Falling Skies 1.1 "Pilot" Discussion/Review/Comment **SPOILERS**

[highlander]

After an alien invasion, survivors must rise up and fight to save humanity. -YahooTV

OK so tonight is the night, some new sci-fi and Spielberg is behind it! I thought I would start and episode specific thread for us to praise, gripe or whatever comes up. Also what would this be without a poll.

 

[Sephiroth]

no DVR what time does it start?

 

[highlander]

9 pm on TNT. It's a two hour premiere.

 

[Saga]

looking forward to this. i've been needing a sci fi fix since V and SGU got canned.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

My DVR lists it as ending several minutes before 11, but I don't trust it, so I set it with some padding. Just a heads-up in case anyone else wants to be paranoid about not missing what no doubt will be some zinger at the very end. (I still have horrible memories of the DVR pooping out 1 minute before the end of Lost).

Some reviews, for warm-up. The overall message is that while the pilot episode is fairly unambitious alien-invasion fodder (which I expected the whole series to be, nothing wrong with a nice us-vs-them kick-alien-butt-fest), the series gets more ambitious as it goes, becoming comparable with the stellar The Walking Dead.

The Futon Critic.

I can certainly see someone tuning into the debut and potentially walking away unimpressed as it's pretty boilerplate alien invasion stuff. That being said, hang in there and you'll quickly find it's a fantastic series.

LA Times.

There have been many films and television shows based on this scenario, on the universal desire to prove that humans, soft and increasingly teched-out, can still best the elements and a common enemy if push comes to shove. But none has captured the sweet and thrilling adrenalin rush of summer like TNT's new series "Falling Skies."

The Hollywood Reporter.

Spielberg and company don’t have to recreate War of the Worlds for us to know what happened. Falling Skies shares a number of welcome similarities to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, in that both series have a tone that each character understands and both series accomplish a lot for what is likely a fraction of what Terra Nova is spending. This more granular approach to the apocalypse favors sharp writing and nuance.

HitFix's Flaming Chicken Review.

But it turns out that "Falling Skies" is that rare time where the chicken tastes as good as it looks. It's a sci-fi series with a heavy focus on character and story (but also with good action when it's called for), and a Spielberg TV show where you can see his fingerprints in the work.

i've been needing a sci fi fix since V and SGU got canned.

I've been needing a GOOD sci fi fix since before they debuted! Zombies only sorta count...

 

[Procutus]

I'm hoping for another 'Fringe' as far as an engaging series goes. Having Noah Wylie as the lead is one of the big draws on this show for me.

See you all in about an hour.

 

[Saga]

I've been needing a GOOD sci fi fix since before they debuted! Zombies only sorta count...

well...yeah, lol. V was a guilty pleasure. i thought SGU improved a great deal with its second season though.

 

[Procutus]

i thought SGU improved a great deal with its second season though.

Indeed. The show took the Stargate concept to a new level, making it far more dramatic and 'real' than the first two series... Both of which I greatly enjoyed.

It's a damn shame that the fate of Destiny's crew is up in the air.

 

[Klaus]

I'm actually home for this, looking forward to watching it...

 

[Alex1939]

Hope it's good, gut feeling says it will suck.

 

[highlander]

5 min warning!!! Time to lock and load!

 

[Procutus]

Invasion time!

 

[Procutus]

They are ugly suckers, aren't they?

 

[highlander]

So far pretty cool. 200 civilians is a big group to protect.

 

[highlander]

Professor kick-ass nice.

 

[Klaus]

OK, I've already lost respect for Dr. Kick-ass with that book choice.

 

[highlander]

No doubt 20,000 Leagues is way better.

 

[Procutus]

It'll be interesting to see as the series progresses if they chose to do any flashbacks to the actual invasion itself and the characters' initial reaction to their arrival.

 

[Procutus]

Klaus, have you heard anything new regarding the UFO movie? I haven't found anything online to indicate that it's moved into actual production; sadly, it seems dead in the water.

 

[Klaus]

No, I haven't either...