- As the 2nd Mass. Prepares for a major assault, divisions within the ranks threaten to tear the group apart. Tom has difficulty processing the profound implications of Anne's latest discovery.
- Although Colonel Porter is missing and no contact with the 4th and 5th Mass, Captain Weaver insists to keep the attack and locks up Tom in a cell. Tom questions his sanity since he is using medication to sleep and to wake up and may be putting the survivors in danger. Hal and Jimmy help Tom to escape and he discuss with Weaver how absurd his plan is. Meanwhile, Scott and Ben seek out a means to jam the Skitters' transmission.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- It's movie night in the gymnasium. Our survivors laugh and laugh at the innocence of a goofy cartoon flickering on the temporary big screen. Meanwhile, Anne breaks bad news to Tom: the "skitters" might have once been something else. "Those needles in his back aren't going away, though," Tom says of his son. "Not like those other kids." Is Ben turning into an alien? Tom then pays a visit to Weaver, who insists he is "fine." Tom wonders if Weaver doth protest too much.
Suddenly, there is a ruckus. Dai returns, but he is injured. No one seems to hear his report before Weaver is telling his men that tomorrow's mission is still a go. Tom challenges Weaver in front of the other soldiers, angering Lt. Danner. "The only way it can be successful is if the fighters have absolute confidence in their commanding officer," Weaver warns Tom, who is still thinking about Weaver's apparent mental break. Tom then vows allegiance to Weaver, who "rewards" the former professor with sentry duty. Later, Tom gets scary news from Lourdes and Anne: Weaver recently -- and quietly -- asked Lourdes to provide him uppers and downers. "Classic addictive cycle," Anne explains. Not good with the all-important battle looming.
Pope, meanwhile, supervises the pouring of the new "mech bullets" with his usual tact. He calls Matt a "prince" and wonders what it's like to be a Mason. "What's it like having hair like a girl?" Matt spits back. Pope is clearly angry, then calms himself and offers a weak laugh. Tom then approaches Weaver. "I know about the pills," Tom whispers. Weaver bristles -- and has Danner remove Tom from the room at gunpoint. "You're making a mistake," Tom warns. "These people are depending on you!" Danner takes Tom to lock up in the boiler room lest he "poison the ranks."
Ben, meanwhile, visits Uncle Scott, who is working on a project to jam the radio frequencies used by the skitters. He turns on the radio ... and Ben immediately WINCES. The young man hears a screeching noise, but Uncle Scott doesn't hear a thing. Uh oh. Weaver then visits Pope with a "change of plans:" he know needs four bombs instead of one. Pope warns that the fuses will be awfully short if split four ways. Weaver tells Pope not to ask questions. Later, Ben tells Rick about Scott's radio plan. Rick wonders why Ben hasn't admitted to being connected to the aliens. "You're not telling them because you're scared," Rick says. "You can feel the change coming."
Jimmy then tells Hal and Maggie that Weaver put Tom in the makeshift jail. Jimmy offers to help spring the captive and brings Tom a plate of dinner ... nodding conspiratorially at the prisoner. When Danner opens the cell door Tom bursts out. A scuffle between Tom and Danner ensues, but it's quickly broke up by the arrival of an armed Hal. Father and son hogtie Danner. "We've got to find a way to stop Weaver," Tom says. Tom then pays a visit to Dai in the infirmary. Dai explains that Porter is "probably dead" due to a massive skitter attack -- and told Dai to abort the attack mission. Dai reported the same to Weaver, who promptly ignored the order. So Weaver is nuts.
Weaver, in the meantime, finds the hogtied Danner, who explains that Tom escaped with the help of Hal and Jimmy. Weaver is hurt that Jimmy would betray him. Later, Ben approaches Uncle Scott, asking the old man to turn back on the transistor radio. When Scott does, Ben doesn't hide the fact that he can hear something. "I don't know what I am," Ben confesses. CUT to Tom, who finds out from Pope that Weaver wanted the bomb split into four pieces -- to make up for the other regiments who are clearly not coming. Tom aims a gun at Pope and "requests" that the munitions guy put the bomb back together. No dummy, Pope agrees. Tom then bursts in on Weaver, who defends himself by yelling, "The aliens have to know that we're not going to lie down!"
Pope then enters the room caring a VERY BIG GUN. He announces that he did not disarm the bombs, after all -- and that he'd rather see the attack carried out. Tom lowers his own gun, giving Weaver control ... but not completely. "I took the blasting fuses," says Tom, explaining that the bombs can't be detonated without them. Tom then implores Weaver to just be honest -- tell the people that Porter is dead and didn't want to attack. Tell the people that Weaver wants to go ahead with the mission anyway. Let the people decide. "You can trust our people the way they trust you," Tom reasons. Adds Anne: "We want to follow you ... all of us. You just have to let us."
Weaver lowers his weapon -- and demands that Pope do the same. "Gather everyone in the gym," Weaver says. "By the way, I'll quit taking those pills as soon as we get back." CUT to the gym, where Weaver informs the people that the other regiments can't be reached ... and that Porter is probably dead. He asks for 50 volunteers to go on the attack mission without knowing whether the other regiments will show up to support them. "If you're with me, meet me in front," Weaver says. Turns out plenty of men and women answer the call. Outside, Margaret challenges Pope's murky intentions. Whose side is he on? Pope remains cagey -- and Margaret warns the rogue not to cross her.
Tom then gets a double dose of unwelcome news: one, Hal has volunteered to go on the mission in Boston and, two, Ben can hear the aliens on Scott's radio. To be continued ...
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