Falling Skies (TV Series) Death March (2012) User Reviews

Just barely a 7

[mhtyler · 7/10 · 8 August 2012]

I keep waiting for the plot to advance on this show, and it just doesn't. Even though this is supposed to be a military unit resisting an alien invasion, most of the series seems to revolve around one character wringing their hands over the fate of another character, or characters sharing their feelings about each other. Its almost as if it had been written by Dr. Phil.

I've given it a 7 largely because it doesn't seem fair to give a lower rating to something I've continued to watch. Theoretically if I thought it was any worse I should be moving on to something better like, "How I Met Your Mother". The trouble is, I LOVE the premise, but find the writing mediocre at the best of times. You'd think a world dominated by aliens would be dangerous enough, but no, the writers have to think of ways to put characters in jeopardy that require them to be stupid, foolhardy, and just plain bloody-minded. I'm still tuning in hoping against hope that win or lose against the aliens, the human race will at least pay attention to the invasion more than who is dating whom.

On the Road

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 8 February 2022]

The convoy of the 2nd Mass heads to Charleston and Tom recalls saying goodbye to Ben. Weaver travels with Tector trying to know whether he can trust him since he hides his military background. Out of the blue, they hit a young girl and Dr. Glass treats her. Meanwhile Hal and Maggie drives ahead with the annoying scum Pope and their ruck overheats and Hal searches water in a nearby river. Matt befriends the girl Jenny that is looking for her brother and brings her chained in the back of the bus under the surveillance of Anthony.

"Death March" is an episode of "Falling Skies" that is a road movie, with secrets disclosed. The plot is talkative with few action and the surprise in the end of the episode is the best part. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Death March"

Weak military aspects II, awkward character development, weak storytelling and immersion breakers but enigmatic harness and staggering cliffhanger

[igoatabase · 4/10 · 16 August 2012]

I'm quite fond of pace changes but only when they're properly executed. Overall this episode was weak compared to the others and specially the latest. Focusing on character development was a wise decision considering the 2nd Mass had to travel a long journey before reaching their Babylon. However beside one minor arc I wasn't moved nor shaken by anything we learned.

The first complain I would like to file concerns Matt. The harnessed girl they knocked out made things a little more exciting but sadly she was badly exploited. Again they made the mistake of under estimating our expectations by letting her unwatched. Lazy solutions lead to bad results. Tom's youngest son was allowed to freely communicate with her and basically revealed their plans. The Captain and his men should know better than trusting kids because the ability to carry a gun doesn't make you a soldier ! In fact my prediction was that Anne would examine her harness, to diagnose why it shut down, and elaborate some sort of cure to disconnect the hosts from the invaders neural network. Still covering the relationship between Skitters and infected humans was interesting. The little girl didn't see the creature who took care of her as an evil alien but as a parent. So apparently the harness doesn't turn you into an emotionless zombie. Still her brother creeped me out. Is he some sort of glass cleaner ? I suppose he was kept in the dark to avoid hiring a new actor. But his few B movie-like appearances were more laughable than pathetic so let's just forget them.

As for the other characters my heart oscillates between high and low places. As usual everything Tom & Anne is welcomed but I wouldn't mind if the writers decided to take their feelings to the next level. I mean wouldn't it be epic to turn them into a couple as mythic as Lois & Clark (Superman, Smallville) or Jack Sheppard & Kate Austen (Lost) ? Give us some real, passionate and timeless love ! On the Captain and Maggie sides I'm disappointed by what we saw. The soldier's story was educative as there's a lot to learn from military experiences and leaders. Otherwise until now his role had been anecdotic so I was unable to relate to him. Am I heartless ? Probably because I felt the same way for Maggie. What's next on her list ? Giving birth to a half human half Skitter baby ? The poor girl is only thirty something but she has already endured the worst traumas. Moreover Sarah Carter's acting wasn't convincing enough. The team behind the show, who I sincerely respect, should be wiser and avoid throwing random ideas performers can't handle because forcing the audience emotions isn't the way. And the best example of my theory is Lourdes because we only saw her for a few split seconds but the subtle reference to Jimel, by only showing his toolbox, was heartbreaking !

In general their road trip wasn't dynamic enough and the numerous arcs were unable to fuel it. They should have made them collide like in the film Crash for instance. It would have been so much more captivating ! Moreover the absence of Ben revealed how much his role had contributed to the success of the series so far. Let's hope he'll be back soon and that his arc won't be butchered like some scenes from this installment. One switch from Hal at night and the Captain in bright daylight was brutal ! Add the annoying TNT watermarks and you have way too many immersion breakers. I understand the necessity of advertising other programs but what's the point for a network to slap its viewers when more appropriate methods exist ?

Last but not least I'm always curious about what you guys think of the inevitable cliffhanger, even if I don't mention it. When it was revealed that the destroyed city was actually a fake I instantly pictured a new one built right beneath it. The first references I had in mind were Neon Genesis Evangelion and Robotech : The Macross Saga. I'm sure there're plenty of similar examples but these two have imprinted my mind forever. As for the dreamy berries they reminded of apocalyptic works like Hokuto no Ken as growing vegetables is vital when it comes to survivalism.

Note : This review was first posted on Kritikenstein, my weblog.