Falling Skies returns this evening as the lone surviving Steven Spielberg-executive produced sophomore series. RIP Terra Nova; Noah Wyle’s on-screen family was simply more interesting than Jason O’Mara’s.
The first season of Falling Skies was a mixed bag of aggressive aliens, dysfunctional families and overly cheesy emotion. With each passing episode, the writers seemed to learn from cutting their teeth and the series evolved into a more believable dramatic apocalyptic event. The relationships between Tom Mason and his three sons matured and caring about their fate when faced with a new Skitter threat was effortless.
And then there was the Season One finale twist that no one saw coming. Spoilers are present from this point forward for newbies so proceed at your own risk.
An alien ship lands in front of Tom and Captain Weaver after they had put a sizable dent in a large alien structure/ship. In an unusual twist, one of the aliens invites Tom on board and threatens to completely take control of his son, Ben, if he doesn’t comply. Willing to do anything for his son despite the scars that remain on him from an alien harness, Tom does comply and the season ends with him stepping aboard the alien ship.
The biggest questions headed into Season 2 are what will happen to Tom on the ship and when/how will he get off. These answers are all delivered in the two-part Season 2 premiere ‘Worlds Apart‘ and ‘Shall We Gather at the River.’ More importantly, they set the stage for a darker and brisker tone moving forward and higher stakes for Tom and everyone in the 2nd Mass.
I have come up with a collection of fun statements that offer a sneak peek into the Falling Skies: Season 2 premiere without delving too deep into spoilers territory. Some will only make sense after you watch both new episodes. Others can be figured out from the already available trailers.
– Season 2 starts exactly where Season 1 left off. And it also doesn’t.
– People will die. So will Skitters.
– Ben looks older. Not always necessarily wiser.
– There are new characters. Some more lucky than others.
– John Pope actually has clout. He also has new concerns.
– Hal Mason (Drew Roy) still has the best groomed hair and apparently a secret barber no one is aware of.
– School buses are good for more than transportation.
– Aliens don’t play by the rules of warfare. Neither do humans.
– A good drink is still a good drink, even during an apocalypse.
– Jimmy also looks older. And now packs some heat.
– John Pope’s custom ammo proves its worth.
– I thought only True Blood vampires did that?
– You will squirm. You will squirm.
– Doe, a deer, a female deer.
– If you build it, she will come.
Falling Skies: Season 2 premieres tonight at 9/8c on TNT. I’ll check back on Monday with a full review/recap. In the meantime, enjoy a trio of videos that help promote the new Falling Skies season below.
