As the second season of Falling Skies opens, three months have passed since Tom went willingly with the aliens in one of their ships. Nobody has seen or heard from him during this time, and his absence has taken its toll on his sons. Tom hoped that by agreeing to a dialogue with the invaders, he would not only free his son Ben from the invaders’ influence but also get a better picture of the aliens’ overall plan.
Many lives have been lost since Tom left, but the survivors of the 2nd Mass still struggle on with courage and resilience. Ben and his older brother, Hal, have stepped up as fighters but quickly butt heads as they both seek to secure their roles as leaders in their father’s absence. Hal has developed a strong, if not flirtatious, friendship with former renegade Maggie. Ben, meanwhile, has become a particularly strong soldier. But even though his prowess is a huge asset to the 2nd Mass, he has an independent streak that could place others in harm’s way.
Amidst the turmoil, Tom’s youngest son, Matt, struggles to find his place in a world torn apart by war and destruction. Also in Tom’s absence, Anne has become more of a maternal figure for the Mason boys. And Weaver, the commander of the 2nd Mass, continues to lead his fighters into battle against the aliens. The unknown effect of the harness continues to be an unfolding mystery and the 2nd Mass will discover the transformative powers the harness has on humans.
After viewing the first 4 episodes of the season, its clear the writers and producers listened to the fans and made changes that will bring in a much larger crowd. The season is all about fighting back and that makes it less happy and less hope. But people like that. When you are fighting an alien race who is taking your children, dont expect them to be nice. We get a lot of insight into the aliens, their tech and the cost of war. Unlike season 1, they do not shy away from the consequences of ones actions in season 2 which you will find out soon.
By far the most interesting stories of the new season are Ben Mason and the aliens. I know you are saying to yourself, the aliens? What I mean is we get to see a lot more of them and get a better picture of their intentions and their mindset. We are introduced to new characters and new story plots that tie in what his happening to Ben.
Many people were bothered by lack of interaction with the aliens in season 1. Yes we had episodes with plenty of interaction but we never got an inside look at the aliens and their inner workings. It was a long standing approach of the show to avoid giving us point of views that weren’t directly from people in the 2nd mass. I have to agree it was a great approach. In season 2 we get to see Toms flashback from the 3 months he was gone. If you remember they avoiding showing us a flash back of the invasion but they felt in this case, since Tom was there, it only made sense to show us what went on. Noah told us in a recent interview they wrote themselves into a corner when he walked on the ship. But the writers with the help of Remi Aubuchon did an excellent job of making up for that, and coming up with a really neat way of explaining what happen to him.
For those who thought the skitter petting the children was creepy, just wait. There is a moment, which we saw parts of being filmed during our set visit, in the first part of the season that will creep you out in the best way possible. The writers for season 2 under the direction of Remi have transformed Falling Skies from a great Sci Fi show into the best SciFi show on TV today.
People had complaints in season 1 over things that felt too easy or out of place when it came to plot points. The first point that bothered people was Popes mech bullets. Many people felt that was too easy and humanity would have figured that out long ago and used it if it was that simple. The issue was it was already written into the story, so how do you take it out without it feeling strange. The 3 month gap between seasons helps make that possible. You are able to change characters, remove elements and make things mesh when you have a 3 month gap to work with. You are expecting that the people have changed and don’t feel strange when you see them different. Ben is the perfect example of this. With the 2nd mass on the move, they no longer have the supplies, or are staying put in any one place long enough to make those bullets anymore, so they simply no longer have them.
Season 2 has already provided us with tons of alien action, more mythology behind the aliens, Bens transformation and more fighting back. Aubuchon commented in our direct interview about season 2:
Our main objective this season was to amp everything up, putting more pressure on the members of the 2nd Mass, and upping the stakes. If the first season was about dealing with the trauma of the alien invasion, this season is about coming to terms with the realities of the fact that they’re not leaving any time soon and figuring out how to survive in the world as it is now. Noah Wyle’s character, Tom, will have more challenges as he becomes more determined to bring the fight to the Aliens.
I think all the way around the fans got what they wanted and so much more.
