Falling Skies, Season 1

FALLING SKIES, SEASON 1 (TELEVISION)
Warner Home Video

Release date: July 2nd, 2012
Running time: 450 minutes

Created by: Robert Rodat

Cast: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, Maxim Knight, Sarah Carter, Seychelle Gabriel, Peter Shinkoda, Will Patton, Mpho Koaho

When a disaster occurs, whether man-made or natural, many things can happen, but in an event where countless lives are affected, we can see human nature being put to the test. Whether it’s 9/11, Katrina, Hurricane Sandy or the Asian tsunami, there’ll always be those who seek to take advantage of the situation and the suffering of others for their own gain, but we’ll also be able to see examples of courage, kindness, generosity and selflessness, as well as skills such as leadership, problem solving and tactical planning coming into play as members of affected communities try to establish a safe a perimeter for survivors.

But what if the event that occurred was on an even greater scale than we saw with the Asian tsunami, and what if it wasn’t man-made or natural, but something else entirely… Something extra-terrestrial. How would humanity cope?

With Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer, Falling Skies follows Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), a former Boston University history professor who becomes the second-in-command of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, a group of civilians and fighters fleeing post-apocalyptic Boston after a devastating alien invasion six months earlier. With only ten percent of the human population left alive, soldiers and civilians group together and try to fight back against the aliens. They use harnesses to command humans and their enslaved subjects (referred to as “skitters”), they’re also responsible for the Mechs (bipedal robotic drones that fight alongside skitters). As the war wages between them and the remaining humans for control of Earth, the show presents us with a very militarized look at humanity as it faces an almost certain end.

In the opening episode, Live and Learn, we’re introduced to Tom and we hear that his wife was killed during the invasion, leaving him to raise their three sons, Hal (Drew Roy), Ben (Connor Jessup) and Matt (Maxim Knight), alone. During an ambush by the Mechs in a store while they’re gathering supplies, Tom and Hall meet Captain Weaver (Will Patton) who takes him back to their base. When an alien ship detects the group, Col. Porter (Dale Dye) splits his brigade into smaller groups consisting of 100 fighters and 200 civilians. He puts Weaver in charge of the 2nd Mass and Tom as his second-in-command.

Later on we’re introduced to John Pope (Colin Cunningham) who leads a group of outlaws. He’s at first appears as an antagonist, but later on becomes an alley of sorts. There’s also Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood), a physician before the invasion who now serves as the main medical doctor for the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment. As the season progresses we see her relationship with Tom moving from professional to romantic.

What really drives much of the first season is what happens to Tom’s middle son, Ben. After being captured by the aliens, he’s fitted with a harness and despite being told by mostly everyone around him, Tom refuses to believe his son is gone and continues to search for him. This at times puts him at odds with other members of his group, not least of all Weaver. Eventually Tom does find him but then they all have to face how being turned into a mindless drone has changed him.

For the most part I found Falling Skies hard to connect with as a series. Feeling as if it had more in common with a show about soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, than something rooted in science fiction we encounter a lot of scenes where characters discuss strategies, argue about defense and go out on missions – all while denying us a glimpse of the human heart in action. What I really missed was at least one character I could relate to on a personal level and feel something for. There are moments with speeches and we see a great deal of leadership skills coming into play, but there’s something lacking in Falling Skies, namely a reason to care about this particular group of survivors.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

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