Review - FALLING SKIES Season 2 Premiere: The Good, the Bad, and the Uuuugly

And they're back! More after the jump!

I admit it. I had grown a bit tired of this show toward the end of last season. Sure, I enjoyed elements of it a lot and thought it had potential but I also felt like it had started to wear out its welcome toward the end.

So season 2 begins having left us on a cliffhanger and wondering just what the hell the aliens are up to in their scheming ways. Here is a breakdown of what I thought was good, bad, and just damn ugly about the two-episode premiere.

THE GOOD
1. 10 second recap of the previous season. Good because I had totally forgotten what happened.

2. The CGI is awesome!

I'm just kidding.

3. That Sawyer/Han Solo wannabe is still fun.

4. The kid with the Canadian accent who once had one of those stupid spine-stickers on him is kind of badass, provided he never speaks because once he does he sounds Canadian and we all know what that means. Right? I mean, everyone below the pipeline.

5. The cute blond chick that suddenly disappeared in season 1 --because what this show needed less of was cute blond chicks- is back! All be it in flashbacks.

6. Will Patton! I loved him in ARMAGEDDON!

7. As with season 1, I love how the show utilizes kids as part of the paramilitary force. That makes things more believable and easier to invest in on an emotional level.

8. The show is shot well.

9. The military planning stuff actually makes sense and is well written.

10. ER doc being suspicious of being brainwashed by the aliens... it's not great writing or anything, just appropriate. That's exactly what I would think.

11. Cute medic super religious chick is majorly adorahot! Even when filthy. Especially...

12. Alien eye-parasites are much cooler than spine suckers.

13. Is ER doc brainwashed?! Is he not?! Oh nos! Tension!

14. "Don't shoot, Ben. Once is enough I think." Hahahahaha! Oh snap. Burn Canadian-accent!

THE BAD
1. 10 second recap of the previous season. It made me realize how completely devoid of meaningful content season 1 was.

2. Those things that attach to your spine and suck out your will to be human weren't deleted. I just think they look idiotic and unnecessarily add to the camp nature of the show. It's like someone in the art department was thinking "remember that thing in Wrath of Khan? It was small right? And it was barely seen. LET'S MAKE IT HUGE AND STUPID LOOKING!" And then one of the non-writer executive producers saw it and declared it the best idea ever and thought it should be a major part of the show. Because non-writer executive producers are brilliant.

3. Will Patton is still on the show. I hate Will Patton. His face is stupid. His voice is annoying. And he can't act. Plus, he was in THE POSTMAN. And that movie sucked just a little bit more than Will Patton does in everything he has ever done. Why does he always sound like he's drunk? He didn't have like a stroke or something because then I look like a major dick right about now. I mean, more than I do saying that I hate Will Patton and that he sucks at everything.

Mind you if I ever run into Will Patton I'm going to tell him I loved him in ARMAGEDDON. I didn't but I'm going to tell him I did. Why? Because it would kill me to say anything good about THE POSTMAN and I have no clue what else he's ever done. I'm basically judging his entire career, his face, and his voice based on one role.

WATERWORLD ruled! Because he wasn't in that.

4. The American flag on a soldier's uniform should face in the opposite direction as if the flag is being blown by the wind as its wearer surges forward in battle.

5. At times the CGI is baaaad and the physics of things look goofy.

6. The episode 1 story is awkwardly told jumping between ER doc's flashbacks and the present world. It's not that it is confusing but just weirdly executed. At no point did it feel like the episode was improved by this technique.

7. These idiots bunch up way too much in the open. Spread out! One alien Jesus bolt from the sky and you're all dead!

8. Wouldn't the aliens blow up every bridge FIRST? That's what we did in Iraq. We would have done it in Afghanistan but their engineers just recently invented the wheel. Tune in around 2035 for bridges.

9. Pet peeve more than "bad"... why are people always chambering rounds in their shotguns or cocking their pistols? It's one of those really stupid things that have become way too accepted in the biz. You know like bullets that can kill you while you're underwater even though MYTHBUSTERS debunked that years ago. Come on Hollywood! The density of water either slows a bullet down so much it can't impact anything beyond a few inches, or the bullet shatters on impact. But I digress...

THE UuuuGLY
1. When that doctor from ER is shot early in episode 1, we see some blood gushing out of his wound. Eeewwz.

2. The cute blond chick is used as a sock puppet for the aliens. This makes her scenes nearly unspankable.

Nearly.

3. Dirty socks, dirty clothes, unbrushed teeth, beards, and bad hair. That's good uuuugly.

4. Canadian-accent kid's back is getting creepier.

If I had to rate these episodes, and the alien overlords are mind-controlling me to think I do, then I'd give episode 1:

75 out of 100

I didn't love season 1 but it seemed to improve once I watched episode 2.01. I had a hard time caring at all about doctor ER's life threatening wound or his new buddy who rides away. Plus, the whole story just played out too conveniently. Granted, people seem to love this shit and barely tune(d) in to watch MAD MEN or BREAKING BAD or JUSTIFIED or THE WIRE. So maybe the writers are onto something.

And episode 2:

85 out of 100

Without the weird flashback/present storyline the show found some swagger, but the VFX didn't improve any.

Still much better than THE POSTMAN. I'll tune in next week to see what happens next.

Comment below... let me know what you thought and if I should keep writing about this show. Not that I will listen.

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Geek Furious Podcast #2 - EXCLUSIVE!

In this episode of our epic podcast, Siskj and the Head Geek Furious talk about Chuck, Fringe, Falling Skies, Alphas, Harry Potter, Captain America, X-Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and much, much more. Also, some super duper insider exclusives are discussed including some Chuck and Fringe spoilers. We also talk about things we probably shouldn't have talked about relating to dangerously insidery info we have on your favorite actors.

We also discuss NerdHQ's superiority over SDCC and some of the issues related to that.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the player here (ADULT LANGUAGE):

Music used:

Sepultura - Desperate Cry

Fear Factory - Descent

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Falling Skies - Free-fallin' with Episodes 3, 4, 5, and 6

Ever since I watched the premiere night (consisting of two episodes) this show has been collecting dust on my DVR. I had intended on watching the episodes sooner but just didn't feel all that motivated. I finally decided to dive into it again and here are some impressions:

• Episode 3 is mostly full of dumb 
• From how the rebel fighters are initially discovered on the roof (blondie carelessly knocks over a brick)
• To the pathetic writing and acting that has a guy freak out and risk everyone's life to get his son (nothing believable about that moment)
• To virtually every conversation in the episode 
• It isn't even worth talking about beyond pointing out how it feels like it was written, directed, and acted by amateurs

• Episode 4, continuing where we left off, has the captured Han Sawyer, who was made into the rebellion cook in the previous episode, now join our lame heroes on some mission to do something
• At least Han Sawyer gets a half decent line when he is told he won't be allowed to go on the mission armed, "Unarmed? What am I Canadian?"
• Two-bag blond has some conversation with annoying captain about not being trusted. On BSG this could have been a powerful moment. On this show, it is 12 levels below BSG but 47 levels above the writing and acting on V so...
•  There is a strange audio anomaly when Dr. Carter says "If I wanted any parenting advice from an ex con..." that makes him sound like one of the aliens from the original V miniseries
• I am mostly bored and consider deleting the show from my DVR but stick with it since Han Sawyer has to have something funny to say that will make all of this lameness worth it
• A Harry Potter joke from Han Sawyer that is actually kind of funny "So what were you? Blood? Crips? Slytherin?"
• Dr. Carter's kid has a hair style that gets under my skin for some reason
• I just figured out why. . . I had that style 20 years ago
• This captured alien subplot makes me want to punch a baby
• "Guess what? I just made you the communications officer." I really like this actor and character (cool voice guy)
• The sleeping alien orgy scene has to be one of the funniest things I have seen all week, and I watched a lot of comedies this week
• Cute praying chick is a babe and should take over for now disappeared blond chick
• "It's Dai, right? What do they call you for short?" Oh Han Sawyer you rascal
• The interrogation scene between daddy dumb-dumb and the alien has some actual tension for like 10 seconds and then goes SVU creepy and goofy when he puts a gun in the aliens mouth
• It's super smart to leave the kid, the mind controlling device, and the alien in the same room
• The Children of the Corn are terrible shots, so they must be future stormtroopers
• A whole discussion about Harry Potter? What demographic are they aiming at here?
  
• Episode 5 starts with the acquisition of the drugs mentioned at some point in the previous episode and the continued babbling on and on about getting Dr. Carter's son, Obi-Wan, back
• It is kind of cool that the "best man" for figuring out an early warning system for the aliens is a little kid and that I almost believe it to be possible
• 80s hair seems to have gotten over the cute blond quickly and already getting shooting advice from two-bag blond . . . what a guy
• Any idiot could have seen that the alien was going to grab a hold of that dude from WINGS and yet a genius lets himself get brain raped?
• Thankfully cute praying chick is in a scene so I don't delete the show from my DVR just yet
• 80s hair comes up with the Shuttle Tydirium infiltration plan
• Good looking for an old woman doctor murders an alien . . . and then acting talent
• 80s hair has to act all stiff like as he fakes his way into a hospital; this must be the actor's Emmy submission episode
• Mama ET can't help but stroke his 80s hair as she sleeps, revealing that these aliens are both stupid and have no taste
• Once they save all the kids and do some stuff, one kid dies and I don't care but at least the cute praying chick is there so it almost makes it worth watching
• The writers try for emotional character moments at the end to make us care more and ignore the fact that the episode plot was terrible and it works on some level, especially if you are a major sucker for drawn out (cheesy) drama
  
• Episode 6 and I am still watching because I recorded it and I like to finish what I start
• So they saved Obi-Wan and some other kids from the mind controlling alien stuff
• Cute praying chick is briefly in the opening of the episode which is good
• Run away family dad drops his weapon on the ground and no one picks it up? Who in this reality would leave a perfectly good weapon behind?
• Some new military leader type shows up after losing his unit and has a new battle order regarding an imminent attack from the aliens
• The scene between Obi-Wan and the little radio expert is sweet and introduces an interesting detail about how the aliens were like family to their brainwashed human children
• Two-bag blond and good looking old chick shooting is a scene in this episode
• Did I mention already that this show is better than V?
• I didn't think much of V
• I do like this scene where the kid and the dude in the bus get attacked by the mech and the subsequent fight inside the school
• If only the show did more things like showing how kids, who should be playing video games or skateboarding, have to become warriors, I would probably become more invested
• The actor who plays Obi-Wan has a weird American accent . . . he sounds like he is from Ontario and it is ruining my suspension of disbelief
• The end of the episode has a buildup that makes one want to tune in to see what happens next but will I?

My ratings:

Episode 3 - D+

Episode 4 - C-

Episode 5 - C+

Episode 6 - B

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FALLING SKIES - Without a Parachute

Hey look, everyone, we have a brand new sci-fi show on cable and it is about aliens and humans and invasions and blood and milk and milk and blood!

I realize that the blood and milk, milk and blood reference is an inside joke only I and maybe like three other people on the planet will get but I am leaving it there because I am koo koo like a coco puff.

FALLING SKIES makes it premiere as a two-hour episode of epicness etc etc etc, I don't write reviews. So, instead I am going to write my impressions in a nice bullet-point-by-stuff (I am already bored just writing these words which is why I am making less sense the more I type) as I watch:

• The opening of the episode with kids talking and drawing about what happened as some kind of therapeutic exercise is an interesting method of delivering exposition while trying to connect the audience to the world and characters through their pain.
• By skipping the whole invasion and birth of a rebellion stuff the writers immediately get us into the action and drama of an occupation.  This is both a good and bad thing.
• Good because the show doesn't take many episodes, or even many minutes, to define itself to the audience. If you like where this show is going in the first few minutes, then you are sold on this show.  If not, then goodbye.
• Bad because when someone who is important to these characters dies, we don't know why we should care, so we are depending on the actors and the music to sell us on the weight of the loss as opposed to already being invested.
• Unfortunately, none of these main actors have that immediate thing that makes me want to tune in even if the story is not working for me (like SUPERNATURAL and FRINGE have).  Though, Dale Dye is superb as the rebel commander.
• A great sci-fi TV show needs a super hot chick or two, with talent, to make tuning into lame story telling and crap effects easier.  CHUCK has Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and this show has... no one yet.  This is why SGU failed.  No super hot chicks with talent worth tuning in for every week.  I better see some hot chicks with talent soon!  And by talent I obviously mean jubblies!
• Alright, so I mean acting talent.  But jubblies too.
• Speaking of CHUCK, SUPERNATURAL, FRINGE, and add LOST and virtually any geek centric show with a loyal following on television, all of them have/had leading actors who were unforgettable the second they popped on screen.  This show has Dr. John Carter, the most boring of boring doctors from ER.
• Setting the show in this world where regular people are now soldiers fighting on streets whose names we recognize, for people and things we understand to be valuable to anyone, does make for an effective story telling device.  It will be interesting to see what they do with it.
• Dr. Carter deciding to not go after his captured son because it is too dangerous, as his other son freaks out... very effective scene.  His history lesson of "inferior forces" is the first time the show gives me real hope that it has the balls to be well written.
• There is a blond chick on the show who is cute.  I am going to call her blond chick until I learn her name.  She has potential.
• You would think that Dr. Carter would have learned how to shoot his weapon effectively, not like a hemroid ridden squirrel boy.  Plus, why aren't they using high powered rifles against these aliens?  Wouldn't a rebellion want to equip itself with weapons that require less ammunition to take down a target?  Seems to me that they are expending far too much ammo on targets to be economical.
• The opening of the second hour of the premiere delivers a totally pointless scene.  So glad they decided to use up their budget for no reason.  $5 says that we get at least one lame episode this season because they used up $100,000 on that "breakdown of discipline."
• Dark haired chick who is a doctor is attractive for an old woman.  Her character brings us to an interesting question about the value of civilians to a rebellion.  Dr. Carter gets another moment that gives me some hope about the writing potential of this show.  It is brief but delivered well.  Civilians are a liability and the biggest motivation to keep fighting.  I dig that notion.
• This classroom is awesome.  I may have just found a character to love.  I rewind.  I love this actor.  I feel like I have seen this guy somewhere but I don't know where.  He has a great delivery style and voice.  I hope he sticks around.
• So far, this second hour/episode is delivering more than the first.  This is why pilot episodes usually suck.  Origin stories suck in general.  The follow-up is usually much better.
• I rewind again.  I love this classroom scene.
• "I don't pray for God to give me things. I don't think that's how it works."  Preach it, sister.  I wonder if this show is going down the BSG route of dealing heavily with questions of religion and god.
• Competing interest bad guys?  Why do these cats remind me of the "Others" from LOST?
• Ooh, we have a new name for blondie.  "Sexy freedom fighter girl." YES!  I love it.  I am sold.
• The selection process in this scene, of who to keep, is pretty impressive.  The bigotry from the New Others feels organic.  The dialogue is fresh as well.  Speaks well of the writers.
• "I'll tell you, professor, and this may come off as a little insensitive considering the 90% of mankind that's already gone to the grave, but the arrival of these evil creatures is the best damn thing that's ever happened to me." Am I wrong for liking him?  He is the Han Solo character of this show.
• Apparently blonde New Other girl has two cloth bags ready to use just in case someone else shows up to be taken into the secret layer.
• New Han Solo is also new Sawyer (from LOST, I can't believe I need to explain this to you, who was the other new Han Solo, so this guy is the new new Han Solo?).  He has all the good lines and dishes out nicknames.
• Han Sawyer is a tad more evil than I expected.  He doesn't seem to think much of his men.  Two-bag-blond has her own agenda, I did not expect that one.
• The second episode had some good characters and dialogue.  But I hope it wasn't an indication of this show doing a bunch of mission of the week stuff.

Overall Score

Episode 1 - 80 out of 100

Episode 2 - 90 out of 100

Episode 1 didn't instill me with much confidence for the show but episode 2 made up for that with fun characters and dialogue.  Now, if they can put quality writing with strong characters and actors, and deliver a show that isn't just some alien invasion procedural, I will stick with it.  I want to see more of Sexy Freedom Fighter Girl, Han Sawyer, Rebel Commander and Professor Cool Voice.  Plus, more stuff like that classroom scene.  If we get that kind of material, then this could be the new cool sci-fi show to love.  But, as I already said, if this is just some dumb alien invasion show with moments of greatness, then I won't be surprised if I eventually stop watching.

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