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!

Falling Skies Tries a Little Sexual Healing!

Yikes, what is it exactly that we are selling here?

Falling Skies has come out with a titillating video to attract viewership for this upcoming season 3.  I suppose if you want to lose yourself in the mythology of the show and become an active participant, then you could see this video as propaganda from the alien invaders.

Join us!  Meet hot girls!  Slavery isn't so bad when you're getting a little sumptin' sumptin!

Yeah, I can see how that could work.

That hasn't been the only effort, check out this poster for season 3.

I thought the Espheni only enslaved children with the harness?  This young lady looks decidedly older than your average 10 year old.

Oh well, who am I to judge?  Sex sells and the Overlords are no dummies.  A new alien species has arrived on Earth and if the Espheni feeling a little threatened then they break out the big guns.

Oops, bad pun.

The Shadow Knows

Hello to everyone out there fighting the good fight and where ever you may be.  A couple of interesting images have popped up on the Falling Skies Facebook page recently and I wanted to comment on them.  As you can see by the title of this blog post I'm interested in all things "Shadow".

Let's take a look at the above image.  Here we have the iconic statue of Abraham Lincoln as it sits in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C..  I guess we have to be glad the Overlords decided not to incinerate the Memorial although it does seem to have suffered a little battle damage.   

Along with the battle damage we can see some graffiti, "You can't shoot us all" and "Die Skitter".   The first is a bit fatalistic in a sense.  Imagine seeking victory or mere survival by relying on the odds that not everyone can be killed.  Sounds a little desperate.  The graffiti to the right of Lincoln is a bit artistic, (maybe Banksy survived the apocalypse) we have a Skitter head being held aloft at the end of a bayonet with the rifle itself is  gripped by a bloody hand. The clenched fist (our bloody rifle hand) is an historic symbol of defiance so it shouldn't be a surprise to see it here.  (I wonder if the bullet holes are all that remains of where the artist once stood.)

So what is interesting?

Behind Lincoln is the superimposed relief of an Overlord.  Actually, it looks digitally imprinted  behind Lincoln.  Would a graffiti artist do this?  I would think not.  This seems to be the work of Earth's invaders the Espheni.  One could speculate that if the Memorial became a source of inspiration or a rallying point then the Espheni would want everyone to know that you could not even look at one of America's most treasured sites without being reminded who their real leaders are.

Additionally, Lincoln was know as the "Great Emancipator" the President that freed the slaves from their bondage and reunited the Union.  Again, the Espheni wants the message to be loud and clear. There will be no emancipation or freedom for anyone.  Earth's servitude and bondage will continue under their constant watch.  The new Lincoln Memorial makes that abundantly clear.

If I were to retain any sense of optimism about this picture it would be to speculate that the graffiti artist and his message came after the Espheni desecrated the Memorial.

The spectral shadow reappears in our next picture.  Here the silhouetted outline of an Overlord is much less defined than the Lincoln Memorial one.  Was this the work of the Espheni or did a resistance fighter paint this?  What's eerie is the disembodied arm of an Espheni or Skitter extending from the doorway seemingly completing the graphic rendition of the Overlord.

"We can still prevail" is painted in large letters along the wall and a target like symbol in red is painted over the Overlord shadow.  Did the Espheni paint themselves on the wall to remind Earth's survivors that they are everywhere?   Or did a resistance fighter paint the Espheni and then "target" him?

Take notice of the "Gas mask" sign that is hanging center left in this picture.  Was this a shelter to provide relief from the invasion?  Or is there a more grim and sinister meaning to the mask?  If you look further to the left we can see inside the wall.  In the deep background we can see what looks to be some sort of fireplace or oven.  This is where our story takes a dark turn.  What if this tableau represents some sort of charnel house of horrors?  There is blood over the doorway to the far right, is this where the victims and survivors were flung to their fiery doom?  Does the bloody doorway symbolize the last gasp of the downtrodden?

Who are our downtrodden?

Was this "Charnel House of Horrors" employed by the Espheni or are the humans using it to rid themselves of their alien victims?  Either way it would represent a grim turn by the writers of Falling Skies.

Alternate theories are welcome, let me know what you think or if I have missed something.

Next up; Have the Falling Skies writer ratcheted up the sexual quotient to their show?

"A More Perfect Union" Part One.

 We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

For a beginning let's start at the end.

When I say the end I am referring to the stunning conclusion to the season 2 finale of Falling Skies.  A new alien species has arrived (something I've been hoping for) and with this ending we have a new beginning.  But before I get too far let's take a look at this ending in the context of the this episode's title, "A More Perfect Union". 

There are two meanings to the episode title, (something that was drawn from the preamble to the Constitution), firstly, there is the literate meaning to to the phrase, "A More Perfect Union".  Our founding fathers realized that the idea of founding a more perfect union meant that it was an ongoing process.  That is why on the reverse side of the dollar bill we see the incomplete pyramid seal "Announcing (the) Concept" of a "Secular New Order".  In Roman numerals at the base of the unfinished and ongoing pyramid is the year 1776 when it all began.

Much of the inspiration of Falling Skies has been drawn from the American Revolutionary War.  The ragtag unit of the 2nd Mass mirrors the Minutemen that originally stood against tyranny and oppression.  Their struggle laid the foundation towards a more perfect union and the 2nd Mass has followed in their footsteps in rebuilding what or forefathers had wrought.  In fact, I would say it is their sacred mission.  The tyranny is the same only the faces have changed.

So is there a second meaning to, "A More Perfect Union"?  With the timely intervention of "Red Eye" and his rebel group of Skitters the 2nd Mass has destroyed the Overlord's "Super Gun" and apparently allowed the arrival of a new species of alien.  So does "A More Perfect Union" announce the alliance of this new species with the remnants of Earths population?  TNT flashed on the screen "Ally or Enemy" as the episode concluded.  With Red Eye out of the picture and the Skitters severely damaged the "Union" may well be a partnership between the new arrivals and we "Earthlings".  Will it be "more perfect'?  Or will this obviously superior race become our new masters?

The new alien did show his face (her face?) as he disembarked from his vessel and he held up no weapon despite being drawn upon by the 2nd Mass and the Continental Army.  We can construe from this that he means us no harm as these are universal peaceful gestures.  So the "More Perfect Union" could refer to the saving grace of this alien arrival.  I posited in my blog post. "An Overture From The Overlords" that the Overlords weren't the biggest fish in the pond.  That they were actually on the run from a bigger fish and their work on Earth was incomplete and hurried.  I was hoping that their incomplete victory was due to the fact that they were being pursued and whatever was chasing them wasn't far behind.  That "Whatever" is here now.

Are these new aliens a galactic police force looking to apprehend the Overlords for their interstellar crimes?  Or are they a rival gang looking to usurp their opponents gains?  Just because they seemingly come in peace doesn't mean that peace will last.  The "Union" could be just a convenient alliance until the Overlords, or the "Espheni" as we learned from Ben/Red Eye, are defeated and there is a new "Sheriff" in town. 

I'd love the "Cosmic Police Force" angle.  These new aliens seem to have come in force but the "Super Gun" only covered the eastern portion of North America so that may mean they need Earth's help before they they can develop their bridgehead to what is our Battleground Earth.  If they are a rival "space gang" the alliance will be a tenuous one until either the new aliens get what they want and leave or Tom Mason and his fellow earthlings will have a new enemy to fight.  If there is to be a fourth season of Falling Skies the safe money would be on the latter.

 I'd like to draw attention to one of the final scenes as the alien pod craft descended.  By the way,  I say, "pod craft" as it held only one alien so it stands to reason there is a mother ship in orbit around Earth that dropped all these single seater pods to Earth (I hope we get to to that "mother" next season!) (Are these new guys so bad ass they only need to land one at a time?)

Take a look to the right portion of the above screen cap. We see an American flag as graffiti painted on a concrete wall.  The words, "United We Stand" are partially revealed on the flag.  Do these words portend the arrival of the space cops and the new alliance or just "fighting words" in the context of the original invasion?  Also note the field of blue of our flag.  Normally, it contains stars representative of our Union's states.  Instead we find here alien "heads" possibly meant to depict our overthrow or perhaps a failed alliance between the Overlords and Earth.  The "failure" meaning Earth was duped by the Overlords and Earth accepted a Trojan Horse from the Overlords which allowed their easy victory.  The alien heads as stars could be a parody of our new government replacing our failed old one due to their naivete.

It's not the first time we've seen iconic imagery from America's past similarly transfigured.  The above picture from season one shows the "Uncle Sam, I Want You For The U.S. Army"  poster painted on a wall.  Was this a form of protest, as graffiti normally is, to show how Earth was duped and America usurped by the Overlords and we have to answer to a new master and due his bidding? Was the artist making fun of this new/old alliance?

So, with the inclusion of the flag graffiti with the alien heads as stars at the end of this episode, was it meant to tell us that we are to be duped again and as the "The Who" once sang meet the "new boss same as the old boss"?

"A More Perfect Union"  Have the "police" arrived?  A rival space gang? How perfect will this new union be? Join me in my search for answrs!


Next up on "Battlin' Boston".

• Karen's "prophetic" warning.
• Hal's embrace with Ben.
• Anne's pregnancy.
• The Skitter alliance broken?
• What was that sound?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

"Come and Take Them"

We're talking about the children right?

The famous two word quote, "Molon Labe" is attributed to King Leonidas in response to the Persian demand to lay down his arms during the battle of Thermopylae.  "Come and take them" is the translation.  It is also the title to our most recent episode of Falling Skies.  So, its safe to assume the Overlord invaders aren't after the weaponry of the 2nd Mass.  They're after the children specifically Ben Mason.

Before I get too deep into this episode let's talk about a child they already have, Karen.

Don't you just love her now?  I used to think she was so vanilla.  A simple two dimensional adolescent.  Not anymore!  Now she is deliciously evil.  Her speech is wicked and cutting, not to mention arrogant.  She still exudes a teenage charm with her placid pale face and pulled back blonde hair.  The perfect cupie doll.  Or rather than doll, puppet to the Overlord "Master" that pulls her every string.  How about her little performance in front of Ben when she dangled the neck hugger with its opiate like effect.  Creepy!

But one child like her isn't enough.  Thanks to Ben's brief link with the Overlord master he knows they are afraid of the nascent rebellion.  With that there is renewed vigor to his capture.  There have been many solid themes to this seasons Falling Skies, family, home and the importance of children.  This was definitely a "child" episode.  One minor case  in point were the heroic actions of Matt Mason.  No panic or infantile mewling this time.  He took charge of the situation with Anne and Lourdes and even was willing to sacrifice himself and gave up his weapon.  Impressive.  Speaking of Lourdes, despite her adult responsibilities, I still count her as one of the children.  She learned a cruel and bitter lesson about love and war.  Her demeanor thereafter was dark and broken much like her newly wounded heart.  A laceration a child should carry forever.

Let's get back to Ben.  He was duped (seduced) by Karen but in that short lived relationship he (and we as the viewing audience) learned two important facts.  The Overlords have a "task" before them and they will eventually move on.  Secondly, the Overlords attack populations that they perceive as at war with each other.  Karen divulged this through her parroting of the Overlords taunts.  The planets they attack are always divided and weakened by historical/tribal feuds.  I think its safe to extrapolate from this that the Overlords target planets in a weakened state.  I take from this they aren't as powerful as they seem and may well be very few in number.  Hence they need for children to increase their number even if it is in the form of slave labor.  My hope is that this is linked to my original theory that the Overlords are on the run from something bigger and badder than they and need to accomplish the "task" at hand and move on quickly.

So what is this task?  The secret of the Universe of course and the miracle nature of sub-atomic particles!  (Too bad for Falling Skies we discovered the Higgs Bosun in the real world.) Another telling gem provided by Karen.  Let's hope we get more information into the useful nature of these sub-atomic particles.  I have a suspicion they have something to do with altering time.  Whatever the Overlords are guilty of they want to flee from it's protectors.  Hopefully, the Galactic police are after them and they need these particles to escape their prosecutors.  Not that the Overlords harbor any remorse for their crimes, they are just looking for the ultimate getaway.  Time.

In closing, did anyone else get a Battlestar Galactica vibe at the end of this episode?  Especially after Lourdes bitter outlook for the future.  What happens if Charleston is a smoldering cinder much like the first Earth the Humans and Cylons discovered near the end of that SyFy series? (Spoiler alert!)  Things did not bode well despite the 2nd Mass getting away. (Did anyone else yell "Shoot him" at Tom when he had the Overlord at gunpoint and Ben was being tortured?).


Oh yes, Ben.  He's gone and he had to go.  This will breathe life into the rebellion storyline and we should learn more about the Skitters and their past. But I still can't get Lourdes recriminations out of my head.  Her loss of hope was harsh and acrid. 

Is there no hope for the future?