CATCHING UP: Falling Skies (Season One, Episode Five – “Silent Kill”)

First Aired July 10th, 2011.

After waiting for half the season, the mission to rescue Ben (played by Connor Jessup) is finally underway! Shockingly, with all the talk of getting him nobody took the time to think of a plan. Luckily big brother Hal (Drew Roy) manages to come up with a pretty smart idea.

Since the hospital where Ben is being kept is full of other harnessed kids, Hal figures they won’t notice one more and straps a deactivated harness to his back. It’s a smart plan but it’s hard to believe the Skitters don’t notice that his is the only one that isn’t lit up. When we get to the room where Ben and a group of kids are being put down for their naps, there’s a Skitter in there mothering them, curling up beside them and caressing their heads. That’s very sweet but since they are a violent alien species the group swiftly kills Mama Skitter and takes the kids.

With the rescue of Ben out of the way, Falling Skies can finally explore other plots for the rest of the season. However, on a show where half the main cast is underdeveloped, the last thing it needs is to add another character to the mix. Since Ben is the son of the lead, there’s a good chance he’ll see lots of screen time. This could be to the rest of the cast’s detriment, but we’ll see.

Meanwhile Dr. Harris (Steven Weber), the man who specializes in de-harnessing kids, is killed by their Skitter prisoner. As a character, there is no loss, since he was an insufferable jerk viewers couldn’t wait to see killed, and there’s no loss regarding the harness surgery since the super awesome Anne (Moon Bloodgood) is on hand. She proves just how badass she is by taking on the captured Skitter to be sure its mouth can be used as a weakness.

This is another great episode for Anne that solidifies why she is the female lead. Particularly moving is the scene where she angrily cries about not having photographs of her lost family while covered in Skitter blood. While others in the 2^nd Mass. put up photos of lost and dead children, she has nothing but memories to hold on to during the war.

Going back to the issue of character development, Falling Skies has made improvements, one being Maggie (Sarah Carter), the girl who betrayed the old group Pope (John Cunningham) was in. Her initial hardened attitude toward people is revealed as existing because of a long battle with cancer before the invasion. This not only gives us great insight into her as a character but allows her to integrate further into the group by acting as a guide since she knows the hospital layout.

Of course, there is still progress to be made. There’s a minor subplot where Captain Weaver (Will Patton) is angry when he hears the song “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff. Eventually, he’s able to listen to it while silently crying, but we aren’t given the payoff of knowing why the song has this effect on him.

Quotes/Thoughts

Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel) was finally contributing by helping Anne in the infirmary. It’s about time she traded in her rosary for a stethoscope.

“Don’t get your blood pressure up. It’s not good for the baby.” What’s not good for my baby is sharing my home with a killer alien from outer space.”

Anne is the deadliest woman in the world with a scalpel.

“I don’t know what’s crazy anymore. We’re fighting aliens from outer space.”

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