Falling Skies Review: Hope Survives
Carla Day
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Hope and family.
The 2nd Mass had to pick up the pieces after their battle with the Espheni on Falling Skies Season 4 Episode 8. Given how many deaths there were, the limited open display of grieving showed the extent that this new world has changed them all.
Despite the horrors that they faced, there was a sense of hope for the future. The tribute at the fire was sentimental and honest.
Hope is about all the survivors of the 2nd Mass have going for them right now. They live second to second just trying to survive. In an enlightening moment, Tom confessed to Dingaan that he lies to himself regularly to maintain his face of hope.
Their only chance is to continue to believe, survive and fight.
Damn right I'm lying to myself. I lie to myself every day, sometimes every hour of every day. And sometimes that's not even enough, because if people think that there's no hope, they damn better believe that I think there is.
Tom
Tom never gave up while underground and he encouraged Dingaan, sometimes forcibly, to remain calm and find a way above ground. It took the two of them to get out of the ship alive and back to the 2nd Mass. It's almost unbelievable all they were forced to overcome including: debris crushing Dingaan, Tom's hand being bitten, a weird alien snake in Tom's arm, and the ship exploding.
Tom proved to Dingaan that they weren't being punished, instead they were making their way back home.
Hal never gave up on Maggie either. Just like Tom pushed Dingaan, Hal went against Maggie's wishes and used Espheni spikes to heal her paralysis. When the fluid didn't work, Ben insisted that his spikes be transplanted into her. The two brothers both love Maggie and went to extremes to make sure she could walk again. In that moment, the family love triangle officially began.
It's going to be awkward for Hal and Ben for a while since they are both openly in love with Maggie. Up until this point, there's been no indication that she even knew about Ben's feelings or reciprocated them. With his spikes in her back, the connection between Maggie and Ben could supersede any love she has for Hal. It's gonna be a crazy ride to see how that plays out.
Given Ben's disdain at the Espheni's plan for peace through evolving humans, it was an intriguing contradiction that he was willing to use Espheni science to heal Maggie. In effect, she became an evolving human of sorts with spikes in her back. In this case, he didn't know it was being forced on her, but it was.
Is it possible that there's a balance between the Espheni plan for the humans and the desire for survival? I'm not sure, but it would be a riveting turn for the series to take. So far the Espheni haven't been willing to make any compromise and it's unlikely to happen soon. Lexi could be the key though to bringing both sides back together.
Lexi did let Ben go so there's some level of compassion within her and he left doubts in her mind about the Espheni plan. With Tom basically disavowing his daughter, it may be difficult to see how they would come together though I'd love to see it. Tom is able to not only lie to himself for the good of the group, he was willing to sacrifice his daughter for them as well.
Tom made sense when he told Anne they couldn't go after Lexi because the 2nd Mass and his sons needed them more at the moment. Lexi made her choice. It would be counterproductive to go after her and risk their lives. They're alive and need to stay that way above all else.
Plus, the final moments of the hour mean that something else is coming. What was with the moon and the glowing lights underground? It's another mystery to be addressed over the final two hours of Falling Skies Season 4.
Which brother will Maggie choose?
Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
