Falling Skies Episode 205
“Love and Other Acts of Courage”
Written By: Joe Weisberg
Directed By: John Dahl
Original Airdate: 8 July 2012
In This Episode...
A large explosion some distance from the 2nd Mass draws everyone’s attention. Tom, Weaver, and their crew go investigate while the camp prepares to roll out. They discover a blast zone that is filled with dead skitters - some in armor, some not - that have clearly been killed by mechs. There are no humans around, save for one: Rick, buried beneath a dead skitter. They bring Rick back to the camp for medical attention. When he wakes, he insists that he can show Tom where Ben was. So Tom and Weaver follow him through the burned-out city, into a building. Ben is there, hiding around a corner. Both Ben and Rick talk as though there is a third person in their party. A skitter reveals itself to Tom - this is the skitter that he saw on the spaceship, the one that could have killed him, but didn’t. The kids desperately want Tom to help their skitter friend. After some convincing on Tom’s part - and a lot of convincing on Weaver’s part - they take the skitter as a hostage. Tom believes that if this skitter was on the spaceship, he must be close to the leaders and therefore might have useful information.
At camp, the skitter wants to talk to Tom alone (well, through Rick). He tells Tom that he is part of the alien resistance. The overlords had invaded another planet a century ago, and like they are doing to humans, the aliens were harnessing the children of that race and enslaving them. This skitter claims that some were able to resist the brain washing effects of the harness, and tried to revolt against their overlords. They have not been successful, but believe that if the skitter resistance group joins forces with the humans, they can take down the alien race. Needless to say, everyone is suspicious. No one wants to trust the skitter, least of all Weaver, who is ready to shoot it. The skitter says that a death squad will be on their way to kill it, and all of 2nd Mass. Weaver believes that the skitter just led the death squad there. Tom is doubtful, but he doesn’t want Weaver to kill it, not yet. The skitter escapes its cage, and Weaver starts shooting. He misses the alien, and instead hits Rick. With his dying breath, he begs Ben to make Tom believe them. With mechs on their way, 2nd Mass rolls out, and holes up inside a relatively unscathed hospital, loaded with supplies, real beds, clean sheets, and a working generator.
Also: Hal and Maggie get close... very close. Hal finally gets the balls to kiss her, and Maggie pulls away, obviously worried about becoming attached. She later relents a little when she is injured escaping from the death squad, and Hal turns back to rescue her. Ben reveals a secret to Matt, that he has to go away for awhile, but he doesn’t know when. “Is it because of the skitter?” Matt asks. “Something like that.” And Anne and Tom finally go to bed together.
Dig It or Bury It?
I like that we now have a faction of skitters that are also trying to rebel. It adds a nice moral gray area to the proceedings. Most alien invasion tales are pretty clear cut: it is us versus them. But now, how do you know which skitter is on your side? How do you know if any are on your side? It’s a good place to take the story, and certainly better than this stupid will-they-or-won’t-they romance crap between Hal and Maggie. Look, we get it, you don’t want to get attached, but seriously, what else is there to do? At least get laid.
Prophecies?
De-harnessed bodies are discovered, and Weaver’s infected skitter bite grows much worse.