S05.E07: Everybody Has Their Reasons

[MostlyC]

The 2nd Mass arrives at a functional military base run by Weaver's former flame.

 

 

Everybody has their reasons for watching this show.  

 

 

At the moment, my reason is to count how many hugs the Masons give each other per episode.

[FormerMod-a1]

Can the 2nd Mass run into another group of humans that isn't "evil"?  Ever?

 

That said, I was getting PO-ed at the thought they might kill Ben.  And I still find Maggie useless, but she didn't annoy me when saving that other girl (Isabelle?) from creepy rapey guy.

[xaxat]

That felt like a big "fuck you" from the writers. Hey, all you cranks over at PTV who have complained about the Masons? Here's someone that agrees with you! And she's the mind controlled leader of a bunch of torturers and rapists!

 

Hal's treatment of the women is his life is loathsome.

[TVSpectator]

Man, this episode was hard to watch. First I felt that there were some retcons with how easy the 2nd Mass found the 14th as a functioning military base, but they did try to explain away that they just retook an old bombed out/destroyed base. Most importantly, I so wished that they stop with the whole, "they are evil if they disagree with Tom" bit and just now focused on winning the war.

 

Second, I  thought that this episode plot should've been in Season 2. Come on writers, this would've been a half-decent Season 2 episodes. 

 

Third, anyone who dares to disagree with Tom Mason is evil because......

 

Finally, if it was really easy to sneak out (all it takes, I guess, is have Matt wear a dirty uniform, which is too big on him, and have him just ride out on a motorcycle (when it was stated that there are roughly 48 people that are not the 2nd Mass on that base) then whose to say it isn't easy to sneak back in?

 

Overall, I am leaning towards the idea that the 14th are collaborators since they had a huge ass food supply (and it always looks like that the Esh keep their collaborators well fed). It can also be that the Captain (what was her name?) was being controlled by an Overlord, but then why would an Overlord risk being that close to the fort where he/she/it could get shot/imprisoned, if it turns out that they are not collaborators and the Captain is being controlled.  Although,  what really bothered me was the fact that they keep on bringing up all of the stuff they did in past episodes. It felt a bit contrived to see the Captain going off on the 2nd Mass and if they really wanted to show that they are evil or being controlled by an Overlord, they could've just had the 2nd Mass imprison from the get go, and not bother with the elaborate court martial. 

 

 

That felt like a big "fuck you" from the writers. Hey, all you cranks over at PTV who have complained about the Masons? Here's someone that agrees with you! And she's the mind controlled leader of a bunch of torturers and rapists!

 

Hal's treatment of the women is his life is loathsome.

 

Yep, in my opinion,  it was a total "fuck you" to us alright. I have to agree totally. The first person, with power and military knowledge, actually gets worried that Tom could've been mess with, by the Esh, and they turn out to be a mix of possible collaborators, having their leader being controlled by an Overlord, and/or being a bunch of torturers and rapists because no one shall question the word of Tom Mason. 

 

Although, it was a bit nice to  see their new engineer working out a problem.

Edited August 10, 2015 by TVSpectator

[ikmccall]

Highlight of this episode--Weaver cut his hair and cleaned up.

[ottoDbusdriver]

When one of the 14th Virginia mentions to Hal that even they had an Overlord once, Hal should have followed up with "So, what happened with that ?".  Because I would imagine that that is the Overlord that is controlling Capt. Marshall.  But if Capt. Marshall was being controlled by an Overlord, why were they concentrating their efforts on eliminating human collaborators and people who had had run ins with Espheni tech ?

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm thinking a lot of the people they identified as collaborators, really weren't.  So they're just killing off more humans, which the Espheni would like.  And people that had run ins with Espheni tech would also be a threat to the Espheni, if they can learn how to use the tech against them.

[Frost]

 

Can the 2nd Mass run into another group of humans that isn't "evil"?  Ever?

I tuned in to this episode after not watching for a few seasons because I read in the description that the 2nd Mass found a safe haven.  I was excited to think that the humans were in a position to marshal their forces for the final attack.  And then I turned it off again when the evil humans tasered Ben.  Enough already!  Isn't the series almost over?  The movie Independence Day focused on a small group of humans but their ranks grew over the course of the movie, eventually including global forces.  Is Falling Skies going to have the 2nd Mass save the world single handedly?

[xaxat]

Is Falling Skies going to have the 2nd Mass save the world single handedly?

 

Nope, they'll have the full support of the Mason Militias. 

 

The funniest thing about the interrogation/court martial is the fact that the captain apparently didn't know the craziest plot from the Mason family history. A half alien daughter capable of talking to overlords, manipulating weather and who grew to adulthood in less than a year.

 

I guess we really are done with Pope and Anthony.

[freebie]

 

A half alien daughter capable of talking to overlords, manipulating weather and who grew to adulthood in less than a year.

Well, Tom, Weaver and the gang definitely recognized that sharing that little tidbit with total strangers would have been a dicey prospect. Too bad they didn't think to play down all of their other accomplishments (including flying a beamer to the moon -- how ridiculous does that even sound?). Was getting kudos from the "real" military more important than the end game? The zeal to one-up the potential new allies, and the arrogance of Tom just assuming he could swagger in and bend them to his will was super annoying. When he actually gave orders to the one dude, I just cringed. I did like that Weaver hesitated for a second when the deranged captain asked him if he was absolutely sure Tom wasn't compromised, even unknowingly compromised. I have a hard time believing that thought hasn't crossed Weaver's mind at least once. By the way, when it turned out Weaver knew the commanding officer, I groaned. A lot. What are the odds?

 

Meanwhile, I know Ben's not a kid anymore, but he's at least still a teenager, right? The glee with which his captor went about removing the spike was disgusting. If Matt had been the spiked!Mason, would those goons have tortured him, too? And, really, the torture of Ben plus the court martial was plenty of drama for one episode. Did we really need an attempted rape on top of all that? On the plus side, that ass-kicking the women dished out was awesome. Also, didn't it seem like they spent an inordinate amount of time with the guy with the infection? I know he'll probably be important later because it appears he was on the same mission where the captain got injured, but I was so disappointed that the cause of the infection was a piece of his shirt, and not a human-eyed, skin-boring mecha-wasp or something.

[SFoster21]

Cute cut from Weaver's romantic tray to the bowl of maggots.

Why does the black guy have a British

accent?

[Julie23]

The whole rogue military unit was not an expected, or welcome twist. This close to the season fanale, I want to see the humans win the fight against the alien invaders, not fight amongst themseleves. Although, maybe that is the point. Humans can't win, because there will always be factions fighting each other.

[xaxat]

Why does the black guy have a British

accent?

 

Dingan? He's South African.

 

Which reminds me. For all the attention the show is paying to the Masons, he is the one actually researching the tech that could win the war.

Edited August 10, 2015 by xaxat

[iMonrey]

 

Can the 2nd Mass run into another group of humans that isn't "evil"?  Ever?

 

Honestly. With only three episodes left to this whole stinkin' series they should not be falling back into the same old cliches. I knew there was something sketchy about this group as soon as they were standing around the conference table. I think the lady with the hole in her neck has been infected and is being controlled by an overlord. There also seemed to be something missing between the time the guy pulled the spike out of Ben's back and the next scene where he was attacking Isabella. His face got all infected or something, so he's probably being controlled too.

 

I have a feeling this communication hub thing is going to turn into a giant deus ex-machina that saves the planet.

[FormerMod-a1]

There also seemed to be something missing between the time the guy pulled the spike out of Ben's back and the next scene where he was attacking Isabella. His face got all infected or something, so he's probably being controlled too.

 

 

The spike attacked him as soon as he pulled it out.  That's why he flung himself against the wall, grabbed his face, threw it down and stomped on it.

[SFoster21]

Dingan? He's South African.

Which reminds me. For all the attention the show is paying to the Masons, he is the one actually researching the tech that could win the war.

Thanks. Only watch now and then.

[ganesh]

I liked this better when Galactica did it with the Pegasus. It's a common sci fi military trope, so no big deal.

 

Second, I  thought that this episode plot should've been in Season 2.

 

It's way too late in the series for these stories. This was a waste of my time. This is a clear case of manufacturing drama. "Hey you guys are new. We need a debrief. Here's a holding area for everyone to hang out. We'll get you some food. Ann, can you help out? We really need someone with battle medics. Me, Tom, and Weaver are going to talk this out. I need you guys to be honest with me about what you've been through. We'll have to coordinate our efforts after that."

 

Episode over.

 

When one of the 14th Virginia mentions to Hal that even they had an Overlord once, Hal should have followed up with "So, what happened with that ?".

 

Yeah, I stabbed one to death and my dad killed one, and we got some valuable intel from another before he was executed. But that was after we destroyed their infrastructure as I'm sure you've noticed. Yes, in fact, my dick is bigger than yours. What else you got?

 

Where's the history professor here? "Oh, you work with the Volm? Other aliens." You mean like how the USA and UK worked with the Soviets in WWII? Yes. Are you aware of the larger context here? Earth is a pawn in this war between these idiots. The Esh have destroyed other planets and we're the only one to fight back. How do you propose we do it without advanced tech?

[Latverian Diplomat]

The funniest thing about the interrogation/court martial is the fact that the captain apparently didn't know the craziest plot from the Mason family history. A half alien daughter capable of talking to overlords, manipulating weather and who grew to adulthood in less than a year.

 

 

You know, a better show would have the new base not full of evil paranoid rapists, but just had a few moments of people being gobsmacked by all the ridiculous details of various Mason Adventures™. It could have been like that time Odo shut down "security expert" Worf with a few examples of the sillier lapses in security on The Enterprise.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[iMonrey]

Hopefully the writers are just as anxious to forget about Lexi as I am.

 

 

The spike attacked him as soon as he pulled it out.  That's why he flung himself against the wall, grabbed his face, threw it down and stomped on it.

 

I get that, but the scene ended with his fate up in the air, like I didn't know if he was going to survive. Next thing you know he's getting all rapey with Isabella and his face has a spiderweb red pattern on it. So my takeaway is that the 14th are the ones who are "infected" not the 2nd Mass. But it still seemed like a scene was missing between those two scenes. Did he just free Ben from the table and put him in the brig or something? We left that first scene not knowing if Ben was going to survive either.

[Isazouzi]

I liked this better when Galactica did it with the Pegasus. It's a common sci fi military trope, so no big deal.

 

 

Exactly. But at least we had the Galactica military crew to balance out the Pegasus. Here, we have... Weaver and that's it, I guess. As others have said, they're all probably infected by some Esh tech.

 

Where's the history professor here? "Oh, you work with the Volm? Other aliens." You mean like how the USA and UK worked with the Soviets in WWII? Yes. Are you aware of the larger context here? Earth is a pawn in this war between these idiots. The Esh have destroyed other planets and we're the only one to fight back. How do you propose we do it without advanced tech?

 

I think Tom mentioned it though, because I remember Weaver's girlfriend saying it was nothing like the Yankees and the frogs (not sure I heard it right).

 

There's really not much to say about this episode. Boring, predictable, a waste of time considering how many episodes are left. How on Earth are they going to end this show?

[ganesh]

Oh, was that what she was trying to say? It was poorly written then.

I'm a bit over the default trope of war weary military rapes new people too.

For a final season, there's a real waste of time. I assume most of us thought the series would end with the humans "winning." If they aren't going for that I'm ok with it. But they aren't really that creative, so I'm assuming plot is going to force the characters do just do whatever at the end. Because this season has really lacked the slow burn that one expects from the end of a show.

[Gudzilla]

I guess we really are done with Pope and Anthony.

I can only hope. 

 

Adrian Monk would be so disappointed in Trudy. 

 

I had to laugh at the way Cochise threw his hands up to protect himself when Dingan got so excited.

[MostlyC]

 

 

Who is this Lexi of which you speak?  ;)

[FormerMod-a1]

I get that, but the scene ended with his fate up in the air, like I didn't know if he was going to survive. Next thing you know he's getting all rapey with Isabella and his face has a spiderweb red pattern on it. So my takeaway is that the 14th are the ones who are "infected" not the 2nd Mass. But it still seemed like a scene was missing between those two scenes. Did he just free Ben from the table and put him in the brig or something? We left that first scene not knowing if Ben was going to survive either.

 

See, I didn't think his fate was left up in the air.  It didn't look like a fatal attack to me at all.  He pulled it off, stomped on it and moved on.  I agree about Ben though, I was worried they had killed him off.  SO glad they didn't.  If a Mason is to die, it should be Hal, imo (which is why it won't happen).

[Ltg.jon]

It's way too late in the series for these stories. This was a waste of my time. This is a clear case of manufacturing drama.

The last few episodes (including this one) aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves, but it feels like they're just killing time until the finale. I'd rather they'd spent their time building up to the inevitable final battle, with a little time for aftermath. Next week will be another time-filler, which means just two episodes to really wrap things up.

[ParadoxLost]

There's really not much to say about this episode. Boring, predictable, a waste of time considering how many episodes are left. How on Earth are they going to end this show?

 

I think this episode exists solely for the 'history will judge you' line.  I think they aren't worrying about a build up to some epic finale where the 2nd mass either definitively wins or loses because the penultimate will be setting up some critical event or battle that turns the tide that we'll never see.  Then the finale will be an epilogue that reviews the history of the 2nd Mass and their impact on the future to tie back to the original premise that being invaded by aliens is just like the Revolutionary War.

Edited August 11, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[thuganomics85]

Seriously?!  We've only got four episodes left and this was the show is doing?  Another group of humans who end up being bad, so the Masons and 2nd Mass are in trouble with them, now?  Why are they treating this like a typical and not the big finale?  Silly me: I really thought the final season would at least bring humans vs. the aliens to the forefront, but that continues to be shoved way into the background.

 

To be fair, I wonder if seeing that Overlord at the end, is a sign that the Espheni are somehow controlling them: or at the very least, controlling the leader (Weaver's former flame.)  I'm guessing that's why they keep focusing on her injury.  But that doesn't explain everyone else being a bunch of followers, jackasses, or worst. Rapist.  I get it, show.  When shit gets bad, some humans go south.  But I've known this for quite some time already.  I want the aliens, dammit!

 

So, with the Mason boys on death's row (ha!  Not likely), Anne being held at the hospital, and Weaver still trying to get through to his flame, I guess that leaves the 2nd Mass' hands in Matt, who did escape, and this Maggie/Isabella team, which I think was bound to happen.  I guess it's cool that there isn't any angst or drama between them despite the Hal factor, but I would have enjoyed them way more if they killed Captain Rapey. 

 

I think the only parts I like where the Dingan/Cochise stuff.  Mainly do to the humor like Cochise thinking a high-five was some kind of attack.  So much lost potential there.

 

Even next week's previews were lame: come on, TNT.  We know this show doesn't have the guts to off the Mason boys and Anne in a firing squad.  No suspense whatsoever.

[ganesh]

Not for nothing, why does Captain Court Martial not prosecute the rapists?

 

I think this episode exists solely for the 'history will judge you' line.  I think they aren't worrying about a build up to some epic finale where the 2nd mass either definitively wins or loses because the penultimate will be setting up some critical event or battle that turns the tide that we'll never see.

 

I'd rather the main battle be like now, and then see some real-time rebuilding, and then a retrospective. Shows don't put in due diligence on the after war part. Clearly, the big battle of Washington DC isn't going to totally end the war. But I'd have to figure it does enough that the Mason militias finish it off. I suppose they won't be able to show all that anyway.

 

I don't think we need to see everything about The Big Final Battle, but I would have liked at least one full episode of aftermath. It would be cool for like 30 minutes of real time. Then jump 10 years, 25, 50, 100. 

 

Really though, we all know there's going to be The Biggest Speech Of All Speeches In Human History as if America Birthed the Most American Of All Americans greater than Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, Madison, and even Reagan combined. And He Is Called Tom Mason, Giver Of The Speech. That's what it will be known as for generations to come. The Speech.

[ZoqFotPik]

 

 

 

I guess we really are done with Pope and Anthony.

I can only hope.

I have no doubt they'll be back for the finale.

 

 

I don't think we need to see everything about The Big Final Battle, but I would have liked at least one full episode of aftermath. It would be cool for like 30 minutes of real time. Then jump 10 years, 25, 50, 100.

While I agree it would be nice to see some of the aftermath, I really don't need to see the future deification of Tom Mason.

With only three episodes left, we really should more of sense of where this is all going to end by now.

[Isazouzi]

Not for nothing, why does Captain Court Martial not prosecute the rapists?

Because raping collaborators is super OK?

[anstar]

Haven't we seen this before?  The exact same thing happened when they arrived in Charleston. Everything starts out all shiny and happy, then the 2nd Mass comes under attack.   Captain Crazy Lady is clearly infected with some alien heebee jeebee, and I'm bored.

[ganesh]

Pope is coming back to Make The Big Sacrifice. No Tom, you're the Better Man, The world needs you. I will sacrifice myself now. And Tom Mason will let History know that Pope was ok. You know it's coming. 

 

For what is a good premise for a show, they really wasted a lot of potential. I mean, we're talking about why these episodes are happening now, and nothing about how they're going to win. 

 

They're only just scavenging for alien tech to use now. That would be my top priority. 

[ramble]

Sigh. This was bad. Maddeningly bad. Depressingly bad. There so few episodes left, c'mon show. I'm holding on until the end but it's becoming more determination than entertainment.

[ganesh]

I think that's the general sentiment.

[spritz]

Really though, we all know there's going to be The Biggest Speech Of All Speeches In Human History as if America Birthed the Most American Of All Americans greater than Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, Madison, and even Reagan combined. And He Is Called Tom Mason, Giver Of The Speech. That's what it will be known as for generations to come. The Speech.

 

It's probably no coincidence that Washington DC is the site of the final battle. I wonder what monument Tom Mason will be standing in front of when he gives The Speech of Speeches.

[Gudzilla]

I think the aftermath will be Kevin Costner and his bag of mail fixing everything. (after he fights Weaver) 

[ganesh]

And then in the future, there will be a new monument upon which the spot Tom Mason gave The Speech.

[TVSpectator]

Exactly. But at least we had the Galactica military crew to balance out the Pegasus. Here, we have... Weaver and that's it, I guess. As others have said, they're all probably infected by some Esh tech.

I liked this better when Galactica did it with the Pegasus. It's a common sci fi military trope, so no big deal.

 

It's way too late in the series for these stories. This was a waste of my time. This is a clear case of manufacturing drama. "Hey you guys are new. We need a debrief. Here's a holding area for everyone to hang out. We'll get you some food. Ann, can you help out? We really need someone with battle medics. Me, Tom, and Weaver are going to talk this out. I need you guys to be honest with me about what you've been through. We'll have to coordinate our efforts after that."

 

Episode over.

ganesh expressed what I felt about this episode's plot. It's way too late of this show to waste time on this stupid storyline about Weaver's old flame, who is either leading a group of collaborators and/or being controlled by an Overlord (although, either way her group has been defined as rapey torturers). In addition, yes it is a common trope, in sci-fi to have this storyline (and I am sure that other genres have their own twist to this trope), and that something like this plot should've belong in Season 2 or Season 1 for the basic reason that at this point in the show's run everyone just wants to see the build up to finale battle and the actual finale battle. 

 

Like I said above, the court-martial part of this episode felt so contrived and plus, I don't think that they actually needed to do this. If they wanted the 14th to be so evil/torturous/rapey they could've just had the 2nd Mass be imprison from the moment they walked onto the base. Like something like this:

 

Tom, Weaver, and Hal all walks up to the military base:

Sentry: Stop or I will shoot you! Identify yourself now!

Tom: Hello everyone, I am Tom Mason! Yes, that Tom Mason.

Cpt.: Let them in.

Sentry lets them in and once Tom, Hal, and Weaver are inside, the gates closes and everyone points their guns at them.

Cpt.: Capture them!

 

 

I think this episode exists solely for the 'history will judge you' line.  I think they aren't worrying about a build up to some epic finale where the 2nd mass either definitively wins or loses because the penultimate will be setting up some critical event or battle that turns the tide that we'll never see.  Then the finale will be an epilogue that reviews the history of the 2nd Mass and their impact on the future to tie back to the original premise that being invaded by aliens is just like the Revolutionary War.

 

Personally, I was thinking that this whole show is from a point of perspective of people from the future, who are probably the descendants of the 2nd Mass, or this show is just one giant dream and it turns out that Tom is actually in a coma in a Boston hospital-and that is why, the show loves to point out that Tom Mason is so amazing. Although, at this point I do want to see the final battle and also a bit of how the humans will rebuild. I do feel like that show at least owes us, at least the people who have been watching this show since season 1,  by showing the final battle and the outcome of the finale battle. 

 

Another point is why are the Vom relocating humans to South America? I totally forgot why they are doing this and also if some aliens do want to relocate me, I would also be very suspicious about them and about their true reason for doing it. 

Edited August 11, 2015 by TVSpectator

[ganesh]

To be fair, when the Volm wanted to relocate the 2nd Mass, they said this was sop for the planets they've visited with the native population, but they've never met a native species who actually fought the Esh back as hard as the humans have. Cochise said they didn't know how to respond. In fact, I'm more than half sure that relocating people to camps was put in historical context for Cochise and his father by Tom Mason, Giver Of The Speech.

 

Which, they could have easily told the 14th here. 

[TVSpectator]

To be fair, when the Volm wanted to relocate the 2nd Mass, they said this was sop for the planets they've visited with the native population, but they've never met a native species who actually fought the Esh back as hard as the humans have. Cochise said they didn't know how to respond. In fact, I'm more than half sure that relocating people to camps was put in historical context for Cochise and his father by Tom Mason, Giver Of The Speech.

 

Which, they could have easily told the 14th here. 

 

Or they could've not told the 14th that the Vom were relocating people to South America  because you know, Tom is a history major and would obviously know about the Holocaust and that people today have a bad connotation to relocation  camps  (and IMO, you really don't need to be a freaking history professor to realized that. IMO, the 2nd Mass needs to learn a little subtlety while dealing with other groups). Also, if you think about it, Tom and Weaver just basically told the Esh (assuming that the Overlord is controlling the mind of the Cpt. and can see/hear everything the Cpt can) everything, in one report. I guess the best chance the 2nd Mass has now is that they can hope that the 14th are just a regular group of murders, and rapists and/or they are just regular collaborators (and can't communicate with the Esh telepathically)  since they told the Cpt. pretty much everything (minus of course anything about Lexi). 

Edited August 12, 2015 by TVSpectator

[ganesh]

I thought the 14th knew about the relocation and said like, "you're working with the volm, who are relocating people?"

[TVSpectator]

I thought the 14th knew about the relocation and said like, "you're working with the volm, who are relocating people?"

 

I thought that the 2nd Mass told them that?

[ganesh]

I see that the show is so riveting. I can't be arsed to check it. Maybe someone else can confirm.

[TVSpectator]

I see that the show is so riveting. I can't be arsed to check it. Maybe someone else can confirm.

 

For me, sleep is more pressing so someone else can check it out. 

[iMonrey]

 

 

I thought the 14th knew about the relocation and said like, "you're working with the volm, who are relocating people?"

I thought that the 2nd Mass told them that?

 

They did not clarify how the 14th knew about it. It came up during the meeting around the conference table and maps. They seemed to have already known who the Volm were, though, because when she expressed surprise they had been working with them, it would have been odd if they hadn't told her that if they were the ones who told her about the Volm in the first place.

[Bishop]

Well, Tom, Weaver and the gang definitely recognized that sharing that little tidbit with total strangers would have been a dicey prospect. Too bad they didn't think to play down all of their other accomplishments (including flying a beamer to the moon -- how ridiculous does that even sound?). Was getting kudos from the "real" military more important than the end game? The zeal to one-up the potential new allies, and the arrogance of Tom just assuming he could swagger in and bend them to his will was super annoying. 

I didn't see Tom do anything of the sort.  He wasn't trying to impress them or "swagger" in.  He thought, as did Weaver, that they were among allies not enemies.  He shared information with them as he would have with any ally.  The fact that Weaver knew the commanding officer also allowed Tom to lower his guard a bit.  He was smart not to reveal the existence of his daughter, but I didn't see Tom giving orders as him trying to usurp power but rather he's just so use to doing it.  It can be as simple as that he forgot where he was, and for the record, Tom's statements at that kangaroo court were accurate.  Why is such a heavily armed and defended base not out attacking the enemy and instead spending all their time getting rid of humans considered traitors?  Like him or not, Tom has a good BS meter that he uses frequently.

 

Meanwhile, I know Ben's not a kid anymore, but he's at least still a teenager, right? The glee with which his captor went about removing the spike was disgusting. If Matt had been the spiked!Mason, would those goons have tortured him, too? And, really, the torture of Ben plus the court martial was plenty of drama for one episode. Did we really need an attempted rape on top of all that?

 

 

I do agree somewhat on this point, although for all intents and purposes, Ben isn't a teenager anymore.  It's just a number after all he's been through.  The writers constantly seem to want an all good or an all bad "ally."  Why do all of the 14th have to be douches?  Granted, the one black guy at the beginning seemed to have his head on straight, but he wasn't going to go against orders either it seemed.  That makes sense in a military environment, but I would have preferred if not every guy on the base had a bit of the dumb ass, douchery to him.  It would have been nice to see the good and the bad mixed in.  Then again, now that I think about it:  If the Espheni Overlord has been in control of that base and getting the CO to remove any "good" people from its ranks, then you WOULD be left with the douches.  Maybe I just answered my own question.  It still annoys.  

 

On the plus side, that ass-kicking the women dished out was awesome.

 

My favorite scenes were the Ben fight scenes and the Maggie fight scenes.  I like also Maggie and Isabella weren't written to be catty women fighting over their man.  That's why I like Maggie.  She's not the whiner.  She takes responsibility for her actions and moves on.  I do hope to see much more of Ben in these last three episodes.  I have never understood why the writers haven't showcased his skills as a part alien/human hybrid - one that makes sense (not the Lexi version).  

 

At this point in the series, I wish we were moving faster towards the final battle, but it has been established that the 2nd Mass is on a final push to D.C., and it makes sense that they would need as many soldiers to take with them as possible.  Hence why they stopped at the base.  They have plenty of fire power and soldiers to join the ranks of the 2nd Mass.  So I guess I get it on that level, but I just wish we saw more preparing for the battle than another compromised human.  Then again, if we really think about FS, the whole show has been about the Espheni using DNA and "creatures" to control the indigenous population.  So it would kind of make sense that MANY humans are constantly infected or under mind control, even though it feels like a lazy writing option.  

 

I still enjoy Falling Skies, but I also think having a new showrunner EVERY season (which is incredibly ridiculous from a storytelling perspective) has been the thing that has hurt the show the most.  Has any show had that?  Ever?  The characters are great, the story ideas are great, but when you get a new showrunner at the start of every new season, he is going to want to create his own "story" rather than building upon the last season's "vision" and making the stories cohesive.  I have no idea why Spielberg allowed it.   Regardless, I'm still enjoying the characters and the show.  So I don't hate watch it the way others do at all.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Bishop

[xaxat]

In an interesting coincidence, Falling Skies and The Strain had similar initial setups for this week's episodes. Much like Falling Skies, on The Strain, a couple of the vampire hunting main characters were detained by the NYPD because the police didn't trust their tactics. Then, unlike Falling Skies, both sides realized their common interests and went the rest of the episode impressing each other with their respective skills. No torture, no attempted rape.

 

I wouldn't say it was a good episode of TV, but it was less aggravating than Falling Skies.

[freebie]

 

I didn't see Tom do anything of the sort.  He wasn't trying to impress them or "swagger" in.  He thought, as did Weaver, that they were among allies not enemies.  He shared information with them as he would have with any ally.  The fact that Weaver knew the commanding officer also allowed Tom to lower his guard a bit.

We'll have to agree to disagree. The 2nd Mass. has ample experience with supposed "allies" turning on them. Just because they encountered these folks on a formerly active military base doesn't make them any more trustworthy than the last set of humans that betrayed Tom Mason and Co. But for some reason, the 2nd Mass. just collectively let their guard down and started regaling their new best pals with stories of their amazing conquests. Sure, Weaver knew the captain, back in the day, but he'll be the first to admit he's a much different person now, post-invasion, than he was before the Esh came. So why couldn't she have changed, too? Having a prior relationship with someone doesn't mean you can, or should, trust that person and everyone around him/her.

 

It would have made far more sense for them to play it a bit closer to the vest, especially when the 2nd Mass. believes that the next step is taking on the Esh in Washington. Just because the 2nd Mass. wants that doesn't mean everyone else has to be on board with the plan. At this point in the invasion, anyone who's survived might actually put staying alive as a priority over sending the Esh packing. And, let's face it, the odds don't seem super high that the humans can win, especially now that no human-Esh hybrid is in the mix to manipulate Esh tech to the humans' advantage. I'm not sure I'd be jumping on the Mason bandwagon either, especially if I don't know about the communication device, which isn't exactly under human control right now, anyway.

 

Also, I thought I might be mis-remembering the sequence of events, so I checked the scene where Hal is chatting up the radio man. The guy tells Hal that the captain had ordered him *not* to contact the Mason militias, then Tom rolls up, grabs a sheaf of papers listing all of the militias heard over the radio to date (asking permission to review the info only *after* he already has it in his hands), and orders Hal and the lieutenant to get the radio up and running to facilitate making contact. The follow-up scene with the captain makes it clear that Tom thinks his strategy -- win -- is superior to the captain's strategy -- survive. Sorry, but in my book, overriding the actual commanding officer's orders and dismissing her strategy *is* arrogance, and not at all the best way to win friends and influence people. 

 

And, sure, I get it, the captain's going to turn out to be compromised, some of her people are bad guys, etc. Why? Because Tom is the hero. But that doesn't mean I can't be displeased when I see him (or any other character) act in a way that makes it appear he has learned nothing since the invasion. It's tiresome, which is why I wholeheartedly agree that this episode would have made far more sense if it had appeared earlier in the show's run, as opposed to now, when we're so close to the end game. I was actually thinking how fun it would have been for the 2nd Mass. to show up and find the base preparing for its own assault on Washington, already two steps ahead of the 2nd Mass. in terms of deciding what to do and planning the attack. Seeing the 2nd Mass. play catch up, for a change, would have been interesting to me.

Edited August 13, 2015 by freebie

[Bishop]

We'll have to agree to disagree. The 2nd Mass. has ample experience with supposed "allies" turning on them. Just because they encountered these folks on a formerly active military base doesn't make them any more trustworthy than the last set of humans that betrayed Tom Mason and Co.  

I would agree with you except it's not just "any" ally.  The CO is someone that Weaver knows very well, beyond just friendship.  Also, Tom, Weaver and the 2nd Mass rightly believe that humans are fighting the aliens to get back their planet, and a base as highly organized as this one WITH an ally of Weaver's wouldn't be unusual for the 2nd Mass to trust them.  It's not like they crossed her path on a stretch of road in the middle of nowhere - which is where they tend to meet the crazies.

 

Sure, Weaver knew the captain, back in the day, but he'll be the first to admit he's a much different person now, post-invasion, than he was before the Esh came. So why couldn't she have changed, too? Having a prior relationship with someone doesn't mean you can, or should, trust that person and everyone around him/her.

 

 

I don't think anyone has changed that much.  Weaver is still Weaver and Tom is basically still Tom.  Only Pope has gone off the reservation, and he wasn't a stable personality to begin with.  I can agree with you that people are not the same, but I don't agree that Weaver or Tom should instinctively know not to trust her.  That's a stretch.  Even when Tom came across his mentor (Locke) in season three, and they didn't see eye-to-eye, the other guy didn't turn out to be a traitor.  Tom and him just didn't agree on various issues, but in the end they came to an understanding.  THIS situation with the infected CO is very different.

 

It would have made far more sense for them to play it a bit closer to the vest, especially when the 2nd Mass. believes that the next step is taking on the Esh in Washington.

 

 

I agree, but I also don't think it was ridiculous either.  It was more "Eh, it is what it is."  I just didn't think it was a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

Just because the 2nd Mass. wants that doesn't mean everyone else has to be on board with the plan. At this point in the invasion, anyone who's survived might actually put staying alive as a priority over sending the Esh packing.

 

 

Now that would be crazy.  Any human who would be "okay" with NOT wanting to send the Espheni packing considering what they have done to the entire human race would be insane to me.  I could understand SOME humans like teh ones in "Respite" not wanting to get involved, but soldiers??  Actual military people?  No way.  Any military individual who does not want to send the aliens packing would be considered suspect to me.  Also the 2nd Mass' plan was not crazy.  All they wanted to do was band all the surrounding rebel groups together for a full frontal assault on Washington D.C. where they know the enemy to be holed up.  Is it better to do nothing and let the aliens regain ground?  I don't agree.

 

And, let's face it, the odds don't seem super high that the humans can win, especially now that no human-Esh hybrid is in the mix to manipulate Esh tech to the humans' advantage. I'm not sure I'd be jumping on the Mason bandwagon either, especially if I don't know about the communication device, which isn't exactly under human control right now, anyway.

 

The humans have done a pretty good job so far, frankly.  They've been scrapping and fighting, and like Red Eye once told Tom, the genius of the human race is their refusal to give up.  The skitters ultimately capitulated as did other species.  The humans have a tenacity to keep fighting even when the odds are stacked against them.  It's what has inspired Cochise as well.  Like his father told Tom, all the other species were happy to sit back and let the Volm do the fighting.  It was unusual that the humans (and not just the 2nd Mass) were wanting to fight.  Yes, I'm sure many went to Brazil to sit things out, but many humans (as the militias attest) wanted to keep fighting.  Also, it's not the "Mason badwagon."  You make it sound like it's all Tom's idea and he's done all the fighting.  He hasn't.  The entire 2nd Mass is behind him AND Weaver.  

 

Also, I thought I might be mis-remembering the sequence of events, so I checked the scene where Hal is chatting up the radio man. The guy tells Hal that the captain had ordered him *not* to contact the Mason militias, then Tom rolls up, grabs a sheaf of papers listing all of the militias heard over the radio to date (asking permission to review the info only *after* he already has it in his hands), and orders Hal and the lieutenant to get the radio up and running to facilitate making contact. The follow-up scene with the captain makes it clear that Tom thinks his strategy -- win -- is superior to the captain's strategy -- survive.

 

 

But you're leaving out a key piece of the conversation.  The radio guy confesses to Tom that he has been given orders NOT to respond to the militias by his CO, and when Tom questions why, the radio guy DOESN'T agree with his CO's decision.  He's almost sheepish about it like "I have NO idea why the CO isn't consolidating existing militias into a cohesive fighting force to take on the Espheni," and THAT'S why Tom confronts her.  It's not like all the soldiers in that base are happy with the CO's decisions because frankly, they don't make sense.

 

Sorry, but in my book, overriding the actual commanding officer's orders and dismissing her strategy *is* arrogance, and not at all the best way to win friends and influence people.

 

 

Well this is true, but the "nice, polite" Tom Mason is gone now, and frankly, I don't blame him.  It's not like Weaver disagreed with him.

 

And, sure, I get it, the captain's going to turn out to be compromised, some of her people are bad guys, etc. Why? Because Tom is the hero.

 

 

Tom's not the only hero.  So is Weaver, Maggie, Ben, Anne, Hal, and the rest of them.  You seem to see every storyline and piece of dialogue through the prism of Tom Mason, but it's not true.  If anything, the impact is going to be felt by Weaver, not Tom.  For Tom and his sons, it's just the same old, same old.  It's different for Weaver.

 

But that doesn't mean I can't be displeased when I see him (or any other character) act in a way that makes it appear he has learned nothing since the invasion. It's tiresome, which is why I wholeheartedly agree that this episode would have made far more sense if it had appeared earlier in the show's run, as opposed to now, when we're so close to the end game. I was actually thinking how fun it would have been for the 2nd Mass. to show up and find the base preparing for its own assault on Washington, already two steps ahead of the 2nd Mass. in terms of deciding what to do and planning the attack. Seeing the 2nd Mass. play catch up, for a change, would have been interesting to me.

 

I agree with you on this part.  I think your scenario would have been fun to watch, and frankly, it would have made sense since there should be other humans with effective fighting units ready to go at the drop of a hat.  This is what I mean by the stupidity of allowing new show runners every year.  They don't seem to realize that this is "old" territory for viewers, but if they are not watching previous seasons and just getting the cliffnotes, then they miss these important drama beats.

 

I agree that this season could have been done better in terms of really showing the straggler human coalitions coming together for one final onslaught towards defeating the Eshpeni, and we still may get that, but I also can't say that I haven't been enjoying the final season.  Apart from last week's episode and this one, which I think didn't advance plot or just rehashed past issues, I think the season has been pretty good.  I hope the last three episodes can tie things up nicely - but don't forget that Pope still has to be dealt with too. 

Edited August 14, 2015 by Bishop

[Ottis]

This was the second episode in a row that was a waste of time. Why, with only a few eps left, are we not seeing something, anything, building to a final battle?

 

I agree, the Enigma device (hey, the show read my comments last week, j/k) will be the secret machine that saves them all.

 

Second, I  thought that this episode plot should've been in Season 2. Come on writers, this would've been a half-decent Season 2 episodes.

 

 

Agree, this was far better suited for a couple of seasons ago. It's inexplicable why it appears now.