Falling Skies - Reunion

Really?  Just like that he's gone?

Falling Skies had it's series penultimate episode with the entry, "Reunion" this past Sunday and what a reunion it was.  Making their return was none other than Lexi, Anthony, Pope and Rebecca or as we've been taken to call her, "Fauxbecca.

But what of Pope?  That's it?  No mano a mano fight with Tom Mason?  Isn't that we've been waiting for?  Wouldn't Pope want to dispel all his demons in a last grapple with Tom?

"From Hell's heart I stab at thee."

No?

To die in massive explosion seems rather impersonal.  So generic.  And what, no body?  I think we all know on TV if there is no body then there is no death.

But wouldn't that be insulting to the viewing audience to have Pope crawl out from the rubble to make one last stab at Tom?  We've seen that a million times and would reduce his "death" to a B level horror movie trope.

Not that I mind seeing Pope go.  He was always my least favorite character.  A square peg endlessly being fitted into the round hole.  From villain to hero to villain once again.  An inconsistent story line to the end.

But as much as I disliked him I thought his end would garner more meaning.  No last thoughts of Sara?  No final insult to Tom and his family as he rode his bike off into the sunset?

 It's a little difficult to walk (crawl) away from a blast like that.

Even seen from another angle the destruction seems pretty complete.

Pope also got his "send off" reaction shots from most of the series principles.

Tom and Weaver.

Hal and Maggie.  (You'd think Maggie would take the time to spit on the ground.)

Ben and Matt.   

Everyone got a last good look.

Here's our last look at Pope.  Spinning away from the fire.  No doubt that pillar saved him from the enveloping flame and the concussive blast.

Just a scratch! 

You won't hear me lament Pope's fate.  You will hear from me if he crawls out from the debris.  The last episode is titled, "Reborn."

God please no.

And speaking of flames, Lexi's back!

The awful platinum hair is gone too!

I guess the thinking that Weaver's old girl "Katie" was a one off experiment from the Espheni was wrong.  Here they are again with a "Lexi look a like."  Boy, they almost had me.  Maybe I just wanted it to be true.  

* Quick aside, can we see Lourdes again? *

Lexi made like a Trojan Horse and managed to worm her way into the Mason compound.  (Sorry 14th Virginia.) all courtesy of Matt Mason.  I have to say, ol Matt got off pretty lightly at the end when it was found Lexi was just another plant from the Espheni.  Everyone knew she was just a fake to worm her way into everyone's heart.  Hmm, if they have ear worms on Falling Skies does that make Lexi a heart worm?  There's pills for that you know.

So I guess that's it for the clones right?  Maybe Lourdes?

Or....

 

Aw, c'mon, no!  They wouldn't.  Would they?

Kind of a nasty send off for the Look-alike-Lexi.  Maybe we should call her Sparky from now on.  I do think it was a nice touch from the people at Falling Skies to give actress  Scarlett Byrne one last scene. They must have really liked her.

Speaking of likable cats.  Yay, Anthony gets redemption!  He takes a bullet for Anne and gets to issue an apology.  Good, he didn't belong with Pope's hateful fight gang anyway.  More points for the Falling Skies people.  (All to be deducted if a real Pope crawls out from the rubble.)

Here's Fauxbecca in all her porcupine-ish six legged glory.  She didn't seem to have her usual effect on Tom.  He seemed pretty stable for this episode.  Resisting Lexi's allure, not going all Mad Max warrior on Pope.

She brought her ultra cool spaceship too and with the beamer in tow.

Think we'll see these two craft play a role in the finale?  I do.  


Who will be in the final roll call?

Okay Dave, we get it, you want to see Lourdes again.

Anyone else we may see in the finale as a clone, dream sequence or hallucination?

 
They have to give Karen her due.  She went from cute girlfriend to major nasty.

Dai should get a homage.

Tector too.

Please, Deni also.  I hated the way she went out.

Seeing Jeanne again would be nice.

Anyone else?  

Would you like to see Porter one last time? Kadar? Uncle Scott? Crazy Lee? Marina Peralta, Jimmy, Rick or even Sara?

Just not you know who.  Please I'm begging you, no.

I said no!

I Dreamed I Saw the Best Falling Skies Episode of the Season.

Was that not the best episode of the season?

I'm not sure it advanced the plot line all that much but it gave us a window into what might of been, and where Tom's true love really lies.

Our favorite lapdog to the Overlords, Karen (I'm sorry Karen, was that harsh?) was up to her old tricks again.  This time she employed some face hugging technology in order to extract information from the captive Tom Mason.

The results were quite revealing.

Let's start with the most surprising reveal into the psyche of Tom Mason.

In this iteration of Tom's "world that could have been" his current love, Anne Glass, is the "other woman".  She's a temptress of sorts.  She knows all about him, and in a way, could lead to the destruction of the family life Tom holds so dearly.  She's intimate, sly, naughty and at the end, a little scary.

Why is this?  Is this the way Tom really sees Anne?  An interloper threatening to wreak havoc on his normal happy life?  We could excuse this paradigm shift as a machination of Karen's torture device.  Perhaps the face-hugger has a way of manipulating what you think and turns what you hold dear into something so unsettling.  That's not the way it played out for the rest of the characters so we'll have to keep an eye on the Tom/Anne relationship once they are reunited.

Speaking of the "Face Hugging Device" it looks a little Alien doesn't it?  Pun intended!  This device is obviously intended to delve into the sub-conscious mind.  In the movie Alien it was the host that impregnated the carrier with the Xenomorph entity. In this show it is the conduit to Karen's machinations.

Right?

I'm not sure of this but Karen does seem to have some influence on it's operation.  Maybe not total control but enough to "Police" it's purpose.  That's why we see her as pictured above. 

It's a tough question.  Is this Tom's mind acting independently or is Karen's device influencing his thought?  The answer to which will be crucial to the future of Tom and Anne's relationship.

Ok, before I get to spinning my wheels on that conundrum let's talk of the Greek Chorus that is Weavers' vagrant.

I loved this.  As the avatar of Tom's conscience, Weaver is constantly warning Tom to wake up.  This goes to show how close the two of them have become.  We've often heard from each of them how indispensable the other has become.  Here, Tom's sub-conscious seems to be acting independently of Karen's device.  Weavers' voice is full throated and ustakeable with it's intent, "Wake up Tom!"

So why is he a vagrant.  Filthy, downtrodden, abandoned by society.  Why should you trust him?  Ah, perhaps this is where the device has some input.  The message is getting through but make the messanger unreliable.  I think it's no coincidence that Karen is the trusted Cop in this scenario.

Devious.

So let's take a look at the rest of our cast and crew.

So Pope is a philosophy professor.  How charitable.  I guess that still makes him the free thinker in Tom's mind.  The agitator and counter culture voice that Tom deems invaluable.  Still a cad though!

What does Tom think of Lourdes?  Well, she's not working in the medical or counseling department.  Instead she seems second tier, a mere student.  One that is willing to sleep with her teacher also.  Tom doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of her.  Is this the Device's way of protecting her role as the mole?  Maybe so.  Pope"s "dream world" role seems about right but Lourdes?  Something doesn't ring true.  Device or dream?

How about Maggie's role?  She seemed a little flirty herself didn't she?  A little, in-your-face, I-know-what you're-thinking-professor type of gal.  Sure she's a confident go getter that predicts an easy A on the exam.  But, damn, that was a little too close girlfriend.  Dial back the charm a tad.  Is this how Tom sees Maggie?  We got a quick look on how Tom sees Hal's dream girlfriend.  Is this a bit of transference to Maggie?  I'm hoping not. 

Hopefully Tom sees Maggie as a true leader and that explains her can-do attitude.  It may come off a little strong but no harm intended.

It was funny how Tom saw Matt as his little "mole".  Tom's subconscious knows to look for the mole but under the influence of Karen's face-hugger his thoughts are sublimated to poor little Matt.  It's no surprise that "Mole Matt" is spying on Hal who was thought to be the original mole.  Nice touch.

Hal's a playboy in Tom's dream world and Ben is the sensitive one.  The boys seem happy and healthy just as Tom would wish them to be.  Hal seems independent but reckless (wear your rain coat son).  Ben is different now that he is harness free in real life.  The same but different, maybe better.  Is that why Tom's subconscious allows Ben to confront Tom in his office?  That's the professor's inner sanctum but Ben fears it not.

Impressive.

Let's look at the rest of the characters in Tom's dream world.

Good for Anthony to be held in such high regard.  He's leading the investigation to uncover the mole and according to Tom's subconscious he's the Dean of the School.

I miss Dai.  I still can't understand why they had to kill him off.  Well, he's back for this episode and he's the angry husband.  This could be some transference over Dai's death.  Tom feels responsible for the loss of Dai so his subconscious has brought him back to scold Tom for his irresponsibility.  Guilt can be an overpowering emotion.  You need to get over this Tom.  (And find more ways to bring back Dai.)

Jeanne Weaver plays a supporting role in Tom's dream world.

Literally.

She's his secretary.  OK, not to demean Jeanne, we could see her a as filter of sorts to protect Tom.  In that she is a gatekeeper to keep Tom from ill will.  It almost worked but Anne got through anyway.  (So if Jeanne is the Gatekeeper then is the Keymaster?)

Here's the toughest one of them all.

I love Jennifer Ferrin.  I first swooned over her for her role on "Life on Mars" (USA version).  I was happy for her when she landed a role on "The Cape".  When "The Following" came knocking I was thrilled to see her again.  Has that been cancelled?

Jennifer Ferrin gives such soulful performances.  Maybe it is her expressive eyes.  As Tom's wife, Rebecca, she still has a hold on Tom's memories.  This was the saddest part of the episode.  Tom finds his old home in Boston, complete with Christmas list left on the Fridge.  Tom wanders up to the bedroom when he hears a noise.  Finding nothing he lays his head on the pillow he once shared with Rebecca.

Her spirit pleads with him to move on, there is nothing here for him anymore.

"You're here".

Too bad they don't give out Emmy's to science fiction characters (right, John Noble?) Tom looked so incredibly sad and I'm sure everyone in the viewing audience felt his pain.

So, best episode of the season?

I still haven't decided which is more responsible for Tom's dream world.  The face hugging device or his subconscious.  I'm leaning towards the subconscious.  The device may have induced the state but the world building was up to Tom. 

It's a long walk back from Boston Tom, you're going to need the rest when you get to Charleston.  Try not to dream so much when you do.

I'm Bugged Over the Mole Problem *Updated!*

Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, Lourdes is the Mole.

It's not often I can be fooled by TV.  But they got me this time.  After weeks of speculation I had come firmly down on the side that Marina Peralta was the mole.  There was no doubt in my mind that Hal was a false flag and all signs pointed to Marina.

Wrong!

I fell for the ol' double false flag.  The ol' "pull the rug from out under you" TV trick.

Sucker!

I am chagrined.  So there are two things that I immediately gleaned from this.  (Aside from, one, being a sucker.)

1. I am so glad Marina isn't the mole after all.  I love Gloria Reubens in her role.  She's been such a great addition to the show.  Her chemistry with Noah Wyle has been unmistakeable.
2. Lourdes?  Seriously?  What is her connection with the Espheni?  Am I so jaded with the series by this time that I missed the interaction with Lourdes and the enemy?  When did she get "infected"?  (See Lourdes infection update below!)

Does this really work as Lourdes being the mole?  She just can't go on shooting everyone that is a threat.  Wouldn't she and the Espheni be better served if she just laid low and stole all their secrets?  Eventually, high profile murder is going to get you caught.  What kind of spy takes those chances?  Security is going to be so locked down now that no one would get even close to Peralta.  Well, except her doctor maybe and with Anne being gone I guess that leaves Lourdes.

Gulp!

We'll have to see how successfully Falling Skies pulls this off.  Are we going to get some back story into Lourdes interacting with the Espheni?  A series of explanatory flashbacks?

Or did she have sex with Hal and he infected her?

Yuck, I hope not!

So, now someone with the complete trust of all is their greatest threat.  Terrific.

I wonder what to make of the scene where Lourdes is knelt in prayer.  Is there a vestige of her former self still alive in there somewhere, the one that embraced Jesus as her savior?  Or was that another false flag just to perpetuate her cover for the benefit of the Charleston survivors and we the viewing audience?

Remember when Hal used to constantly fight with himself over the control of his tortured psyche?  The battle between good Hal and evil Hal?  Why doesn't that happen with Lourdes?  Shouldn't she stumble and out herself much like Hal did?

I'm guessing it's the sheer number of creepy crawly things that are now setting up shop inside Lourdes that is preventing this internal struggle.

She is way gone.

So now she is the savior of mankind right?

Cochise did say that once the Espheni Sky-Net goes up that all their Beings including their converted Skitters et-al will be immune to it's effects.  Humanity will die off within months according to our favorite Volm.  But what about the converted or hybrid humans?

Baby Lexie should be good right?

She's a product of the Espheni.  To a degree so is Ben and Tom.  Both infected.  Anne was infected also we have to assume.  Her baby was a product of her and Tom.  Tom was infected.  Hal was infected at one point and he slept with Maggie.  Are they both safe now?

It may well be that Lourdes intends on infecting everyone in Charleston with her bio-mechanical insects or perhaps even through some genetic level.  Everyone will be saved.  Infected and enslaved, yes, but saved none the less.

If Lourdes is outed as the mole we could also expect her to be captured.  This would afford Roger Kadar the "Rat King" to synthesize a cure either by getting Espheni DNA from Lourdes or taking the bugs from her and replicating and injecting them into the Charleston survivors.  Not a full dose, just enough to protect them from the Overlord Sky-Net.

Not a bad theory.

You may ask yourselves, "What if the Volm weapon is effective won't that save everyone?"

Eh, my other theory is that humanity with their mounting suspicions will drive the Volm away.  It'll turn out the Volm were the good guys all along but it will be too late for humanity and they will be left to their own devices.

C'mon Rat King!



Gif and tumblr photos courtesy of Classy but Sassy and Luihell.  Good stuff, check them out.

*Update!*

I was perusing the internet this morning for an image Lourdes for my Tumblr page when I happened upon this little gem.

It show Lourdes praying by the bedside of the recently returned Tom Mason from the season 2 opener, "Worlds Apart".  This answers my question when did Lourdes ever have the opportunity to be infected by the Espheni Bio-bugs?  I have to assume they came from Tom!  That means she's been infected since then and unbeknownst to Tom he was the carrier.

Twist!


Bedside picture courtesy of wormholeriders.net.

Karen, Karen, Karen.

The New Overlord?

What does she want?  What is her agenda? Is she really the next Overlord?

According to Tom Mason she is, although my radar has detected a few false flags from the initial two episodes.  But look at that sweet face, who wouldn't want to follow her over a cliff into your complete and utter doom.

She has leader written all over her!

She certainly seems to have her tentacles everywhere.  And given proclivity for evil, tentacles seems and apt description of her reach.  Let's start with poor ol' Hal.  

As Maggie has claimed, Karen did something to him and it was in the form of one of the Espheni cyber-bugs.  As we all saw, Karen had placed a bug buried deep inside his cerebral cortex.  It allowed her to manipulate him with a Svengali like thrall.  He would come to her in the depths of the night in a dream like trance and from there she would work her magic as pictured below.

What of this "magic".  Let's take a quick look at another development.

Remember when Tom Mason disappeared aboard the Espheni ship and wasn't returned until later in season two.  Just about every member of the 2nd Mass thought the Overlords had manipulated him and they didn't trust him upon his return.  He didn't even trust himself.

Eventually, Tom was brought back into the fold and he and Anne worked a little magic of their own.  The product of which is "super advanced baby" pictured above.  Is this what Karen has planned for Hal?  The Overlords may have a new way of enslaving humanity outside the Skitters and their harnesses.  If the Espheni have developed a way of impregnating humans then the may have found a way of infiltrating Earth's resistance and placing themselves firmly in control of humanity with a whole new hybrid.

That would be a stunning development.

Where else do Karen's tentacles reach to?  There is the mystery of who shot Arthur Manchester.  One of the prime suspects is Hal under the mind control of Karen.  This is where my "false flag radar" goes off.  Yes, it makes sense he's the shooter.  He's under Karen's control and he obviously doesn't know what he is doing  in the dead of night.

But wasn't he up and about when Anne was about to give birth?

Who else has been acting suspiciously lately?

 Haven't things been a little fishy with Pope to start the new season?  Backing away from fights, making sure everyone has a drink in their hands and passing up chances to vamoose off to Mexico.  He says he has a plan so what is it?

He made a deal with Karen.

How's that for a plan?  His disdain for Tom's leadership has never been a secret but this year the vibe has been little different.  Pope's been keeping his nose clean and staying out of trouble relatively speaking.  I'm thinking Karen got to him and offered the leadership of the 2nd Mass in exchange for Tom and the 2nd Mass leaving Charleston.  She'll guarantee that no one will ever find out who took out Tom and in fact make Tom look like the goat in a stunning defeat for the resistance.

Of course that makes Pope a traitor but if no one finds out it's all the better for him.

Anywhere else for Karen's tentacles?

This one hurts a little.  Gloria Reuben's Marina has been a great addition this season.  Her chemistry with Tom Mason has been terrific.  We could even say that of Reubens in general and Noah Wyle.  The two stars clicked right away and in my opinion look better together than Wyle and Moon Bloodgood.

 We really don't know much about her however.  Where is she from?  How did she get so close to Tom so quickly?  Do you remember the look on Arthur Manchester's face when he saw his killer.  Instant recognition and stunned surprise.  Et tu Marina?

It seems Karen's reach can get anywhere.

 Before I conclude let's talk a little about the actress that portrays Karen Nadler.  Her name is Jessy Schram and she is perfectly cast in this role.  She can range between vulnerable waif and icy dominatrix.  Her romance with Hal is just as genuine as the plucky resistance fighter we knew early on as it is now that she seems to be leading the Espheni.  Kudos to Jessy for that.   If you saw her in the now canceled "Last Resort" you know she can play the hurt but loyal wife (girlfriend?) and the whip smart lady that couldn't be duped by the government.   Falling Skies is fortunate to have her as are the Espheni!

Karen's greatest coup may involve this man, more on this soon.

 

You're a mean one Mr. Grinch.

I mean Karen!  

You are deliciously evil don't ever leave us!