Falling Skies 1.1 "Pilot" Discussion/Review/Comment **SPOILERS**
- Thread starter highlander
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Something I didn't really think about until I was just watching ESPN and saw Red Sox highlights and it made me think of the Professor using the Red Sox comeback (down 3 games to 0 against the Yankees in '04 ALCS)
None of the people in this show sound like they're from Boston or just outside Boston. I think I heard a token 'wicked' from one of the gang members, but that was about it as to localize it.
Guess that's pretty par for the course with TV in order to try and maximize eyeballs don't want to turn off someone who doesn't like hearing a regional type accent.
None of the people in this show sound like they're from Boston or just outside Boston. I think I heard a token 'wicked' from one of the gang members, but that was about it as to localize it.
Guess that's pretty par for the course with TV in order to try and maximize eyeballs don't want to turn off someone who doesn't like hearing a regional type accent.
Just as an FYI, I read an interview with Mark Varheiden (I think I spelled that right) and he said we aren't going to be getting alot of information. We will follow along as the characters start to figure stuff out, but he said that there aren't going to be any scenes where an alien sits down and explains everything.
I think it's too early for me to say "I loved it," since this is all set-up, of course. But I really liked this episode and it's made me eager to see more. I love Noah, and he's at his earnest best here. This could have a great deal of potential.
I watched the second hour and part of the first. I thought the second hour wasn't bad. I think the outlaw gang was well done, and they exuded menace, even in a PG-13 way. I sort of suspected that the gang leader would become a member of the resistance, not sure how I feel about that. I guess he's supposed to become the rougish anti-hero we are supposed to think is cool or badass, but I was hoping someone would put a bullet in his head.
As for the rest of the cast, Moon Bloodgood is always good to look at. Noah Wylie was okay, but Will Patton I could take or leave as the military man. Maybe if he played another character. The characters were okay, nothing too special from what I could tell.
I liked the look of the aliens and the mecha suits. The show immediately put me in the mind of Terminator and V, but like a previous poster said, Falling Skies story was more focused than V's.
As for the rest of the cast, Moon Bloodgood is always good to look at. Noah Wylie was okay, but Will Patton I could take or leave as the military man. Maybe if he played another character. The characters were okay, nothing too special from what I could tell.
I liked the look of the aliens and the mecha suits. The show immediately put me in the mind of Terminator and V, but like a previous poster said, Falling Skies story was more focused than V's.
Battle:LA was just stereotypical slugfest and nothing special and BSG went off the rails somewhere season 2/3 so i don't believe they are fair comparisons.
I like the concept of the series.. the aftermath of an alien invasion and how people cope for the first few months (i think the invasion was about 6-9 months before). However it left me a bit cold so to speak.. so far no attachment to any of the characters and they all are some kind of character stereotype.
It's also not fair to judge a series by its first two episodes so i'll watch on.. as i gatheres the season has 10 episodes so i figure story development will be tight without useless filler episodes.
One nitpick though.. my god did the aliens act dumb! There are 300 people closely packed wandering through the countryside in the open at day and no one cares? If they are that much into genocide these target invitiations should be like practice shooting yet nothing happens (our military today would have immediately shelled/bombed such a group when they discover it).
The same applies to the shootout in the warehouse.. that alien walker has Noah Wyle in his sights, all he has to do is pull the trigger and kill him and he gets distracted by a few bullet impacts which apparently don't do much if any damage and he turns around and chases the shooter!
Final insult would be the finale when the alien bomber hits those rednecks.. was the pilot/controller asleep at the stick? Scan the area and drop a few more on all those people around the impact site and especially that vehicle with the 50 cal on it!
Sorry to nitpick but this was really dumb and i hope there's a reason for all that other than dumb writing.
Being a New Englander and a Sox fan that occurred to me early on... it sure as hell didn't SOUND like Massachusetts!
Not necissarily. They could have an arc layed out, but they may not want to count on being able to have X episodes to tell it it; (ie it TNT decides to pull the plug quick - they can condense it at that point and get a could "TV movie" type setups that they can shop to cable outlets down the line.
It may be me - but I kind of like NOT knowing more than the characters with a situation like this. What I don't get is: Since they do have a doctor of sorts; why not take on of the 'Skitter' corpses an see what they can find out?
(As for the bipedal mechs - I think perhaps they're using the 'harnessed' human kids as pilots/control interface, etc. If that's the case, and it gets out that's what's piloting the mechs, could prove interesting.)
^The problem isn't about us "not knowing more than the characters", it's about the writers not knowing.
Now you know how I feel as a floridian watching The Glades.
Now you know how I feel as a floridian watching The Glades.
I agree, Varheiden never said he didn't know, just that the viewers would find out along with the characters. It's an artistic choice that I agree with. It puts the viewers into the minds of the characters.
Overall I liked the episode. My one complaint is why does every post-apocalyptic show have to have the human gang that picks off other humans. At least on Survivors the gang turned out to be defending a nursing home. Here they were just cliche'd thugs.
Loved it! Everything I hoped for and more. 
Noah Wylie is a terrific lead. Love the nerdy way he insists that their little alien invasion problem can be solved if they just study history a bit harder. Slight problem with Spielbergian sentimentality, but I can deal with it.
Yeah, it's almost too obvious, I'm halfway hoping that's not the answer. But if it is, it's possible that the aliens in the Mechs are foes of the skitters (perhaps the two species are fighting an interstellar conflict?) and can actually become characters in the story as allies. Perhaps the reason the skitters came to Earth is that they're searching for other aliens who are similar to the Mech aliens and humans fill the bill. Maybe the supply of Mech aliens is dwindling - are the skitters losing their war, or expanding so quickly that they can't keep up with prisoners/slave labor from their current source?
And that brings up the possibility that the story could move into space, if the Mech aliens have their own fleet and space faring civiliation. That would be incredible! And if the show goes on for years, they'll need to expand the story beyond grubby guerilla fighting eventually. There's really no reasonable expectation that non-space-faring humanity can win this fight, but if we get some ET allies, that's a game changer.
No kidding! Good thing I DVRed it anyway.
They need to give the Will Patton character more dimensionality and the hicks, while annoying, did give us Maj Davis chewing the scenery. That was funny in comparison with his tight-ass Stargate role.
Because it's shot in Toronto and most of the major actors are from Hollywood. Probably not an authentic Bostonian in the bunch. Shows that are shot places other than where they're taking place kinda irk me, too, especially when (as is the case here) they are using the location as part of the story.
Hurray! I hate shows that feel the need to spoon-feed the audience everything. It forges more of a connection with the audience when we're learning along with the clueless characters.
Noah Wylie is a terrific lead. Love the nerdy way he insists that their little alien invasion problem can be solved if they just study history a bit harder. Slight problem with Spielbergian sentimentality, but I can deal with it.Yeah, it's almost too obvious, I'm halfway hoping that's not the answer. But if it is, it's possible that the aliens in the Mechs are foes of the skitters (perhaps the two species are fighting an interstellar conflict?) and can actually become characters in the story as allies. Perhaps the reason the skitters came to Earth is that they're searching for other aliens who are similar to the Mech aliens and humans fill the bill. Maybe the supply of Mech aliens is dwindling - are the skitters losing their war, or expanding so quickly that they can't keep up with prisoners/slave labor from their current source?
And that brings up the possibility that the story could move into space, if the Mech aliens have their own fleet and space faring civiliation. That would be incredible! And if the show goes on for years, they'll need to expand the story beyond grubby guerilla fighting eventually. There's really no reasonable expectation that non-space-faring humanity can win this fight, but if we get some ET allies, that's a game changer.
No kidding!
Good thing I DVRed it anyway.They need to give the Will Patton character more dimensionality and the hicks, while annoying, did give us Maj Davis chewing the scenery. That was funny in comparison with his tight-ass Stargate role.
Because it's shot in Toronto and most of the major actors are from Hollywood. Probably not an authentic Bostonian in the bunch. Shows that are shot places other than where they're taking place kinda irk me, too, especially when (as is the case here) they are using the location as part of the story.
Hurray! I hate shows that feel the need to spoon-feed the audience everything. It forges more of a connection with the audience when we're learning along with the clueless characters.
I really liked it. It wasn't anything absolutely amazing, but it was very enjoyable and I will gladly look forward to more episodes.
As for the whole Skitters/Mechs stuff, I'm thinking that if the Mech aliens are not the Skitters, then the Skitters are probably another slave race. And I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually allied with the Resistance in an attempt to get free of the Mech aliens.
As for the whole Skitters/Mechs stuff, I'm thinking that if the Mech aliens are not the Skitters, then the Skitters are probably another slave race. And I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually allied with the Resistance in an attempt to get free of the Mech aliens.