Falling Skies - Season 2- discussion/Spoilers

[RJDiogenes]

Well, as I've said before, believability has nothing to do with the appeal of the show. It's not believable at all. It's an Irwin Allen show for the 21st century. I watch because I like the characters, the actors and the situation. For me, just the business with the kid writing out his will is enough to make this a good episode of Falling Skies. Same with the character and relationship development with Weaver and Tector.

The sub-plot with the little girl and her brother was also interesting. It looks like she's mutating, which supports the theory that the skitters don't look quite like that in their normal state. Her brother appears to be farther along in the process. Presumably in the next couple of episodes we'll see more of these mutated Humans-- Human Skitters, I guess.

 

[stj]

...For me, just the business with the kid writing out his will is enough to make this a good episode of Falling Skies....

Well it wasn't enough for me. But it does deserve credit. That's the kind of good writing Falling Skies has delivered in the past. And hopefully will again.

 

[sojourner]

I'm curious what a nine year old with virtually no belongings and no one to give them to (considering if he dies most likely everyone else is dead too) puts in his will? Must have been more like a goodbye letter.

 

[Sindatur]

I'm curious what a nine year old with virtually no belongings and no one to give them to (considering if he dies most likely everyone else is dead too) puts in his will? Must have been more like a goodbye letter.

Well, he got a skateboard for his birthday early on, and The Harry Potter novel. For a kid that age (or even possibly someone older) those would be real treasures in a Post Appocalyptic environment. Plus he's got his clothes and whatever other small personal items, and did they give him a gun a few weeks? So, yea, I'm thinking those would be the kinds of things he would put in his Will.

I thought this episode, while the pace was slowed down, was pretty good as a character building "Calm Before the Storm" episode. Although it could be creative editing, the Previews said something like "Things are not what they seem" and they seemed to suggest that maybe Charleston is one of the Reservations The Fish Head spoke to Mason about.

I figured Maggie's secret was that she used to be a Prostitute, the way Pope always treats her like one, that seems to be the only thing that could really turn Hal away from her (other than Merciless murderer or preying on helpless old or handicapped people). I would think any other criminal activity would automatically be written off as no longer important in this new world (The Prostitute part only being an issue to Hal's pride, that he would of course get over quickly if he really cares for her)

I think the reason for showing the harnessed girl (ad her brother) was precisely to work in showing the audience the mutation starting to take over.

Next week is a double dose, right? Season Finale with episode 9 and 10 back to back?

 

[DarthTom]

I figured Maggie's secret was that she used to be a Prostitute, the way Pope always treats her like one, that seems to be the only thing that could really turn Hal away from her (other than Merciless murderer or preying on helpless old or handicapped people). I would think any other criminal activity would automatically be written off as no longer important in this new world (The Prostitute part only being an issue to Hal's pride, that he would of course get over quickly if he really cares for her)

I found Hal's reaction to her secret to be absurd. They are living in a post apocalyptic world where presumably billions of people were killed, - a world where children are harnessed to aliens - and in a world where society as they know it has disintegrated to virtual chaos and Hal has to "think about it," because Maggie has a kid and did drugs in her past?

I dunno, but his reaction seemed odd - at least from a logical point of view.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Hal seems to have led a sheltered life. He probably never met anyone who was sent to Framingham before.

 

[arch101]

I have forgotten how Maggie came to know Pope and his gang. Seems reasonable that they met at the Fenway halfway house on Park Drive while on probation? They did say Pope had been in/out of jail too, right?

 

[stj]

As to whether Hal's reaction is unrealistic, I think it depends on how long it takes to think it over. The part about billions of people being dead puts a premium on survivors, period. If it takes Hal more than a few hours of serious thinking to remember this, there's something wrong with him. The old "more fish in the sea" BS doesn't hold when there aren't necessarily any more.

What I found just a shade off was Maggie being so eager to dump Hal if he didn't enthusiastically receive the news. Is she looking for an excuse? She was supposed to be sophisticated and toughminded, she didn't think it might him take a few minutes to think straight?

 

[Caliburn24]

Frankly the whole back and forth of the Hal/Margaret relationship has been some of the poorest and stupidest writing of the second season. He liked her, but she didn't like him, but then she liked him but couldn't be with him, then she had a secret past so he can't like her anymore. Hopefully one or both of them die before the season is over, it is just too WB/CWish for this show. Purely drama for the sake of drama. It is especially noticeable because the show has gotten better at those sorts of character beats with almost everyone else(minus the idiotic Pope) on the show. Tom/Doc, Weaver/anyone, even Ben and Matt have all been handled so much better this season than during the first season.

 

[backstept]

Lourdes is still as annoying as ever.

 

[FreezeC77]

Charleston being in ruins, but the society 'going by the previews' living underground as camoflauge is probably the smartest thing about this whole storyline. Ever since they brought up a city of refugees building up a new US capitol it sounded really dumb to me.

In the first few episodes they went to great details to talk about how the Skitters were more able to detect humans if they're in large numbers. They also kicked their asses and still out-gun them so to centralize everyone from the mid to east coast in one spot seems like setting up a buffet for the Skitters.

I still think it is pretty stupid, unless they've somehow added some new technology that someone besides Pope has developed in order to fight the aliens.

I'm guessing the way this season will end is that Charleston gets attacked by a large skitter force and the 2nd mass is trying to flee and about to get wiped up when Ben and the rebel skitters show up and bail them out. Then next season would be them and the rebel skitters expanding their army and initiating more attacks.

 

[Star Wolf]

I have forgotten how Maggie came to know Pope and his gang. Seems reasonable that they met at the Fenway halfway house on Park Drive while on probation? They did say Pope had been in/out of jail too, right?

Pope was established as the warrior king of his little suburb outside of Boston. Wearing skitter fangs as trophies of his victories and qualification of leadership. He freely admitted to being an ex-con, who was now a king in the new world. Maggie was also a survivor in his town and among the survivors there was a shortage of women so she was pressed into service as a comfort woman for the followers of Pope, killer of skitters. I think like the other non-Bostonians he had another name for them.

 

[FPAlpha]

Frankly the whole back and forth of the Hal/Margaret relationship has been some of the poorest and stupidest writing of the second season. He liked her, but she didn't like him, but then she liked him but couldn't be with him, then she had a secret past so he can't like her anymore. Hopefully one or both of them die before the season is over, it is just too WB/CWish for this show. Purely drama for the sake of drama. It is especially noticeable because the show has gotten better at those sorts of character beats with almost everyone else(minus the idiotic Pope) on the show. Tom/Doc, Weaver/anyone, even Ben and Matt have all been handled so much better this season than during the first season.

Agree.. i thought the big secret was something truly dealbreaking, like if she betrayed someone to the aliens or whatever but doing drugs, being a criminal and having a baby is suddenly something to think about forever?

Come on.. the Invasion would be kinda like wiping the slate clean. What was before is nearly unimportant.. for all intents and purposes you could be a murderer before but if you now guard my back and otherwise are a decent person i couldn't care less.

Weak episode. I hope they pick up before the season ends.

 

[backstept]

I got the feeling at the end that Hal had basically come to terms with Maggie's past and it wasn't a big deal to him. I think the next episode will expand on that. I think his need to think it over was mainly from the surprise of the random info dump. Hal didn't really know that she wasn't telling the whole story, so when she suddenly lays it all out there it would definitely be a surprise.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Yeah that's how I see it.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It's a good sign when a show can still be interesting even when it's essentially just the characters talking for an hour. This show has come a long way, nice to see.

Yeah, Hal's reaction was absurd. I was waiting for Maggie to confess to murdering someone. Being a drug addict and thief, who cares. It would come off more convincingly if the actor looked as young as his character is supposed to be, and his reaction is just naïveté.

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ My thoughts as well. Pickings are slim now that most of humanity is gone. Things that happened in the past should stay in the past in an environment like that. And let's just remove the whole personal relationship/romance aside and think tactically for a minute. They are both scouts, tasked with the extremely dangerous detail of going deep into potential enemy territory. They must be able to trust each other implicitly at all times, or people could die. Not just them, but the greater 2nd Mass as well. Pope will always be a lone wolf, and that's just the way it is. Everyone expects it. If he comes along for the ride, at least you know where he stands. Maggie and Hal, however, have a deeper connection. Hal's immature equivocation at her voluntary admission and subsequent vulnerability explicitly damages unit cohesion and has the great potential of causing problems in the future.

Yeah, it was an "eh" episode for me too and I found the green screen in the vehicles to be really distracting on many visual levels. Hard edges with bad masking and a sickly green tinge really put me off on a lot of scenes. Hoping next week will be better.

 

[FreezeC77]

It's a good sign when a show can still be interesting even when it's essentially just the characters talking for an hour. This show has come a long way, nice to see.

The stuff with Weaver and the sniper guy kind of annoyed me because I just view it as the writers trying to flesh out sniper guy a little bit more to try and make more of an impact when they kill him off.... since they are not going to kill off a real 'main' character.

I expect him to die staying behind to draw enemy fire/keep them busy while others escape at some point in the very near future.

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ Good possibility. He's a minor character with major baggage in need of contrived redemption. He will likely buy the farm in the finale.

 

[BigFoot]

Well I like Ryan Robbins, so I'm hoping he becomes a regular in season 3.