Falling Skies - S3E5 - Search and Recover

Before we get into this week’s recap, we’ve got good news, Falling Skies ProFans! TNT announced, yesterday, that they have ordered a fourth season of Falling Skies; it will consist of 10 episodes and will air in summer 2014. Now, onto the recap.

Previously, on Falling Skies: “At All Cost”

So, five episodes in, it seems as if we’ve settled into a rhythm: awesome episode, boring episode, wash, repeat. Other than relocating some characters, and pointing a big obvious finger at suspect for the mole, this episode didn’t really have a whole lot to offer. Unless, of course, you’re more interested in seeing Pope and Tom wrestle around all sweaty-like, in which case, this is the episode for you! On with the show…

We open to the wreckage of Air Force .01, a dead General Max Headroom, and a groggy Tom Mason. Tom wakes up enough to somehow discern the difference between dead and unconscious, and thusly drags a knocked-out Pope from the burning debris just before it blows up one last time. Pope returns the favor by knocking Tom on his ass before he can run into a clearing and be spotted by the Espheni beamer that shot them down. Pope then berates Tom for being at fault for getting everyone shot down. Incorporating a rare bit of actual intelligence into his stock belligerence, Pope points out that it may have been smarter to root the mole out before running off to play politician with the POTUS. Tom later ponders why, if the Espheni mole knew about their mission to meet the President, it took them so long to attack.

Back in Charleston, Dr. Kadar, from beneath the giant lump on his head, fills everyone in on the devil-baby situation. Evil Hal pretends the news surprises him. New VP Marina attempts to flex her muscles when Weaver wants to take the whole army out to search for Anne and Alexis. Ultimately she caves to allowing a smaller search party for 24 hours, and then stops Weaver just before the party leaves to express concern for his safety. In a seemingly romantic way. Weird. And random. Anyhow, Weaver heads out with Jeanne, Maggie, and all the Mason boys on an ultimately fruitless search for the missing pair, during which they find a dead woman, play Mad Libs with her life story, and Matt cries.

Marina meets with Dr. Kadar, giving him pictures of the device the Volm are building, and asking him to determine what it is they are building, under the pretense that Tom sent her.

Now, at long last we get to the meat and potatoes of this episode, which apparently was an attempt to up the female viewership. Tom and Pope proceed to fight their way through the forest, pausing long enough to dodge the skitter patrol that is hunting them, and heavy-handedly show that Tom is not all WASPy professor (his dad was a mean drunk), and that Pope is not all hardened criminal (he went to jail for accidentally killing a man for almost hitting his kids with a car). They do put on a decent hand-to-hand show, but ultimately manage to not advance the storyline at all. Tom breaks his ankle and forces Pope to leave him to find help. Pope makes it back, just in time to save Tom from the skitters.

Dr. Kadar announces his very ambiguous findings to Marina. Whatever the device is, its power system is complete overkill to perform whatever task it is meant for. No, really, that’s all. However, the real point of this scene is to point a big finger at Marina as Mole Suspect Numero Uno. Kadar tells her that he has run DNA tests on all the recent births in the colony, and that all are human, except for Alexis. Marina is very conspicuously not at all interested in this information. I, for one, will be very upset if Marina is the mole, as I like my mysteries to unfold in a complex and subtle manner, with the punchline ultimately kicking me in the jibblies. I do not like to have the mystery ignored completely for three episodes, and then have the answer limply tossed at me. I’m growing less and less impressed with the writing team on this one.

Tom and Pope limp back to Charleston, and learn that no one has heard from the President or Cochise (we saw them shot down last ep.). After a few days’ rest, Tom and Pope have settled into yet another grudging respect with one another. Weaver fills Tom in on the Anne and Alexis situation, and he is overjoyed! Because Tom Mason is the mole!!! (Sorry, I lied. He’s just sad.)

Well, at least given this season’s brief history, next week should at least be shiny.