Murder, Mystery, New Life. Retrospective: Falling Skies, Season 3 Premiere - “On Thin Ice” and “Collateral Damage”

Air Date: Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 9/8c on TNT.

Rating: ★★★★★

Warning: If you haven’t watched yet – Spoilers Ahead.

“Well, human logic is to be discarded when at war with extraterrestrial beings.” —Cochise

Cochise of the Volm alien race arrives and provides valuable aide to Tom and all in Charleston against the Espheni

Murder. Mystery. New life. And mega mechs? It’s been seven months since we last encountered our beloved rag-tag troop from the 2^nd Mass. At the end of season two, a new alien arrived on earth. We learn early in the season three premiere his name is Cochise (Doug Jones) of the Volm alien race. Along with the others of the Volm, Cochise and the Skitter Rebels work side by side with the humans to stop the humanoid overlords, that we learn are known as the Espheni, and their Skitters from obliterating mankind. But the question remains – are the Volm really here to help rescue Earth from the fate of countless other worlds the Espheni have destroyed or will the Volm turn on the humans once they’ve eradicated the Espheni?

In episode one, “On Thin Ice,” we discover much has changed in these last few months. Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) is now President of the New United States with Arthur Manchester (guest star Terry O’Quinn) serving as his Vice President. With the help of the Volms’ advanced alien technology, the 2^nd Mass, along with other military personnel, have been able to win many small battles—some a bit too easily, and others just to be ambushed when victory is close in hand. There is a mole among them, but who could it be?

Tom (Noah Wyle) anxious awaits the birth of his fourth child with Anne (Moon Bloodgood)

At the end of season two, Anne (Moon Bloodgood) found out she was having Tom’s baby and now she is ready to pop. Despite being very pregnant, Anne is still working as one of the few doctors in Charleston, and she’s the only one the Volm taught to use their special machine to remove the Espheni/Skitter harnesses. The Mason boys finally welcome a baby sister—Alexis. A new life in an uncertain world seems to bring a sense of renewed hope in spite of a tragedy that occurs in which a life is lost.

If you recall, in season two Hal (Drew Roy), Tom’s eldest son, was rendered unconscious after receiving a powerful kiss from Karen (Jessy Schram), a former member of the 2^nd Mass who was captured and converted by the Espheni. But did Karen’s kiss do more to Hal than we know? Did she cause his paralysis? Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter), Hal’s current girlfriend, seems to suspect so; however, Anne and her medical assistant Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) can’t find anything physically wrong with Hal. This is a perplexing mystery that deepens in the second half of the two-hour season premiere.

”On Thin Ice” sets up many intriguing plot points that leave us with questions about not only the Volms’ motives, but some of the humans as well. We are also introduced to several new key characters —Cochise, of course; Marina Perlata (guest star Gloria Ruben), Tom’s new aide; and Roger Kadar (guest star Robert Sean Leonard), an agoraphobic scientist responsible for providing power to the residents of Charleston.

Pope (Colin Cunningham) along with his Berserkers Lyle (Brad Kelly) and Crazy Lee (Luciana Carro) are still a part of the 2nd Mass

We also see familiar faces, including John Pope (Colin Cunningham), aka Pope, the renegade of the bunch, living on the outskirts but still within Charleston’s perimeter along with his Berserkers crew. Pope is leery of the new Volm allies and the Skitter Rebels. Captain Weaver (Will Patton), now a Colonel, also shares in the concern about the Volm and the real reason for their presence. Weaver gets an alarming surprise when Tom and Cochise finally share their big secret. Could the device the Volm are building truly change the face of the alien war with the Espheni?

Tom’s middle son Ben (Connor Jessup) acts as the Skitter Rebels’ liaison with his father and the others. If you haven’t previously seen Falling Skies, Ben was harnessed by the Skitters until Tom and the 2^nd Mass rescued him. A visiting doctor helped Anne remove Ben’s harness but they had to leave the spikes in because they are attached to his spine. These spikes allow him to communicate with the Skitter Rebels, who provide intel to Tom and his small army. My concern is how the Skitter Rebels are getting their information. In a meeting with Tom, via Ben, the new Skitter Rebel leader states, “The humans are not the ultimate target—the Volm are, and their troop ships are heading toward your planet.” Tom replies that the Volm are coming “to destroy the Espheni,” but the Skitter Rebels don’t share that point of view. They also inform Tom that the Espheni have replaced the overlord Tom killed in season two with a “much more dangerous and ruthless” human one—Karen. Did you notice when Karen and Hal have a heated moment, her spinal harness, which is now inside her, glows red?

Col. Weaver (Will Patton) along with Matt (Maxim Knight) and his daughter Jeanne (Laci J. Mailey) waiting for back up

Matt (Maxim Knight), Tom’s youngest son, has really grown up. He’s carrying a rifle and aiding in missions. In a post-apocalyptic world, kids don’t stay kids for long. Matt, with his new Mohawk-esque haircut, plants explosive charges around a Skitter work camp where Weaver and a small team are trying to rescue a group of harnessed kids. But what seems like an easy mission turns sour when a few new mega mechs – high tech weaponized killing machines from the Espheni – come barreling down on the them. With their missions undoubtedly being compromised by the mole, Arthur tries to narrow down the list of suspects but his investigation is tragically cut short.

***

Ben (Connor Jessup) and his new sidekick Deni (Megan Danso) discover the Espheni has taken over a nuclear power plant near Charleston

As we head into episode two, “Collateral Damage,” Ben and his new sidekick Deni (Megan Danso) discover the Espheni have taken over the Waconda nuclear reactor plant to power up their mega mechs. This could be a huge victory for Tom and the New United States but only if they can safely deactivate the nuclear reactor without contaminating the entire state.

That’s where Kadar comes into play. He isn’t the most sociable guy, having been underground alone for some time, but he adds a bit of wry humor that enhances the dynamic of the show. Kadar’s brilliance is marred by his own tragic story of love and loss in the war against the Espheni and Skitters. Getting him out of the basement and top-side to help disable the reactor won’t be easy.

With missions continually being compromised, the need to find the mole becomes a priority. Tom’s strategy to attack the reactor doesn’t go quite as planned and more lives are lost; providing the title, “Collateral Damage.” While justifying the death of others for the greater good makes logical sense, it doesn’t lessen the pain.

After destroying the reactor, Cochise not only congratulates Tom and Weaver on the victory, he warns them to prepare for retaliation by the Espheni. Cochise mentions the Espheni are gathering their resources to power up their remaining mechs to pounce on Charleston. I’m puzzled. Like the Skitter Rebels, how are Cochise and the Volm getting their intel? Do they have a spy within the Espheni that Tom isn’t aware of?

Observations:

Are Hal’s (Drew Roy) nightmares really dreams or is he going out into the woods at night meeting with Karen?

Hal is still having terrible yet realistic nightmares and in each one, Karen is present. Are these actual dreams or is Hal taking nightly strolls into the woods as Maggie suspects? Could Hal be the mole? It’s highly probable but without definitive proof, all we can do is speculate.

***

Anne discovers something slightly awry with baby Alexis. Is she simply imagining things and suffering post-partum stress or is Alexis truly…different?

***

Wild hair theory:

With Anne using Volm alien technology on such an organic level to extract the Skitter harnesses, could something have been transferred to the baby during gestation? Or could Tom be the one carrying some form of alien DNA? After all, he was a willing prisoner of the Espheni at the end of season one and we don’t really know what happened to him during his imprisonment.

Memorable lines:

Matt to his friends about school: “How’s math gonna help us kick the aliens off the planet?”

***

Tom to Weaver before going to the reactor: “Stay frosty.”

Weaver: “Like a winter in Buffalo.”

***

Tom to Anne about being President: “I’m the president of twenty square blocks.”

***

Col. Weaver to Roger about the reactor: “We need to know if there is a way to safely destroy the Waconda reactor.”

Roger: “By safely, I assume you mean you do not want to rain radioactive waste over the state leaving it uninhabitable for the next 24,100 years?”

Tom: “That’s right. We’d like to avoid that if possible.”

***

I am beyond thrilled that Falling Skies is back on the air and I am even more excited for what’s ahead in season three. If this season premiere is any indication (and trust me, it is), this is going to be an amazing season.

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

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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.