Falling Skies: Difference between revisions

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Noah Wyle (''[[ER]]'') stars as Tom Mason, a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. Moon Bloodgood (''[[Terminator|Terminator Salvation]]'') co-stars as Anne Glass, a pediatrician who works with the survivors to help them cope with the traumatic situation.

 

 

* [[Actor Allusion]]: At one point in episode 6, Margaret is training Anne how to use a weapon and at one point tells [[Terminator|Anne]] to "slow down honey, you're not the Terminator."

* [[After the End]]

* [[Action Girl]]: Margaret.

* [[Alien Arts Are Appreciated]]: Averted in the Webcomic prequel. The characters note that the aliens have booby-trapped all the gun shops and grocery stores, but not the art stores, and muse that the aliens may not have art in their world. [[Fridge Logic|For some reason]], none of them mention the more obvious possibility that the art stores are untouched because there's no point in booby-trapping locations of no strategic importance - the aliens may have art, but pretty pictures are not exactly a vital resource in war, so there's no reason to spend effort denying them to the enemy.

* [[Alien Invasion]]

** And then Parker, in the bus when the mech attacked, and now Mike. Being black on this show is like wearing a [[Red Shirt]].

* [[Bottle Episode]]: "Mutiny", the episode before the first season finale is nothing but character development, saving up money for the CGI in the final episode.

** And now the Mechs.

* [[Brainwashed]]: One of the effects of of being harnessed. How long it lasts after a child is freed seems to vary (see [[Stockholm Syndrome]].)

* [[Brainwash Residue]]: After removal of his harness, Ben is shown compulsively exercising to an extreme degree - hundreds of pushups, hours of jumping rope. Other characters find it particularly worrisome, noting that he was far from athletic before.

** The spikes left behind after the harnesses are removed are a literal example of this trope.

* [[Creepy Child]]: The harnessed children.

** Rick, a formerly harnessed child who still refers to his fellow humans as ''them...''

*** Also Megan, a harnessed child who acts as the voice of the Skitters, {{spoiler|and is slowly turning in one of them because of the harness.}}

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: The advice John Pope gives Tom about killing Skitters in their conversation.

* [[Chicken Walker]]: The Mechs have legs like this, but a different torso.

* [[Dead Little Sister]]: Several of the characters have kids who were harnessed.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Pope, Margaret, and Hal .

* [[Delivery Guy]]: When Anne tells Weaver that Sarah is delivering her baby breach, Weaver suddenly reveals he's delivered a breach baby before and takes charge of the delivery.

* [[Depleted Phlebotinum Shells]]: The resistance starts using mech metal bullets.

** Pope even mentions at one point that its like the Army using depleted uranium.

* [[Downer Beginning]]: With a small child describing how most of mankind was wiped out.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Pope may be a total bastard, but even he's disgusted by Clayton handing kids over to the Skitters.

* [[Exposed Extraterrestrials]]: The Skitters. (Or maybe not...)

* [[Eureka Moment]]: Matt seems to be the catalyst for a number these, including the discovery that the skitters communicate by radio waves and Pope's realization that the metal used in mech armor could be used to make armor-piercing bullets.

* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: What some of the adults think of harnessed children.

* [[Fridge Logic]]: In-universe, the characters wonder why the mechs are bi-pedal when the aliens aren't.

** They also openly wonder why an obviously technologically superior force is busy collecting scrap metal.

** And why isn't anyone keeping a watch on Rick, who clearly showing signs of being a rather obvious [[The Mole|mole]]?

** And despite the fact that Weaver likes his new soldier with a military background, he doesn't seem to mind putting him on 24-hour guard duty when he puts Tom Mason in the boiler room, despite having a large attack to plan for.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Mike holds off the 7th Mass long enough for Hal to help the kids escape, but is killed by Clayton in the process.

** {{spoiler|Tom gives himself up to the aliens so they won't take his son again.}}

* [[Hollywood New England]]: It's set in Massachusetts.

* [[Hopeless War]]: The aliens destroyed all of the military forces as they tried to fight back and almost all that's left is civilians to fight.

* [[Humanoid Abomination]]: The new aliens (dubbed by one reviewer, "Skinnies"): tall, slender, green, and apparently with tentacles for hands.

** No guards are posted in the medical room, despite only having one doctor and all the medications being in unlocked cabinets.

* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: The harnessed kids used in an attack. The mechs miss nearly every time to the long period between the targeting laser showing up on the target's head and actually firing.

* [[Les Collaborateurs]]: The survivors of the 7th Mass; in exchange for immunity for themselves and their families, they agree to hand over any other children they find to the Skitters. For the most part, it seems [[The Quisling|Clayton]] was the only one who was happy going along with the plan, and the others were just following his lead.

* [[Little Green Men]]: The new aliens aren't little... but they ''are'' green.

* [[Meta Guy]]: Pope seems to be leaning on the fourth wall rather frequently.

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Hal. In the Pilot, he is [[Ship Tease|ShipTeased]] with no less than three girls.

* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]: A subtle example - only Pope refers to Margaret as "Maggie."

* [[The Neidermeyer]]: Weaver's second in command during "[[The Mutiny]]" comes across as this.

* [[Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book]]: The intro is Matt telling a counselor about his take on the invasion complemented by his own drawings.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Mike is definitely this.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: The Skitters seem to behave this way to the harnessed children when they bed down at night with them.

* [[Puppeteer Parasite]]: The alien harnesses used on children to enslave them.

* [[The Quisling]]: Terry Clayton.

* [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil]]: John Pope is a racist, sociopathic bastard who practically welcomed the alien invasion, as it gave him [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game|sentient beings which he could kill]] without the authorities batting an eyelid. His brother is all that, plus he raped Maggie shortly after their gang found her. He also expresses a desire to rape Karen. Guess which one doesn't suffer a [[The Dog Bites Back|karmic death]] before the credits roll?

* [[Scavenger World]]

'''Anthony:''' Actually, Mr. Pope, I was part of the biggest gang in the world. I was Boston P.D. }}

* [[Social Services Does Not Exist]]: Obviously the larger system has broken down, but once they take the harnesses off the kids backs there doesn't seem to be much effort to interview them about their experiences nor offer them counseling for what was obviously a very difficult experience. Ricky is pretty much left to wander around the compound freely with a dazed expression.

* [[Stockholm Syndrome]]: Rick; he now talks (at least to Ben) like he's no longer human. Tom's son Ben might be, but has at least told others that he feels like he's being tugged back to the Skitters.

* [[Third Person Person]]: Dai, when he's "high as a freaking kite".

'''Dai:''' Dai does! }}

** Harris gets within reach of the Skitter he's been taunting ever since it was captured.

** Hal infiltrates a group of only six harnessed children (which are guarded/led by a single skitter) to save his brother. Maybe humans all look the same to the skitters, but you would at least expect them to be able to count.

** {{spoiler|And now Rick.}}

* [[War Was Beginning]]: The opening narration.

** ...Until she shows up at that old woman's door and he nearly goes berserk trying to get to her.

** To be fair they may have enlisted a few of those civilians for temporary guard duty because the children were at stake, but it is still not touched on.

** The 7th Mass was down to maybe a dozen fighters. They didn't really need to send that many people to ambush them.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:American Series]]