CATCHING UP: Falling Skies (Season One, Episode Eight – “What Hides Beneath”)

First aired July 31st, 2011.

This latest episode of Falling Skies was packed with both storyline and character progression. There was so much new information it was almost overwhelming.

The Resistance has decided to blow up the giant alien structure in Boston, so Tom (played by Noah Wyle), Hal (Drew Roy) and Weaver (Will Patton) scout ahead. While there, the group sees that the Skitters are actually commanded by a mysterious new silver alien. Before heading back, they encounter a crazed woman living in the city who has become a spy for the Skitters, delivering any people she meets. She gets her supplies from none other than Karen (Jessy Schram), Hal’s old girlfriend who, since becoming harnessed, has become an alien delivery girl.

Revealing that the Skitters aren’t behind the invasion changes the entire scope of the show. After spending months learning about one enemy, the humans have a new one to learn how to kill. The other obvious question is where the Skitters come from and how the silver aliens can control them, since they are so obviously different, which is answered almost immediately.

While giving Ben (Connor Jessup) a checkup, Anne (Moon Bloodgood) sees that the skin around his spikes is impenetrable. With the help of Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel), she performs an autopsy on the Skitter she killed to get some answers. They hit the jackpot when the autopsy shows the Skitter was wearing a harness. Turns out these new silver aliens don’t just command Skitters, they control them.

Skitters turning out to be harnessed slaves is another big reveal that changes the dynamic of the show. The silver aliens must have traveled to many planets to create their vast army of Skitters. There’s also a ticking clock on any missions to save harnessed children since they are in the process of mutating into Skitters. Ben might have had his removed but his advanced abilities could mean he is just changing at a slower pace.

Character-wise this was a huge episode for Weaver, who at the beginning of the episode was plagued by nightmares. Tom finds him in his old home drinking whiskey and reliving the loss of his family. Weaver had been separated from his wife at the time, and she and his eldest daughter were hiding in a home that was demolished and are presumed dead. He found his younger daughter with a harness and she died when he tried to remove it.

It was great to get such detailed insight into Weaver’s previous life and how he lost his loved ones. Now his no-nonsense demeanor makes much more sense, given what he’s been through. And watching him become so depressed that he goes to the brink of suicide and back was gripping to see. Learning so much about Weaver makes him more interesting as a character and makes viewers more invested in his ultimate fate.

Overall, this episode does a great job of setting the stage for the two-part season finale. Pope (Colin Cunningham) even manages to level the playing field by making bullets out of the metal from the Skitters’ Mechs. Hopefully, with all of this buildup, there will be a satisfying conclusion.

Quotes/Thoughts

“Isn’t he the ex-con that fired on your unit?” “That is so three weeks ago.”

The silver aliens remind me of the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

“It’s not spacemen that bother me, it’s the human trash tearing up this city, stealing everything that’s not nailed down!”

I wonder if the aliens invaded planets like Mars.

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