Before getting into my preview of this week’s episode of Falling Skies, titled “Prisoner of War,” I’d like to take a brief jaunt back to the premiere. Remember last week, when I said Maggie (Sarah Carter) was at the center of my favorite moment in the premiere? If you watched it then you’ve surely figured out what part I was referencing. Though I usually frown upon traitors, I do enjoy a good rapist shooting, so Maggie gets a virtual pat on the back from me.
Now that that’s out of the way, this week’s episode opens with Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) and his small contingent of soldiers staking out the group of harnessed kids and their alien captors. The mission is prematurely foiled, but news is awaiting them when they return. We learn that contact has been made with other resistance groups and all are ordered to collect as many war materials — weapons, vehicles, food, etc. — as possible. Despite these new orders, the episode revolves mostly around Tom’s mission to get his son back. The mission experiences considerable setbacks, pushing both Tom and his oldest son Hal (Drew Roy) to their limits. These struggles, however, teach them more about the alien tactics, which are surprisingly similar to human military strategies. Is this another sign that they studied Earth before invading, or simply a coincidence?
This article appears in Jun 23-29, 2011.