S05.E03: Hatchlings

[MostlyC]

The 2nd Mass discovers the source for the supply of enemy forces; Hal disobeys his father.

 

Please don't post here before the episode ends, otherwise we'll send the Mason family your house.  They'll moralize, they'll lecture, they'll argue, and then they'll hug each other with emotional, tear-filled eyes.

 

And you wouldn't want that, would you?

[Garnett7]

Awww, poor Pope. It irks me that apparently only Mason's are allowed anything lasting on this show.

[thuganomics85]

Whelp, that's no surprise.  I figured bodies would drop and it would start with recurring characters, so of course, Sarah was destined to die.  And they kept dropping the anvils with her talking about wanting a child, Pope promising they'll have one some day, and then them saying "I love you", without actually saying it.  Yeah, I totally didn't see that coming!  And it was kind of pointless death: no heroics, just got trapped and eaten.  Lame.

 

Well, to be fair, it seems like what the death really is setting up is the final (?) Tom vs. Pope.  Because, you see, Tom might have been able to save her, but instead, he put the mission ahead of her, and abandoned Pope.  Now, did he make the right call?  Actually, I think it made sense.  They did seem on a time crunch, and it was better to save the whole, instead of one.  But what would have happen had it been one of the Masons boys or Anne?  Oh, Tom would have tossed everything aside for them.  I have doubt about that.  But clearly the Mason's have different rules then the rest of the 2nd Mass.  Sucks to be you, Pope and Sarah.  But I'm guessing Pope is going to end up being the bad one.  Since the final shot was him glaring at Tom and Anne holding hands,  I wonder if he's actually going to go after her, instead of Tom himself.

 

Girl and her skitter bro are already dead.  They escape, Hal and Maggie chase, skitter bro accidentally shoots sis, so he kills himself.  Girl dies.  Maggie cries.  Not sure what the point of that subplot was.

 

Meanwhile, Anthony is freezing at the wrong moments, and now everyone thinks he ha PTSD, after he riddles their Espeni captive with bullets.  In his defense, it did look like the alien had some kind of weapon or object, but it turned to dust when it died.  So, he's now in time-out.

 

We've now got a Mason Militia.  I get it, show.  The Masons are the greatest.

Edited July 13, 2015 by thuganomics85

[CarpeDiem54]

Tom turned into Pope - crazy warrior badass. Pope turned into Tom - all emo with lovey dovey babies talk. But since poor Pope isn't a Mason, he can't have a happy ending.

I didn't see the point at all of that whole Brian the Sorta Skitter and his sister deal. I guess it was to lead our intrepid crew of half-wits to the Overlord. They probably could have located him if Maggie and Ben had just tuned him in on their spikes. Oh, well.

BTW - The description I have on my Comcast guide for this episode was:

The 2nd Mass makes a discovery about the source for a seemingly endless supply of enemy forces. Elsewhere, Tom's leadership spreads to remaining human militias; Hal helps Maggie on a personal mission; and Tom must make an agonizing choice.

[TVSpectator]

Well, the death count for this season is probably going to be very high (and I am upset that they killed off Sarah) and I think we will be seeing more deaths this season (like maybe they are setting up Maggie's death so that the Mason boys would be able to stop fighting over her). I wonder if they will have the inevitable Pope vs Mason fight that will cause them to be enemies from now on?  

 

As with Anthony, what is going on with him? Is it war stress/PSTD or did the Espheni  did something to him?

[TVSpectator]

The 2nd Mass makes a discovery about the source for a seemingly endless supply of enemy forces. Elsewhere, Tom's leadership spreads to remaining human militias; Hal helps Maggie on a personal mission; and Tom must make an agonizing choice.

 

In the beginning of this episode they showed us a recording/hologram/radio message that Tom had Cochise's people sent out to all of the other militias that they said they made contact with and in Cochise's update he mentioned that about 52% of all Espheni technology has been wiped out (thanks to these other militias) and that the other militias are forming groups know as  "Mason Militias" after Tom, of course. 

[MrHufflepuff]

I'm confused about something.  I thought the 8-legged creature that saved Tom when he was in space was supposed to be the race that attacked the Espheni and drove them into our galaxy?  Or was that never actually stated in an episode, and it was just speculation?  Because now they are saying that the 8-leggers are proto-Skitters?

[Mars477]

I'm imagining an alternate universe where all of the Masons died horrible deaths in Season 1 and as a result we had a much better show.

[Dowel Jones]

Too bad Pope didn't come back to find a skitterized Sarah.  Oh well, I was getting really tired of the forced banter between them, especially when one or the other got in a tight spot, such as tonight.  A little realism goes a long way, writers.

 

Wasn't SkitterBrian being held in a lockable jail cell?  Wouldn't that be the place to put the overlord, too?  Not that it mattered, in the end.

 

Best lines of the night:  "What the hell is going on in DC?"  "We do not know.  How can we know?"

 

We've now got a Mason Militia

 

34th Degree Masons.

[tv echo]

Pope's line about how they were going to put his family first for once (right before Tom ignored him and drove off) was so spot on.  I get that they're trying to show the new ruthless Tom who has to make hard decisions, but it didn't work for me.  If Sarah had been a Mason family member, Tom would've dropped everything else and gone off to rescue her.

 

If I were a member of the 2nd Mass who's not a Mason or Mason love interest, I'd rally everyone else to stage a military coup and overthrow Tom as the leader - because it's clear that everyone who's not a Mason is just cannon fodder.

 

If they're setting up a Pope vs Tom conflict, I'm now on Team Pope.

 

Oh - and the Mason Militias line made me cringe.

Edited July 13, 2015 by tv echo

[FormerMod-a1]

Why is Maggie still alive/around?  I don't mind the Masons, in fact I like most of them, but the Maggie character is a waste and the actress is just so bland and lacking in charisma.  

[shrewd.buddha]

I'm not feeling the glee with which the Masons are engaging in the mass genocide of sentient beings -- who happen to be unarmed and not attacking them -- especially when said beings are most likely transformed human children.

 

... I can understand the need to kill or be killed ... It's the high-five-ing afterwards that I find unappealing -- given that the Skitters are puppets of the Overlords (and transformed children). 

Edited July 13, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[Garnett7]

Pope was spot on when he said that, if it'd been someone Tom loved as opposed to someone he loved, Tom would've dropped everything to go save them. Some Mason's need to die already, any not just the alien spawn child Lexi. I need some Mason blood on the ground by season's end to even things out here.

[AV8n]

Let the bodies hit the floor! I agree it's time for a Mason to take one for the team. I nominate Matt.

 

I totally called it at the end of last season that the mystery alien was a pre-Skitter. Pretty much a no-brainer, no matter how many documented species Goatcheese says fit Tom's description. I miss the rebel skitters, though. That showed a different dimension to them - now they're just popping out of big tanks with no personality or anything. Even in the early seasons the Skitters were shown as being caring towards the harnessed kids in their own way.

 

Not sure if Anthony has PTSD or he just hates aliens now after they killed whatshername. He definitely came there to mess with the overlord, if not to kill him. Granted, if an alien prisoner is holding a glowing red object in his hand you probably need to consider that it might be dangerous. Of course we know from last season he was just making an Espheni cell phone. It's better than Verizon's "new every two" plan. If you've got a handful of dirt, you've got a new device! No rollover minutes, though.

[iMonrey]

I know everyone here hates the Masons, but Pope is the character I got tired of about five seasons ago. And now they've set us up for Tom vs. Pope v7 or whatever version we're on now. So sick of it. 

 

Every season this show goes away for a year and I mostly forget about it until it comes back on again, and then I remember all the things about it that annoy me. Chief amongst them is this relationship angst they insist on shoving into an otherwise semi-decent premise. I don't understand why everyone has to have a girlfriend, love interest, romantic entanglement, etc. It just feels so stunningly out of place in a show about people who are literally fighting for their very lives and the survival of their planet. They shouldn't be stopping every five minutes to discuss their "feels."

 

I think pairing Pope up with a love interest and trying to soften his character by doing so is even more ridiculous than all the other love pairings this show has come up with. Pope has been a walking, talking cliche since Day 1 and the only thing this character has ever been "good" for is making sarcastic one-liners about whatever's going on a round him. This is the type of character that in real life would have died around episode three. He's kind of like Dr. Smith on Lost in Space - why hasn't someone just killed him by now?

 

Someone here remind me: has the show ever established just what, exactly, the Espheni want from our planet? Because I'm at a loss to think of it. We have never seen them mining or cultivating anything in the way of resources - not water, gold, air, you name it. Was it just scrap metal for their ships? 

[BungalowSummer]

 

Someone here remind me: has the show ever established just what, exactly, the Espheni want from our planet? Because I'm at a loss to think of it.

 

That's a very good question. Granted, even though I've seen every episode, my attention has often wandered (*cough* Karen *cough* Lourdes *cough* Lexi). I don't remember ever hearing why the Espheni came here or what their ultimate goal is.

 

It all seems so pointless, even meaningless. The best analogy I can think of is that Earth is merely the current location for an ongoing war between superpowers fought by proxies. Earth is Korea in the fight between the U.S. and China. It's Afghanistan in the fight between the U.S. and the Soviets. Cochise reminds me of a CIA facilitator arming the locals to fight his enemy for him.

 

I'm also rooting for Pope in the coming showdown. Except he's a slave to his unfettered emotions and he'll botch it. Regarding which Mason goes down by the end of the series, my vote is for Hal. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom is killed in some ironic, final encounter like some Moses who leads his people to the promised land but is himself forbidden to enter. That would disgust me greatly. I just don't want to see Weaver killed. Undoubtedly, he'll be offed since he doesn't have the magic Mason shield.

Edited July 13, 2015 by BungalowSummer

[BooksRule]

I'm trying to think back to past episodes, but nothing is coming to mind.  Can someone fill me in on what exactly Sarah stepped (fell?) into?  There was some type of (bomb?) casing, but I didn't understand what Pope called it.  They seemed familiar with she was stuck in.  Finally, what were those bugs?  How is all connected?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Ha ha!

[Ottis]

Someone here remind me: has the show ever established just what, exactly, the Espheni want from our planet?

 

 

I haven't watched this episode, yet, but my recollection is that the Espheni want soldiers in their ongoing war, and humans in harnesses are soldiers. And yes, reading this thread before watching the ep means there are spoilers, but for this show, who cares.

 

I'm not sure they want the planet at all, except to strip as many resources from it as they can and move on.

 

Maybe they knew that Tom Mason, The Chosen and the Ultimate Galactic Warrior, would be their savior. Wait a minute... he was The Ghost. Could this be leading up to the launch of a new series ... Space Ghost?

 

Pope was spot on when he said that, if it'd been someone Tom loved as opposed to someone he loved, Tom would've dropped everything to go save them.

 

 

I think one character or another has said this to Mason at some point in every season. It doesn't do any good.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Ottis

[xaxat]

One would think that the knowledge they were headed into their final season would sharpen the focus of the writing staff, and in turn, the show. Nope. Three episodes in, and, outside of the inevitable Pope/Tom clash, I have no idea where the story is headed. Except. . . 

 

 

Regarding which Mason goes down by the end of the series, my vote is for Hal. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom is killed in some ironic, final encounter like some Moses who leads his people to the promised land but is himself forbidden to enter. That would disgust me greatly. 

 

I have no doubt this will happen.

Edited July 13, 2015 by xaxat

[Gudzilla]

I know everyone here hates the Masons, but Pope is the character I got tired of about five seasons ago. And now they've set us up for Tom vs. Pope v7 or whatever version we're on now. So sick of it. 

I totally agree on Pope and his 'Sawyer light' routine. He's a good fighter but I can't see where he'd be worth the trouble he causes.

 

Although he was of course dead on about Tom, and I'm glad Dan said as much.

 

 I miss Tector.

[Bishop]

I totally agree on Pope and his 'Sawyer light' routine. He's a good fighter but I can't see where he'd be worth the trouble he causes.

 

Although he was of course dead on about Tom, and I'm glad Dan said as much.

 

 

Dan did not "say as much."  Tom asked him if he was wrong to not go back for Sarah first, and Dan said "No, but the old Tom Mason would have."  That being said, yes, Tom would have definitely gone back for a member of his family, but I think it's also true that if Pope had been the one driving the truck, he wouldn't have gone back for a Mason either.  My greater point is that it wasn't a deliberate act on Tom's part to abandon Sarah, and Weaver agreed with Tom's decision.  It's war, and they had to make a strategic decision, and it ended tragically.  Tom was visibly shaken by it, and of course, Pope is out for blood.  I get it.  He has lost so much, and all he sees is Tom always surviving and he's there with his wife - the woman he loves.  I think on some level, Tom and Pope were always going to come to this moment with them fighting each other.  So I don't think it's bad story telling.  Their story has been five years in the making too.  Frankly, Sarah was a bit too "green" for the 2nd Mass.  She was learning, but she was inexperienced, and I think it was only a matter of time before she died.

 

So far, I think the last season of Falling Skies has been fantastic.  The stories are really good and compelling, and every character gets their moment.  I also find it realistic that after five years of constant war, there are various members of the 2nd Mass that are starting to become affected by it all.  Tom is changing from the man he was in order to meet the challenges of winning the war.  Anthony is becoming unhinged, and Pope is now completely turning dark.  For him, I think it was inevitable.  He never truly meshed with the 2nd Mass.  He fought with them, but he also seemed to put himself outside the group, picking fights, getting in people's faces, ect.  That "warm" John Pope never really materialized with the 2nd Mass, but it did with Sarah.  So I did feel bad for him.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Bishop

[Garnett7]

If a Mason dies (and that's a big "if"), I figure it will be Tom at the end of the series. But I wish it'd be Hal myself. He's bugged me since the start.

[TVSpectator]

Since day one Pope was at odds with Tom (hell he was one of the bad guys that tried to attack them and took Hal, and Karen hostage back in first episode, but had a "turn of heart" after he was taken prisoner by the 2nd Mass, while being there cook) and yes this final showdown was written in the stars to happen, but I do feel that at least Pope has a legitimate reason, this time, to be angry at Tom. Plus, he was dead right about Tom (like he is usually, btw), if it was a member of Tom's family he would've come the rescue first and then destroy the Skitter birthing base. 

 

Speaking of Tom and Pope, I think they are supposed to be foils for each other. One is a career criminal (who admits that he has been to prison before the Espheni came to earth and the other was a law-abiding history professor. One was a member (or a leader) that took Maggie prisoner and probably watched her being raped by his brother (which I think was implied and not actually said or shown on screen, btw) and the other leads  human resistance cell. So, they are most likely the foils for each other. 

 

 

If a Mason dies (and that's a big "if"), I figure it will be Tom at the end of the series. But I wish it'd be Hal myself. He's bugged me since the start.

 

Well, if a Mason does have to die, then it probably will be Tom and/or Ben. While Hal (or Matt) will take their place rebuilding society. You see Tom Mason is supposed to be The Second Coming of Jesus, George Washington, Lincoln, Moses, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and General George S. Patton rolled all in one. 

Edited July 14, 2015 by TVSpectator

[terrymct]

Someone here remind me: has the show ever established just what, exactly, the Espheni want from our planet? Because I'm at a loss to think of it. We have never seen them mining or cultivating anything in the way of resources - not water, gold, air, you name it. Was it just scrap metal for their ships? 

 

 

I think it was that they didn't want another race to go through what they had been through.   Rather highbrow and altruistic.  It'd be interesting if there was a second more practical reason.

[Ottis]

I also find it realistic that after five years of constant war, there are various members of the 2nd Mass that are starting to become affected by it all.  Tom is changing from the man he was in order to meet the challenges of winning the war.  Anthony is becoming unhinged, and Pope is now completely turning dark.

 

 

Unfortunately, those changes happened all of a sudden, this season. It wasn't an arc. It was a huge plot wank.  And before Tom "changed" (if you can call a shift from one type of sanctimonious douche to another type a change), he was still fighting and winning the war. His personality change was made just now, this season, with I am sure some end plot goal in mind. It rings hollow. As for Pope, he had adjusted nicely to being part of the team. Mason trusted him, Pope wasn't dark. NOW he is, again, for some plot wank. Same for Anthony. All of these changes *just happened.* That isn't good writing. That is a show in its final season that wrote an ending and then had to wank backward to get its characters to change in ways that would end up where they want. Awful.

 

As for this episode, a few thoughts:

 

Sarah tells Pope, when he says he had kids, to "hold the farm"? Did I hear that right? You can hold the phone, and bet the farm, but hold the farm? That was a chuckle.

 

Also, nice job you two, skulking in very bare cover a few feet from the road and the horde of skitters *while you move.* Good grief. I guess skitters have no senses at all.

 

The scene where Sarah gets stuck is painful in its dialogue. All of a sudden, they are calling each other "honey" and "baby" and she is trying to put on a brave face while he is overacting. Even my teen son groaned through that scene.

 

Another guffaw moment: All the dialogue with Cochise about the small, mysterious area over Fayetteville, while there is a massive, honking area to the top of the screen over DC. Glad someone finally noticed it, though the group's reaction was a general shrug.

 

Anothony "freezes up" during the attack on the barn off screen, where viewers can't see it. A passing comment is made that he "froze up," with no explanation (viewers at our house: "What did he just say? Something about freezing?"). Then that becomes a key point later in his execution of the captured overlord. Nice, show.

 

BTW, Anthony, way to completely give up describing what you saw in the overlord's hand. It was red and it was glowing - both traits that lend themselves to potentially being a weapon. You might have mentioned the two basic characteristics of what you saw.

 

The giant, intimidating overlords can be brought down with a knife from behind - through their cute leather suits. Not quite as tough as I remember them being. Oh, wait - it was a knife held by a MASON. That's unstoppable.

 

If I have to watch Mason shoot his auto rife while holding it sideways one more time - OMG, that's the definition of douche - I am going to throw something at the screen.

 

As an alleged leader, the first thing Mason should have done upon returning from that mission was organize a funeral ceremony for Sarah. That would show Pope that Mason did care, and help him start on his way to healing ... you know, the roles funerals play for humanity. Of course, you can also sulk alone, lamenting whether you "made the right call." Yeah, let's do that. Because you're such a good leader.

 

Finally, and I may have missed dialogue while laughing so if someone can answer this please jump in, why was it so important for Mason and team to attack the breeding area within an hour? I know he said there would be an attack within an hour - but, all they did was destoy the breeding area. Aren't there hundreds or thousands of skitters already marching and ready to attack? Wouldn't they still attack even after the breeding area was destroyed? If so, then the whole "we have an hour" thing made no sense, and neither did losing Sarah.

 

I've watch FS for all four seasons, and saw a decent premise in season one go down the toilet. Now it's just fun watching the ridiculousness of it all!

Edited July 14, 2015 by Ottis

[Bishop]

but I do feel that at least Pope has a legitimate reason, this time, to be angry at Tom. Plus, he was dead right about Tom (like he is usually, btw), if it was a member of Tom's family he would've come the rescue first and then destroy the Skitter birthing base. 

But seriously, what father WOULDN'T try to go back for his child, and like I said before, if Pope was driving and Tom was begging him to go back for his son, Pope would have said "no."  I have no problem with the idea of Tom "would have gone back if it was his kid." just like I have no problem with Pope willing to risk his life to say someone he loves.  My greater point is that Pope woudl NOT have risked his life or his mission to save one of Tom's sons.  He has been anti-Mason since the beginning, and he has either called them names or been willing to kill them - whether it was Tom with the eye worm or Hal with the other worm or Ben with his spikes.  Pope has always been itching to shoot a Mason for the last four years.

 

Speaking of Tom and Pope, I think they are supposed to be foils for each other. One is a career criminal (who admits that he has been to prison before the Espheni came to earth and the other was a law-abiding history professor. One was a member (or a leader) that took Maggie prisoner and probably watched her being raped by his brother (which I think was implied and not actually said or shown on screen, btw) and the other leads  human resistance cell. So, they are most likely the foils for each other.

 

 

I agree.  Maggie confirmed that Pope allowed his group to sexually assault her, and that's pretty much all I needed to know about Pope.  Has he made some effort to change?  A little bit, but not much.  Pope has never actively tried to help the 2nd Mass.  He's either been a thorn in their side or a complaining participant.  In Charleston, he was interested in running his bar and taking odds against which Mason would die (if I remember correctly).  When they got to the ghetto, he was watching cartoons and hording food.  When they got to Chinatown, he was trying to murder Lexi.  So yes, Pope has always had it in for Tom Mason on some level, and Tom has disliked Pope equally.  I was hoping that over time they would grow to begrudgingly respect each other, but in this last year, they are clearly moving in the opposite direction.

 

Well, if a Mason does have to die, then it probably will be Tom and/or Ben. While Hal (or Matt) will take their place rebuilding society. You see Tom Mason is supposed to be The Second Coming of Jesus, George Washington, Lincoln, Moses, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and General George S. Patton rolled all in one.

 

LOL, I've never felt that Tom Mason was any of those things, and in fact, we're learning he is very human, capable of making mistakes and wanting revenge.  The story of Falling SKies has always been about Tom Mason and his family, told essentially from his family's perspective.  So I don't get why everyone gripes about "Why is it always about Tom and his family?"  I thought that was pretty clear from day one.  As for a Mason dying, yes, I think that's definitely going to happen.  I am hoping for Hal too because I really like Ben, but it could be Ben.  I hope Tom survives to the end, but that may not happen.  I would love for the show to do a flash forward at the end to show the audience where the world ends up once the Espheni are eradicated, and if Tom Mason has a statute erected in his honor along with the 2nd Mass, I'll be fine with that.  He IS a very large part of the reason why Earth will have survived.  

 

Finally, and I may have missed dialogue while laughing so if someone can answer this please jump in, why was it so important for Mason and team to attack the breeding area within an hour? I know he said there would be an attack within an hour - but, all they did was destoy the breeding area. Aren't there hundreds or thousands of skitters already marching and ready to attack? Wouldn't they still attack even after the breeding area was destroyed? If so, then the whole "we have an hour" thing made no sense, and neither did losing Sarah.

 

 

The key dialogue was with Ben and Maggie.  They had eradicated what they thought was the remaining Skitter force using the gas they made.  When they captured the Overlord, they realized that he was making more skitters and mutants and would use THOSE skitter/mutants to attack the 2nd mass and wipe them out within the hour.  It's what Ben and Maggie revealed when they entered the Overlord's mind.  The 2nd Mass had to take out the breeding facility and any remaining Skitter in and around the area.  I'm assuming it did not happen quickly, even though it looked like it did.  It was still daylight when Pope left Sarah,and it was dark by the time the 2nd Mass got back to her. So yes, sacrificing Sarah to save the entire 2nd Mass was a the smarter choice, although no one meant to sacrifice her.  They thought they'd get back in time.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Bishop

[KLovestoShop]

Can someone please tell me what happened to Tom's half alien child?  I missed a lot of last season and I don't know what happened to her.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Can someone please tell me what happened to Tom's half alien child?  I missed a lot of last season and I don't know what happened to her.

 

Lexi flew the spaceship into the Espheni power core on the moon and destroyed it -- and she was presumably killed in the explosion.

[ganesh]

Now, did he make the right call?  Actually, I think it made sense.  They did seem on a time crunch, and it was better to save the whole, instead of one.

 

From the pov of a general in a war, this was 100% the right call, and it's ridiculous that either Weaver or Tom would countenance otherwise. Furthermore, it's Pope's fault for taking the "short cut." It's on him way way way than it's on Tom.

 

Sure, Tom would have gone after the other Mason's. Taking the little one aside, having spikes is a major major asset, and Hal, while, eh, is basically a major-general. Same thing with Ann. She's literally the only doctor and who has performed alien surgery to boot. And I don't like the Masons at all. This is a silly and unnecessary plot. 

 

The collective eyerolling here over the "mason militia" line broke the sound barrier. 

 

I thought that was an Esh communication device. Remember how they squeezed a rock last season? Anthony had no business there. He could have just shot the Esh in the hand or arm. 

 

I think pairing Pope up with a love interest and trying to soften his character by doing so is even more ridiculous than all the other love pairings this show has come up with.

 

Pope had actually developed the armor piercing bullets. They should have just had him as a guy who like killing the aliens and had some skills at putting things together. We didn't need the new guy. Pope could have just been the one who figured out how to make the drones, etc. The whole conflict with Tom is really manufactured. Pope's the guy you keep happy, tell him what he wants to hear, and then privately ask him to dial it down if he goes overboard. It's not like there's a million people like that. 

 

I think on some level, Tom and Pope were always going to come to this moment with them fighting each other.  So I don't think it's bad story telling.

 

It's lazy storytelling because it's boring and there's not much of a reason for it. Someone would have taken Pope out quietly a long time ago once it was clear he was more trouble than he was worth. 

 

Seriously though, it's like they start each season with the end in mind and then wank the characters back to that end. Remember how much we complained about the big flash forward last season?

 

After liberating Earth of the aliens the Volm are going to take Tom away to become the Star Leader and liberate the galaxy. If that happens, I totally win. 

[CaptainE]

Examples of poor writing in this episode included the fact that the lovers were the only ones sent out to go up the trail and find, wait, what were Pope and Sara looking for anyway? Alone.

Too much "baby"and "honey" too, as mentioned upthread.

Well, anyway they couldn't have a decent sized recon team sent, just in case someone got stuck in artichoke bomb quicksand??? Reminds me of the Following, where there are always only TWO people sent into whatever soon to be blown up building/kidnap scene/evil freak's completely dark lair.

Example two are the wasps. Um, how come the camp wasn't overrun by them when the skitters attacked? And why weren't they flying out of the barn that the skitters were coming out of before it was blown up? The mfg of whom seemed retconned btw.

Example three is when skitters attack and the cameras go into extra shaky mode because the sfx budget is apparently dwindling. Gives me a headache.

Also, Stated above was this;

"I thought that was an Esh communication device. Remember how they squeezed a rock last season? Anthony had no business there. He could have just shot the Esh in the hand or arm. "

Nice how one of only two AA characters here gets to be a total dumbs hit. Also notice how more than 2 = redshirt? Ugh.

[Ottis]

They had eradicated what they thought was the remaining Skitter force using the gas they made.  When they captured the Overlord, they realized that he was making more skitters and mutants and would use THOSE skitter/mutants to attack the 2nd mass and wipe them out within the hour.  It's what Ben and Maggie revealed when they entered the Overlord's mind.  The 2nd Mass had to take out the breeding facility and any remaining Skitter in and around the area.  I'm assuming it did not happen quickly, even though it looked like it did.

 

 

Ok, I'm trying to follow this. They initially found the valley of skitters, and gassed them. Then when they went back to the valley, there were even more skitters (hence the need to go find where they were coming from). So did someone gas the second horde, too?

 

Meanwhile, the entire time Tom and crew were making their way to the skitter birthing vats, more skitters were being born and were massing. The process of finding the birthing area took at least two hours. So the entire time that Tom and crew were looking for the skitter vats, reconning them and setting the explosives, the rest of the team was continously gassing all the skitters who kept showing up, at night?

 

This timing matters, because remember, the attack was going to be in an hour. So if the already born skitters weren't dealt with right away, they should attack.

 

So, when the vats were blown up, the timing was such that all the existing skitters had been gassed, more or less continuously in the dark with no resistence, and there were ony a handful left between the vats and the gassing area to attack?

 

That ... seems unlikely.

 

I thought that was an Esh communication device. Remember how they squeezed a rock last season? Anthony had no business there. He could have just shot the Esh in the hand or arm.

 

 

That was definitely what it was. The question is, would Anthony or any human know that? I can't remember if anyone aside from Lexi knew about those. If no one does, then the most obvious description from Anthony would be "red and glowing." Which he didn't say. I know the point was that Anthony was so angry over just losing Deni to the skitters (who inexplicably tore her apart, something we've not seen before) that he actually didn't care what the overlord was doing, he just wanted an excuse to shoot him. But that was sloppily presented.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Ottis

[AV8n]

Anthony pretty much did what Pope has been trying to do since Day One - find a reason to get alone with an alien and kill it. Maybe he would have shot the overlord even if it had been sitting there sleeping, but seeing it holding a glowing red "something" in its hand certainly helped make up his mind. If he'd known ET just wanted to phone home he may have shot it out of its hand, but for all he knew it was a weapon.

 

I think the Skitters that attacked Deni were the easy bake kind we saw spilling out of the vats, hence their more awkward movements and general nature.

[ganesh]

That was definitely what it was. The question is, would Anthony or any human know that? I can't remember if anyone aside from Lexi knew about those. If no one does, then the most obvious description from Anthony would be "red and glowing." Which he didn't say.

 

 

This is a clear case of "make the character dumb because plot." Anthony is high up enough that he knows the Esh is an intelligence asset. You can't kill him. Anthony should have been on forced rest anyway, since it was obvious he was not well enough mentally. Sloppy indeed.

[RustbeltWriter]

If the show wants to stay true to their characters they'll have Tom die in the last episode as they beat the Espheni but throw a twist in where Pope could have save him but doesn't. Just once it would be nice to see the rogue actually do roguish things.

[CaptainE]

Do the skitters need direction? I mean the overlord was captured. Why were they worried about an attack so much?

My guess with these writers is that ALL Masons will survive to the end. Dr. Moon too.

Group hug.

Closing credits.

[Ottis]

Do the skitters need direction? I mean the overlord was captured. Why were they worried about an attack so much?

 

 

Skitters are notoriously punctual. You tell them there will be an attack in one hour, and damn it, they will attack in one hour. They are why overlords don't wear watches.

 

I ran across some episodes of The Librarians with Noah W. playing a kind of nerdy but knowledgeable professor type, and he was way better in that role than he is in Falling Skies. The nerd-with-all-the-answers role fit him well. Not so much action hero. 

Edited July 17, 2015 by Ottis

[ganesh]

Please watch the Librarians. It's an actual *fun* show. 

 

Let's face it. Earth is going to be renamed Masonia and each of the Masons will rule their own continent.

[TVSpectator]

But seriously, what father WOULDN'T try to go back for his child, and like I said before, if Pope was driving and Tom was begging him to go back for his son, Pope would have said "no."  I have no problem with the idea of Tom "would have gone back if it was his kid." just like I have no problem with Pope willing to risk his life to say someone he loves.  My greater point is that Pope woudl NOT have risked his life or his mission to save one of Tom's sons.  He has been anti-Mason since the beginning, and he has either called them names or been willing to kill them - whether it was Tom with the eye worm or Hal with the other worm or Ben with his spikes.  Pope has always been itching to shoot a Mason for the last four years.

 

 

I agree.  Maggie confirmed that Pope allowed his group to sexually assault her, and that's pretty much all I needed to know about Pope.  Has he made some effort to change?  A little bit, but not much.  Pope has never actively tried to help the 2nd Mass.  He's either been a thorn in their side or a complaining participant.  In Charleston, he was interested in running his bar and taking odds against which Mason would die (if I remember correctly).  When they got to the ghetto, he was watching cartoons and hording food.  When they got to Chinatown, he was trying to murder Lexi.  So yes, Pope has always had it in for Tom Mason on some level, and Tom has disliked Pope equally.  I was hoping that over time they would grow to begrudgingly respect each other, but in this last year, they are clearly moving in the opposite direction.

 

LOL, I've never felt that Tom Mason was any of those things, and in fact, we're learning he is very human, capable of making mistakes and wanting revenge.  The story of Falling SKies has always been about Tom Mason and his family, told essentially from his family's perspective.  So I don't get why everyone gripes about "Why is it always about Tom and his family?"  I thought that was pretty clear from day one.  As for a Mason dying, yes, I think that's definitely going to happen.  I am hoping for Hal too because I really like Ben, but it could be Ben.  I hope Tom survives to the end, but that may not happen.  I would love for the show to do a flash forward at the end to show the audience where the world ends up once the Espheni are eradicated, and if Tom Mason has a statute erected in his honor along with the 2nd Mass, I'll be fine with that.  He IS a very large part of the reason why Earth will have survived.  

 

YMMV, but I think Pope was right when he said that Tom would go to rescue his family first, over the mission and risking death/defeat for the 2nd Mass. I think that was what Pope meant when he yelled at Tom. 

 

Yeah, Pope is kind of hard to like because of the first season, but I still enjoy seeing him over all of the circle jerking the 2nd Mass gets and Tom gets. Let's be fair, I do think that having Pope being involved in the gang was wrong and its' hard to not hate him. They could've done something else, they could've made him into a simple thief or if they wanted him to be a danger to the 2nd Mass, at first, then they could still have a hostage situation but have Maggie as a passive member and not a fellow hostage (and possible rape victim). There were many things they could've done since they kept him for 5 seasons and actually made him into a regular character. 

 

As with Pope and his relationship to the 2nd Mass I think that he was supposed to be a foil for Tom and probably also for the 2dn Mass, because he isn't infatuated with Tom., like pretty much everyone else in the 2nd Mass and everyone that they meet eventually (and ones who do not die within a couple of episodes), thinks that Tom is awesome. I think because he doesn't think Tom is great, he is able to step back and view it differently than the others, which is probably why he seems to be right on the mark when describing and predicting certain events.

 

Sarcasm remarks directed towards a fictional character. 

[ganesh]

I wish Pope was actually more useful though. "Yeah, I can't stand him, but he can fix anything." Or, "if he didn't figure out how to rig the mech, we'd probably have been dead by now." He's useless and mouths off and his characterization is all over the place. It's a complete disservice to the actor.

[TVSpectator]

I wish Pope was actually more useful though. "Yeah, I can't stand him, but he can fix anything." Or, "if he didn't figure out how to rig the mech, we'd probably have been dead by now." He's useless and mouths off and his characterization is all over the place. It's a complete disservice to the actor.

 

Since they have a new character that can fix and build things, maybe they are getting ready to kill him off soon? As with Pope's character, I would blame that  on the writing of this show, but then again, the writing, IMO, isn't so great.

[Garnett7]

 

Maggie confirmed that Pope allowed his group to sexually assault her

 

Didn't Pope say to her (was it last season?) that she should've told him what was happening and he'd have stopped it? 

 

Yeah, it's a very human reaction to want to save someone you love, even make their lives a priority over someone you don't care as much about. But it's not necessarily a good leadership choice. Do you really want the man in charge, calling all the shots, deciding to risk everything to go save his wife or kid but saying "screw yours, I'll get around to them later". Tom's family have chosen to be soldiers in his army, they should get the exact same treatment as any other soldier.

[ganesh]

No, they shouldn't. And I don't even like them. Ben has spikes. He's a valuable intelligence asset. He used to be able to just communicate with the Esh. Now we've learned that he can actually extract information from them against their will. He gets different treatment. 

[TVSpectator]

Didn't Pope say to her (was it last season?) that she should've told him what was happening and he'd have stopped it? 

 

Yeah, it's a very human reaction to want to save someone you love, even make their lives a priority over someone you don't care as much about. But it's not necessarily a good leadership choice. Do you really want the man in charge, calling all the shots, deciding to risk everything to go save his wife or kid but saying "screw yours, I'll get around to them later". Tom's family have chosen to be soldiers in his army, they should get the exact same treatment as any other soldier.

 

I am not sure about Maggie, IMO, it's kind of vague, for a reason.The reason I am guessing is because the writers just don't know for sure what to do with their characters. In addition,  I do believe that they wanted this show to be sort of like a family show, or a show where a 13+ year-olds can watch with their parents.

 

As with what you were saying about what Tom does, yeah, that is why Pope called him out on it. If it was Hal or Matt and not Sarah, stuck in the Esh Fog, then Tom would've recuse Hal/Matt first, then go onto to finish the mission or he would send out a team to rescue Hal/Matt while another team would take out the birthing center. 

Edited July 19, 2015 by TVSpectator