Falling Skies ‘Love and Other Acts of Courage’ in Recap and Review

By Jamie Krakover

Falling Skies continues its trend this week with another dark, mysterious and shocking episode, ‘Love and Other Acts of Courage.’ Across the rooftops, the skitters are calling each other. We are treated with a closeup of Redeye, and then Ben emerges on another roof and calls back. Are they gathering and rising up?

Hal and Maggie have a cute exchange in the woods. They talk plans when an explosion in the city rocks the camp into action. Weaver and Tom discuss the possibility of rescuing people from the blast. Weaver, ever cautious, accompanies Tom and the Berserkers, saying he has to protect the 2nd Mass at all costs. They need to keep the fight away from the rest of the group. And in a shocking twist, just before leaving Tom gives Matt a gun and asks him to guard the med bus. Arming him but keeping him out of the action is an interesting choice. This must be Tom’s attempt to keep Matt happy but on the edge of the action.

Daniyah Ysrayl as Rick. Image © TNT.

When they investigate the site of the explosion, Hal sees glowing spikes and assumes it’s Ben, but surprisingly it’s Rick, the first teen released from his harness. Weaver wants to interrogate Rick, saying he helped the skitters, but in a tense moment Anne tells him that Rick was affected by the harness and this isn’t his fault. As Weaver leaves we get a look at his nasty wound where the harness latched onto his leg. Looks like he may be losing the battle to the harness bite. Hopefully he doesn’t change into an alien.

Hal, at Maggie’s urging, finally confesses to Tom about Ben’s glowing spikes (about time!) and Tom is rightfully concerned, especially since Ben is missing again. When Rick wakes up, he says Ben is hurt and in danger. The thought of this really gets the heart pumping fast. Weaver thinks it’s a trap, but Tom says it’s a risk he’s willing to take. Tom could be making a big mistake but there’s no doubt he cares about his son. Rick leads Tom and the Berserkers to Ben. When they find him, Ben tries to shoo his dad away and shockingly tries to protect Redeye, who is hurt. As we wonder what is going on, Redeye talks through Rick and says the skitters and humans are fighting the same war against the overlords. Maybe the skitters are victims after all. After a tense chat between Weaver, Tom, and the Berserkers, they agree to take Redeye prisoner since he was there when Tom was captured and may have some information.

Drew Roy as Hal Mason and Sarah Carter as Margaret (Maggie) Image © TNT.

While searching the hospitals in the city, Maggie and Hal cling closely to each other as they hide from a patrolling mech. We have to wonder if they are scared or about to kiss. Maybe a bit of both because you can cut that tension with a knife! Hal recounts a time when he was with a girl in the back of a car, and it starts to sound like his current situation with Maggie. Despite the mechs clomping around outside, they flirt and laugh in the back of the abandoned car in one of the strangest but cutest scenes we’ve seen on Falling Skies. Before things continue, they take off, not waiting around for the mechs to return. Maggie apologizes for taking things to0 far with her flirting and jokes, but there’s clearly something between her and Hal. Later Maggie tells Hal she had brain tumors removed because she had cancer and she shows him the soft spots on her head (probably an excuse to get Hal to touch her). And after eying each other for a long moment they kiss. It’s a shame she runs off afterward. They would be good together, but Maggie keeps pushing the fact that they are partners and there can’t be anything between them, much to Hal’s dislike. We have to side with Hal on this one.

Connor Jessup as Ben Mason protecting Redeye. Image © TNT.

Ben begs Anne to help Redeye but she says there aren’t enough medical supplies for the people, let alone an injured skitter. Looks like Redeye might have to suffer. Tom, in an angry rage, confronts Ben about his spikes and his communication with the skitters. Ben says that some of the skitters have been able to fight the effects of the harness and have been fighting their overlords for hundreds of years. Yikes! Makes you suddenly feel sorry for the skitters.  The skitters want to form an alliance with the humans, which is why Redeye let Tom go. Redeye wanted to try to gain his trust. Wow, this is twisted! The skitters are just victims in all this too, and hopefully with the help of the humans they can take out the overlords for good. Things are looking up, assuming they can strike a deal.

Weaver interrogates Redeye through Rick, but Redeye wants to talk to Tom alone first. Tom shoots down the small talk immediately and wants to know what Redeye knows and why Ben is so important to him. But before anything can be said, Redeye informs Tom that an alien death squad is on their way to kill him and the 2nd Mass. Sounds like it’s time for them to move out in a hurry. Despite that, they still seem to have time for a chat and Tom doesn’t believe that Redeye is leading an uprising. But as Redeye explains their history with the aliens and how working together can benefit them both, we can’t help but sympathize. Unfortunately Tom still isn’t buying the story, and throws out an insult, saying he can see why Ben does since he always loved fairy tales. We can understand Tom’s caution but it’s hard not to be torn by whether or not the humans should join up with the skitters. It could be a good pairing, assuming Redeye is telling the truth. After everything he’s been through can Tom trust the skitters?

Hal and his team head back but they get caught in the death squad’s fire. As they flee, Hal doubles back for an injured Maggie who reluctantly accepts his help. She’s angry Hal risked his life for her. When they return to camp Anne is unsure about Maggie’s fate at first but Lourdes later tells Hal that Maggie will pull through, letting us all breathe a sigh of relief. In an adorable exchange Hal tells Maggie how much he needs her as a partner, but it’s starting to sound like he needs her for a lot more than just that. When Maggie asks Hal to stay until she falls asleep, it melts the heart. They need to just make things official and take the crown for cutest couple on the show.

In front of the skitter cell Weaver is angry that Redeye led the death squad to them, and starts firing. When Rick jumps in the way, he takes a shot to his stomach. In Rick’s final moments, he encourages Ben to talk to his father and make him believe. In gut-wrenching scene we have to watch another teen death. It’s hard to watch so many young kids die throughout this war.

With the proper tools from the hospital raid, Anne is able to give Weaver some extra medicine, and hopefully this time his leg will heal. Unfortunately he is angry with Tom for disobeying a direct order and protecting the skitter. He also thinks Ben poses a huge risk to the 2nd Mass, and Tom confesses that he’s concerned as well but doesn’t know what to do. Tom is in a really tough spot. He clearly wants to protect his family but is dealing with unknown and uncontrollable situations. Weaver says hard choices need to be made, and asks how Tom will be with those hard choices when the time comes. This is a horrible thing to ask a father who is already worried about his son. Hopefully Weaver doesn’t have to make those tough choices for Tom and they can continue to respect each other rather than end up in a feud.

Connor Jessup as Ben Mason and Maxim Knight as Matt Mason. Image © TNT.

As the episode closes, the 2nd Mass rests up in the hospital for the night before they plan to move on to Charleston. On the roof, Ben and Matt have a brotherly chat. Ben tells Matt he has to go away for a while and asks Matt to keep it a secret. Matt agrees and wants to know when he’s leaving but Ben doesn’t know yet. As hard as it is to trust Ben at times, having to watch him leave down the road will be even more difficult. Hopefully Ben won’t take off during a crucial moment, or maybe Matt will spill the beans before that time comes.

So there you have it, Falling Skies fans. What did you think of all the new twists and surprises? Do you trust the skitters’ story? And where do you think Ben is headed when he leaves? Hop on a rooftop, call to the skitters, and let’s talk Falling Skies.