters.  Tom's interrogation of the sniper, Katherine Fisher, exposes how it must look to her and her people when they see Skitters fighting alongside the humans.  Here, the Skitters are much like the African American troops that fought for the North in the Civil War.  Both were granted their freedom from an expedient President and both fight for a higher cause.  Yet the decision by each President was met with much resistance and prejudice.

 Father was nearly pitted against son when Hal decided he wanted to reveal himself as the "gloved hand of death" that shot Arthur Manchester.  Despite the advice from Maggie, Hal was ready to give himself up.  This act surely would've torn the Earth alliance asunder as cries of coverup and complicity would have rang true despite their lack of veracity.  Fortunately for the Mason family and the Resistance, events snuffed out this moment.

It's hard to ignore the direct connections between Tom Mason and Abraham Lincoln.  Both dealt with a restless public that was tired of war without end.  Each man often spoke of sacrifice and hope although hope was in short supply.  Tom, why always bearded, has come to look more like Lincoln everyday including the hollowed out eyes and deep set wrinkles that come with the burden of war.  Poor Tom even learns there is another President much like there were two "Presidents" during the Civil War.

As pictured above, Tom had a bit of a "Gettysburg" moment when he went off script and spoke from his heart much as Lincoln did at Gettysburg.  Each man spoke of those that had passed and the "last full measure of devotion" was invoked in spirit if not in exact word.

Gettysburg marked the turning point in the American Civil War but as far as Falling Skies is concerned we are not there yet.  Mason did mark this point for the Resistance where the dead shall not have died in vain and with the dedication of the "Liberty Tree" we now have hallowed ground that was consecrated by those who gave their lives.

By this, I'm sure the last of humanity will be granted a new birth of freedom that will not perish from this Earth.

Next up, Full Metal Jacket and the Twilight Zone.