"Sometimes fate throws you a favor." Review: Falling Skies, S2, Ep.208 "Death March"

Review: Falling Skies, S2, Ep. 208 “Death March”

Air Date: Sunday, August 5, 2012, 9/8c on TNT

Rating: ★★★★★

“Sometimes you just have to trust that fate’ll throw you a favor every once in a while.” — Maggie

The title “Death March” is quite misleading. While our determined 2^nd Mass heads to what they hope will be a new home in Charleston, their journey isn’t filled with death. Although, they do lose another one of their members.

Falling Skies- Season 2 - Ep 208 Death March

L-R: Tom (Noah Wyle), Matt (Maxim Knight), Hal (Drew Roy)

What does a nine year old write in a will? And how does a parent begin processing the thought that their youngest child is actually contemplating their own death? When Matt (Maxim Knight) asks his dad to hold onto a sheet of paper containing his last will and testament, the look on Tom’s (Noah Wyle) face is one of shock. While I understand Tom’s need to reassure Matt that everything is going to be fine, I also think that reassurance will become a double-edged sword.

How long will it take before the 2^nd Mass stops feeling sympathy for every harnessed kid they run into? While technically Tec (Ryan Robbins) accidentally runs into Jenny (Olivia Steele-Falconer) when she darts out into the road, the resulting (whatever happens once she’s found) is not his fault. Having empathy because she’s a young girl will only bring trouble for the 2^nd Mass. Tom’s feelings are so intense because of his son Ben (Connor Jessup) and he wants to have hope that all harnessed kids will one day be free of their connection to the aliens.

Observations:

"Sometimes fate throws you a favor." Review: Falling Skies, S2, Ep.208 "Death March" 1

Pope (Colin Cunningham) advises Maggie (Sarah S. Carter) to tell Hal the truth about “who and what she is”

As Hal (Drew Roy), Maggie (Sarah S. Carter), and Pope (Colin Cunningham) lead the way to Charleston, some revelations come about when Pope encourages Maggie to tell Hal the truth about who she really is. Maggie’s a bit older than Hal, but I don’t think by much. However, her past life has aged her beyond her youthful appearance. You can sense she has deeper feelings for Hal than she cares to admit but her fear will be to her detriment. She tells Hal to “trust that fate’ll throw you a favor,” yet she doesn’t trust Hal will accept her shady past. Hal maybe 17, but he’s more mature than she gives him credit for.

Pope. I’m not sure what his angle is or what his plans are so I don’t know if he’s going to stick with the 2^nd Mass once they get to Charleston. I find him very intriguing and when he mentions that he’s traveled the road they’re on before to visit his kids in Florida, it makes me more curious about the man he used to be and what happened to make him the man he is now.

Cpt. Weaver feels like he’s let down the 2nd Mass as their journey to Charleston doesn’t look as promising as he’d hoped.

Cpt. Weaver (Will Patton) discovers that Tec is former military – a Marine, in fact. My theory – Weaver seeks to find another confidant now that he thinks Tom’s been compromised by the aliens. But what about Weaver’s injury? The alien harness injected a poison that nearly killed him – could that poison pose a threat even though they think it’s been cured?

Tom complains about a blister on his hand. Could it simply be a blister or is it something else? We still don’t know everything that happened to Tom while he was aboard the alien ship.

Matt tries to connect with Jenny but telling her about where they’re going and allowing her to read a personal passage in his journal seems very foolish. I know he’s desperate to be with kids his own age but Jenny is no longer a normal child. While you feel empathy, in a hostile situation like this, it’s best to say as little as possible. What if Jenny is another decoy like Karen (Jessy Schram)?

The road to Charleston is bumpy and full of revelations but the end of the road reveals the most devastating news—Charleston is a city in ruins. But all hope isn’t lost…an old friend returns to show the 2^nd Mass that “looks can be deceiving.”

***

The gritty look and feel of the show, the mechanical/vehicle problems, the haggard appearances of the cast, and the acting are all so convincing that I sometimes stop and open my front door to make sure all is right in the world. Falling Skies is fantastic! It’s engaging, thought provoking, emotional, and throws in a bit of light humor for good measure. There is only one episode before the season finale. Will Charleston be the safe haven the 2^nd Mass has been dreaming of or will it be their worst nightmare?

Tune in to Falling Skies, Sundays at 9/8c, only on TNT.

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

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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.