Family Ties. Review: Falling Skies — “Be Silent and Come Out”

Season 3, Episode 6

Air Date: Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 10/9c on TNT

Rating: ★★★★★

“I should have seen this coming.” — Tom

“Be Silent and Come Out” is the episode we have all been anticipating since we realized Hal (Drew Roy) has a bug inside him. The shock of learning Hal is the mole throws his father Tom (Noah Wyle) for a loop, but I think Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter) feels the weight of guilt bearing down heavily on her shoulders. Hal wanted to tell his father about his so-called dreams of meeting Espheni leader — and former girlfriend — Karen (Jessy Schram) in the woods at night but Maggie insisted it was a bad idea. Now with Hal taking Tom hostage, she’s feeling very remorseful.

Falling Skies - S3, Ep 6 Be Silent and Come Out

Hal (Drew Roy) tries to fight the bug inside his head but it’s becoming difficult

This darker version of Hal wants information on the Volm weapon and he is dangling the safe return of Anne (Moon Bloodgood) and baby Alexis as the prize in exchange for Tom’s knowledge about the machine. It seems as though the real Hal is gone…but not completely. Maggie, Ben (Connor Jessup), and Matt (Maxim Knight) get creative in ambushing Hal to save Tom, and then using their relationships, they draw out the real Hal but not without consequence. Carter’s performance seems too controlled when she realizes Hal has taken Tom prisoner. For someone who claims to be so in love with Hal, I found it odd that Maggie wasn’t more affected by this situation since she’s the one who talked Hal out of telling his father everything. It’s not until Hal undergoes a procedure that I begin to see Maggie’s emotions come through. Roy’s portrayal of the darker Hal, using harsh tactics like kicking Tom’s broken ankle (which made me cringe) and shoving a gun in Tom’s face, is remarkably convincing. I am also impressed with Roy’s ability to embody both the darker Hal and the real Hal in the same breath. One minute he’s the Hal we know and love and then, he’s a vicious monster ready to kill.

Both Maggie (Sarah Carter) and Tom (Noah Wyle) watch as Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) preps an enraged Hal (Drew Roy) for a risky procedure to remove the Espheni bug.

After finally capturing Hal, Tom must make a tough decision regarding the removal of the bug in Hal’s brain. As an enraged Hal screams out in protest, Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) drills into the hardened amber-like oval egg the Rebel Skitters give to Tom which unleashes millions of microbial mites that crawl into Hal’s eyes, nose, and mouth. It’s a bit disturbing to watch. In viewing this scene, it makes me curious about the Rebel Skitters. They seem to have a good source of intel inside the Espheni ranks but is that source reliable? It makes me wonder if the mole may possibly be one of Charleston’s so-called alien allies. With so many variables, it’s difficult to know who to trust anymore.

Marina (Gloria Ruben) seems to have her own agenda of how things should be run in Charleston. Will she follow Tom’s plans for the Volm machine?

Meanwhile, my concern begins to focus in on Marina Peralta (Gloria Ruben). I feel as though something isn’t quite right with her. I’m not sure what it is but my instincts tell me something is wrong. How did the Espheni find out Tom was going to visit former U.S. President Benjamin Hathaway (guest star Stephen Collins)? Someone had to leak that information after Tom was airborne. It could have been Marina or maybe one of the alien allies. I’m not sure but I know Marina has her own agenda. And with Tom’s resignation, she is the new President of the New United States.

While “Be Silent and Come Out” gives us resolution as far as Hal being a mole is concerned, it unfortunately isn’t as exciting as previous episodes. Yes, there are moments of tension but something that could have escalated this episode to pivotal in regards to the reasoning behind the Espheni invasion is missing. Why are they really here? They have been tapping into the Earth’s natural resources but why? And what does the Volm machine really do? Why have we not seen any other of the Volm race? What are the plans Tom hands over to Marina regarding the Volm weapon? This episode does, however, segue well into the upcoming remaining episodes as we see Tom and his sons heading out to find Anne and Alexis.

Throughout the season, we’ve wondered how baby Alexis got alien DNA. I’m hoping the story begins to shift providing answers about Alexis’ composition, while also giving us insight into the Volm race. So far, we only know Cochise (Doug Jones) who seems to be the Volm’s spokesperson of sorts but…is he still alive? From the clips for next week’s episode, “The Pickett Line,” we see an injured Hathaway but we don’t know whether Cochise survived the plane crash. I’m quite anxious to see how the Volm will react to Tom’s resignation and Charleston’s new leadership.

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Tune in to Falling Skies, Sundays at 10/9c, 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, 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.