Recap
Tom makes it back to Charleston, via boat, after having escaped Karen again and finding out that Anne and Lexi are dead. Pope and Lyle meet Tom at the shore when he gets off the boat. Tom reveals to his sons that the news isn’t good for Anne and Lexi, which really upsets Matt. Tom says he should use that anger, use that to their favor. As Tom walks away Ben runs up to him to try to convince him not to use anger, just like Tom told Ben in season 2 after anger was all Ben had left.
Tom is ready to go after Karen. Tom reveals that Boston is an option they did not consider before. Weaver and Porter think it’s not a bad idea but they are concerned that Tom may be bugged again. It is clear Tom has a sole mission of going after Karen but Porter wants to take a more objective approach and says he will think about it.
Tom finally sees Cochise again after the plane crash and is happy that he is alive. Cochise explains the regret and pain he felt with the loss of his brother. Tom goes to Pope’s tent to talk with him about the possibility of a bug inside him again. Tom knows Weaver would not pull the trigger if needed, but Pope would. Tom asks him to make a promise to do it if it comes to that. Pope promises that he will. Just then, a massive explosion knocks him and Tom across the bus and everyone in Charleston.
The Volm complex is completely destroyed. Pope and Tom go to the shoreline to find several Volm bodies, including a very injured Cochise. Lourdes is seen carrying a red bag, she appears to be in a hurry but is dragged back into the infirmary. Cochise reveals that he has failed his people but his body will heal on its own if left alone.
Lourdes goes into a ventilation duct and attached a device that appears to be an explosive. She is nearly caught by Weaver but he brushes off her being down there. Hal and Maggie are in the armory grabbing ammo after the explosion has everyone on edge for a possible pending attack on Charleston. The weapon continues to grow and suddenly there is a massive earthquake that causes the entire underground complex to collapse. Tom and Marina are alive but injured. Hal and Maggie are trapped in the armory, unable to get the debris away from the door. Ben uses his super hearing to listen for survivors underground.
While everyone is digging above ground, those under ground try to navigate the debris as many are dead. Lourdes is trying to get some alone time with Cochise, as she doesn’t want him to survive. Tom and Anthony run into Dr. Kadar as he crawls up from the sewer system. Hal tries to remove the debris but can’t. Maggie has figured out the debris has sealed the room and they are running out of air. Neither of them have the strength to move any of the debris as they continue to lose their oxygen.
Kadar thinks he can clear a way to the surface with some C4 and wiring from the walls. He also needs some peanut butter, not for the bomb, but because he is hungry. Lourdes is stopped from leaving her bed by the doctor on call. She plays dumb and makes a comment to Tom that she is sorry to hear that Anne and Lexi are dead in Boston. Tom catches what she said but doesn’t lead on that she said that. Tom never told anyone where Anne and Lexi were found.
Hal and Maggie start to get delirious as the lack of oxygen causes them to slowly lose consciences. Hal still thinks it was him who planted the bombs that have killed so many, but Maggie knows better and tries to convince him that it wasn’t him. Lourdes approaches Cochise with a knife just as Tom runs in and says Anthony needs help. But it was a trap and Lourdes is held at gun point.
Tom remembers the red medpack that she gave him when they went to keystone. She pulls a gun on them and is wrestled to the ground. In the sewer Ben and Matt talk about what the future holds. Matt comments that dieing might not be so bad. Matt also comments that Ben is the only one that Karen cannot kill. Whatever happens, Ben will be there to see it. Ben doesn’t want to be the only one left, he doesn’t want to be without Hal, Matt or his dad.
Ben hears someone banging on a pipe and finds its Hal and Maggie. The pipe is open on the other end, Maggie has to try to open it up to get oxygen into the room. She struggles to open it and can finally breathe. Lourdes is strapped down for everyone’s protection. She wakes up and the worms start talking through her and she proclaims that it’s too late for all of them.
Tom uses the gun Lourdes has to blast an opening that takes them to the surface. Charleston is in ruins but they have made it out and now its time to push the war effort into full steam. Everyone is still in shock that Lourdes was the mole and tries to figure out just when she was implanted. Tom and Cochise think that the weapon may still be intact and they will start digging for it.
The war has begun.
Review
This episode has been the most major plot movement we have seen in the last few episodes. Here the mole ups their game and gets caught in the process. We knew about Lourdes before everyone else but we still do not know just how long she was the mole. With the Volm all but dead (except Cochise) and dozens killed in Charleston, the war effort has been hurt but not lost.
One of my favorite scenes today was when Tom started telling Matt and Hal to use their anger as they press forward to go after Karen for the death of Anne and Lexi. Ben runs up to Tom and reminds him of the talk they had back at the start of season 2 when Tom finally returned from the ship to find Ben angry and alone. The writers deserve a lot of credit for returning to that moment in season 2. It’s an important step that Tom took to try to save Ben from the path of hatred that he was going towards. And it came full circle in this episode as Ben played the reverse role to Tom.
Hal and Maggie are still working out their issues and the isolation in the room seems to have helped some but Hal cannot help but feel sorry for Lourdes. Whether this gets in the way of Maggie and Hal remains to be seen. Anthony had a great part to play in trapping the mole and revealing to everyone else that Lourdes was the mole. Great to see a good Tom/Anthony scene working together.
Matt and Ben have yet another great scene together in this episode. Matt tells Ben that he is the only one who will be able to take out Karen. He is the only one who will live to see things end. Ben refuses to let Matt lose hope and tells Matt he doesn’t want to live if it meant being without his brothers and father. It’s another sad moment where we get to see the continued lose of innocence in Matt. It’s not unexpected when at war with an alien race, but to watch it slowly unfold on-screen is sad. Connor and Maxim play off each other brilliantly as always and leave questions that may take through season 4 to tell.
We were at Comic Con last weekend and Connor talked a bit about the changes Matt is going through and what that means for all kids in this war. Ben may have been changed physically but Matt is going through a lot of growing up that no kid his age should have to go through. Yet its a growing up he must go through to survive this war.
On another note of good news, last weeks Falling Skies saw double digit growth in viewership and hit record numbers for the season, beating out the season 2 ratings for the same episodes last year. We also learned on Friday that season 4 has been given a 12 episode order, 2 more than the standard 10 episodes we have had the past 3 seasons. Filming is expected to begin on season 4 late August in Vancouver. Remi Aubuchon is leaving as show runner but his good friend and former Battlestar Galactica Alum David Eick will be taking over the show.
With the show getting more episodes and hitting record viewership ratings, it is clear the show has finally hit its stride and the larger budget for season 4 means we can expect even greater story arcs moving forward.
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