Falling Skies Finale Fallout Part One

The Merry Wives Of Prince Hal.

I thought I'd try something different here and speak to some of the salient points of the Falling Skies season finale, Brazil, instead of trying to cover the entire episode all at once.  This wasn't exactly a Hal-centric episode but it did deal with all the woman in his life and they in turn were central to the plot of the episode.

Let's start with the character of Maggie who is the current paramour of Hal.  I thought she was oddly written in this episode especially considering her closeness to Hal in the last episode when they were trapped beneath the rubble together.  She seemed skittish and paranoid. It's as if the writers wanted to characterize her as Pope saw her when he predicted she would come crawling back to him some day.

Hal sensed there was some thing wrong with Maggie as the two marched towards Boston.  Victory was in the air and Hal mused over what life would be like once things got back to normal.  Maggie instantly challenged him that he wasn't a split level house type of guy and that he would be, essentially, too restless for that type of life.

I thought this rather strange since the "Xibalba" episode characterized her as someone willing to die in his arms with her last breath of air.  She's often stated she'd rather go out fighting but if that was going to be the way the went out, then there was no one she'd rather be with. 

Her discomfort with the "suburban" life was painfully obvious as she marched with Hal.  But instead of confronting the problems as her own she projected them on to Hal.  As if on cue, Pope caught up with them and validated her misgivings over a peaceful future.

I don't blame Hal for being confused.  It wasn't long ago they were going to hang in with each other through thick and thin.  Doesn't Maggie realize that rebuilding in a shattered world can be just as daunting as fighting the war day after day?

It's as if the writers insist on seeing Maggie through Pope's eyes now.  It's almost like they want Pope to be right about something to validate the constant barrage of cynicism and negativity and therefore legitimize his role on the show. You should be able to guess by now that I have no patience for Pope on Falling Skies.  He is a constant irritant with no redeeming value.  Do we really have to see Maggie become so difficult in order to justify his presence?

Hal didn't exactly have a romantic relationship with Lourdes but it was pretty clear she had a crush on him.  Hal was aware of this also.  As season one progressed Lourdes was constantly trying to do things to impress Hal and this theme continued into season two.  Hal tolerated Lourdes' advances and was often teased by Karen or Maggie about it.

That is why Hal had a soft spot for Lourdes as she lay chained and caged in the thrall of the Espheni "insects".  Lourdes managed to utter a few things to Hal in her more lucid and less tortured moments that spoke of their past "relationship".  This touched Hal as he was well aware of her feelings for him.  This proves that that an insect "infected" person can still draw on their past personality and not be totally "gone". 

Seventy five per cent gone but not completely.

You probably noticed, as I did, that Maggie was quite impatient with these proceedings even though she waited outside the tent.  She seemed jealous and possessive over Hal despite the fact that her "competition" was locked in a cage and half crazed with her torment.

Hal was again positioned as a touch stone for a female character.  I'm not convinced Hal has a real purpose on Falling Skies.  I suspect he is being maneuvered as a "romantic lead" in order to develop the more interesting female characters around him.  Something that was hinted at in the "Strange Brew" episode.  Hal was busy chasing skirts as Ben became the confidant to Tom.  (His brother, Ben, is quickly surpassing Hal as a far more compelling character)

Anyway, speaking of the "competition".

Karen at last appears on the screen, the final piece of the triumvirate romantically connected with Hal.  I really enjoyed Karen's snake like charm.  When she met small band of 2nd Mass survivors led by Tom she instantly went to work on Hal.  "Good to see you Hal, I've missed you." she taunted.  I have no doubt this is true if only partially.  They once were lovers and then she became infected by the Espheni harness, then they were lovers again!  Karen could play both sides of the coin as the "before and after" girlfriend which I'm sure was intended to infuriate Hal.  It certainly had an effect on Tom.

Tom, his trap played to exquisite perfection, puts a bullet into Karen as an act of cold revenge.  Here Karen has a moment of lucidity.  I totally bought into her sincerity as she confessed her feelings towards Hal as he knelt over her.  Maybe undergoing extreme physical duress has a way of bringing out the former humanity of those infected with Espheni technology.  She certainly sounded like the old Karen to me just as Lourdes did when she spoke to Hal.

In that moment of brief humanity Maggie loses hers and puts an end to Karen.  So now Maggie is a stone cold killer? Did you see the shocked look on Hal's face?  Maybe he'd be better off putting some space between him and Maggie.  And if I were the newly renewed Lourdes, I would be watching my back.  Maggie seems a bit unhinged.

As I stated at the start of this essay, Hal wasn't exactly the central player of this little drama but everything had a way of revolving around him.  At least through some twisted romantic lens.  I'm sorry to see Karen go, she was deliciously evil.  I guess that will be Maggies role now.  Okay, maybe not evil but way too close to the Pope side of the equation for my liking.  It'll be good to have Lourdes back again.  Her character has matured and Seychelle was able to expand upon her acting spectrum with some really juicy evil stuff.

Does this mean Hal is down to two girls now?  Should Ben be more protective of Denny?  (That is one relationship that is far more interesting).  Maybe the writers will have Hal torn between the Angel that is Lourdes on one shoulder and the Devil that is Maggie on the other.

Next up, the Volm dilemma.  

Oh No They Didn't!

They Smile in Your Face, All the Time They Want to Take Your Place, The Back Stabbers!

Did they just hand the keys to the kingdom to the mole in this last episode of Falling Skies?

I'm saying they did.  Back in my June 16th blog entry Karen, Karen, Karen I posited that Gloria Reuben's Marina was a good bet to be the mole.  She asks all the wrong questions and she's always where she shouldn't be.  Or as far as she's concerned, all the right questions and at the right place at the right time.

Well played Marina, well played.

The Falling Skies Facebook page has been listing various characters as suspects but much of the suspicion fell on Hal.  He even proclaimed himself as the mole once the bio-nano-bug was removed. 

Naturally, everyone bought into it, even the ever taunting Pope. 

By the way, earlier in the episode, Ben put Pope's lights out for a brash remark.  So when does this guy get a bullet?  Seriously, is he that important?

After rescuing Tom Mason the previous episode and sitting by his bedside for two days he is now running book on the Mason family survival during the hostage standoff.  He even gets close to Weaver with a gun when Weaver catches him at his grim game.

Is Pope a sociopath or does he just have a poor memory?

Sorry, back to Marina.  So now she is the new president, she has the plans to the Volm device and the entire Mason family is out of the picture.

How convenient.

If that doesn't scream mole what does?  Will she be outed as the mole by the next episode?  I think not.  We seem to be stretching things out a little this season.  My guess she'll be outed by the penultimate episode.

So what is our movie tie in for the week?  A lot of digital ink has been spilled over Hal being HAL, the homicidal computer from 2001 A Space Odyssey.  A natural enough comparison. 

I think rather, The Manchurian Candidate from 1962 is a better candidate.  The character of Shaw played by Laurence Harvey is similar to Hal.  Both were brainwashed to some degree and both are being manipulated by puppet`master women.  For Shaw it was his mother.  For Hal it is his former girlfriend Karen.

There is also a presidential angle to each entry.  Shaw was to assassinate the presidential candidate so his dupe step father could vie for the job.  In this past episode of Falling Skies, Tom, Hal's father is the president.  Remarkably similar. 

There is another amazing similarity between the two vehicles.  As pictured above, Laurence Harvey uses a scoped rifle to exact his nefarious deed.  In a bit of a twist, Falling Skies puts the nominal assassin, Hal, at the wrong end of the rifle.

In this case, Tector has Hal lined up but fortunately for all things Mason he doesn't pull the trigger.

There is a unique solution to the Manchurian Candidate conundrum.  Laurence Harvey's Shaw decides to fight the brainwashing and puts a bullet in his own head.  The mind controlled Hal follows a similar path.  His solution is also to put a bullet to his own head.  However the twist here is that mind controlled Hal doesn't want to be captured.  His aim is just a little off and good Hal eventually returns to the fold.

Too bad Karen, nice try.  Where has she been lately anyway?  Watching Sixties movies for her next plot?  We'll find out next week!

A Homecoming of Sorts?

Falling Skies is now officially more than half way through it's second season and with it we get the episode, "Homecoming".  As I have often blogged before the test of family unity is often explored in Falling Skies and that theme is no different in this particular episode.  The title, "Homecoming" suggests an end of trials of sorts and a return to normalcy that one should get when one "comes home". 

Unfortunately, that is far from true for the 2nd Mass  and the word "normal" rarely applies. 

Let's start with the relationship between Tom and Anne.  (Above image courtesy of VaginaCon.com and is perfect for my discussion.)  It seems Tom and Anne's relationship has moved to the next level.  They have built a "home" of sorts despite the vagaries of war and find solace in each others company.  I'm all for this because I find nothing wrong with two mature people with common needs seeking the reassurance of love amidst the turmoil of war.  Sadly, this seems tenuous at best when the stress over how to treat the infected Capt. Weaver spills over and Tom reverts to his prior relationship and calls Anne, "Rebecca".  This shatters the illusion of this relationship and despite Tom's efforts to patch things up later and uneasy truce is settled upon.

Homecoming denied.

The most overt example of a "Homecoming" is the return of Karen to the fold.  In my previous blog post I wondered if the return of Rick as a "reborn" or Lazarus like figure was portentous of the return of the other children (Read A Skitter Call to Prayer.) and that seems to be the case as many of the harnessed children were found in the woods with Karen the only survivor. (Not much of a homecoming for those other children!)  Yet despite the obvious affection that Hal still has for Karen, we eventually find it all a ruse as Karen is linked to Ben instead and she not the person she used to be.  She's a Trojan Horse of sorts and her inclusion into the fold is also illusory and short lived.

Homecoming denied.

 The character of Ben has been a conflicted one ever since he returned to his family and the 2nd Mass.  The group as a whole is suspicious of him and their trust in him is at a pitiful low.  He's mostly reviled and insulted behind his back.  Even Ben is suspicious of himself and is well aware he is not the person he used to be.  His harnessed enhanced body sets him apart and he is uncomfortable in his own skin and with the others.  Even in within his own family.  When we learn of the connection between Ben and Karen and we, as the audience, become suspicious of Karen's motives we suspect Ben is a short timer in his familial surroundings.

Homecoming denied.

 Ironically, the most authentic homecoming belongs to the prodigal son Pope.  (Above image courtesy of Wormholeriders.net) At one time reviled and banished from the group, he returns with a crucial piece of information that the 2nd Mass has been duped by Karen and her Overlord masters.  Pope's return marks the most truthful part of the episode and instead of being illusory it exposes the facade that the 2nd Mass has been living behind in their stay in Richmond.  This is what Weaver may have been alluding to when he told Tom and the militia that they have become complacent and need to pull up stakes.  The illusion in that message turns out to be the very low stockpile of fuel.  Something that Weaver didn't confide in with Tom.

Homecoming realized with Pope but denied to Tom and the rest.

So once again we find the family unit tested and the sense of home broken.  Our hardy ban hits the road once more with none of the comforting solace they should find in their relationships, family or sense of roots.  The diaspora continues and the promised land is no where in sight.  What does the future hold?

We Aren't Family...

It seems to me one of the major themes that Falling Skies is pursuing this season is the disintegration of the family unit and the desperate attempts by Earth's survivors to preserve this fragile entity.  Yet, at times, Earth's human inhabitants are their own worst enemies.  Witness last Sunday night's brain puzzler.  Fresh after the events of "Young Bloods" where Capt. Weaver is reunited with his long missing daughter, he confronts Tom Mason in, "Love and Other Acts of Courage" and basically tells Tom that his son Ben is a liability and should be put down.

Huh?

Didn't Weaver learn anything about the cost of war, the pain of separation, bittersweet reunion and the agony of being separated again?  I guess not.  Weaver even went so far as to threaten Mason with mutiny and  death not long after saying he couldn't do without his number Two just a few episodes ago.  Maybe Weaver isn't cut out for command.  He certainly doesn't portray much of a father figure.  (Also after realizing he wasn't much of one to his daughter.)

Weaver isn't the only one bent on destroying the nuclear family.  Take the case of Maggie and Hal.  I think we all know that future lies with the children and what better way to produce children than to, well, couple!  After some serious cuddle time with Hal in a damaged car  Maggie flashes her best bedroom eyes and then spends the rest of the episode pushing him away.  Good grief.  Granted, Maggie's is a bit damaged.  What with Pope's entrapment and servitude not to mention her bouts with cancer.  But, really, Hal's old girlfriend, Rita, may have had Jazz pants but the way Hal looks at Maggie she is Jazz all over!  C'mon Maggie I thought you were made of finer steel.

Here's another way that Falling Skies has contradicted itself.  Another one of the children (the future, remember?) returns to the fold in the form of Ricky and by episodes end he is dead.  It wasn't that long ago that Jimmy met a similar fate (Another lesson lost on Weaver) in the episode "Compass".  Maybe that's the point, these people have no compass and they have lost their way.  They can't even preserve and protect their future. 

It could be that the writers want to beef up the maturity of the show and do without so many "child" story lines.  I can understand that.  Jimmy wasn't much of a character anyway.  I was thinking it would be interesting to introduce a pregnancy into the show and replicate some sort of "Flight to Egypt" type of biblical analogy as they flee their oppressors.  Then again we had a pregnancy in season one and we haven't heard from that again!

Strikingly, the Overlords and the skitters seem to understand the value of children.  If it wasn't for the harnessing of the children the Overlords would have no one to impress into slavery.  So do you see what I mean by a contradictory message delivered by Falling Skies?

OK, one last example.  Tom Mason, as in Masons being the founding fathers of our country and our aptly named Tom as the new leader of a new world?  Nope, children are dying all around him.  What are we to think Falling Skies, should Matt be watching his back?

I think I've made my point no matter how fractured my presentation.  Perhaps the first half of the season is all about the splintering of the family unit and the second half will be about it's re-integration and preservation.  One can only hope.  At least Tom and Anne have the right idea, judging by their off camera "room exploration".  Remember you two, the children are our future!!!

Next up:  A skitter call to prayer?