Ray Willmott reviews the first episode of Falling Skies Season four…
It’s rare for a Sci-Fi show to see life past its first season these days, but Falling Skies has definitely earned its stripes, continuing to improve year on year. Aliens, known as Skitters, have unexpectedly attacked Earth, leaving it in tatters and ruins, forcing humanity to fend for themselves in the aftermath. The show follows Tom Mason (played by Noah Wyle), his children, the 2nd Massachusetts regiment with Captain Weaver and a group of unlikely allies headed by Pope, as they fight for survival against Earth’s most fearsome enemy. In their fight against the Skitters, allegiances are made, betrayals are rife and friends and enemies are lost and won on the battlefield.
In ‘Ghost in the Machine’, the group think they’ve finally reached some sort of safety. After travelling through one battlefield after another, they are happy to just be back at their self-anointed home, Charleston. But just as they are about to embrace their much-needed sanctuary, Anne and Tom’s newly born daughter, Lexi, a hybrid child of two worlds who is going to play a major role in this season – for good or ill – announces to the group ‘We don’t all have to die here.’
The cryptic message doesn’t hang in the air for long as the group is ripped apart and brutally attacked by a new type of enemy. Alien aircrafts appear and spike-like structures fall from the skies, creating laser-beam like forcefields which are then used as cages to shepherd some of the group into imprisonment. The group is completely separated with no means of getting to one another. The cage beams appear fatal, evaporating humans on either side. The last image we see is Tom passing out. The show then cuts ahead to four months later. That was a pulse-racing ten minutes!
Tom, Captain Weaver and a few other members of the group have been taken to an old, abandoned building and are being held in captivity, though appear to be well looked after and are free to roam around outisde. But the surrounding city is in ruins. Food, water and electricity is scarce, which is turning people on one another as they fight over scraps. Meanwhile, aliens are picking up troublemakers and disposing of them. It’s a human wasteland being completely governed by aliens. Are they trying to rebuild Earth in their own image?
Elsewhere, in a nearby forest, another section of the group is assembling weapons under Anne’s watchful eye. Anne has been running a part of the group, making sure they’re ready to find the others, remaining tactically aware and are prepared for battle, but she seems to be overworking them and is potentially running the troops into the ground. Perhaps she’s enjoying the power a little too much?
Meanwhile, Ben has been in a coma for four months, but all of a sudden snaps out of it. He finds himself safe and connected up to an IV with Maggie near his side. As Ben tries to find out what’s been happening while he has been out of it, he asks about his sister, Lexi. As you can probably guess, Lexi has grown a lot in four months. She’s now a young woman with blonde hair and green eyes and looks a little bit like Danaerys. She’s even become a bit of a Khaleesi with all her mysticism and enchanting power.
Ben is slightly scared of what his sister has become, but Lexi promises Ben that she will protect him. Whatever that means.
As the episode progresses, Matt and a group of random children have become part of a Nazi-esque Concentration Camp and are given food for reciting propaganda given to them by a Squad leader.
And, of course, Pope has managed to land on his feet yet again and seems to have an infinite supply of everything he needs. How does he do it?
The action darts back and forth pretty regularly and there are a lot of plot threads for us to digest. This was a great scene-setting episode and one that is going to set the tone for, what’s sure to be, a great season. The set up here has great potential.
If you thought this show was running out of steam, think again. I await the next episode with baited breath.
Ray Willmott is a freelance critic for various outlets and even runs his own website. He even writes novels – Follow him on Twitter
Originally published July 23, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
