Falling Skies Final Fallout Part Two

Hey, Where Did My Volm Vibe Go?

Readers of this blog may remember my bold prediction on how the third season of Falling Skies would end.  The Volm would be come so disillusioned and dispirited with the suspicions of humanity that they would leave mankind to their own devices and in the hands of the treacherous Espheni.  Good riddance to us all!  

Well, it didn't quite turn out that way.  In fact, what happened was totally predictable and then totally unpredictable and safe.

This is going to be a Volm-centric article so warn me if I tend to stray.

Let's get right to the Volm developments from the Falling Skies season three finale.  All through the season the viewing audience was treated with the suspicions by some of the main characters.  Specifically Colonel Weaver, who was never comfortable with the Volm and also Pope with his special brand of thinly veiled racism.  It was a drumbeat of doubt to build a dramatic tension that led us up to the season finale.

As it turned out they were right!

I actually found this to be a bit anti-climatic.  As we learned, the Volm, led by Papa Volm, father to Cochise, informed Tom Mason and Col. Weaver that the 2nd Mass was to be transplanted to Brazil.  This was spun instantly and a bit mysteriously by Pope (who has turned into the shows "panic button") into a type of internment camp relocation.  Where's Ben when you need him to slap Pope across the face?  This show needs a lot more of that.  Come to think of it, Pope is a lot like Joffrey from Game of Thrones.  Just give him a good slap when he gets out of order.  (Which is all the time.)

Tom was naturally stunned by all of this.  (Why would he question a free trip to Brazil to loll on the balmy beaches of Rio?)  Seriously,  Tom and the 2nd Mass felt betrayed.  They assumed they would be allied with the Volm and fight along side them.  Was not Cochise completely truthful with them?

It seems the Volm didn't have much respect for the human race.  The fighting was to be theirs and theirs alone.  As far as the Volm were concerned humanity was just going to be in the way.

I have no doubt that the Volm had earned their grudge with the Espheni and perhaps this grudge blinded them to any help mankind could be.  You'd think you'd want the help of the indigenous people with your fight.  You know, get the lay of the land etc.  But judging by the way the Volm mothership landed in, I mean, on Boston, no help was needed.

Crunch!

I've always wanted the show to return it's roots in Boston but it looks like that's not going to happen now.

Flat as a pancake!

That was a bit arrogant.  The Volm arrogance continued with the dismissal of the 2nd Mass and to my chagrin, Pope's dire predictions rang true.

The Volm explained to Tom that they never had any complaints with their relocation plans and most races were thankful to put out of harms way.  They intimated that most rescued races were inferior technically or in matter of civilizations and that Tom and his ilk should be a little more appreciative.

This is where I have a major problem.  Not so much with the arrogance, that is to be expected from a superior race, but with The Volm's explanation that no one ever refused their relocation plans and were happy to leave the field of battle.

Haven't they ever heard of these guys?  The Skitters obviously have a vigorous rebel spirit.  So much so that despite their enslavement and indoctrination they still found the will to strike back at their masters.  The Skitters didn't always look like the above picture also.  That's just the effect of the harnesses they had to wear.  As far as we know they could be just as humanoid as Earth's inhabitants or the Volm themselves.

I'm not sure this was an oversight of the writing staff or just plain blind arrogance by the Volm but I have to tell you I think the writing staff forgot all about the Skitters.  And once again, when I say Skitters, I mean the amalgamation of all the conquered races of the Espheni that have been distilled into what we know as the Skitters today. 

The Skitters even suffered  a blow to their leadership when Red Eye went down and he was supplanted by a guy I call "War Paint".  Does that sound like a group of people that would go meekly into the night and do whatever the Volm say?

I think not. 

So what are we left with here?  The Volm with their supreme arrogance or a major goof up by the writing staff?  There is evidence to indict the writing staff for this oversight. 

The Volm had a quick change of heart most of which happened off camera.  Tom gave a heartfelt speech to Papa Volm about the human spirit and no doubt Cochise prevailed upon his father to let the 2nd Mass go on their merry way, weapons and all.  All of which I found a bit unpredictable and a bit safe.  It all happened so fast!  How convenient it was for the 2nd Mass to get their weapons back so they could exact their revenge on Karen. 

Are you telling me all the surviving races that eventually became the Skitters couldn't have done the same thing?  I find that hard to believe especially considering their fighting spirit.  Even War Paint sacrificed himself in order to help the cause.

Sure, maybe the writers want to put humanity in the cross hairs between the Espheni and the Volm.  But it doesn't seem likely that the meager remnants of humanity would have any bearing on a set piece battle between the Volm and Espheni.

You may argue that the Volm are here to stay and their true motive is to settle on Earth and make it their own.  But then why are they hopping from planet to planet in pursuit of the Espheni?  Why not settle on one of those past planet where they've relocated the indigenous folk?

I'd like to see Falling Skies write their way out of this one.

Next up, revenge upon Karen and the future of humanity.

That Volm Vibe

I'm Getting that Volm Vibe Again.

My "Vadar" (that's Volm radar) has picked up some reverberations in the Falling Skies ether again and I think we are getting a step closer to the mysteries behind the Volm thanks to the last episode, "At All Costs".

Let's start with the heavy handed bluster of General Donovan (played by Battlestar Galactica veteran Michael Hogan) when he sees that Tom Mason has brought Cochise with him.  He and President Hathaway go into instant paranoia mode.  This serves to demonize the Volm in the eyes of these characters; characters we are led to believe stand for the true United States and therefore legitimize the mistrust for the new alien species.

I feel this is part of a misdirection campaign to taint our perspective of the Volm as viewers.  We've already seen this mistrust by General Bressler, John Pope and Colonel Weaver.  All major characters or significant supporting characters that have stated their mistrust of the Volm.

Seeds planted to grow our own mistrust.

Speaking of seeds, let's get right to Cochise's "Flower Speech" where he entails his feelings for the planet he's never seen.  It's a stirring oration where Cochise outlines the love for his home planet.  There, grows a flower he's never seen in person but he hopes future generation of Volm will return to see.

The speech serves to melt the heart of President Hathaway (Stephen Collins) and he sees reason to believe the Volm can be trusted.

Misdirection!

As viewers we can see this speech in two different ways.  We can either buy into the speech by Cochise and also be stirred by its impassioned resonance or we can cry BS and claim that this story is just a lie and the Volm are trying to sell us a false bill of goods.

I'm willing to believe that the writers are hoping we'll see it as the latter and not the former.  The old "too good to be true" story.  It did sound a little too sweet didn't it?

Here's another tact, have you ever wondered what's behind the accusation towards the Volm of, "What do they really want"?  Colonel Weaver has repeated this several times as has John Pope.  It's all part of a concerted plan to sow mistrust of the Volm.  Surely they must want something.

Really?  A burned out husk of a planet with a dwindling population and a determined foe already in place?  That's their plan?  We don't even know why the Espheni are here.  (Although I believe it is to gather enough resources and slave labor to continue their flight through space.)  This question as to the Volm's intent has been repeated in every episode and I'm thinking the writers are using this question to sow the seeds of doubt in out own minds.  The question is even asked on the Falling Skies Facebook page!

Has anyone else noticed the subtext of prejudice in this show? 

The aliens are consistently derided as fish heads or bubble heads or some such.  Young Matt characterizes the Skitters as "Slimey Cowards" as we open the show, even though they are former beings that have been enslaved against their will.  His own brother was nearly a Skitter yet Matt and his friend derides them even as a disemboweled Skitter is dragged in front of him.  Pretty callous.

Pope is famous for his intolerance of the aliens and even Col. Weaver is guilty of thinly veiled racism.

Do I think Falling Skies is intolerant?  Absolutely not.  I'm just saying it's another way the aliens are painted as characters we can't trust because the shows principles don't trust them.  All part of the plan.

Where is this headed?

I've stated this before and I'll repeat it here, the Volm will be fully demonized by the end of this season.  So   overwhelming the mistrust for them will be that they will be forced to leave.  Only too late will Earth's survivors realize they were our legitimate allies all along and by then it will be too late.

Goodbye Volm and hello doom.

Then the writers will be able to say, "Gotcha".