Falling Skies review – Love and Other Acts of Courage

“Love and Other Acts of Courage” is easily one of most eventful episodes of the entirety of Falling Skies. The revelation of who Red Eye is – and what he represents – could potentially mean significant changes for how the rest of the story is told. Can an alliance ever be formed between them? A connection between those two sides seems almost as unlikely as Hal convincing Maggie to let him in, at least until their final moment in the hospital.

I’m trying to avoid overstating things regarding Red Eye, but if he is to be believed, this could change the balance of the entire war. The 2^nd Mass is barreling towards Charleston at an uncanny pace (more on that later); but will the newly formed government be as receptive to the idea of teaming with a group of rogue skitters? Tom was only marginally more open to talking to Red Eye than Weaver was – despite their mutual admiration session later. Red Eye might get a couple humans to trust him, but I doubt society as a whole – whatever that means at this point – will ever be on board.

It’s hard to blame Maggie for whatever hesitation she has regarding Hal; this woman has been through all levels of hell to get where she is now. From battling cancer to time with Pope’s misfits prior to joining the 2^nd Mass – not to mention the genocide of the human race – it can almost be a bit too much. It took me a long time to come around to wanting their relationship to work, but I’m committed now. But I’m also smart enough to know that there’s at least one more obstacle for them to overcome before they can even get started, unlike Tom and Anne, who are apparently getting started in an empty hospital room.

I spent much of the first half of the episode wondering if the mention of Richmond meant Virginia. Maggie’s moment looking out over the James River was particularly melancholy – the mural of Robert E. Lee confirmed it was Virginia; I doubt there’s a lot of Lee murals gracing walls in the Northeast. This means that the 2^nd Mass is moving south at a much greater pace than I expected; they’re likely more than half way through their trip. I’m curious of how much of Charleston we’ll see this season?

Notes & Quotes

• “You’re one tough lady.” – Weaver
  “Please. Three year olds used to throw up on my head; this is nothing.” – Anne
• “Rita?” – Maggie
  “What’s wrong with Rita?” – Hal
  “It’s kind of an old lady name.” – Maggie
  “OK, Margaret.” – Hal
• As a massive ER fan, it shames me that I just realized Noah Wyle is still working for someone named Weaver.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jul 09, 2012 @ 00:31 EST5EDT