A New Enemy and Baby Blues? Retrospective: Falling Skies — “Badlands”

Season 3, Ep. 3

Air Date: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 10/9c on TNT.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Tree of Life; Tree of Liberty; Liberty Tree.” — Tom Mason

Everyone is on high alert in anticipation of a possible Espheni strike against Charleston but the cost becomes even higher as the long patrol hours take their toll on the soldiers, including the Berserkers. As Matt (Maxim Knight) makes his rounds with fresh batteries for everyone’s walkie-talkies and radios, it’s only Pope (Colin Cunningham), Tector (Ryan Robbins), and Crazy Lee (Luciana Carro) who get a bonus—cinnamon buns and coffee. But their small moment of enjoying creature comforts is short lived when a new enemy fires on them.

Observations:

The new Volm alien ally Cochise (Doug Jones) is absent from this episode, which is a little disappointing. I’d like to know about his race and how they’ve traveled the universe helping other planets who have been invaded.

Noah Wyle as Tom Mason as he gives a speech for the Liberty Tree ceremony

Tom (Noah Wyle) needs to find a new Vice President now that Arthur (Terry O’Quinn) is dead so he charges Marina (Gloria Ruben) with heading up the search for candidates. Tom quells her dismissive attitude by reminding her: “In the last two years, I’ve been kidnapped, tortured, shot, implanted with an eye worm; last week, I was almost torn apart by a harnessed kid and contaminated by a nuclear reactor. We can count on something happening. Don’t you?” Well, when you put it that way… I understand Tom’s desire to have someone else in charge because, as he’s said, this job is taking a toll on him . Physically, he looks exhausted, and emotionally, I think he’s keeping a lot of his feelings bottled up. Not to mention the weight his absence is placing on his family, especially Anne (Moon Bloodgood). Is she crazy or is there something wrong with baby Alexis?

Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) must give Pope (Colin Cunningham) some distressing news about one of his own

When Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) finds Anne sobbing on the lab floor, I had hoped she would be more empathetic to Anne’s plight. While I understand Lourdes’ need to tell Tom what’s going on, I think she could have been more consoling when she tells Anne about staying with her and the baby until Tom gets home. Sometimes, being a friend means you almost have to betray them to help them. Good thing Lourdes brings wine to soothe any hurt feelings. But I don’t know if Anne is really suffering “post-partum or psychosis” as Lourdes suggests. I think there is something wrong with Alexis; as Anne says, “It’s not normal.” Could what she says to Tom, “I don’t think she’s human,” be true?

Hal (Drew Roy) is struggling to walk again. His rehabilitation is another aspect of the show I appreciate because the writers make everything realistic—from Hal’s difficulty in walking after being in a wheelchair for seven months, to Tom changing Alexis’ cloth diaper. These details show an authenticity that these people are truly living in a post-apocalyptic world where conveniences, like disposable diapers, are a thing of the past.

As Hal continues to doubt himself, he finally tells Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter) he wasn’t just dreaming—he was actually going out into the woods to meet with the new Espheni overlord who, coincidentally, is his ex-girlfriend Karen (Jessy Schram). He believes she is somehow controlling him or at least a part of him. Maggie’s attempts to convince Hal that he isn’t the mole are well received, and he decides to stay instead of running away as planned. If Hal is the mole and Karen is somehow controlling him, how can he be trusted? Maggie is blinded by her love and in their current situation, waiting for a battle to begin at any given moment, this is no time to be swayed by emotions.

When the scout outposts come under fire, the Berserkers, along with Ben (Connor Jessup) and Deni (Megan Danso), take cover. It’s strange they aren’t being attacked by the Espheni, but rather another group of humans. These other humans are military under the command of the President of the United States prior to the invasion. We don’t see the president, but his lead unit commander, Lt. Fisher (guest star Luvia Petersen), provides the reason they attacked. It’s obvious—she saw humans collaborating with aliens (aka the Volm) and Skitters (aka Rebel Skitters)—but how could she have known they were friendly aliens? “I think the only good alien is a dead alien.”

Tom, Anne with baby Alexis, and Lourdes cringe as the Espheni attack during the Liberty Tree ceremony

In the skirmish with the other humans, a casualty is suffered. As with any war, there will be losses and I love how Falling Skies incorporates the depth of the loss with the harsh reality of the current situation. You can’t mourn the dead for long; you need to dust yourself off and get back into the fight. Young Matt has grown tremendously and the writers are showcasing his journey beautifully. From Matt trying to spy on Crazy Lee as she relieves herself of too much coffee, to him staying at her bedside through her ordeal, the speed at which he has to grow up is phenomenal, yet believable.

Pope surprises me more often than not. He’s a renegade but he has heart. I’m impressed that Cunningham’s portrayal of Pope’s loyalty and vulnerability comes across with such force. I want to give that dirty man a great big hug. Am I the only one who thinks Pope is ready to leave Charleston behind? As much as he wants to leave, where would he go? He’s not an approachable kind of person, yet I can’t help liking the guy. He is who he is and doesn’t apologize for it. Pope may not seem like an honorable guy, but deep down, I think he is.

I can’t be the only one who thinks baby Alexis is kind of creepy. The way she looks when she stands in her crib, and how she follows the Espheni space ships as they shoot across the sky is very strange. Is she human or not?

“Badlands” ends on a bittersweet note. As the townsfolk gather around the new Liberty Tree—a sort of memoriam for those who’ve perished in this battle—marking the two-year anniversary of the Espheni’s invasion of Earth, the impending retaliation they’ve been dreading is upon them. It seems too convenient that the Espheni strike at a very inopportune time while everyone in town is at the ceremony. Is Hal really the mole or is someone else aiding the Espheni?

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Tune in to Falling Skies, Sundays at 10PM E/P, only on TNT.

For more on Falling Skies, go to http://www.tnt.tv/series/fallingskies.

Follow Falling Skies on Twitter @FallingSkiesTNT, and use hashtags #Resistance or #Aliens.

Follow some of the cast on Twitter: Matt Mason/Maxim Knight @RVRocket, Ben Mason/Connor Jessup @connorjessup , Maggie/Sarah Sanguin Carter @sanguin_carter, Hal/Drew Roy @drew_roy, Lourdes/Gabrielle Seychelle @seychellegab, John Pope/Colin Cunningham @CunninghamColin, Crazy Lee/Luciana Carro @lucianacarro, Anthony/Mpho Koaho @MphoAK, Karen/Jessy Schram @jschramer,

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.