Thursday, August 15, 2013

Falling Skies Season 2 Disk 1

Episode 1: Worlds Apart
...and, they're back. I've really been looking forward to this dvd and viewing the second season of Falling Skies. My life is seriously lacking in science fiction and fantasy television series. And let's not even get into whether what I get is good or not. I think if I restrict myself to good sf/f television shows, I get this, Game of Thrones and possibly Alphas depending upon my mood (there is that new show that is set in St. Louis, but I still haven't seen it). I guess supernatural falls under sf/f, so Walking Undead would be included, too. That's not just the good shows I have access to, but pretty much all the shows i have access to. I do mean currently in production shows, as I can go back and rewatch some classics, I suppose. I've heard tales of some British show with like a time-traveling surgeon or something. Those Brits, they're all a little loopy.
We don't really pick up right where we left off, but three months after the end of last season and the flashback to the intervening time and situation. When I first saw the words "three months later" I was worried about what the aliens would have done to Tom in that time, but we learn that he was with them for only a few days, maybe a week, and most of that time they were ignoring him or zapping him.
There is some suspicious stuff going on, like as soon as he gets back, the aliens change tactics and start tar getting vehicles - the first one being hit was the vehicle Tom was transported back to camp with after he rehooked up with his boys, literally and metaphorically. My first thought is, "why wouldn't the aliens put a tracking device on his person? they would be stupid not to.". You can't tell me that with the aliens access to human's memories that they haven't come across someone's memory of a procedural show where they track the culprit via her cell phone or plant a tracking device in the suitcase of money before giving it to the kidnappers. At least we had Pope mentioning this suspicion at the end.

Episode 2: Shall We Gather at the River
I do not want aliens putting biomechanical bugs in my eye. Or any other kind of bug in my eye. Or in me anywhere. Just as long as we're clear on that.
Maybe the aliens had placed a tracking device in Tom, maybe not. If you're just going to track, why make the bug capable of leaving its target and going back to base, so to speak. We know the aliens like use hybrids, but they have no problem using a machine when a machine is what is needed. And you don't need anything more than a simple transmitter if you're tracking someone. Ergo, they were doing something else.
This show is complex running both the short and long game simultaneously across multiple fronts. But, it's not complicated. If you look at each part of the show, Tom's story or Bens's story, etc. they are simple and easy to recognize. That's part of that makes this show so good. The same things goes for Game of Thrones, the whole damned thing is complex, but look at each character and her story and it's not complicated.
I also really like that this show has a memory. Several times in these first two episodes, specific characters who died last season have been mentioned in a natural way. People talk about shared memories and acquaintances, in fact when it comes to people, most of us have a tale or two to share with people who never knew the person we are talking about. I dislike it when television shows forget this and try to make the characters ones that we can't identify with because they don't resemble us at all.

Episode 3: Compass
And lo the great producer said, "With this hand I shall give you hope." and our eyes did behold a beauteous angel with news of a far off land. "But," the might one continued, "with this hand I shall break your heart." and our eyes did behold the demise of a beloved boy, cut down before his time and there was much crying.
So, Tom called Pope an asshole. Is he even allowed to say that word on television? I mean it's not like this show is on pay cable or something. Actually, I know that broadcast television has a code of standards and censors because they are regulated by the FCC, but basic cable, I think that technically falls under the same rules as the premium channels. I must be wrong about this, now that I take a second to grok it out. If the basic cable channels had the same rules as the premium channels, you know that MTV would have long ago become MFTV with all of their reality shows, and pro wrestling wouldn't have the girls top pulled off just as the referee steps between her and the camera. Anyways, I digress. Pope has been the one raising the ruckus about Tom not being trustworthy since the eye incident last time. Which I think is going to turn out to be smoke and mirrors as things with Ben are pointing towards him being the one the aliens are tracking. We'll see...unless there are bio-mechanical insects in our eyes, then all bets are off.

Episdoe 4: Young Bloods
What is the earth's population, around seven billion give or take? We've got a group of less than 200, heading towards a group rumored to be around 3000. Let's say that represents the Eastern seaboard, so maybe another 3000 on the Westcoast and 3000 in the central regions. Add in another 1000 for all the small little bands and individuals roaming around the continent and you maybe have 10,000 for North America. If you are generous and say that each continent did as well, you have 60,000 people, let's kick in another 10,000 to be optimistic in this scenario and you have 70,000 remaining from 7,000,000,000 and that means 1 in 100,000 people survive. I don't see much chance of beating the aliens, well unless we still have Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, then we will totally kick the alien's ass.
Dan has to face the difficult choice of having his daughter still alive but not with him, ain't never gonna be with him versus her being dead. Of course the first one is the best option, no question, but it's a lot more painful. I'm sure he'd come to terms with her being dead and then to have good fortune of her stepping back into his life for a day ors so rips that all up. Of course there is always the chance that the writers, I mean the fates, will bring them back together.

Falling Skies on IMDb

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