S04.E11: Space Oddity / S04.E12: Shoot The Moon

[Ottis]

The point might be the conflict, but with no concrete reason, it takes away from the story. If all they wanted were resources, and thought to just come in an take them, there's a point of negotiation. You fight humans to a stalemate and realize maybe a partnership is a better bet in your fight than master/slave. You get the humans on your side, so when the Volm come, you have allies on the ground.

 

 

I think you're out ahead of the pace of the show. Plus, your logic, which was indeed logical, doesn't seem to match the Espheni, who do not seem to be very logical (or smart, at times). The Espheni wanted the planet almost certainly for resources, and then wanted humans (and didn't wipe them out) because they needed soldiers, just as they had assimilated past conquered races. I'm not sure why we need to know more than that. Maybe the Espheni move on after devastating a planet and assimilating its population. Maybe they leave a settlement. Maybe they create their own version of a shore leave planet, complete with indigenous local sex slaves. The show may yet still tell us exactly what the Espheni wanted.  In the end, does it matter, given the show is about humanity resisting and what appears to be a new enemy coming?

[Gudzilla]

 

Someone in another forum said that Lexi clapped her hands just before she crashed the ship.  I didn't see it.  Any guesses what that might have been?

The Espheni installed The Clapper.

 

Clap on

Clap off

Clap on Clap off

The power core !

[sjohnson]

By the way, Mira is dead, no?

[ganesh]

In the end, does it matter, given the show is about humanity resisting and what appears to be a new enemy coming?

 

Yes, in the end, it matters. When the aliens can have any motivation then they can change from week to week and there's no coherence. I'm doubtful 80% into the series run, they're going to do anything. 

[Bishop]

The Eshpeni motivation for invading earth will be revealed in season five, according to Eick.  So I can wait.  

 

I thought the season finale had it's good and bad parts.  I liked the space scenes with Tom and Lexi much more than the Earth scenes with the 2nd mass, mostly because of the emotional connection that I finally saw between Tom and Lexi.  I am not sorry to see Lexi go, but for the first time, I actually liked the character.  She revealed herself to be mostly a little girl who was twisted, through no fault of her own, by the Espheni, and desperately wanted to bond with her father.  I liked that Tom wouldn't forgive or accept her because it rang true for me, especially based on what she did to Lourdes.  I also felt the reaction of her family towards her was also realistic, but it was also brutal and heartbreaking.  I think the dreamscape plotpoint has been done to death on Falling Skies, and when I first saw it with the cocoon, I was like "Not again," but actually, the scene worked for me.  Tom figured out he was dreaming pretty quickly, but he was surprised that Lexi had chosen to cocoon herself WITH her father and that they were sharing the dream, each putting their own spin on what they hoped their futures would bring.  Lexi was angry with Tom in that he always fought for his sons, even when they were turned and manipulated, but she felt he couldn't forgive her, and it wasn't fair.  He pleaded his case that he was trapped in the Espheni ghetto camp for months and couldn't find her.  I found that entire exchange believable, and God love Noah Wyle because he sells Tom's motivations in a believable way for me.  As much as FS can fall into the predictable and even silly plot lines, Wyle sells it for me.  

 

I felt the final confrontation between Tom and Scorch was anti-climactic.  I don't know why the writers always do that, but considering that Scorch and Tom were adversaries for the entire season, I was hoping for a bigger showdown between them.  Then again, TNT is on a limited budget, and we did get a good space battle.  I'm more about the story than the special effects, however.  So I would have preferred a more drawn out confrontation with Tom and Scorch, but oh well.

 

The stuff that happened on earth was creepy and well done.  That would skeeve me out if that pod landed on earth with those creatures coming out to morph a human being into a new mutated form and you couldn't defend yourself.  That being said, I thought the Weaver and Matt scenes were a bit cheesy.  Matt just doesn't do it for me.  I did love the Ben/Hal/Maggie scenes because they seem to have gotten over their triangle issues, and I love that Hal and Ben love each other enough to put each other first.  That's important to me.  Maggie, also, isn't being indecisive.  She loves Hal, and she's made that very clear.  I appreciate that as well.  Anne with a flamethrower is always cool.  

 

Pope is making strides, but he still drives me insane.  I just want him and Tom to finally kiss and make up because those two take one step forward and five steps backward.  When they were having their heart to heart after Pope tried to kill Lexi, and Tom corrected Pope that it wasn't "HIS" people, it was "OUR" people, I was hoping for a break in their adversarial relationship.  Tom told Pope that the 2nd Mass was as much Pope's family as it was Tom's, and there was this slight moment between them when Pope seemed to appreciate the statement, and then Pope had to ruin it with, they WERE my people, and Tom just closed his eyes as if to say "I can't win with this guy," and that's kind of how I felt too.  Maybe with Sarah coming back, Pope can finally make some strides to sticking with a pov instead of vacillating back and forth.

 

The final battle scene with Lexi sacrificing her life while protecting her father and putting him on the beamer was well done.  I loved Tom's quiet "You did it, baby" moment.  That was a really sad, bittersweet moment.  Tom hadn't bonded with Lexi the way he had with his sons.  He had YEARS to watch his sons grow and evolve, and he only had mere months with Lexi.  So i get why he wasn't devastated and crying over her death the way he probably would have been had it been Ben or Hal, but the way he called her "baby," brought home a father's endearing name for his daughter.  It just resonated with me for some reason.  

 

I was happy to see the Volm return, and I'm guessing they will contribute in the final fight in season five.  As for ending with Tom spinning out into space and being resigned to his fate, that was well done as well as the 2nd Mass now about to take on the Espheni without their tech weapons available to them is going to be fun to watch.  Then that very last scene with the creature in the mirror, I am intrigued.  I think it was a pre-Skitter, as has been speculated on the Internet chatter.  What confused me was Tom's apparent familiarity with the creature.  "She" seemed to know him and he seemed to know her.  THAT'S the cliffhanger for me.  What is the relationship between them?  His "I had no idea" is spoken as if he knew of her or had heard of her in some way.  Either way, count me in as looking forward to season five and the series finale.

 

I am in the minority, I suppose, but I loved season four for the most part.  It had some weak parts, but overall, it was exciting, face-moving, and the 2nd Mass wasn't stuck in a mall cafeteria for episodes on end.  I was happy.  I won't be upset either if all the Masons and the 2nd Mass make it to the end to rebuild the planet.  They've earned it.  

Edited September 3, 2014 by Bishop

[iMonrey]

 

I don't know there's any reason the Beamers which are relatively small have FTL, but I think Lexi said to Tom the reason it felt like 1G is that was how fast they were accelerating, which means if they needed to get half way then turn around to decelerate,  they should have been able to reach the moon in about three and a half hours.

 

So the Beamers don't have warp capabilities - then why can't the Volm find Tom? There is a very finite area to search - the space between the moon and it's orbit around the earth. Unless I missed something and Tom went into some kind of time/space vortex. I mean, surely the Volm have the technology to track one Beamer that's somewhere between the Earth and its one moon.

 

 

What confused me was Tom's apparent familiarity with the creature.  "She" seemed to know him and he seemed to know her.  THAT'S the cliffhanger for me.  What is the relationship between them?  His "I had no idea" is spoken as if he knew of her or had heard of her in some way.

 

It seems obvious to speculate this is his first wife, in some altered form, since we were shown a picture of her twice at the end of the episode. That being the case, "You're beautiful" seems like an odd reaction (to say the least). I'd say the more realistic reaction would be "Holy fu*! what the hell happened to you!??!"

 

Overall, the finale was symptomatic of the entire season: entirely too much time spent on a character that was a.) a mistake to begin with and b.) that nobody cared about.

[FormerMod-a1]

So the Beamers don't have warp capabilities - then why can't the Volm find Tom? There is a very finite area to search - the space between the moon and it's orbit around the earth. Unless I missed something and Tom went into some kind of time/space vortex. I mean, surely the Volm have the technology to track one Beamer that's somewhere between the Earth and its one moon.

 

Except he's not between the Earth and the moon.  His ship was knocked by the shock wave of the explosion and went careening off somewhere.  And there was no way to control it - Tom tried pulling on those wire-like things in the consoles and walls to no avail.  That's when he seemed to sit down and accept his fate and brought out the picture.  That said, he's probably still in our solar system somewhere - but that's a whole lot more space to look through.  A needle in an ocean, indeed.

[AV8n]

When the humans were skitterized, they were made grotesque-looking.  Tom had only seen Skitters in their modified form up until that last scene.  So there is a possibility that a pre-Skitter would be much more "beautiful" as Tom put it.  I can imagine the thought process as he realized what the creature really was.

 

Doesn't explain how the references to his wife are relevant, though.  Or how the creature knew his name (scratch that, the whole universe knows and fears the name Tom Mason).

[Bishop]

So the Beamers don't have warp capabilities - then why can't the Volm find Tom? There is a very finite area to search - the space between the moon and it's orbit around the earth. Unless I missed something and Tom went into some kind of time/space vortex. I mean, surely the Volm have the technology to track one Beamer that's somewhere between the Earth and its one moon.

 

My guess is that when the shock wave hit, it not only sent Tom's beamer spinning out into space, but it also affected the Volm's tracking systems.  By the time they were able to stabilize from the blast wave, Tom's ship was missing.  It's also possible that the blast wave caused damage on the Volm ship, preventing it's tracking Tom's ship initially.  Also, I didn't get the impression that Tom's beamer was between the earth and the moon, more like it spun out into deep space and kept going.

 

It seems obvious to speculate this is his first wife, in some altered form, since we were shown a picture of her twice at the end of the episode. That being the case, "You're beautiful" seems like an odd reaction (to say the least). I'd say the more realistic reaction would be "Holy fu*! what the hell happened to you!??!"

 

 

I thought it could be his wife too, since they focused on the picture but that doesn't explain his "I had no idea.  You're beautiful" comment. It's not something he would say to his wife.

 

Overall, the finale was symptomatic of the entire season: entirely too much time spent on a character that was a.) a mistake to begin with and b.) that nobody cared about.

 

 

Which is why they probably realized their mistake and killed her off in the season finale.  

 

When the humans were skitterized, they were made grotesque-looking.  Tom had only seen Skitters in their modified form up until that last scene.  So there is a possibility that a pre-Skitter would be much more "beautiful" as Tom put it.  I can imagine the thought process as he realized what the creature really was.  

That was my thought as well, that he recognized their pre-Skitter form, but then again, how could Tom know that.  I wonder if we will see a conversation that may have taken place between Tom and Red Eye at some point about his people before the Espheni.  I think you may be right that Tom can and did recognize some Skitter similarities and put two and two together.

 

Doesn't explain how the references to his wife are relevant, though.  Or how the creature knew his name (scratch that, the whole universe knows and fears the name Tom Mason).

 

LOL, now, now.   It's possible that Red Eye told his people about Tom Mason and Ben and the 2nd Mass since it was that unit that Red Eye chose to trust with his secret about the skitter rebellion.  Remember that Red Eye had seen Tom stand up to the Espheni overlord in season two, which led Red Eye to make the decision to spare Tom and reach out to the 2nd Mass.  Red Eye also knew about destroying the Espheni weapon to allow the Volm ship to land.  So it's equally possible that Red Eye was in contact with his people or it's "Queen" during that time on Earth.  Just a guess, but that may be why she knows Tom, and it's plausible via the Red Eye connection.

[sjohnson]

My guess is that this is a new four-legged alien, not a skitter. It's the Espheni enemy and has even more extensive mental powers. When Tom was knocked off course, they swooped in and seized his ship, and now he is hidden by their stealth/cloak, which is why the Volm can't simply spot him with radar. They read Tom's mind and gimmicked up the holographs to prime his reaction. The alien standing in the doorway appears to him either as beautiful (she may or may not seem to be his wife.) We know better because we're seeing the reflection in a mirror instead of having an illusion foisted directly into our brains. The deception implies they are not trustworthy leaving the conundrum of whether to take a risk on cooperation. Enemy of my enemy, blah blah. 

 

If these new guys are really a threat to the Espheni then maybe Earth was strategically desirable as a part of defense in depth but not worth major investments in resources planned for the main battle fields/fronts (if that could mean anything in space!) They've established the Volm as relentlessly determined to more or less exterminate the Espheni in revenge, something they will dedicate generations to. (That is remarkable when you think about it, isn't it?) But what the Espheni and the new guys are fighting about, you got me. 

[green]

I'd like to see this new enemy being the real "Masons" of conspiracy theory crackpots and silly rituals.  After all they are said to be behind everything.  We could have a great scene where they and clan Mason argue over who are the real and coolest Masons of them all.  Or maybe they are the same.  I mean it seems Masons do everything important in this series and all the puny, non-Mason humans cannot survive without them. 

 

Add in the who is behind everything song from The Simpsons ("We are!  We are!") and I might watch next year.  In other words if I can make a fun, campy game out of the mess I can tolerate it.  But no way do I take this stuff as drama.

Edited September 3, 2014 by green

[Hanahope]

The whole point though, that the Ephreni were using Earthlings in their fight against whatever other "big bad" there is, is that it doesn't matter to the Earthlings.  Do they die/are controlled by the Ephreni, or die/are controlled by the other "big bad"?  If the Ephreni aren't going to keep humanity alive and with their own faculties, why would any of the humans care that there's "something worse" coming down the pipeline?

[xaxat]

I really hope the writers aren't introducing another alien species. They only have ten hours left to resolve the plots they already have.

[Ottis]

Yes, in the end, it matters. When the aliens can have any motivation then they can change from week to week and there's no coherence. I'm doubtful 80% into the series run, they're going to do anything.

 

 

There is plenty of coherence (ie. needing resources, making humans soldiers/slaves, etc.). The Espheni might want Earth for its molten core, or whatever. They still had to have done what they have done so far (tactically, not always, but strategically, OK). I find this show maddening and I'm OK with what we know about this so far.

 

The Eshpeni motivation for invading earth will be revealed in season five, according to Eick.  So I can wait.

 

 

Ah, so it will be explained next. That should work.

[ganesh]

The Eshpeni motivation for invading earth will be revealed in season five, according to Eick.  So I can wait.

 

Kind of a long time to make that reveal for a show that is fundamentally built around an alien invasion and whose main character has spoken to the aliens on several occasions, however. 

 

Let's make a show about an alien invasion. Why would they invade? Eh, we can get to that later. We can always make a time jump to wipe anything out, plot wise.

 

I really hope the writers aren't introducing another alien species.

 

They definitely are because the Esph told Tom and then whatever the hell they showed at the end here. 

 

Not for nothing, the show wasn't great, but now it's kind of a pile of shit. 

Edited September 3, 2014 by ganesh

[shapeshifter]

Kind of a long time to make that reveal for a show that is fundamentally built around an alien invasion and whose main character has spoken to the aliens on several occasions, however. 

 

Let's make a show about an alien invasion. Why would they invade? Eh, we can get to that later. We can always make a time jump to wipe anything out, plot wise.

 

They definitely are [introducing another species????] because the Esph told Tom and then whatever the hell they showed at the end here. 

 

Not for nothing, the show wasn't great, but now it's kind of a pile of shit.

ganesh, we might not see eye-to-eye on The Leftovers, but I high five you on this post.

[spritz]

- Weaver should just've died because he has no real role on the show anymore.  He's not the leader of the 2nd Mass anymore and anything he says or does could just as easily be said or done by one of the Masons.

 

It's sad to see what Weaver has become. He was once a proud soldier and commander. But he has now turned into Tom's pathetic yes-man and Matt's baby sitter.

 

Speaking of Matt, why has that brat been given so much screen time this season?

 

Matt is obnoxious. He assaults Pope when Pope dared to say something negative about the messiah Tom. Then he threatens his own sister if something bad should befall Tom on the way to the moon. He should know by now that nothing bad is going to happen to Tom, they're Masons, they have Teflon. To top it off, Matt goes beserk and attacks Cochise. Tom needs to teach that brat that he needs to control himself.

 

 

[AV8n]

Okay, I've got it.  The Espheni were interested in Earth because of... chocolate!  Well, specifically Hershey's chocolate.  Unfortunately, Matt Mason keeps bogarting it all in egregious product placement, hence the Espheni's strong hatred for all things Mason.

 

I'm not sure how Red Eye would be communicating off-world (Skitter-Twitter?), unless he was using the Espheni comms systems, which doesn't seem secure.  I know they communicate through radio waves, but seems like it has been established that it's only for limited distances.

[iMonrey]

 

Except he's not between the Earth and the moon.  His ship was knocked by the shock wave of the explosion and went careening off somewhere.  And there was no way to control it - Tom tried pulling on those wire-like things in the consoles and walls to no avail.

 

Wait, wait, wait. Either the Beamer can move at warp speeds, or it can't. Tom was between the Earth and the moon when the lunar power station exploded. It took them several hours to travel from the earth to the moon. So how far, exactly, was Tom "flung" by that explosion? Halfway to Pluto? How is that possible if the ship doesn't have warp speed? I can fan-wank, as Bishop has done, that perhaps the explosion knocked out whatever device the Volm used to track that Beamer, but I still have a hard time believing that they can't find any Beamer within a given radius. Tom simply could not have been flung that far away.

 

 

Not for nothing, the show wasn't great, but now it's kind of a pile of shit.

 

Personally I'd have graded the first season as a "C," the second season as a B+, the third season a solid B, and the fourth season a D. Maybe a D-. I can't quite bring myself to give it an F because I do intend to watch the final season so it hasn't put me off the show not to. I just hope they continue the tradition of getting a new show-runner every season because whoever was in charge of this one really blew it.

[ganesh]

I didn't think he was that far away either. Like, he spun out in a farther arc than where satellites are located, but not nearly fast/far enough to be unlocatable. 

 

Yeah, starting with the time jump/reset and force grow/hybrid, they hit on the worst of the tropes. Oh, throw in a Triangle. 

 

I don't mind tropes if they're fresh or they take the time to do the world building/character building. Let's face it, Stargate wasn't big on original storytelling, but there's a reason it lasted for over a decade. 

[Bishop]

I really hope the writers aren't introducing another alien species. They only have ten hours left to resolve the plots they already have.

They aren't.  It was confirmed in an EW article when even Noah Wyle, after reading that last scene, called up Eick to state that it would be insane to introduce another alien species when they need to wrap things up next season.  He was assured that it was not a new alien species.  Specifically, "All I’ll say is it’s not a new alien race that we’re looking at. It is something we haven’t met before, but it’s familiar."  

 

I'm betting it's an original Skitter.  It looks like one. 

Edited September 5, 2014 by Bishop

[ganesh]

That makes sense. It still fits in with the "wait till you see what's coming" that the Overlord was talking to Tom about in the beginning of the season. Although, I don't see how the Skitter aliens were able to rise up so fast when Skittercus told Tom that the Esph enslaved their planet, but whatever. 

[iMonrey]

 

I didn't think he was that far away either. Like, he spun out in a farther arc than where satellites are located, but not nearly fast/far enough to be unlocatable.

 

Plus, the squadron of Volm ships was right there when the power station blew. How could they be all "Gee, where did Tom go?"

[ganesh]

Not that the show even remotely considered this level of detail, but establishing an actual visual "i'm looking out the window and can see Tom's ship" might have been difficult because of debris due to the explosion. That also could have added some noise to any electronics that could detect the ship. But, he's not that far away, and if the Volm flew through the ecliptic, they'd probably be able to get a fix on the ship given it would be the most erratically moving body in the proximity. The ship can't have that much velocity.

[sigmaforce86]

QUOTE

I won't lie; I'll be back for the final season, but I'm keeping my expectations way, way low.

QUOTE

I won't lie either, I'll watch the final season, but this one was pretty dull.

I'll be there with you two. I've invested way too much time in this show to not see how it ends.

 

 

Can we start a club - maybe "Falling Interest"....our motto is we don't give a crap anymore but let's see how you wrap it up.  Honestly I want to like it, I liked it the first few seasons but this one was so hit or miss if they hadn't announced next year as the final I probably would have cancelled the DVR and let it go. 

Still there were some good moments in the finale - and I'm keeping the last episode on the DVR for awhile just to see how many times I can re-watch Pope screaming "Thank You!" before it's no longer funny (so far - it's still funny).

[ganesh]

I figured that was the main reason to watch.

[BungalowSummer]

 

Tom was between the Earth and the moon when the lunar power station exploded. It took them several hours to travel from the earth to the moon. So how far, exactly, was Tom "flung" by that explosion? Halfway to Pluto? How is that possible if the ship doesn't have warp speed?

 

Cochise is right. Space is big, and it's 3-dimensional. Tom could have been flung in any direction away from the plane of the ecliptic. (This was the lesson that Khan learned at the hands of Kirk.)

[ganesh]

Yes, but the point is, he couldn't have gone that far, and the Volm ships, of which are numerous could go a sweep around the moon and see if he pops up on their scanners. These are space faring beings, certainly they've lost track of smaller ships in similar situations or accidents and have a protocol to locate them. 

 

This is strictly a plot contrivance. They needed Tom separated from the group and meet the Skitter. They did it in a half assed way. They should have had his ship tearing apart from the backwash of the explosion on the moon and the Skitter "beam" him aboard her ship that was farther out and undetected. It's a little handwavy but makes more sense than this.

Edited September 7, 2014 by ganesh

[Bishop]

Plus, the squadron of Volm ships was right there when the power station blew. How could they be all "Gee, where did Tom go?"

But if Tom's ship was blown off course, and it was an advanced Espheni beamer, why is it hard to theorize that the Volm ships were also damaged or blown off their trajectory from the blast?  It's possible that they suffered damage too, and they were not able to track Tom as quickly as they hoped and by then, the beamer was out in deep space.

 

Yes, but the point is, he couldn't have gone that far, and the Volm ships, of which are numerous could go a sweep around the moon and see if he pops up on their scanners. These are space faring beings, certainly they've lost track of smaller ships in similar situations or accidents and have a protocol to locate them.

 

 

But they are doing that.  That's what Chochise told the 2nd Mass.  They are looking for Tom, probably in exactly the way you mention, but they haven't located him yet.  

 

This is strictly a plot contrivance. They needed Tom separated from the group and meet the Skitter. They did it in a half assed way. They should have had his ship tearing apart from the backwash of the explosion on the moon and the Skitter "beam" him aboard her ship that was farther out and undetected. It's a little handwavy but makes more sense than this.

 

 

I don't think it's half-assed.  It's no less contrived than the way you mention it, and frankly, I like the mystery of how it was done.  I'm sure there would be griping if Tom was suddenly "beamed" aboard another ship.  It would imply the Skitters are more advanced than the Volm and Espheni, which wouldn't explain how they could be enslaved and not the Volm.  I'll wait to see how this plays out, but I liked how the Skitter introduction was done.  I'm still convinced it's the original Skitter race.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Bishop

[txbowler]

I would not be at all surprised if Lexi and her powers manage to survive via a cocoon or something.  Shows love it when people talk about their characters (good or bad) and Lexi has produced more conversation than any other character outside of Tom in a while.

[Potato Bomb]

OK just answer me this, I love this show but sometimes it makes me wonder "why", idk if the writers are getting lazy or what.

 

Why did Lexi have to die anyway if the Volm came back with their ship(s) and helped Tom, they could've just destroy the power source on the Moon by shooting at it or something instead Lexi just killed herself anyway that didn't make any sense to me and it's not very realistic or logic :/ also how could a thing as important as a power source to the Espheni be so unprotected? not even a turret or nothing.. thats very unlikely but oh well... they had to kill the main character's daughter to make it dramatic I guess, I wish Lexi had not died and just lived and became human without god like powers instead. What do you think?