Falling Skies

The first season of Falling Skies established the freedom fighters of the Second Massachusetts in the aftermath of an invasion by aliens known as Skitters. By the end of the season, it was revealed that the Skitters were only the pawns in this alien takeover and that bigger puppets were pulling the strings.

With all of the main characters already established, Season 2 retains the intense atmosphere of the first season’s finale. Tom turns up alive and well, having narrowly escaped the Skitters’ clutches. The Second Massachusetts resistance army is surviving but tensions are at an all-time high when Tom returns. The fact that he escaped from a Skitter mothership is questionable, especially by the outlaw Pope. They’ve seen the harnesses that can enslave humans, like the one that is slowly taking control over Ben.

Season 2 doesn’t hold back with its storyline. There are a lot of things happening at once. With Tom’s return, the entire Mason family struggles to keep it together. Ben is becoming more and more distant as the Skitters’ harness begins to take effect, and Hal can’t play older brother forever. Meanwhile there’s Matt, who’s growing up too fast in this post-apocalyptic war torn world. Tom does his best to prolong the inevitable but by the time he returns from the alien ship, the ball has already begun rolling.

There’s also a greater sense of hope in Falling Skies Season 2. Early on the Second Mass. is informed of a new government in Charleston, South Carolina, led by none other than LOST’s Terry O’Quinn. It leads to an exciting new direction for the second half of the season and the finale is just as exciting as Season 1’s.

The DVD contains a bunch of behind-the-scenes features for Falling Skies Season 2. Many of them are short, minute-long exposés on a single piece of the show such as the Skitters, the overlord spaceship, etc. They’re interesting, but far too short. There are also other, more in-depth features that talk about the season as a whole and the evolution of the Skitters themselves. Altogether, the DVD contains a lot of content I think the fans will enjoy.