What a difference a week makes!
This week’s episode, while not without its flaws, was some slammin’ good television. I am genuinely glad I gave it that one week ultimatum last week, because wow.
Spoilers ahead: This episode did quite a number of things very, very well. It gave more information on the Skitters, so that next week, and the week after, promise to build on this information. We already knew that the two-legged Mechs were a mystery, and that taking the children was a mystery; both of those are tantalizing more mysterious and yet, dots are being connected. The episode gave us a lot of surprises: The death of Dr. Harris, the “mothering” Skitter, the up-the-throat attack of Dr. Glass. None of that was predictable, at least to me.
Introducing an interesting actor like Steven Weber, dropping “we’ve got a past” stuff all around him and the star, and then killing him? I call that bold. Allowing Captain Weaver to have a lot of emotion around a song without any unnecessary exposition? I call that actual writing.
And yes, the Skitter still didn’t have a guard, and some of the dialogue sucked ass, but there was no Pope, and no religious preaching, and there were some heart-stopping moments that made the experience worthwhile.
I will put up with a reasonable amount of stupid (more than this episode had) for a scene as good as Moon Bloodgood taking down the Skitter and then leaving her mark on the wall–literally. Or as mind-blowingly creepy as Hal and the mama Skitter and the nest. HOLY MOLEY. When one hour of television knocks it out of the park twice, that’s pretty satisfying, and enough to bring me back next week.
If you gave up last week, as I almost did, I (tentatively–it could get bad again) recommend you come back. Or, y’know, at least watch this episode online when it’s available, and then decide.
3 Responses to “Falling Skies Episode 4: Silent Kill”
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FALLING SKIES has been renewed for a second season and Pope will be back.
I too found the nesting alien cradling kidnappees very creepy and yet interesting. Perhaps in sucking the Earth dry of all resources, aliens discover that using human energy is very pleasurable. Perhaps collecting scrap metal is just a ploy to have the kidnapped kids do something all day to work their tween/teen endorphins–yummy!
I was sorry to see Steven Weber go because he had some LOL meanie lines. But, a good sign for the series as Deborah explains. And I found the use of the music a more ingenious use of spiritual comfort than having the med student harass everyone.
And I love old technology at work. I’m guessing that cracking the radio signals will be important. I’ll stick around another week.
…yes, I have many rivers to cross, and I merely survive because of my will…
i came to your page for the first time in months to check for any updates on the mad men labor stopage and was very pleasantly surprised to see you discussing falling skies which i have really taken a liking to, it has a lot of potential and this episode was great, agree on all your points. it isnt mad men good and there are regular ridiculous holes – was Hal really the first one to think of de-briefing the kid they rescued last week? couldnt we hear more of that conversation, whats that kids dad think of his returned son, why did that kid not know his father but Ben did when they woke up?
i like that you are left with questions after watching and that when answers come along they arent necessarily what you expect which makes you that much more curious. i have been most curios about the girl who was taken by ben and skitters (i cant remember any names on this show for some reason) when is she going to re-appear, what do they want her for, is that tied to why are the mechs 2 legged? is there a person inside those mechs?
the radio signals from the skitters revelation has got to develop into a way to fight back against them, at some point you will need some break through like the red dust in V back in the 80s that levels the playing field since despite Noah Whylie’s optimism and talk of how guerrilla warfare can win a war when far out gunned, they are on a far different scale here and will need something major to ever be able to hit the skitters with significant losses.
One thing I really like about this show is that the radio signals mean it’s not another race of telepathic aliens.