Falling Skies: “Love and Other Acts of Courage” “Time To Bond and Time To Die”

Welcome back Falling Skies fans!

What can I say about Love and Other Acts of Courage other than wow! This episode was a turning point for the show. The fans got to see a character return that we never thought we would see. Also, Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter) and Hal Mason (Drew Roy) enjoyed “one on one” bonding time.

I love where Falling Skies on TNT  is taking these characters. Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television keeps us on the edge of our seats on Sunday evening and has us waiting for the next episode.

Before I get too far into this weeks episode, I am going to go over some of what happened in last weeks episode “Young Bloods”. Captain Weaver (Will Patton) finally found his daughter Jeanne Weaver (Laci J. Mailey). She was living with a band of teenagers that had been fighting the skitters all on their own.

The whole episode found Weaver was at odds with the leader of the teens, Diego (Hector Bucio). Not only did he think on impulse but he was also dating Jeanne. We had yet to see Weaver’s father side until this episode. Even though he was a father figure and rather fond of Jimmy Bolland (Dylan Authors), his fathering skills shined in “Young Bloods”.

Matt Mason (Maxim Knight) is growing up. Being around all the fighting and the every day struggle just to stay alive has made him have to grow up sooner than most children. Of course he had been defiant in the last few episodes. I do not think I will forget the look on his face when the skitter was killed by two guys and Matt ended up wearing what was left of the skitter all over his body.

 

Even though the fans would have loved to see Jeanne stay and fight along side her father, she realized that even though they fought the same cause, her band of kids needed her. Not to mention Diego. Hal realized something about Ben Mason (Connor Jessup) that only he saw. When they entered the warehouse to free the children that were getting harnessed, Ben’s spikes on his back glowed when he got around the harnesses.

Included below are two outstanding videos provided courtesy of TNT.  A look inside how the “Harness Factory” came into being, and the great 2nd Watch after episode program hosted by Wil Wheaton about “Love and Others Acts of Courage”. Enjoy!

 

Love and Other Acts of Courage:

Our episode “Love and Other Acts of Courage” started off with the skitter on rooftop raising their arms and what seemed to me he was calling out to the other skitters. Out of no where comes Ben who got down on his knees and raised his arms.

What shocked me the most was the sound coming from his mouth. Scary! Ben was either turning into a skitter or somehow communicating with them.

 

Everyone at camp was awakened by a loud explosion coming from the city. Matt was sure they were coming so he grabbed his gun. Weaver sent a team out to the city to investigate what had happened and Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) left Matt there with his weapon to guard the med bus. Which he was more than happy to do. Mason has strong sons.

When the team arrived at the scene there were no humans. Only dead skitters and mechs. It appeared that they were fighting themselves.

Hal spotted someone under a skitter with their spikes glowing and just assumed that it was Ben.

However, when uncovering him it turned out to be Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl)! Where had Rick been? They brought him back to camp and Weaver informed Dr. Glass (Moon Bloodgood) that as soon as he woke up to let him know.

 

However, Weaver was dealing with issues himself. In the last episode at the harnessing facility one of the harnesses tried to attach itself to his leg and had left a nasty infection. Problem was, he would not stay off of the leg long enough for it to heal. Medical supplies were definitely running low. If Ann could not get the infection under control that could mean the loss of Weaver’s leg.

 Margaret urged Hal to tell Tom about Ben and what he had seen. Hal told Tom that when they were at the harnessing facility he had seen Ben’s spikes start glowing. Of course Tom was angry that Hal kept this from him. He had already been worried enough about Ben.

 

Weaver sent Hal and Maggie out with a team to go and scan the hospitals for medical supplies because Dr. Glass was getting low. Tom and the Bezerkers were headed back to the crash sight when Matt came running out saying Rick had woke up and went crazy. He was needed on the med bus.

 

Rick was disoriented when he woke up. He informed Tom and Weaver that Ben was hurt and he knew where to find him. Somehow they were linked by their harnesses.

Weaver being skeptical of being led into an ambush was against taking a team back to find Ben. Tom told Weaver he was gonna do it if he had to do it by himself. 

Luckily Weaver decided to let a team go back into the city with Tom. Rick led them to a warehouse where he said Ben was at. Upon entering they found Ben protecting the skitter with the one red eye. The one that was on the space ship with Tom tasering him. Immediately everyone drew weapons on the skitter. However, Ben begged them not to. At this point I was thinking “you have to be kidding me”!

The skitter decided to use Rick to communicate with the group. The skitter said that he had saved Toms life and that they were both after the same cause. The skitter called them the overlords. He said he felt hate and anger towards them just like the resistance.

He said many lives had been sacrificed and then the skitter passed out as did Rick. Weaver ordered his men to kill the skitter but Ben jumped in front of it begging them not to. Tom stepped in and told Weaver that the skitter could be useful because it knew everything that the skitters and overlords were planning. 

While out scanning the hospitals for supplies, Hal and Maggie ran across a mech patrol. They jumped into a car together and laid in the back seat hiding.

Of course Maggie was on top of Hal. The chemistry between these two are amazing!

I am so happy that this episode focused on their relationship and the growing love between these two central characters of this great series!

The resistance brought the skitter back to camp where everyone wanted it dead. Ben begged everyone to listen to him and not to kill it. Tom asked Ann to keep it alive long enough so he could question it.

 

Tom took Ben with him to question him about what the hell he was doing protecting this skitter. All Ben wanted was for someone to believe him. He said that the red eyed skitter was the leader of his own army and was trying to fight the overlords and free his people. Tom asked him how long he had been communicating with the skitters and Ben told him around the time Jimmy had died. He also said his spikes had been glowing since around the same time. This infuriated Tom that Ben had not told him. I could see Ben’s point though, he did not want to be seen as the enemy.

Ben told Tom that the skitters were harnessed by the overlords and made to do what they told them for hundreds of years. That some of the skitters had been able to fight the urges of the harness. The only reason the skitter had done what he did to humans and to Tom was to gain the trust of the overlords so he could get their battle plans. Ben told his father that the skitter kept Tom alive because he believed that with the human resistance and the skitters army that they could over throw the overlords and free their people.

Weaver and his group went to where the skitter was being held. He told the skitter he wanted answers. Speaking through Rick, the skitter told them they would have their answers but first he wanted to speak to Professor Mason alone. Weaver was against it but Tom told him he would be ok. Reluctantly Weaver left.

The skitter told Tom that he had a remarkable planet which Tom was in no mood for platitudes. He assured Tom that he would tell him why Ben was so important to him but there was much to tell him and little time to do it in. There was a death squad on their way to kill him and everyone in their camp. 

Maggie and Hal found a hospital. The hospital had not been ram sacked. It was full of medicine and supplies. Hal told them that they would load up all the supplies and get a nap on a clean bed. He went outside to find Maggie sitting on the steps. He told her they needed to get some rest on the clean beds in the hospital.

Maggie let him know she was not going into a hospital. He assumed it was because of her cancer. When asked what kind of cancer it was that almost took her life, Maggie told him it was brain tumors. Three of them. She let him feel her head where there were holes and was surprised that it did not weird him out. At that moment they went to kiss but something was holding Maggie back so she left.

Back at camp Tom was still trying to get out of the skitter what his resistance army was. The skitter told Tom that once their planet was much like his. They lived in peace and tranquility. The overlords came and harnessed them and put them into slavery and they were pressed to do their bidding.

The overlords had harnessed them as children just like they were doing to the human children. The skitters that could resist the urges of the harness noticed how the human species fought back and they were sure that with their help they could get rid of their oppressors.

Hal and his team are ready to leave the hospital and head back to camp. Hal tried talking to Maggie but she just said him and her were not going to happen. She was happy that he had her back. On their way back to camp they came under attack by the mechs. When Tom heard the shooting the skitter told him it was the death squad on their way to kill them. Hal looked around for Maggie and could not find her. Finally he saw her laying on the ground telling him to leave because the mechs were coming. However, Hal was not going to leave her laying there. He rode up on his bike and pulled her to safety.

Weaver was sure that the skitter had led his patrol to the Second Mass and was their to kill them all. He wanted the kids escorted out of the cell so they could kill the skitter. Ben and Rick begged them not to. With a gun pointed at his son Tom told them to not kill the skitter.

He disobeyed a direct order from Captain Weaver. No doubt there would be hell to pay later. The skitter got free and when one of the men went to shoot it Rick jumped in front and took the bullet for him. It was sad to see Rick die. It affected Ben very much.

Rick told Ben that he had a father and that he somehow had to get Tom to believe what the skitter had told him. That it was important. When Rick died Ben immediately jumped up saying “he needs me”. Trying to run and find the skitter Tom grabbed him and told him that he needed him also.

Hal got Maggie back to camp and on the med bus. She was unconscious and losing a lot of blood. Captain Weaver came onto the bus and told them that they had to evacuate and leave. Someone needed to drive the med bus so Hal volunteered while Ann worked on Maggie.

The Second Mass made their new camp at the hospital that Hal and Maggie had found earlier that was full of medical supplies. Lourdes led Hal to Maggie where she told him that Maggie was going to be ok. Maggie realized that Hal must really care for her for him to of went back and risked his life to save her. Maggie does not seem to be the mushy type so she held his hand and asked him to stay there while she fell asleep.

Dr. Glass told Weaver she was giving him some antibiotics through a shot. After she was finished with the shot she told him it was a sedative so he could get some sleep and stay off that leg. Impressed that she had tricked him he said he would rest. Tom walked into the room and Weaver told him there was no other way to say it, he was pissed off at Tom for disobeying a direct order.

Tom agreed and said he did not blame him. Weaver told him he was worried about Ben and what did that mean for the Second Mass having him around. Tom agreed that he had been wondering the same thing. It was understandable. In Weavers eyes Ben was protecting skitters. Weaver told Tom that there were gonna have to be some hard decisions to make in the future and wanted to make sure Tom was up to making them.

Dr. Glass stopped Tom in the hallway and asked him how Ben was doing. He said being a typical teen. Tom asked Ann had she noticed all the rooms that the new hospital had. She said she had and they went looking for one. Ann’s reply was “really?” Last we see of Ann and Tom they were headed into one of the rooms. Leaving the audience to wonder what was going on behind closed doors.

At the end of the episode, Ben was sitting on top of the hospital looking up at the stars. Matt walked up and said beside him. Ben asked him was he not afraid of heights anymore. Matt told him he was not afraid of anything anymore. Ben told him that was impossible. He asked Matt to keep a secret for him. Ben told Matt that he was going to have to go away for awhile. Matt asked him was it because of the skitter and Ben replied “something like that”. The episode ended with Matt and Ben looking up at the stars.

As always I want to thank my daughter for helping me with my pictures. Jacquelyn is wonderful at screen caps.

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Thank you. xoxo

 

Dragonbayne (Angela)