Falling Skies (TNT) season 2 premieres 6/17/2012 (1 Viewer)

[Dan M~]

It does make me wonder how there can be some massive new capital in Charleston, South Carolina, though. You'd think a highly visible, highly stationary population would be a dream target for the aliens. So far the 2nd Mass has survived by being small enough to avoid easy detection and mobile enough to take flight when things get hot. Why wouldn't the aliens just drop a h-bomb on Charleston?

How is Charlston NOT getting "bombed" by the aliens in the same way that they originaly attacked the cities? Big red flag on this one.

 

[John Berggren]

How is Charlston NOT getting "bombed" by the aliens in the same way that they originaly attacked the cities? Big red flag on this one.

You have to go to SC to get to Charleston. Perhaps even the aliens aren't willing to do this.

 

[John Berggren]

You must have just forgot. The dialogue this season, while far from great, is no worse than it was last season. That's always been one of the show's weak points. The only episode that I can recall not cringing at the dialogue for was 1x02, "The Armory", which was written by Graham Yost and introduced Pope.

You are likely right. Time can certainly shift my perspective on such things.
I do find myself wondering if anyone reads these things out loud before they shoot them. If they could fix the dialogue, the acting may not seem so bad, and the show would be infinitely more watchable.
As it stands, it is definitely an iPad show for me. I've got one ear on the show, and most of my attention on the iPad. If something "important" seems to be happening, I may look up.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I hope they don't kill off Karen. She's a total badass, showing what a teenager can REALLY do with these harness superpowers, and she's a lot more interesting than Ben because she's way more manipulative. Obviously, she's still working for the overlords, but I wonder how that works. If her master's killed does that sever the control? I'd like to see her out there on the margins as an ambiguous figure with her own agenda separate from both the overlords and the 2nd Mass.
In other news, I'm glad they didn't kill off Will Patton. Weaver's my favorite of the series regulars. When everybody else gets a happy ending at the end of the episode, he doesn't. He takes the hits and just keeps on moving forward. He's honorable and steadfast even though he's also heartbroken. That's a great TV character right there.
Maggie's also grown on me. She got to be something other than just Hal's older love interest this week, and she was the one who had the situation figured out. She didn't act jealous, she didn't talk down to Hal. She played it straight with him, and trusted him to be an adult. That didn't entirely work out, but it was the right way to go about it with someone you've regularly trusted your life to. Her own mistake? Getting into a confrontation with a girl who's faster than Jesse Owens in his prime and probably able to bench press a Buick -- and not keeping a safe distance.
I was wondering how they were going to reintegrate Pope into the show given his animosity toward Tom Mason. An imminent crisis is as good of a way as any.
I also like that the scarcity of supplies is a continuing issue. I just wish they were more consistent on this point, not wasting their fuel lighting up the whole hospital. I also wonder how they made it the 500 miles or so from the Catskills to Virginia so fast (and unmolested) after it was such a struggle making it the 160 miles or so from Fitchburg to the Catskills while boxed in by the skitters on three sides.

 

[Greg_S_H]

She didn't know about the super strength. Also, she should be dead with her soft-spot skull after being thrown against the wall.
Did somebody in charge of this come from a hospital show? I'm getting a little tired of medical drama. Tom was shot and operated on. Then, Jimmy was under the knife. Then Weaver, with Pope under observation. Presumably, Maggie's up next. Even Star Trek didn't go to the well that close together. Usually.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

She didn't know about the super strength. Also, she should be dead with her soft-spot skull after being thrown against the wall.

She probably should have been aware of the possibility given what she knows about Ben.

Did somebody in charge of this come from a hospital show? I'm getting a little tired of medical drama. Tom was shot and operated on. Then, Jimmy was under the knife. Then Weaver, with Pope under observation. Presumably, Maggie's up next. Even Star Trek didn't go to the well that close together. Usually.

I actually think this is one of the more realistic parts of the show, given that they're leading an insurgency amidst an alien apocalypse. "Star Trek" featured the top officers of some of the most sophisticated and advanced spaceships in the galaxy with the resources of an entire interplanetary federation behind them. Sure, they went on dangerous away missions, but they weren't being hunted 24/7/365.
In this specific case, it was a budgetary issue. In his blog, Greg Beeman noted that this was essentially their bottle episode and they had a budget mandate to shoot the entire episode at the hospital location and on the grounds -- bringing the episode in a couple of hundred thousand dollars under average and banking money for the finale. They couldn't have any skitters or mechs. So they made do with a creepy-as-hell teenage superhuman pod girl. At the same time, they're stuck in a hospital and need to fill time. The obvious thing to do is get someone sick.
I also get the impression from Beeman's blog that a lot of the weird, more disturbing touches come from Remi Aubuchon. In Bryan Oh's original script, Karen just emerged from the woods and bumped into Hal and Maggie on patrol. It was Remi who came up with the ditch full of dead deharnessed kids with Karen the sole survivor. Not only was it less perfunctory than the original idea, it helped disguise Karen's intentions. The creepy, bizarre stuff helps make the cheesier, more saccharine moments go down easier.

 

[Michael Harris]

This may have been a "bottle" episode but the scene with all the dead de-harnessed children creeped me out.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I don't remember Ben showing superpowers, but I think Mags thought she was in control with the stupid guns akimbo. I agree that it's realistic to have constant medical crises, but I am not a fan of medical drama and hope they dial it back.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

They only have the word of "Amelia Earhart" on what Charleston is. She could be a pawn of the Overlords. The Overlord who communicated with Tom seemed to have a pretty good grasp of human history.
my guess: Charleston=Theriesenstadt.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I don't remember Ben showing superpowers, but I think Mags thought she was in control with the stupid guns akimbo. I agree that it's realistic to have constant medical crises, but I am not a fan of medical drama and hope they dial it back.

I think Maggie was there when Ben used his super strength to get Hal to back off in the season premiere. If I had to guess I'd say the production reason for the constant medical crises is because the adult romantic lead is a doctor and they've got to have an excuse to keep bringing things back to Tom and Anne. Also, the medical bus is a standing set that they can film in on the cheap no matter where the camp is set up outside. It's probably the tradeoff we're stuck with to avoid the season one syndrome of holing up in the school for nine episodes.

They only have the word of "Amelia Earhart" on what Charleston is. She could be a pawn of the Overlords. The Overlord who communicated with Tom seemed to have a pretty good grasp of human history.
my guess: Charleston=Theriesenstadt.

This is very true. And considering that the overlords floated the idea of a reservation to Tom on the mothership, it's entirely possible that that's just what Charleston is -- or, if you're right, it's something much, much worse. It's worth noting that Karen was not only able to be placed with the 2nd Mass -- suggesting their progress is being tracked, perhaps even herded, by the aliens -- but that she wasn't concerned at all with sabotaging or undermining the 2nd Mass. That hints that the overlords no longer view them as a priority threat, certainly not in the way they view the red-eyed Skittercus and his/her/its skitter rebellion as a threat.

 

[Jeffery_H]

I think Maggie was there when Ben used his super strength to get Hal to back off in the season premiere. If I had to guess I'd say the production reason for the constant medical crises is because the adult romantic lead is a doctor and they've got to have an excuse to keep bringing things back to Tom and Anne. Also, the medical bus is a standing set that they can film in on the cheap no matter where the camp is set up outside. It's probably the tradeoff we're stuck with to avoid the season one syndrome of holing up in the school for nine episodes.
This is very true. And considering that the overlords floated the idea of a reservation to Tom on the mothership, it's entirely possible that that's just what Charleston is -- or, if you're right, it's something much, much worse. It's worth noting that Karen was not only able to be placed with the 2nd Mass -- suggesting their progress is being tracked, perhaps even herded, by the aliens -- but that she wasn't concerned at all with sabotaging or undermining the 2nd Mass. That hints that the overlords no longer view them as a priority threat, certainly not in the way they view the red-eyed Skittercus and his/her/its skitter rebellion as a threat.

Shows like this really don't have writers because they are using a cookie-cutter style and it's easy to predict. I think of it as comparable to the old time B Sci-Fi movies that you know are campy but still somewhat enjoyable in a sort of train wreck kind of way. What you can see unfolding for the 2nd Mass and Charleston is these humans have been turned, not in an alien sort of way, but sold out to the other side. They are complacent in excepting the fact human life as they knew it is over and are getting by as turncoats for the remaining survivors such as the 2nd Mass.
They have been setting up the pieces already with how the rebel guy (forgot his name) and black guy left the group. You know they will be back and will bring a rebel force along with them to save the 2nd Mass from enslavement or worse fate after finding out Charleston isn't what they think. It will be like a Civil War where humans will be fighting humans and if the one alien Skitter was telling the truth, some of Skitters fighting with the humans making a push as well to fight back their captors. This will be the first joint alien/human rebellion of the show and I hope they give more background on the Skitter vs the other aliens back story.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Okay, those arachnid critters are actually nightmare inducing. *shudder*
It was nice seeing Lourdes just totally broken at the end. The actress played it well. Even the believers eventually say, how many more horrible things am I going to be able to survive?
Glad Karen survived to cause trouble another day. It's nice to a have a human villain in the mix.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

When did they stop making mech metal bullets? If I were Weaver that would have been my highest priority

 

[RichM]

I agree except I think Ben along with one eye, will lead a joint skitter/human rebellion and armed force.
My guess would be that we will be seeing two separate storylines now, Ben's and the 2nd Mass attempting to reach Charleston.
Rich

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by RichM /t/321623/falling-skies-tnt-season-2-premieres-6-17-2012/30#post_3952689
I agree except I think Ben along with one eye, will lead a joint skitter/human rebellion and armed force.
My guess would be that we will be seeing two separate storylines now, Ben's and the 2nd Mass attempting to reach Charleston.
Rich

I agree. How many episodes are left? I hope they don't leave us hanging on both storylines at the end of the season.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

When did they stop making mech metal bullets? If I were Weaver that would have been my highest priority

I was under the impression that they had, but Tom's gun just wasn't loaded with them. The mechs in Karen's force were too far back and too numerous for them to be effective in the front.

My guess would be that we will be seeing two separate storylines now, Ben's and the 2nd Mass attempting to reach Charleston.

Definitely.

I agree.  How many episodes are left?  I hope they don't leave us hanging on both storylines at the end of the season.

There are new episodes on the following dates: August 5th, August 12th and August 19th. So three. My guess is that those storylines will be resolved but we'll be left on a cliffhanger similar to Tom boarding the spaceship last season.

 

[Patrick_S]

I’m enjoying this season but deep down I would have enjoyed this scene.
A long shot Karen standing out in the middle of the road giving the 2nd Mass another ultimatum. After she is done talking a continued long shot of her standing waiting for an answer and then a loud boom sounds out. Karen’s head snaps back and she falls to the ground in a crumpled heap. Quick cut to Weaver holding a sniper rifle, he turns his head to one of his men, “Answer given”.
No really it is good she survived since she does make a good villain.

 

[Greg_S_H]

They should have at least said, "Let our man get to safety or we drop you where you stand."

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Entertainment Weekly has a great piece on the special effects for "Falling Skies"
Among the things I learned: In many shots the skitters are a practical, in-camera effect, not necessarily all CGI.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Patrick_S /t/321623/falling-skies-tnt-season-2-premieres-6-17-2012/30#post_3954738
I’m enjoying this season but deep down I would have enjoyed this scene.
A long shot Karen standing out in the middle of the road giving the 2nd Mass another ultimatum. After she is done talking a continued long shot of her standing waiting for an answer and then a loud boom sounds out. Karen’s head snaps back and she falls to the ground in a crumpled heap. Quick cut to Weaver holding a sniper rifle, he turns his head to one of his men, “Answer given”.
No really it is good she survived since she does make a good villain.

As satisflying as that might have been I don't think it would have worked as she is the "translator" and needed to make a deal. Like it or not both sides need her. Looking forward to a new episode this week. Also really enjoying the Great Escape afterwards.