S04.E06: Door Number Three

[Meredith Quill]

Episode Synopsis:

After months apart, Tom finally reunites with his family and the 2nd Mass. But the joyous reunion is cut short as Lexi undergoes a health crisis tied to her hybrid DNA. The crisis pits family members against one another as they fight over how to deal with Lexi’s illness. Anne goes to great lengths to save her daughter.

[FormerMod-a1]

This episode seemed to amount to a whole lot of nothing.  It seemed drawn out even for set up.  

 

In other news, I am beyond ready for the Maggie character to leave the show.  The poor woman who plays her can't act her way out of a paper bag and it becomes more and more apparent with each scene she is in.  I like Lourdes better than her, I like Matt better than her, I like Lexi better than her. All her scenes make her scene partners look like acting geniuses in comparison.  And now Ben has a crush on her - whatever.  It's not like there's other women on the show for him to think about or talk to or anything.

[xaxat]

Hal would make an awful lawyer. Given the information he received from the Volm about their encounter with a hybrid, his closing argument was sooo weak.

 

The more Mason centric the show gets, the less I like it.                                                      

[I-Kare]

Welp, the only thing that saved this episode for me was Karen. She was my favorite part of the show and I always thought there was a lot more story left in her part. I always assumed Jessy had other projects and they had to write her out...does anyone know? 

 

Gotta say, this season is really losing me. I disliked last season and had hopes this season would bring it all back to my S1 and S2 love, but doesn't look like it's happening. There are so many character and storyline directions I just don't get. 

 

I know I'm supposed to care about Lexi, but when she was cocooned tonight, I just hoped she'd stay in there.

[Iamsweetdee]

I hope she comes out and kills all those idiots.

[thuganomics85]

Well, the good news is the gang is back together.  The bad news is that the plot they're all involved in is this fucking Lexi one.  TPTB have so got in their head that Lexi is awesome and I should be invested in her, but I ain't biting.  If anything, it's making me lose a lot of goodwill for this show.  It never was "great", but I thought it was competent enough.  Now, I"m looking at it the same way I looked at shows like Revolution and Terra Nova.  That is not a good thing.

 

Really, I just hate how it's making me dislike almost everyone.  Anne is continuing to be impulsive and idiotic, Tom is becoming a sanctimonious prick, Hal tries to step up, but folds like a cheap chair, Maggie is wishy-washy, Ben has suddenly forgotten all the crazy shit that's been going on, Pope is back to "shoot first, ask question's later", Lourdes is Lourdes, and Weaver's just backing whatever Tom says at this point.  I remember when they use to disagree with each other, but in a respectful way.  But, I guess everyone is on the same page when an almighty Mason is involved.  I think the only person I didn't dislike tonight was Dr. Kadar.  But it felt like most of the characters either went towards the "Kill Lexi!" or "Lex is fine!!" direction, and anyone who tried to have a realistic, middle ground about it, got shut down, and had to comply.  Ridiculous.

 

Well, at least it's only 10 episodes and we're already at 6, so I'll just power through these last 4, and hope they get it together next season.  Thank goodness it's the last one, because I think these guys clearly went off the rails.

[BungalowSummer]

Lexi may not be the death of humanity, but she surely is the death of this show.

[bluebonnet]

Lexi may not be the death of humanity, but she surely is the death of this show.

You've got that right.  Hopefully she's at least the death of Hal or one of the Masons.  The Masons need to experience some loss.  

 

I'm not really understanding why no one is pointing out that Lourdes is likely the one who freed the Espheni.  Lexi was bedridden and had witnesses sitting right there with her, and yet everyone is still saying Lexi freed the overlord?  wtf?  

[sjohnson]

It was a little unfortunate to be reminded that Scarlett Byrne is no Mira Furlan. 

 

Lourdes was always a flake. I don't know why consistent characterization is a bad thing.

 

Ben's probably kidding himself if he thinks there's a human girl in his future. Maggie is his best shot and it's not happening. 

 

I wish Maggie's change of heart had been more convincing. I think part of the problem was the script which seems to be uncertain whether it's because Maggie has a secret yen for Ben, or because she remembers how Ben was alienated but returned to the flock. Maggie's previous character was not coy, so it doesn't play well for me. 

 

I suppose this is moving fairly fast, which helps make up for the weakness of the psychic superpowers shtick. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

It was a little unfortunate to be reminded that Scarlett Byrne is no Mira Furlan.

 

Nice Babylon 5 reference !

[Mikita]

My like for this show is fading fast. I don't care one bit about Lexi. They should have left her a child. Everything that they have done with her so far(which is nothing) could have done with the child actress playing her. No need to rapidly age her. 

 

I have long thought that Sarah Carter was a bad actress. This episode only solidified it for me yet again. Every season I hope Maggie dies and they let me down every single time. It simply was not believable they way they had Maggie leading the pack and then all of a sudden she flips to the other side. Bad writing and bad acting.

 

Well, at least it's only 10 episodes and we're already at 6, so I'll just power through these last 4, and hope they get it together next season.  Thank goodness it's the last one, because I think these guys clearly went off the rails.

 

 

I'm sorry to tell you that they got more episodes this season. I think that it's 12 or 13. Normally I would be  happy with this, but this season has been terrible.

[Bill C.]

This full-court press to make Budget Khaleesi happen...still not sure it's working, show.  Especially with last night's episode, where everybody split along the more-or-less expected lines over her attack-butterfly self in something like ninety seconds--but in a decidedly more strident mode than usual (except Ben, who embraced his inner Lourdes, and Lourdes herself still being all the Lennier she can be), which grated like crazy.  At least somebody (Pope?) made the connection between this and the E's more active "skitterizing" efforts.

 

TBH, the best part of last night's episode other than Weaver straight up saying Lexi was militarily a risk but parentally needed to be protected was Anne's drug-induced flashbacks...or at least the ones before she somehow zipped out of her own body.  They actually explained away her crazy-ass obsession to find the child she desperately wanted to save, and that IMO was a practical and nice touch.  And then they kind of derailed it by having BK overtly tell Mom she needed her, which wasn't necessary at that point--but goes back to the full-court press, so...

[tv echo]

I find Lexi's fake blonde hair very off-putting.  Wasn't the half-alien child in the old V series also cocooned and transformed?

 

The dream scene of Ben and Maggie made me want to gag.  The age gap was really apparent.  I would feel the same if Maggie was a guy and Ben & Hal were girls.  I also really hate brother-swapping (or sister-swapping).

 

When Tom was defending Lexi against the mob and said that he would do the same for anyone else, he was lying.  A minute later, when Hal confronts him about killing Karen, Tom says 'but Lexi's your sister'.  So clearly, Tom is willing to kill someone who's a danger as long as that person isn't a Mason.

Edited July 28, 2014 by tv echo

[FormerMod-a1]

He didn't kill Karen right away though.  She proved over and over again to be fully with the enemy/the real Karen was gone.  That's all he said he wanted with Lexi.  Let's wait and see what happens and then decide.  Not just blow her up when we don't know what's happening.  And I believe him.  

 

Although, part of me wanted to see the mob try to kill Lexi in that cocoon just because I would expect them all to be incinerated for trying.  Or at least for any attempts to be ineffective - like bullets bouncing off.

[NurseGiGi]

Die Lexi, die!  Please.  

 

I've always found Pope to be more of a plot device than a real character.  They'll let him evolve and do something that's not entirely selfish and then he will immediately go back to the old self centered Pope until they need him again.  Develop, regress, develop, regress.

 

At this point they could kill off 98% of the cast and I would be fine with it.  And 100% of the writers.

Edited July 28, 2014 by NurseGiGi

[iMonrey]

 

Well, the good news is the gang is back together.  The bad news is that the plot they're all involved in is this fucking Lexi one.  TPTB have so got in their head that Lexi is awesome and I should be invested in her, but I ain't biting.  If anything, it's making me lose a lot of goodwill for this show.  It never was "great", but I thought it was competent enough.  Now, I"m looking at it the same way I looked at shows like Revolution and Terra Nova.  That is not a good thing.

 

That about sums it up for me, too. The whole alien hybrid child thing was a bad idea to begin with, and the show is doubling down on that bad idea every week, culminating in episodes that revolve entirely around Lexi. Even when she's in a cocoon for the majority of the episode she's still eating the whole show. Why the hell did this show become All About Lexi? I don't give a shit about Lexi. What's more, when the torch-wielding villagers showed up determined to destroy her, I was right there with them, yelling "Kill her! Kill her!"

 

I much preferred the idea someone else proposed (Weaver?) that they go onto the next ghetto camp, cut the tether and liberate the prisoners to strengthen their numbers. That's the show I want to see. Not some alien star child in a cocoon. Sheesh.

[AV8n]

If anyone was in doubt that the Falling Skies universe centers around the Mason family, last night should have sealed the deal.  Basically, nothing gets done unless there is a Mason in charge of it.  Free the kids from Nazi summer camp?  Not until Tom Mason is ready to lead the way.  If only we had a bunch of battle-hardened soldiers who could grab a few guns and head out sans Mason!

 

The Volm reaction to the coccoon was kinda weird.  First they were like, yeah we've seen this before and ooh, squirrel!  Then later, they were like this sort of plan does not end well, so we're gonna haul ET-looking ass out of here.  See ya!  So apparently when an Espheni is born/hatched/whatever, it comes out in full ass-kicking mode.  This kind of changes how the Espheni have been presented previously, which was less hands-on.  In fact, the coal-powered telecon in the previous episode was a better insight into what we've come to know of them.  There are definitely scientists among them, smart enough to achieve interstellar travel and all kinds of biological stuff.  They are definitely chess players, willing to wait patiently to achieve their goals.  Plus, they never seem to do the fighting themselves.  So the notion of a young Espheni popping out of the coccoon in beast mode doesn't really make sense.

[iMonrey]

I don't really mind that the show centers around the Mason family. I mean yeah, their heroics are sometimes over the top, but the show does have to focus on certain main characters, so why not this family. It's been that way since Season 1 so I'm used to that.

 

There's just something really off about this season, and having learned there are different show-runners, it really shows. Someone has come along with an agenda to put their own stamp on the show and make it about something different. Everyone seems off their game, the direction of the show has shifted, and now it's revolving around what was  very bad idea to begin with (Lexi). 

[Latverian Diplomat]

Pope called someone else a liability. With a straight face. Except for contrived moments of showy heroism (like the tether thing) he has always been a net negative.

[mythoughtis]

Anne, who has lost her son, has an alien for a daughter, can't be bothered to greet her step-children after not seeing them for months?  She grabbed Tom and split without even a look at Hal and Matt.  Hal's an adult, but Matt's not.  He's suffered trauma here too.   She's lived around Matt, and Hal for 3 years, she barely even knows this Lexi.   You can't  really love a child than has gone from 0 -20 in a few months, most of which were spent without you.  She has an out of body experience, but is not dying?   

 

Since the Volm have seen these cocoons before, and since we have yet to see a female Espheni, is this the way they keep their species alive... stealing babies, inserting their DNA, and then sort of hatching their kids like caterpillar/butterflies.  Since we haven't seen a female Espheni, what is Lexi going to turn into?  So, Vulcans become emotional at the end of life, and Espheni's start out violent.

 

What is going on with Maggie?  She changes her mood this season every 5 minutes.  First, she loves Chinatown, then she hates it.  First, she likes Ben, then she thinks he is alien like Lexi.  First she wants to kill Lexi, then she wants to protect her.   Where is the Maggie that we have seen for the last 3 seasons? 

Edited July 29, 2014 by mythoughtis

[ganesh]

Anne is continuing to be impulsive and idiotic...

 

The rest (sanctimonious Tom) are pretty much the same, but Anne has been dumbed down to less than 1D to me. It's a damn shame. MB finally gets in a show that actually lasts beyond one season and she's just nothing to work with.

 

It was a little unfortunate to be reminded that Scarlett Byrne is no Mira Furlan.

 

Ugh. I was thinking the same thing. Good writers steal; bad ones borrow. This was borrowed. 

 

I wish Maggie's change of heart had been more convincing.

 

Not that this is court, but a lot of the bitching about Lexi was circumstantial. Lourdes could have easily allowed the Esph to escape. And you could say that Lexi meeting with him has stopped them from being attacked. I don't know why Maggie didn't just say, "I was pissed at her and she broke my wrist. She's uncontrollable, she has no idea what she can do and this is getting to be too much."

And not for anything Tom, yes, they "didn't think you could have a conversation about this," since everyone *clearly* saw what side you've chosen. 

 

This is a classic case of Make People Stupid To Move Plot. I'm not so sure these people would straight up murder someone. 

 

At least somebody (Pope?) made the connection between this and the E's more active "skitterizing" efforts.

 

Yeah. Again, a real credible and observable outcome, especially with Weaver there. And Tom knows that too. I'm not saying it shouldn't have played out that they all got talked down, but this was handled in the stupidest way.

 

The whole alien hybrid child thing was a bad idea to begin with, and the show is doubling down on that bad idea every week, culminating in episodes that revolve entirely around Lexi.

 

Clearly, this is because of the showrunner change. But this starts from the beginning of the show. There's no bible in place and no endgame. It's a finite show, we all know the humans are going to win. Walter White was always going to die. You can write a season about a plane crash all you want, but you know you have to get to the same endpoint.

 

Similarly, even with a new showrunner, had there been an endgame in place, they'd still have some point to work to. They may take it in a different direction, but it can't be that jarring if there's something in place already. Even if the new showrunners said, ok, *this* is how the show is going to end, and we're going to get there with an aged baby and hybrid plot. What? Why? Anything but this would have been palpable. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Since the Volm have seen these cocoons before, and since we have yet to see a female Espheni, is this the way they keep their species alive... stealing babies, inserting their DNA, and then sort of hatching their kids like caterpillar/butterflies.

 

Or maybe the Espheni are really the Tleilaxu of this show universe, and they use their females for other purposes like axlotl tanks </Dune>.

[ganesh]

No one involved with this show has even remotely heard of Dune. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

No one involved with this show has even remotely heard of Dune.

 

That's probably true.

[ramble]

I think TPTB who dreamed up this Lexi idea should have to listen to poorly produced self help recordings on repeat for a month straight. Peace. Newness. Embrace. Unity. Love. Whole. Change. Good grief! It wouldn't matter what Lexi was selling I wouldn't buy it after listening to her spew her nonsense for even 5 minutes. Add to that the fact that she's a rapidly aged white haired hybrid of the death bringers & I can't fathom why the majority of the people aren't holding pitchforks & torches.

I did like the Volm having an "oh crap" moment, regrouping & then politely saying they would be high tailing it out of there & away from the destructive butterfly. I think that should have been point number one on the Lexi might be dangerous list.

I'm over Anne. I don't care that they tried to back door in a reason for her craziness hunting for Lexi. She lost me & her mama love can't bring me back. Especially when her daughter is sucking the life out of the show.

Go free the Nazi youth, or the people in a ghetto. Dream up a way to bring down an overlord or do random raids. I really don't care just do something other than stare open mouthed at Lexi. The heart that made this show enjoyable for me, the humans determination to fight, has been bleached away along with Lexi's true hair color.

[Bishop]

I am enjoying this season of Falling Skies immensely.  As much as i liked season three, it was disjointed for me, and this season has just been great.  I feel like the show is back to being what I loved about it in season two.  Granted, I am not happy about the alien-hybrid overused child sci-fi trope as much as anyone, but it's done, and it's here to stay.  So rather than complain about it, I'm trying to see where they are going with it.

 

I think Sunday's episode was much better than I was expecting it to be, mostly because we didn't really focus on Lexi.  The episode was about watching how everyone else reacted to Lexi, and the questions were realistic.  What would anyone do if they had something like Lexi happen?  I was surprised to see Hal turn against his father and family.  He is much more a soldier now, and I get that the 2nd Mass is nervous and frightened, but did they really think Tom or Anne was just going to say "Yeah, sure, go kill our daughter?"  I think it was an interesting turn to have Maggie, Hal, and Tector want to take out Lexi, since their allegiance to Tom and Anne is very strong (especially of course, Hal).  Pope never surprises me.  His attitude really needs to evolve a bit because his attitude is always predictable.  Maggie was a nice surprise.  She was the most credible person because she had been there from the beginning with Lexi, watching her change, hearing the lies, seeing her abilities, and she wanted to take Lexi out.  But then Ben's plea to Maggie helped her to see the situation from another angle, and she took a step back.  She didn't stand down, just took a step back.  I liked that.

 

Anne's reaction to the situation was heartbreaking.  Watching her lose her first child, it helps to explain why she is so desperate and devoted to saving Lexi, even against her better judgment.  I also appreciated Dr. Kadar's explanation of the caterpillar and the butterfly analogy.  As a viewer, that helped immensely with really understanding what was happening with Lexi, although the show should have been more bold and actually SHOWED Lexi being different, physically.  It's okay if the girls aren't always beautiful (see Jeannie).  Lexi should be a bit more alien in her appearance, but whatever.  It's not a big deal.  The Ben/Maggie relationship was good too.  I was happy to see that the spoilers were mostly a dream in Ben's mind.  I can see why he would fall for Maggie, but I believe that Maggie has feelings for Ben as well.  I'm not one of those who feels that a relationship between them would be icky.  If Ben can fight and kill and die in an alien invasion, he can love an older woman.  As long as it's consensual, I'm okay with it.  Regardless, it didn't go in that direction, and I liked how it was played out in Sunday's episode.

 

Lastly, I love the Tom/Weaver relationship.  I like that Tom will always seek out Dan's opinion and insight, and I think Dan put it perfectly when Tom asked him if he was making the right call by not allowing his daughter to be killed.  From a military standpoint, yeah, they should kill her.  From a father's perspective, Dan would take on anyone to protect her.  As much as we can say that it's stupid that they not kill her, that's what I like about Falling Skies, it's not that clear cut.  She IS Tom and Anne's daughter - Hal, Ben and Matt's sister.  She's family, and to just kill her based on fear would be equally stupid.  Tom chose the best course of action, imo, and I liked that Ben was right by his side.  They will wait to see what she transforms into, and then kill her if they have to.  THAT'S the family reaction that makes sense to me.  I thought Sunday's episode was a great character study, but it also showed where alliances are falling and rising.

 

Next week makes me VERY nervous.  I think a lot of people in the 2nd Mass is in trouble, and I think each episode is getting better and better.  This is a science fiction show, and it's working for me.  I am entertained, and I love the characters.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Bishop

[terrymct]

Nice Babylon 5 reference !

 

 

I thought of Babylon 5 when I saw that cocoon, too.  I wish, however, that the Falling Skies cocoon didn't have the transparent part where we can see Lexi's face.  Are they actually going to show her transforming?   No surprise when she emerges?

 

I hate the whole Mason family.  I don't understand why humanity's apparent goal is to follow or protect that bunch of idiots.  I wish this show would go back to more of a American Revolution sort of story as it was in the first season or two.

I find Lexi's fake blonde hair very off-putting.  Wasn't the half-alien child in the old V series also cocooned and transformed?

 

Cocooning a character, particularly a hybrid or otherwise super special character, has been done many times.  Most of those times it's been done better than we're seeing with Falling Skies, too.

[ganesh]

Most of those times they didn't include the "it is like a cocoon, that means..." Because I think we got that pretty quick.

I don't mind if a show is campy, but this show is an insult to scifi fans.

[Slider]

This is the episode that ended it for me - I just don't care about any of these people anymore.  The story is awful, and the characters aren't written with any sign of continuity.  I'll probably lurk for an ep or two around here, but I deleted the show from my DVR with no intention of ever watching this crap fest again.  I miss old Falling Skies when it was good - i.e. Seasons 1 and 2.

[iMonrey]

 

I don't mind if a show is campy, but this show is an insult to scifi fans.

 

This has been pointed out repeatedly, but the plot involving the alien hybrid child who ages rapidly into adulthood is one that has been used time and again, in many sci-fi stories, on TV, in film, in graphic novels, you name it. And, it has almost never been a popular plot with fans. In fact it's often the kind of plot that ruins many a story for its fans. So for Falling Skies to pull this, of all things, out of their asses, shows not only that they are creatively bankrupt, but are largely ignorant of the genre, by inserting this tired and unpopular plot into the story. 

 

In that respect, yes I agree, it's an insult to sci-fi fans.

[mattie0808]

And now Ben has a crush on her - whatever.  It's not like there's other women on the show for him to think about or talk to or anything.

 

Where's Dani? (The harnessed girl who has been a friend of his?) I'm not here for this "triangle," not one little bit.

 

 

Ben has suddenly forgotten all the crazy shit that's been going on

 

His little heartfelt speech to Maggie was my "WTF is going on/WTF did I miss moment?!" of last night's episode (there's always at least one per episode this season). Ben knows the Espheni dad is lying to and about Lexi, and hasn't been buying any of this Chinatown nonsense. He wants to protect Lexi as his sister, but that's it. Well, until this episode. Now he's going all after-school special, trying to melt Maggie's hardened heart about "hope." Um, what?!?! Really? And it works?? COME ON.

 

 

I'm not really understanding why no one is pointing out that Lourdes is likely the one who freed the Espheni.  Lexi was bedridden and had witnesses sitting right there with her, and yet everyone is still saying Lexi freed the overlord?  wtf?

 

My second WTF moment. I mean, Anne, at least, was there when Lexi whispered to her, Lourdes left, and the Espheni daddy had suddenly escaped, so...

 

And, I assume this isn't even a question that I'm supposed to be concerned with at this point, but I keep coming back to it because it really bugs me... is Lourdes supposed to be brainwashed/under Lexi's control or not? Is she really supposed to be so entirely crazy that when Lexi's skin starts shedding and she instantly creates a lovely Espheni cocoon for herself, Lourdes main response is simply, "Something wonderful is happening"? What?

 

MB's a really good actress. I felt something for Anne while she was just rocking back and forth freaking out ("I couldn't save him, I can't save her"), though I groaned when Lexi showed up in her head and thought the whole set-up for the drug-induced flashbacks was kind of silly. Good to see Karen again.

 

 

When Tom was defending Lexi against the mob and said that he would do the same for anyone else, he was lying

 

He sure was. GMAB.

 

 

I much preferred the idea someone else proposed (Weaver?) that they go onto the next ghetto camp, cut the tether and liberate the prisoners to strengthen their numbers. That's the show I want to see.

 

I think it was Hal. And, yes! That's what I'm talking about, leave with the Volm and do that! But as long as the Masons are otherwise occupied, the 2nd Mass isn't about to do anything particularly interesting or productive.

 

 

Lexi may not be the death of humanity, but she surely is the death of this show.

Lolololol. I have very little interest in Lexi becoming, in any substantial way, humanity's "savior" but can only assume that's where we're headed. Maybe she'll die by the end of this season, so we can get the show to kind of vaguely return to form for its last year? Like Ben, I want to have some hope!

[sjohnson]

I know that the superpowered infant suddenly becomes an adult is kind of tired. And that there are always different views as to how well something is working. 

But sometimes it seems to me that people get a little hasty and overlook when something at least makes sense. Whether it's entertaining sense is a different question, as is the question whether nonsense can be truly absorbing. 

 

For instance, Ben was the voice of the EsDaddy and so totally linked with him that he suffered empathetic pain. So, logically, if you want to erase EsDaddy's influence in the human camp, killing both Lexi and Ben is militarily prudent. And Ben, being a hybrid who turned away from skitterdom, should be sympathetic to the ideas of turning hybrids back to the human side. It's not WTF if he doesn't want to kill Lexi, although you may not care. 

 

Similarly, Anne has clearly been mentally manipulated by Lexi, so it is hard to see how she could have been acting wholly in character. She's been acting at Lexi's behest. You might not enjoy the old psychic powers but that's not the same issue. 

 

And, again, Lourdes has been a flake with nutty religious impulses from the very first season. 

 

And Tom did do the same for other people, as he did for Rick (another harnessed boy, the one who didn't take deharnessing very well,) as well as Ben. And indeed for Lourdes when they found she was eyewormed, as well as Hal. 

 

PS I found The 4400 interesting and I kept watching despite Isabel. In my opinion Falling Skies is handling the business better than The 4400 (and V too), if not as well as SG-1. 

Edited July 29, 2014 by sjohnson

[ganesh]

So for Falling Skies to pull this, of all things, out of their asses, shows not only that they are creatively bankrupt, but are largely ignorant of the genre, by inserting this tired and unpopular plot into the story.

 

It worked in the original V because *no one* saw that coming. I'll even concede BSG because they never force grew the child and I thought working in the mitochondrial Eve idea was clever. The hybrid baby worked on Farscape because *that is how you make an original story out of a typical trope*. Other than that, nothing.

 

The problem is, different species on earth can't produce offspring, so the likelihood of another planet has to be infinitesimal. 

 

I don't think TPTBs should cater to the audience, but this is note for note a retread. I think it's a lack of creativity, not knowing much about scifi, and 'we have two seasons left and no one said anything about how the show should end.' This is really the easiest way out but it's also the stupidest.

 

I would have been on board with Kandar coming up with some virus that wiped out all Esph life. So they have to commit mass genocide in order to win. I could totally get behind that. 

 

It's not WTF if he doesn't want to kill Lexi, although you may not care.

 

Straight up killing Lexi was a kneejerk reaction and really OOC for everyone because they aren't flat out murderers. This plot was clumsily handled. The correct decision was to leave with the Volm and see what happened. This entire episode was just an exercise in making characters do what you need them to do to move the plot along. They're just Getting To The End Of The Season, they aren't telling a story anymore.

 

I assume they came up with "hey, this is a cool idea," and backtracked from that. That's why you see shit like the time jump so they can hand wave a lot of the show away. It's ridiculous.

Edited July 29, 2014 by ganesh

[Ottis]

He is much more a soldier now, and I get that the 2nd Mass is nervous and frightened, but did they really think Tom or Anne was just going to say "Yeah, sure, go kill our daughter?"

 

 

It was the way Tom did it. No discussion, no attempt to find out more, no measures in place in case whatever Lexi became was a threat ... just a blind, "How dare you threaten our daughter?" A daughter who, BTW, Tom has barely spent any time around, given his absence, her absence and her fast growth. He is supposed to be a leader. He really is a self-centered blowhard.

 

This show would be so much better if Tom died and Weaver led the group Weaver has lost a child who was experimented on, is trying to come back from it and actually thinks through what he does. It isn't all about him and what hem wants at the moment. The sad thing is, this would be so easy to fix. Have Tom make a sacrifice so that the choice he makes isn't based on his own needs. Choose for the group or humanity, not for the Masons.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Ottis

[sjohnson]

Well, if we want to do something for humanity, going off to liberate one school or one camp at a time isn't going to cut it. The Espheni are a global menace.

 

Seizing really powerful Espheni weaponry might. If only there was a really powerful Espheni weapon close enough to steal....Oh, wait, that would be Lexi. 

 

Personally I tend to think the insistence that humans are just such special never say die fighters is faintly obnoxious, but that's not the Masons being obnoxious. I also think making the villains so arrogant they let their enemies raise their new bioweapon, blithely assuming they can take her in hand when they want, is convenient scripting. But that not the Masons being obnoxious either. 

[ganesh]

The Espheni are a global menace.

 

We assume they are. The show never really has doled out information much, even when the Volm came around. That's a lot of resources to subdue 7 billion people. 

[Bishop]

It was the way Tom did it. No discussion, no attempt to find out more, no measures in place in case whatever Lexi became was a threat ... just a blind, "How dare you threaten our daughter?" A daughter who, BTW, Tom has barely spent any time around, given his absence, her absence and her fast growth. He is supposed to be a leader. He really is a self-centered blowhard.

And everything you state in this post, Tom admitted to.  He admitted he had no answers, and he admitted he had spent no time with his daughter, which is why he couldn't just arbitrarily kill her.  When you say he had no measures in place, he JUST found out about his daughter being aged another ten years.  How exactly was he suppose to take measures?  No one else knew what to do either except kill her.  Dr. Kadar had no idea what was going on with her either, which is why he put Anne under hypnosis.  Also, how does anyone know that killing her might be even more devastating?  Didn't Shaq mention that they tried to kill a few cocooned Espheni, and it ended up killing nine of his men?  Actually, I don't even think Hal shared that piece of information with his father or the 2nd Mass.  Kind of important, no?

 

I don't agree that Tom is self-centered.  The guy has done nothing but put his life on the line to protect and defend the 2nd Mass.  Wasn't he the one that kept saying EVERYONE had to get out of the ghetto?  He could have just saved himself, Hal, Weaver and Tector.  Regardless, Tom never asked to be the leader, and in fact when Hal wanted to know what his father was going to do once they had reunited with the 2nd Mass, Hal started rattling off how they should go out and start liberating other ghetto prisons, and Tom chimed in that the would also go back for the kids at the internment camp, but first he wanted to take a minute.  He just got his family back, and his daughter is in crisis, and he wanted to spend time with her.  Why is that a bad thing?  Also, when Hal said "What do I tell the people?"  Tom said, "Tell them anything you want."  I don't think he really cared if Hal took over at that point, and when Hal started to get indignant, Tom reminded him  that he's done a heck of a lot for everyone, and if he wants to take some time for his family, he should be able to do that.  I didn't have a problem with that at all.  

None of them had any idea what Lexi is or was becoming so they had three choices, hence the title of the episode.  They could 1) kill her outright, even though she had done nothing to kill them or hurt them; 2) they could leave her alone and see what she becomes; or 3) they could watch over her armed to kill her if she emerged a danger to them all.  Was it risky?  Sure, but if that were my kid, I couldn't say I'd do any different, especially when one of Tom's kids already has alien DNA in him.  The last time Tom saw Lexi, she was a nine year old, and he spent 22 days with her.  So this idea that he could just kill her outright is insane and would have been completely out of character.  Tom knew it was a risky decision which is why he asked Dan if he made the right call.  

 

This show would be so much better if Tom died and Weaver led the group Weaver has lost a child who was experimented on, is trying to come back from it and actually thinks through what he does. It isn't all about him and what hem wants at the moment. The sad thing is, this would be so easy to fix. Have Tom make a sacrifice so that the choice he makes isn't based on his own needs. Choose for the group or humanity, not for the Masons.

 

See I don't see that at all - that he makes all his decisions based on his family.  When hasn't Tom chosen for the group when he has been able to do so?  Again, the ghetto prison escape is an example.  I think people forget that Tom's family has been targeted a number of times by the aliens which drives some of his decisions.  Ben was abducted and harnessed.  Hal was infected with eye worms, and now Anne and Lexi were taken.  In the first season, he was desperate to find Ben, and remember how Hal wanted to go back immediately and rescue him, and Tom tackled him and said that they first had to take care of the people in the 2nd Mass and THEN they would go back for Ben.  I remember very specifically that after Tom accomplished his objective for the 2nd Mass, he told Weaver that he was going back for Ben.  When Hal was infected, it was Dan who kept the bloodhounds at bay from killing Hal when he had Tom in that buidling.  Ben and Matt (and Maggie) risked their lives to subdue Hal.  When Tom was infected, he told Hal to kill him if he saw that he was comprising the 2nd Mass.  Now it's Lexi, and he didn't tell any of the 2nd Mass that they had to stick around.  If they wanted to leave, they could go, but they weren't going to kill his daughter, and if she killed him, then that was on him.  Could he be wrong for not killing her?  Yeah, but even Anne said that they should give Lexi a chance.  So did Weaver.  It's not like it was only Tom's decision.  Anne had a say.  Ben and Mat too.  You say that Tom and Weaver should lead the group - they DO lead the group.  Dan will call out Tom whenever he thinks Tom is wrong, and Tom never makes a move without talking it over with Weaver.  It is definitely a partnership.  Even last night, as I stated, Tom asked for Dan's guidance and input, and it was Dan's words that made Tom make the final choice he made.  

 

I think people forget that Falling Skies is basically about one family, the Masons, and how they are coping with the alien invasion.  It's why the stories revolve around them.  That's been the tone of the show since day one, episode one.   Dan and Anne have been folded into that family at this point.  (Then again, I think show has also evolved into "What makes a family a family?" since it's been mentioned several times that the 2nd Mass is now family as well.)  

 

 I think what made this episode so effective was that both sides were right in how how they regarded Lexi  Tom was right.  Hal and Pope were right too.  The truth is that no one knows what can or might happen.  They could kill Lexi and it could turn out that she would never have harmed them or they could NOT kill her, and she could destroy everyone OR they could try to kill her, and she could harm them regardless.  They just don't know.  I still feel it's in character for Tom, Anne, Ben, Matt, and Weaver to choose standing by Lexi.  Hal was the one that reacted a bit out of character, but who knows, maybe he'll be the leader at this point.  I think Tom and Weaver lead the 2nd Mass, and the 2nd Mass is very happy to be lead by them.  If they don't want Tom and Weaver as their leaders, then they can leave or choose someone else.  I don't think Tom and Dan would care, frankly.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Bishop

[LittleIggy]

I wanted Pope to blast that cocoon. Since that didn't happen, can Lexi at least metamorphosise into someone who can act?

[Ottis]

I think what made this episode so effective was that both sides were right in how how they regarded Lexi  Tom was right.  Hal and Pope were right too.  The truth is that no one knows what can or might happen.

 

 

I agree with that. The problem was with how Tom handled his side. The rabble-rousing, Pope-fueled mob doesn't know any better. They did what mobs do. Tom didn't sit down and listen to them. He didn't discuss pros and cons with them. He declared no one is killing his daughter, you have to go through me, and stormed off to stand by Lexi with his handful of supporters. It was actually Maggie who made the coherent point, as she switched sides.

 

There is a higher standard for leaders. Following Tom is like following an eccentric CEO. He may do things that help others, but always at the forefront is whether it helps his needs  (in the case of the show, Tom and his sons). The moment those interests diverge, he goes one way, the group goes another, until he can return. Or he doesn't choose to do the same for someone else (Dan, who is missing his daughter) as he does for himself.

 

BTW, I didn't see a way that only he and his family could escape the Espheni prison that wouldn't also benefit everyone. The plan was to take down the gate. Anyone could then escape. In fact, you could argue that by urging everyone to escape, it provided cover for Tom and his sons. It is much harder to recapture hundreds of escapees than five.

 

In non-Tom matters, the fact Maggie banged both brothers is skeevy. Pope is wildly inconsistent in character. Ann is beyond annoying. And why no one could use simple logic to see that Lexi was in a cocoon, which equals transformation, which means what comes out should be different than what goes in, I don't know. That should have been the starting point, not the end point, of the discussion.

 

Also, the "frozen" mech in Lexie land puzzles me. Aren't mechs just armored Espheni? Does that mean there is an Espheni inside?

Edited July 30, 2014 by Ottis

[iMonrey]

 

Straight up killing Lexi was a kneejerk reaction and really OOC for everyone because they aren't flat out murderers. This plot was clumsily handled.

 

I think that's why Pope annoys me so much despite being such a "popular" character. He's so two-dimensional and constantly the go-to guy for conflict and rebellion. Some weird shit goes down and Pope is the first person to take up arms against the establishment. I'm so tired of it. The torch-wielding mob led by Pope descending on Lexie's sanctuary was out of character after everything Pope and the 2nd Mass has been through together. The writing just kind of stinks ever since they came up with this whole Lexie thing in the first place. It's just one tired trope after enough, and character development be damned.

[ganesh]

In non-Tom matters, the fact Maggie banged both brothers is skeevy. 

 

When did Maggie bang both brothers? Ben was fantasizing about her in the beginning of the episode, that wasn't real.

 

Also, the "frozen" mech in Lexie land puzzles me. Aren't mechs just armored Espheni? Does that mean there is an Espheni inside?

 

No, they're robots. Cochese pulled out the cpu/power source.

 

Where's Lady Pope?

[sjohnson]

Of course that was what Pope was introduced for, and why he was instantly popular, and why the writers are going to use characters like that. Insofar as they pay attention to internet and its commercial incarnations in things like io9 or Uproxx or paper version like EW, people are going to get what they wish for from a certain kind of writer and they're inevitably going to be disappointed when somehow more of the same isn't better, but worse. What can I say?

 

But this is the third time a Mason family member has been compromised by the enemy (and Tom himself was in peril of it too.) That's a good example I think of more not being better. 

 

Also, isn't it really better to say that the specialness of the Mason family is not really in what they do (even given the occasional leap from tall buildings.) but the amazing way they are in the right place or are with the right people. They meet Red Eye. Mason girl friend Karen is the sock puppet for the Overlord in charge, rather than flaky Lourdes. Ben is found in time, instead of being out of reach up on the ginormous Boston platform. The Volm land in Charleston SC instead of Lagos or London or Kuala Lumpur. And it's Anne whose womb is invaded with an Espheni DNA nozzle. Again, more is not always better.

Edited July 30, 2014 by sjohnson

[Ltg.jon]

I was frustrated that History Professor Tom didn't even pull out a lesson from their own recent history -- namely, that everyone was originally freaked out by the harnessed kids and wanted to run them out of camp, but they turned out to be a tremendous resource. 

 

So far, I'm not enjoying this season very much.  There doesn't seem to be much forward momentum, the woman playing Lexi can't act, and Moon Bloodgood is really not good at this crazy mom stuff.  I'm also really frustrated by the lack of geographic specificity.  In the past, we always knew where they were and what kind of place it was before the war.  But I have no idea what's going on with this place they've found themselves.  Where is this vaguely Asian temple/office park/quaint downtown?

[Bishop]

I agree with that. The problem was with how Tom handled his side. The rabble-rousing, Pope-fueled mob doesn't know any better. They did what mobs do. Tom didn't sit down and listen to them. He didn't discuss pros and cons with them. He declared no one is killing his daughter, you have to go through me, and stormed off to stand by Lexi with his handful of supporters. It was actually Maggie who made the coherent point, as she switched sides.

 

That's not what happened at all.  Tom went looking for Hal and walked into the rabble conspiring to kill his daughter, and he didn't explode in rage.  He asked if he gets to have a vote in whether she dies.  Of course everyone looks around sheepishly because they are not their to learn or hear pros and cons.  He asks them whether or not they think he can't have an unbiased conversation about it.  So right there he IS trying to have a conversation, but naturally, Pope, who is ALWAYS against Tom tells him that he can't be objective (like Pope can), and Tom asks the group a very honest question:  When has he shied away from having to make the tough choices, and again everyone is sheepish.  He admits to all of them that he's not blind to the situation.  That he knows she could be a threat, but they don't know for sure.  No one does.  And that's when he becomes the protective father, but let's be clear, no one came to Tom to talk about anything.  They were plotting.  

 

There is a higher standard for leaders. Following Tom is like following an eccentric CEO. He may do things that help others, but always at the forefront is whether it helps his needs  (in the case of the show, Tom and his sons). The moment those interests diverge, he goes one way, the group goes another, until he can return. Or he doesn't choose to do the same for someone else (Dan, who is missing his daughter) as he does for himself.

 

I don't agree with this at all.  I feel like people (not you in particular, but some) deliberately ignore half of Tom's dialogue in these episodes.  Tom never asked to be the leader.  He's a father first and foremost, and of course he's going to be protective.  How is Weaver or Anne any different from Tom.  Wasn't Weaver distracted by "Jeannie" and ended up getting separated from Tom and Matt because he had a feeling it was his daughter?  Does that make him a horrible friend/leader that he put his daughter first?  No.  Did Anne's tunnel vision crusade to find her daughter make her evil like Tom?  No.  I don't get these arguments at all.  Tom has put the 2nd Mass ahead of his family and himself, but he has also gotten emotional over his family, especially when he thought Karen had killed Anne and Lexi.  I feel like Tom is not allowed to make mistakes or act irrationally, but everyone else is allowed to do so.

 

BTW, I didn't see a way that only he and his family could escape the Espheni prison that wouldn't also benefit everyone. The plan was to take down the gate. Anyone could then escape. In fact, you could argue that by urging everyone to escape, it provided cover for Tom and his sons. It is much harder to recapture hundreds of escapees than five.

 

Are you saying that Tom's entire motivation for escaping the ghetto was to use the 2nd Mass as a shield for him and Hal?  Tom put his life on the line to make sure that the Skitters came after him and would allow Hal to lead the survivors out to safety.  Also, it wasn't Tom and his "sons."  Ben and Matt weren't with them.  So he was risking his life to save only Hal?  No.  There was very pointed dialogue that Tom wanted everyone to escape.  When he is talking to Dingaan about getting out of the prison, Dingaan tells Tom that a few of them can get out, and Tom corrects him and says that everyone has to get out.  They are not leaving anyone behind.  How does that get ignored?  Let me be clear, I certainly don't think Tom Mason is perfect.  He's made his share of mistakes, but from what I read here, he's the cause for all the ills of the 2nd Mass, and that's just nuts.  I feel like I'm watching a completely different show.

 

In non-Tom matters, the fact Maggie banged both brothers is skeevy. 

 

This never happened. 

 

I think that's why Pope annoys me so much despite being such a "popular" character. He's so two-dimensional and constantly the go-to guy for conflict and rebellion. Some weird shit goes down and Pope is the first person to take up arms against the establishment. I'm so tired of it. The torch-wielding mob led by Pope descending on Lexie's sanctuary was out of character after everything Pope and the 2nd Mass has been through together. The writing just kind of stinks ever since they came up with this whole Lexie thing in the first place. It's just one tired trope after enough, and character development be damned.

 

I agree on this point.  I do think Lexi as an alien hybrid was a mistake, but again, we're stuck with it.  I actually think the episodes have been much better than I expected.  I appreciate that they haven't been giving so much airtime to Lexi and her specialness.  I also agree with you about Pope.  I mean when does this guy start to show some layers as a character?  First he and Tom seemed to come to a better understanding after Pope risked his life to help get everyone out of the ghetto and even tells Tom that he should trust more.  Then in the next episode, Pope is leading ANOTHER revolt against Tom.  This constant Tom v. Pope is getting very tired.  I really would like to see some character growth for Pope.  Of all the characters, he has not budged an inch since season one for the most part.  As for Lexi, I'm not going to complain about her anymore because it's done.  She's part of the story now.  I have been enjoying the season so far (and after reading reviews, I'm happy that I'm not alone).  Some people are going to hate it, and some are going to really enjoy it.

 

 

But this is the third time a Mason family member has been compromised by the enemy (and Tom himself was in peril of it too.) That's a good example I think of more not being better. 

 

 

True, but in all fairness, everyone has been compromised with the exception of Pope and Matt.  Weaver got bit by that pod Skitter and developed that mutation that caused poison to course through his system.  Jeannie was completely compromised and mutated.  Lourdes was also a victim of massive eye worm infiltration.  Anne of course was experimented on as well.  The fact is that stories in scifi shows are driven by peril, and in the case of Falling Skies, pretty much every character has been compromised by the aliens.  Again, your argument is not invalid, but you say it like it's only happening to Tom and his family.  It isn't.

 

Also, isn't it really better to say that the specialness of the Mason family is not really in what they do (even given the occasional leap from tall buildings.) but the amazing way they are in the right place or are with the right people. They meet Red Eye. Mason girl friend Karen is the sock puppet for the Overlord in charge, rather than flaky Lourdes. Ben is found in time, instead of being out of reach up on the ginormous Boston platform. The Volm land in Charleston SC instead of Lagos or London or Kuala Lumpur. And it's Anne whose womb is invaded with an Espheni DNA nozzle. Again, more is not always better.

 

LOl, if we were watching a science fiction show in a realistic fashion, then yes, I would agree with you.   Also, it's been stated many times by reviewers and show runners that the show is being told through the eyes of the Mason family.  So of course, everything is going to magically happen around them.  That being said, you are singling out the Masons as if it's only happening to them.  The Masons, in essence, are part of the 2nd Mass.  I mean the argument can be made that how is it that ONLY the 2nd Mass is at the heart of all the major battles, victories, and first encounters?  It's not just the Masons.  Why?  Because the 2nd Mass with the Mason family is the center of the show.  It doesn't bother me.  I like the characters, and so I don't mind it being told from their perspective.  Do I want to watch characters I've never met from let's say, Georgia or Florida, interacting with the Espheni?  Not really.  I don't know them and so I'm not invested in them as characters.

 

I have to say that I am really enjoying this season, and I'm sorry some are not.  I enjoyed season three, but I think it was not nearly as good as this current season.  At least the 2nd Mass is mobile and not holed up in Charleston with bedrooms and food and running water.  It felt all wrong.  I also didn't like the instant friendship with Tom and Cochise that happened offscreen, the sidelining of Weaver, and the instant President in Tom Mason, which to me was ooc.  That was all gone by mid-third season, and I was very happy.  This season we are back to the basics again.  The 2nd Mass is on the run, being hunted, and fighting for survival.  Weaver and Tom (not Tom and Cochise) are a team again.  The odd cog in the wheel is Lexi, but I can deal with that bump in the road if I get all the other things I was hoping for - and I am.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bishop

[xyzzy]

During the scene where Lexi lifted her hand and saw it covered in goo I looked over at my mom and said, "Next shot she's in she'll be in a chrysalis." Yep. So predictable, just like everything about this show now. The new showrunner is a disaster, which is surprising because he was a producer on Battlestar Galactica. That show had its problems, too, especially during the final season, but nothing on the order of badness that has infected Falling Skies. None of the characters are recognizable anymore, and the writers have eliminated some of the show's early problems by creating all new ones.

 

The show's biggest sin, though, is the persistent reliance on the lack of communication trope. If everyone sat down and had an honest dialogue, most of the drama would disappear. Hal's appeal to Papa Mason is a perfect example of this. "Hey, dad, when the Volm cut open the veiny blood sack 12 of them were incinerated and the hatchling went violently nuts. Just sayin'." Instead we get a speech about protection and family and whatever. The Volm parcel out information like it's made of gold-pressed latinum and they've only got a few pieces to last them the next millennia or so. Anne never says, "Oh, hey, by the way, I had a memory nightmare that involved Karen inserting Espheni DNA into Lexi. So she's like, prolly not really yours, Tom."

 

I miss my vaguely dumb-but-fun show. I think it's gone for good, though. Lexi is a disaster that could have been prevented by any halfway competent writer with even a passing familiarity with sci-fi cliches and tropes.

[Bishop]

During the scene where Lexi lifted her hand and saw it covered in goo I looked over at my mom and said, "Next shot she's in she'll be in a chrysalis." Yep. So predictable, just like everything about this show now. The new showrunner is a disaster, which is surprising because he was a producer on Battlestar Galactica. That show had its problems, too, especially during the final season, but nothing on the order of badness that has infected Falling Skies. None of the characters are recognizable anymore, and the writers have eliminated some of the show's early problems by creating all new ones.

 

The show's biggest sin, though, is the persistent reliance on the lack of communication trope. If everyone sat down and had an honest dialogue, most of the drama would disappear. Hal's appeal to Papa Mason is a perfect example of this. "Hey, dad, when the Volm cut open the veiny blood sack 12 of them were incinerated and the hatchling went violently nuts. Just sayin'." Instead we get a speech about protection and family and whatever. The Volm parcel out information like it's made of gold-pressed latinum and they've only got a few pieces to last them the next millennia or so. Anne never says, "Oh, hey, by the way, I had a memory nightmare that involved Karen inserting Espheni DNA into Lexi. So she's like, prolly not really yours, Tom."

 

I miss my vaguely dumb-but-fun show. I think it's gone for good, though. Lexi is a disaster that could have been prevented by any halfway competent writer with even a passing familiarity with sci-fi cliches and tropes.

BSG started out good and then went down hill.  I think it was a very good show initially that I was enjoying and then it became this political drama that seems to have angels in it at some point.  It was still an overall good sci-fi show.  Falling Skies is a good show also.  I think because we've seen so many science fiction shows over the years, we want to constantly be surprised and have new and original ideas.  That's not always possible.  The concept of Falling Skies is not a new one, but what I like about the show is that it's not told from the pov of the government or the military (like other shows/movies tend to do).  Falling Skies is told from the perspective of one small group of people, mainly the Mason family, that have come together to resist the enemy.  Yeah, it has similarities to "V" but Falling Skies is much better, imo.  Some may not like the show and others like myself are really enjoying it this season.

 

As for the lack of communication, that's true in every show, and if it eliminates the drama, than it also eliminates the story.  I do agree with you that there should be much more information from the Volm about their life-long enemy.  We do only get parcels of their knowledge of the enemy, but I'm guessing that it's a story telling choice.  I would like to know much more about the Espheni, but what little i do know still keeps me interested.  I mean, basically, they are bad and need to be defeated.  That's it in a nutshell.   As for Anne's memory of what they did to Lexi, does it really matter at this point?  They KNOW she's got alien DNA.  How she got it (although it would be nice to know) doesn't hurt the overall story, imo.  It would make the drama richer in context, but I don't really need to know at this point.  For me, yes, it would be great to have more knowledge and backstory (it would certainly make a better, richer show), but it's not hurting the drama of the story being told.  It can frustrate at times, but it doesn't make me lose interest or focus on the story being told.

 

I guess I'm in the minority because I am enjoying the show and especially this season, and with only 16 episodes left for the series, I'm going to watch and enjoy it to the end.  

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bishop

[mattie0808]

It's not WTF if he doesn't want to kill Lexi, although you may not care.

I agree that Ben wants to protect Lexi, and help her. But he hasn't been a "believer" in her or the Chinatown set-up and knows the Espheni Daddy is lying to/about her. I didn't mind him not picking up a pitchfork to join Pope's mob, but I didn't understand the treacly appeal to hope with Maggie either...that's what I thought was a WTF. The "I just need some hope so let's hope this works out" thing. I'd think he'd be wanting to work with Kadar, or the Volm, or whoever to see if there's anything they can do or try to prepare for to HELP Lexi, but not take a sit back and cross your fingers stance.

 

 

 

I'm also really frustrated by the lack of geographic specificity...Where is this vaguely Asian temple/office park/quaint downtown?

I've been wondering that too. Aside from it being "west" of Charleston and wherever Anne's group was after the premier, we don't have any idea, do we? For that matter, where was Matt's Nazi Youth Camp?

Edited August 1, 2014 by mattie0808

[Bishop]

I agree that Ben wants to protect Lexi, and help her. But he hasn't been a "believer" in her or the Chinatown set-up and knows the Espheni Daddy is lying to/about her. I didn't mind him not picking up a pitchfork to join Pope's mob, but I didn't understand the treacly appeal to hope with Maggie either...that's what I thought was a WTF. The "I just need some hope so let's hope this works out" thing. I'd think he'd be wanting to work with Kadar, or the Volm, or whoever to see if there's anything they can do or try to prepare for to HELP Lexi, but not take a sit back and cross your fingers stance.

I took Ben's reaction to Lexi to be about himself as well.  He IS a hybrid himself, and he knows what it means to be a called a monster or a freak (and he still refers to himself that way).  So he's probably the only person who truly can empathize with Lexi in that people are terrified of what she might become.  Wasn't that the same argument about Ben?  People feared what Ben might become with the harness removed and the spikes left intact, and yet Ben ultimately became a huge ally for the resistance.  Pope wanted him gone also, and had they killed Ben, they would never have had his additional abilities and his communicate skills to make contact between species.  Ben also knows when the Espheni are lying.  Regardless, Ben did eventually leave the 2nd Mass (and Tom let him go), and he did it because it might help the resistance.  So I think Ben is more sympathetic to Lexi because he can identify with her, and he feels protective of her because I think he still views her as a child, not an adult.  So he's the big brother trying to protect his sister from the evil Overlord and the unruly masses who want to harm his sister.  That doesn't mean that he's blind to the potential danger.  I think it will be out of character if Ben blindly follows Lexi (especially if she doesn't anything wrong), but I don't expect that to happen with Ben.  He's been fairly well grounded overall.  As for the Volm or Dr. Kadar helping, Dr. Kadar has already admitted to not knowing what to do, and the Volm have given what little information they know about cocooned Espheni.  Also, Lexi is a human/Espheni hybrid, not a full Espheni alien.  So no one can really know what she may become.  Unfortunately, apart from having weapons at the ready or blowing her up (which may also get people killed), all they can really do is wait and see.  

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bishop

[ganesh]

The new showrunner is a disaster, which is surprising because he was a producer on Battlestar Galactica.

 

REALLY?! I am *shocked* because I would have though he'd know better. 

 

I've been wondering that too. Aside from it being "west" of Charleston and wherever Anne's group was after the premier, we don't have any idea, do we? For that matter, where was Matt's Nazi Youth Camp?

 

This is a very interesting observation because prior to this season, the show has been pretty clear on location and what cities they went through. I remember us bitching because they spent half the season in Richmond when the goal was to get to Charleston.

[sjohnson]

Bear McCreary is awesome, and "33" was an excellent episode. I don't know why we would expect much from David Eick. Did you really think the story telling genius of Helix could find it's way on to TNT?