As I am typing this, the 8th episode of the third season of "Falling Skies" has now been watched. Man, it's another cliffhanger. I think I might watch the next 2 episodes on TV or wait until both have aired and watch them both on my computer. First, since the 8th episode has been watched, it's time for a recap of season 3 so far. For the past 7 months the human resistance has been fighting against the Espheni, as the invading aliens are called. And they've been receiving help from an alien race called the Volm, led by King Cochise. Whether it's technology such as futuristic limpet mines, blaster rifles that can fire single shots that multiply to number their targets, regular blasters that can fire through any material, or especially a device designed to kill the harness-creatures that have enslaved certain children while there is still time to remove it, the Volm have brought gifts to humanity. The most important, however, is the "Project Orange" superlaser. Designed to overload the Espheni structures in the big cities, which we now know are being used to generate a power grid that will wipe out all life on the planet in a quarter of a year and turn it into a strip mine (the very reason the Espheni have invaded Earth, which involves destroying any chance the Volm have of finding the flower they revere and want to find to rebuild their civilization, the very reason the Volm are fighting the Espheni, while also supporting the Espheni war effort, no doubt; and no doubt this is a recycled "Terra Nova" concept), Project Orange could easily wipe out humanity as well due to how much power it generates. But if humanity must die off, then it would be better for the Volm to do the job than the Espheni... The Espheni, meanwhile, have introduced their own new technology in the form of a "mega-mech", their heavy artillery just as their regular mech is a foot soldier and their droid-powered starfighters are basically an aerial attacker and missile launcher. We also know what the harness does to whatever it attaches to: It turns its victim into an entirely new creature, devoid of internal organs and with skin converted into an exoskeleton. This is the fate of harnessed children whose harnessing creatures have not been removed... And the Espheni also are using their "eye-bugs" as well to make moles out of certain people. There's Hal, of course, who's been led out into the woods at night to be sexually assaulted by Karen, whom the Espheni have made their puppet ruler for North America. (How her harness has not converted her, we just don't know yet.) However, thanks to some bio-mechanical nano-technological creatures on the microscopic level rebel Skitters (who have also painted the areas surrounding their right eyes with red face paint in memory of the late Red-Eye) that can be used as medicine to kill these bugs (even though it cannot be used for anyone else since it would kill the patient), Hal is saved. But Hal isn't the only mole: Lourdes, whose last name has been revealed to be Delgado, has also somehow wound up with eye-bugs in her head. It is under this influence that she has already killed Arthur Manchester (a minor character in the Season 2 finale and who also appeared in the first half of the season premiere for this season), AND has now killed Benjamin Hathaway (who was President of the United States at the time of the invasion and is also a minor character now) with the Volm blaster she stole. She's also been giving the Espheni information as well through these eye-bugs, which as it turns out in their rolled-up form can be used as scanning devices. And another possible mole: Baby Alexis Mason, Tom's new daughter with Anne Glass. Baby Lexi has been acting strange, and new character Dr. Roger Kadar has revealed to Anne that Lexi is a hybrid, an Espheni in human form. Anne flees only to be taken prisoner by Karen's second-in-command, fellow harnessed child Megan Phillips (who was a minor character in Season 1). So now Tom, the former President who has now chosen to give his authority to his secretary Marina Perlata (another new character), and his sons are trying to rescue Anne. On their way they got their weapons stolen by a family who have turned to robbery to survive the Espheni, but turned the tables on them. As they were leaving they saw a group of Skitters and mechs head to the farm the outlaws lived at. Tom offers to go back on his horse (as they've been using horses to get around in this season) while the Mason boys go on ahead. Unfortunately he finds no one and is surrounded by a mega-mech and a trio of enemy Skitters who knock him unconscious... And there's also Pope and his Berserkers. This season they lost their female member Crazy Lee. And Pope's also set up a honky-tonk in an abandoned Southern antebellum mansion (this is South Carolina where the series is currently set, after all), one that will have to be dismantled as more refugees arrive in Charleston AND they rebuild the city to what it once was. And there's also Ben, Tom's middle son. Although it's now learned that harnessing spikes can cause premature deaths despite the abilities they can confer when harnessed kids are de-harnessed with the spikes, Ben decides that he still wants to serve as a go-between for Skitter Intelligence (which the Rebel Skitters have control over) and thus keep his spikes when his girlfriend, fellow de-harnessed kid Danielle, whom he calls "Deni" (and is played by Megan Danso), also decides not to give up her spikes. Thus Ben and Danielle are the last 2 harnessed kids to keep their spikes. So, now we get to the episode, "Strange Brew". The first half is basically the alternate universe I had been telling everyone about, hence the episode's title. Tom basically wakes up in an alternate universe where the invasion hasn't happened. He still has his wife Rebecca. His sons are still able to go to school. He still teaches at the university. Col. Weaver (he was promoted to colonel between seasons 2 and 3) is still a drunk "end-of-the-world" conspiracy theorist. Anthony, the former cop-turned-soldier, is somehow a school bus driver, while Karen herself is in fact a cop. Pope is somehow Tom's co-worker at the university. Maggie is somehow one of Tom's students. Jeanne Weaver, Col. Weaver's teenage daughter who became a full character this season, is also somehow Tom's secretary. Dai, the former Viet Cong who was killed at the end of this past season, is somehow Anne Glass's husband. And everyone thinks Tom's having an affair with her. Sure enough he shows up at a cafe and Anne, whom is making provocative moves towards him and is trying to lure him to a tryst in the cities of Boston (where he is), Chicago, New York and Jacksonville. Well, Tom, who is clean-shaven, quickly realizes what is going on when everyone begins showing up and demand to know where he wants to go... Suddenly, he wakes up in horrifying pain, as an enemy Skitter, Megan Phillips and Karen herself are torturing him with a bio-mechanical device, demanding to know where the Volm plan to use Project Orange. However, this is interrupted as Weaver and Tom's sons kill the Skitter and Megan. Tom uses this as a chance to demand to know where Anne and Alexis are. Karen reveals that the Espheni have taken them. Tom unleashes his rage at Karen and kills her. He wakes up in the hospital wing 2 days later and joins the briefing over where to use Project Orange. However, he recognizes a series of maps corresponding to the 4 cities already mentioned. Realizing he's still in a nightmare world, Tom shoots the imaginary Col. Weaver dead and wakes up in being tortured by the real Karen and Megan. They then decide to show him an unspeakable horror: The dead bodies of Alexis and Anne in a cocoon-like tomb. They then force him to watch as the Boston Espheni Grid Generator, the very structure that was the mystery structure in the first season and similar to other similar structures around the world as one of the additional comics in the second "Falling Skies" comic book by Dark Horse and also where Tom was being tortured, is activated. Tom realizes that the war is now lost, but decides he will go back to die in Charleston anyway. He charges towards the Skitter and they fall to the ground where Tom strangles the alien to death and blows the creature's brains out. Tom then makes his way back to his old home, knowing it will be the last time he will visit it, where he climbs into bed, wondering what will now happen as the Apocalypse descends on Earth. Then, however, he notices Rebecca in bed with him. She warns him there is nothing left and that he must go on and leave even though there is nowhere left for him to go to. Suddenly a cat appears on the window in Tom's bedroom and he sees his wife has vanished. Realizing he is still in his nightmare world, Tom leaves the house and vows as he overlooks the Grid Generator to get out of his predicament... Meanwhile, in the real world, Pope is still trying to lure Maggie into joining the Berserkers again, which Maggie continues to refuse. Anthony has also found evidence to suggest that Perlata may be the mole, but her alibi is clean. Weaver and Maggie also continue to argue over whether she should help him in the operation to deploy Project Orange, and the answer is decided when a bomb goes off and Maggie is able to protect Weaver in the blast. Hal, Ben and Matt all also return as well, saying there's no sign of Anne or Alexi anywhere in where they were searching her for. The final battle to save humanity has now begun... So with that, we're now ready for Part 1 of the 2-Part Season 3 Finale, "Journey to Xilbaba", which will air on Sunday. One more thing: Selena Gomez fans, you have every reason to celebrate today. The former Disney Channel star who has become a very talented singer and actress in recent year, is celebrating her 21st birthday today. Congratulations, Selena. And that is it for me this week. I'll need to see a preview of what's going to go on in the Season 3 Finale. I am thankful, of course, that the show has been renewed for a 4th season. Hopefully it will then be renewed for a 5th, and a 6th, and a 7th, and an 8th, and a 9th, and ultimately a 10th season. So goodbye for now, and I hope to see you all again this coming week.
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