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<i>Falling Skies</i> Season Premiere –“Find Your Warrior” Review. Get Your Rage On!

Season 5, Episode 1

Air Date: Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 10/9c on TNT

Rating: ★★★★★

 

“You already let me go to the moon; you’re telling me you’re afraid of high school?” – Tom Mason

 

Falling Skies comes roaring back with a bloody and action packed season premiere. “Find Your Warrior” isn’t just the title of the episode; it’s the battle cry repeated throughout the season premiere, spurring on the battle-worn, weary troops of the 2nd Mass.

When last we saw our intrepid leader Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), he and his alien-hybrid daughter Lexi (Scarlett Byrne) had ventured into space to destroy the Espheni power core. In the season four, two-part finale, Tom was on another ship talking to someone or something and Lexi supposedly died to save him. As we jump into “Find Your Warrior,” the series picks up where it left off – Tom talking to his deceased wife Rebecca (Jennifer Ferrin) but things only get stranger from there.

What Tom does in this scene is truly shocking and unexpected.

One of the aspects of Falling Skies that I admire, and that has endured since season one, is how grimy the characters always are. Too many post-apocalyptic shows have ‘clean’ survivors running around in a desolate world. Falling Skies keeps its people nice and grungy. I’m thankful we don’t have smell-o-vision because some of them look like they reek.

As “Find Your Warrior” progresses, we get the sense of urgency the 2nd Mass feels as they try to flush out the remaining Skitters and any possible Espheni overlords commanding them. With the power core down, everything the Espheni built on earth is now in disarray. This is the perfect opportunity for survivors worldwide to strike and take back the planet. But will “rage” be enough to carry them through? Will their anger and animosity consume some of our beloved 2nd Mass to the point of no return?

“Find Your Warrior” ventures down a darker path than we have seen in the last four seasons. Tom and the remaining members of the 2nd Mass are living in a dog eat dog world and the days of simply evading their alien foes are over. Writer David Eick takes the season five premiere to another level, one we haven’t really seen before. The bloodshed and fury on display took me by surprise. I know you can’t be obsequious when fighting a war, but Tom has always been the level-headed one. Now he’s taking a different course—one I never expected. Everyone has lost someone and while the brutality we witness in “Find Your Warrior” is cruel, what the aliens have done over the years to the human race is despicable.

Tom gives the ultimate example of the term “No F**ks Given” during this scene with an Espheni overlord who has taken Ben hostage.

What happened to Tom while he was aboard the other ship after destroying the power core? How does he end up in the ocean? There are moments when you can’t distinguish reality from fantasy but whatever transpired on that ship has Rebecca’s voice lingering in Tom’s mind. But what if this is all some sort of trap? Every clue Tom follows seems to lead him and the 2nd Mass into danger. As determined as he is, Tom needs to be more cautious.

As with a lot of series going into their final run, there are casualties. “Find Your Warrior” gives us a little taste of what that will look like throughout the final season. But even with loss, there is still hope. Although, I’m not sure how I feel about the love triangle with the Mason boys, Hal (Drew Roy) and Ben (Connor Jessup), and the object of their affection, Maggie (Sarah Carter), but it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. If you recall, Ben donated some of his partial alien DNA to help save Maggie’s life in the season four finale and now Maggie and Ben are connected in a whole new way. No matter how much love Hal has for Maggie, there are some bonds that cannot be broken.

“Find Your Warrior” is unapologetic and filled with suspense and drama. I’m looking forward to seeing how the 2nd Mass will fare in this final season. It’s not clear whether they will prevail, but my hope is that the writers of this dynamic series give us a realistic ending and not some Hollywood bullshit happy ending.

 

What did you think of “Find Your Warrior?” I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment here or tweet me @judybopp.

Tune in to the final episodes of Falling Skies, Sundays at 10/9c, only on TNT.

For more on Falling Skies, go to http://www.fallingskies.com/.

Follow Falling Skies on Twitter @FallingSkiesTNT

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, John Pope/Colin Cunningham @CunninghamColin, and Anthony/Mpho Koaho @MphoAK.

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Photos ©2015 TNT/Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

 

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.

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.