FALLING SKIES: HOMECOMING REVIEW

By Sean Smyth

Karen... We Hardly Knew Thee. 

Homecoming is a great stride forward in the series filled with already fantastic episodes only this one is alien free.

There is zero aliens in this episode. Zero, zilch, none. But it was probably one of the strongest episodes thus far. Why? Tons of stuff happened that reveal some big twists to come and because they reintroduce a de-harnessed Karen back into the fold. Hal's old flame is back in a big way and totally untrustworthily looking from the get go, but we'll get to that in a second.

Tom and Anne start things off this time around two weeks after the events of last weeks episode. Second Mass. has really made this new hospital their home and really falling back into a stint of normalcy which was nice to see.  The newfound couple have a nice intimate moment discussing what life used to be like before everything went to shit and really making a connection. It was truly a sweet moment that actually made me smirk. So kudos to to Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood. They are really pulling off the couple vibe well. 

That can't be good.

From there we go to a daily scheduled meeting hosted by Weaver, who has a fit as a result of a bite from a harness creatures a few episodes back. Turns out the infection has spread through his whole body and is killing him. Weaver passes out leaving Tom in control for the first time, only he doesn't really seem up to the task of heading up the Second Mass.  He is far from informed on the duties especially when he learns that Weaver has been using the gas from the cars to fuel the generators at the hospital. From there the shit just keeps rolling down the hill as more and more continues to pile up on top of Tom's already large plate.

The biggest piece coming from an old friend. Karen, who Hal finds laying naked and de-harnnessed in a pile of dead kids covered in leaves returns to camp being carried by Hal.  Tom orders a quarantine  for her to be questioned, while Ben advises not to trust her and that he will stay on watch. 

Soon a divide between Hal and Ben spawns on how to treat Karen with Maggie (suspicious but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt), while  Anne and Tom argue on how to care for Weaver's infection. Both are interesting pieces of story. You really feel Ben's opposition towards Karen while Hal desperately wants to believe every word Karen says.  The trick is, you honestly can't tell if you can believe her or not as Jessey Schram plays the scenes she is in (she is the bulk of the episode) perfectly. 

I prefer freak over tool any day.

Meanwhile Tom and Anne fight over moving Weaver to Charlotte or treating him there at the hospital. The argument really gets heated and rocks their relationship casting out the honeymoon phase for sure. Tom pulls rank and Anne pulls the I'm not a solider card. It was great seeing them on opposite sides of the fence for a change seeing as how they've always been one and the same since the beginning. As usual Tom folds to reason, thank god, and gives Anne twelve hours to come up with a treatment. 

All the while Pope makes a dramatic return with urgent news that is problematic for Second Mass. Turns out not more than two days ago Karen was looking for Ben with her Overlords, or "Fish Faces" as Pope calls them, to help find the Skitter Rebellion. So that doesn't really help Karen much. 

The episode ends on a cliffhanger of a note, as usual, making you wonder what will happen in the week to follow, and just how everything will be affected.

Overall the story was very personal, which most of the series is. That is why I like it. Having these characters fighting for a bigger cause and yet still dealing with family and trust and betrayal, really makes the show one of the better shows on TV. The lack of special effects helped contribute to the plot and characters growth instead of constant shooting and running, so seeing actual scenes, especially scenes with characters who have yet to interact with one another, Ben/Karen, Karen/ Maggie, was great. 

That awkward moment when your Spikes make you kiss.

This show only has been getting better and better. The twists were easy to see but you hoped they wouldn't happen for the sake of the characters you love. That being said I enjoyed "Homecoming" so much, as well as my new found crush n Jessey Schram, that I will give this episode a 5 out of 5. 

Pros/Cons

Pros:

Alienless.

Intimant stories.

Interesting character scenes/sequences

Increased mythos

congruent, linear arch.

Cons

I can't think of any that's how good this episode was.

Oh wait, the little spat between Maggie and Hal in the woods before finding Karen was a little cheesy, pointless, and coincidental, but hey, I forgot all about that by the time they found her in the leaves. So I forgive it.

So what did you think? Was this episode a game changer that will affect the rest of the season? Lets hear your thoughts in the comments below. And as always Thanks for reading.