As more information comes out about the 3 month time period between the end of season 1 and the start of season 2, we see how Ben is coping with the fact that his father is missing, and he is changing. Ever since Bens return, Hal has been curious about his recovery and feels something is still very off with Ben.
Season 1 – A Look back at the family relationship
Hal and Ben never really got along, Hal was older and Ben was a book worm, like his father. After the attack and the death of their mother, Hal felt he needed to protect his 2 brothers and would do anything to keep them safe. Not long after that Ben was taken by the aliens and harnessed him. During the 5-6 months that followed Hal and Tom searched high and low to find Ben. After joining the 2nd mass, they did find him being led around with a group of other kids gathering metal for the aliens and being kept in a hospital nearby.
The 2nd mass figure out a way to remove the harnesses without killing the kid, which is what has happen with every other attempt. Rick, the son of one of the soliders, was rescued and the harness removed, but he wouldn’t speak. The skitter captured by the 2nd mass communicates with Rick and he puts the harness back on. There is far more going on with the harness then we understand. Tom wants to get back Ben now that they have a way to get the harness off.
Tom and Weaver butted heads as Tom tried to get away to save Ben and finally Hal came up with the perfect plan to get Ben back. He would wear a dead harness and walk into the group of kids and pretend to be a part of them in order to get close to the skitter in charge of the group. Hal risks his life taking on the skitter solo and gets Ben back. After the harness is removed and Ben awakes, Hal looks into Bens eyes and knows he isn’t the same.
Hal is trying to sleep when Matt and Ben are horsing around and when asked by Matt what it was like with the skitters, Ben paints a picture of a somewhat happy place where the aliens shared thoughts and comforted the kids. Not only did it creep out Matt but Hal was concerned over Bens state of mind. As the days went on, Ben noticed some things he wanted to deny, but couldn’t. For example, his spikes wouldn’t go away like the others, and he was hearing the aliens in his head. Ben jump roped for hours and didn’t even break a sweat, though he hid that from Hal who came out and inquired about the stop watch time.
A more pressing concern was the fact that those within the camp were not happy having ‘razorbacks’ around and Ben found himself unwanted outside of his family members. Hal defends his brother telling anyone who has a problem with Ben will answer to him. Even though Hal has many questions about Ben and what he is becoming, that is still his little brother and he will protect him at all costs.
Ben didn’t want to accept the control the aliens have on him, Rick however wanted to embrace the changes and the aliens. Rick did his best to pull Ben into it, but Ben with all his power resisted and helped the 2nd mass by jamming the aliens signal during an attack on the camp and Rick who tried to rejoin the aliens was rejected. He had served his purpose betraying the camp. Now with Tom on the ship in order to keep the aliens away from Ben, will Ben be safe? We have already seen the aliens lie and cheat to get what they want. I think we will find Tom gets far more then he bargained for and Ben will be worse off then before.
Matt just wants everything back the way it was. A world where aliens hadn’t invaded, where aliens didn’t kill their mom and where Ben was home with them again. Matt did get one of those wishes, having Ben back. However, Matt seemed to sense that something was not the same with Ben. In his continuing effort to be a part of the team, Matt even helped out the outlaw Pope in making a new armor piercing bullet to kill mechs.
Season 2 – A look ahead at the Masons
A lot is happening in season 2. There is much we know from our Vancouver set visit that we cannot share, but lets look at what we can share. 3 months has passed since Tom choose to go on the alien ship in order to protect Ben. And it appears from the most recent 3min preview that Hal has stepped up as the father figure for both of his brothers. He helps lead part of a skitter hunting group, in which he is in charge of Maggie, Jimmy, and Ben. Ben is a much more built, precision solider with shooting abilities of a trained marksmen. However, when ordered to stop shooting, Ben continues to fire and requires Hal yelling at him more then once in order for him to stop.
Just as they are retreating, Ben notices that one of the skitters isn’t dead but he can’t get a shot off. Hal orders him to leave but instead Ben jumps down several stories and lands on his feet, pulling out a knife and killing the skitter with his bare hands. Hal looks at him with fear and Ben looks back like a deer in the headlights.
Taking my own view of what happen. Ben seemed to be in a trance during the entire event, an uncontrolled rage for killing every skitter in sight. After jumping down and killing the skitter, Ben had a look on his face like he had just woken up out of a trance and was bewildered by where he was and wonder why his hand is covered in skitter blood.
This lends to my continued belief that is more under the control of the aliens then he or anyone around him realizes. Why would they have him killing skitters? We know the skitters are a slave race from another world to the greys. They are nothing more then foot soldiers for the main aliens and thus the perfect way for the greys to perfect Bens skills. The real question is how long will it take for Bens actions to harm the 2nd mass or get someone killed. We also learn that a new alien emerges and Tom and Ben will have a connection to it. Or is it more that the alien will have control over both of them?
In a recent panel done at the Emerald City Comic Con, Drew Roy (Hal) talks about his new role as father figure for Matt and Ben and how Bens action may result in severe consequences for him and those around him.
We have also seen some promo images which show Ben giving Matt gun lessons, does that sound like a good idea? I mean yes he needs to know how to protect himself, but he seems a bit young for a gun. No matter how much Ben wants to pretend that all the harness has done is make him stronger, the real truth is far worse. His very humanity and the survival of the 2nd mass hangs on his ability to reject their control. But who will lose their life in this effort?
[nggallery id=28]
