Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS**

[marillion]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Sorry to hear about the fires in NM!

Did I miss the actual invasion, or did they really just start the show post-invasion?

They skipped the actual invasion and started the story afterwards with the few survivors - I read an interview where they gave the rationale - we've already seen alien invasions before on a movie budget and a TV budget would inevitably be a letdown. I think they made the right call.

Thanks... The town of Los Alamos (where the bomb was born) has been evacuated.. The saving grace of the Cerro Grande Fire from 2000, which burned through the community, is that as the fire approaches the town, it's slowing down a bit due to the lack of big timber to burn.. The pictures from the local TV stations are pretty incredible.

The fire now has an incident management team taking charge, so I don't get to go to it.. I'm handling media and public calls from the office, directing them to information sites and such..

Anyone interested in getting more details can go to

New Mexico Fire Information or Inciweb.org

 

[Angel4576]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Not all bad news about the numbers though;

TNT’s epic drama Falling Skies proved itself destination programming by growing 23% out of its Leverage lead-in, with 4,200,000 viewers. Among key adult demos, the episode averaged 1,932,000 adults 18-49 and 2,187,000 adults 25-54. Falling Skies performed especially well among young adults, with 734,000 adults 18-34, and male demos, with 1,174,000 men 18-49. In the wake of last week’s two-hour television event, Falling Skies is expected to settle in over the next couple of weeks as the series finds its regular fan base.

TNT’s strategy for Falling Skies began with attracting a very wide audience for the two-hour series premiere, a major television event that ranks as cable’s #1 series launch for the year-to-date. That strategy paid off, according to early time-shifted viewing data, which now includes VOD measurement. In Live + 3 delivery, the series premiere of Falling Skies grew its audience to more than 7.5 million viewers (+27% over Live + Same Day), 3.6 million adults 18-49 (+35% vs. L+SD) and 4.2 million adults 25-54 (+30% vs. L+SD). In addition, Falling Skies’ delivery of adults 18-34 grew an exceptional 53% to 1.2 million, while men 18-49 grew 37% to 2.1 million.

If it levels off next week it'll be fine.

 

[KJbushway]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Can't say as of now that I would be to sad(like SGU) if this show died at one season.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Okay, I'm betting that the spinal harness grow into the mechs, with the kids inside.

As for the scrap metal, that's a little weird. Maybe there's a major recession on Homeworld and they're all just scavengers out to make a little cash. Or maybe there is no Homeworld and they're just refugees from some apocalypse; they shot their wad pacifying the planet and now they're just trying to build up their resources.

 

[SG-17]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Okay, I'm betting that the spinal harness grow into the mechs, with the kids inside.

As for the scrap metal, that's a little weird. Maybe there's a major recession on Homeworld and they're all just scavengers out to make a little cash. Or maybe there is no Homeworld and they're just refugees from some apocalypse; they shot their wad pacifying the planet and now they're just trying to build up their resources.

Maybe they need the scrap metal to use as raw matter to allow the harnesses to grow?


I have a feeling that the Skitters aren't aliens. At least not traditional aliens. I already stated my first theory that they are doing their own Terra Nova, coming back in time to colonize a clean(er) Earth.

I have two more:
They are basically the Voth who have come back to Earth to find smelly apes living on their home. Maybe they left during a great extinction (maybe they caused it?)? I'm thinking the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event.
The second is that they are from another reality like the Kromags from Sliders.

 

[Gepard]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

As for the scrap metal, that's a little weird.

I think the idea is, we've already done all the mining and refining for them. They are building huge airbase things over all the major cities (for whatever reason), and I imagine it's far easier to tear up existing structures and melt them down than it is to open a mine and dig it all out of the ground.

Spoiler: Very minor spoilers.

The CG model of the alien airbase we saw in the first episode has portions crafted to look built out of shredded scrap metal, so this seems like the intent.

 

[Alex1939]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

If about the biggest compliment this show is getting is for the aliens killing the kids a la nazi's, that's terrible.

And I'm sorry, but going to the trouble to do this harness thing on kids to salvage scrap metal is just stupid. They got a couple mechs guarding the kids, surely the mechs can just scoop metal into a pile. Pretty pathetic.


I'll reiterate my complaint that there are too many kids and too much dad/son angst.

 

[KJbushway]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Yeah but Adults and kids would be better suited for harnesses. Its not like the adults can escape the harness, they are under the control.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

But using adult slave labour to keep the mines open for a few months, or even "paying" for resources with perhaps advanced medical technology so that humans could hand over a couple million tonnes of everything.

I'm thinking of an invasion chain letter here.

They're building a fleet.

All the humans leave as dog soldiers with skitters as their commanders and the
the mechs get Earth to rule in the name of some far away empire.

ON the thousands of next worlds all the ships leaving earth land on, the skitters are in charge and humans fight, but the new slaves on these new worlds will be the new slaves of man and the skitters wwill be left those worlds and man gets the next worlds to rule in the name of some far away empire.

Or...

Have you seen "A bridge too far"?

The motherships might not be coming back.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Yeah but Adults and kids would be better suited for harnesses. Its not like the adults can escape the harness, they are under the control.

The roots can dig in easier if the body they're infesting are growing towards and around the harness as much as the harness is growing into the subject.

Adults would require a shit load more drugs too.

Perhaps more drugs than a harness can generate.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

As for the Weber-Wylie confrontation, something about it bugged me: Tom says he found his dead wife still holding her end of a bag of supplies too heavy for her to lift. So what had to have happened is this:

1. Aliens attack out of the blue and kill the wife immediatedly (otherwise she would have dropped the bag and run for cover, right?)

2. Doc drops his end of the bag and runs for cover.

Soooo...what's Tom's problem?

 

[KJbushway]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

I think it was their attempt at giving us a look deeper into the characters or storyline.

 

[arch101]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Well, I liked Ep 2 better than the pilot, so IMHO, they're moving in the right direction.
I can't imagine why the Martians (my nickname) are using manual labor to clear the scrap. It's almost like they're just trying to keep the kids busy or exercised. Maybe to lure out resistance?
I wouldn't have minded seeing the attack. There's a few buildings around here I'd LIKE to see blown up. (we're stuck with a Mayor that won't let anything get built here in Beantown)
I didn't even notice the "small world syndrome" as, even in real life, Boston is a universal hub of "small world syndrome".
So far, so good. I wouldn't mind an earlier air time though.

 

[bullethead]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Well, this show is pretty meh so far. Pope is the single most likable character, with the Professor as a close second, and everyone else is pretty meaningless. The plot is kinda interesting, but things need to pick up with regard to the aliens and they need to establish the characters before setting up really character focused conflicts.

 

[KJbushway]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Pope is the leader of the bad guys right? With his name I just get confused.

 

[bullethead]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

Pope is the leader of the bad guys right? With his name I just get confused.

Yeah, he was the guy trying to get into the cooking job in this episode.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

I think it was their attempt at giving us a look deeper into the characters or storyline.

Yep, but they could have concocted a better story. It wouldn't take much to figure out some evidence that would have pointed clearly towards the Doc as a jackass who could have saved the wife but didn't. What they came up with makes it look like running for the hills was the only sensible option (and why didn't Doc defend himself from Tom's accusations better?) Maybe there's more to the story than meets the eye, but I suspect it's just a case of sloppy writing and we'll never hear about it again.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

As for the scrap metal, that's a little weird.

I think the idea is, we've already done all the mining and refining for them. They are building huge airbase things over all the major cities (for whatever reason), and I imagine it's far easier to tear up existing structures and melt them down than it is to open a mine and dig it all out of the ground.

Spoiler: Very minor spoilers.

The CG model of the alien airbase we saw in the first episode has portions crafted to look built out of shredded scrap metal, so this seems like the intent.

That makes sense. It still makes it seem like they're low on resources if they're building their stuff out of junk, though.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

The humans don't think that these platforms are for the ships to land on.

Or even launch from.

They could be for something else entirely.

They look like mining derricks a little.

That might mean that they're planning on on drilling?

The Daleks in the 60s drilled to the Earths core to transform the planet into a mobile battlestation.

I think the Decepticons tried the same thing in the 80s.

And the Cyborg Superman when he destroyed Coast City in the 90s during the Reign of the Supermen.

Then there was secret underpinning the Cobra Terror Dromes which you only finally found out about after reading the comics for ten years... Cobra was selling gun stations to all the tin pot little angry countries which were also broadcasting mentalifying rage enduing radio transmissions fomenting wars faster to last longer.

The Skitter in the cage can mentally control that kid.

We saw that.

They can control humans through a machine interface.

Whether the skitters have natural abilities (ie, why they can't all be encased in mech armour. Tinfoil hats stop telepathy, so imagine what 2 inches of metal armour plating will do?) or they have cybernetic implants to mark their end of the leash.

But if they can control humans in close proximity with small personal devices, imagine what one of those derricks can do to subvert the will of what remains of man if what those things really are, is a series of giant antennae?

Oh.

The final moments of V.

Mankind all plugged into Anna's bliss.

After V and Stargate the landing platform idea is too simple.

 

[Kirby]

Re: Falling Skies 1.2 "Prisoner of War" discussion/comments **SPOILERS

I gave it 4 stars. It's a fun hour, it has it's flaws, but overall I enjoy it. Steven Weber's character is due for a horrific death at some point soon.

I suspect that the harnesses actually turn the kids into skitters, which is their way of growing their population. I hope this is the case, because the zombie scrap metal gathers is just lame if that's all they do.

I loved the fx on the fight between Noah Wylie and the skitter, and I really enjoyed Pope's cooking tip; I've had a lot of problems drying out chicken breasts on the grill, so I'm going to try poaching them first.