When Hal and Maggie have the most chemistry out of all the forced, annoying romances, it means something and that something is: Enough already with the soap opera.
The 2nd Mass is under siege by hungry skitters, who are out of control without an Overlord. In a fit of rage, a grenade blows up the entire food reserves that the 2nd Mass – somehow – still had. After an extra we never met before dies after eating grilled skitter flesh, it is clear: The 2nd Mass must go after the conveniently discovered food bank nearby. That this would be a prime location for booby traps, according to previous seasons, never enters anyone’s thoughts and it doesn’t matter, because there are no traps.
Two contenders for the Most Awkward Couple Award, namely Sarah, Pope, Maggie and Ben, make their way through storm drains to the food bank, just counting on their good fortune that there is not only food, but also a functional, fueled truck to transport it. Meanwhile, Matt Mason joins the Awkard Couples competition by making friends with a starving girl we never met before, unaware that his efforts to win the award are doomed. His new girlfriend is black and should die within the next 2 – 3 episodes in good old Falling Skies tradition.
The food bank team arrives at their target to find not only food, but also a functional, fueled truck. What a coincidence. They give their all to score points in the competition – Ben and Pope having a man to man conversation about the bro code (literally and literary, considering Ben and Hal are actual brothers) while Sarah suggests Maggie should go for a threesome. Hilariously, Maggie points out that this would be wrong because the guys are brothers. Quite a funny thing coming from a woman over 30 who habitually goes after boys in their mid- to late teens.
Meanwhile, Anthony discovers his inner warrior by punching a skitter to death, which Weaver objects to. Tom Mason, on the other hand, is fine with it because people are following his orders to unleash their primal rage. In his spare time, he hallucinates his dead wife and her advise relating to current issues in the camp.
At the food bank, the armed team of four, of which 3 are accomplished shooters and 2 have enhanced strength and reflexes, is held hostage by a teenage girl who threatens to unleash her skitter brother if they don’t leave all the food to her. Why a single skitter is such a threat to an armed team that just fought their way through hordes of skitters remains a mystery. Maggie finally claims to have a machine that can reverse the process and save Skitter Brian and the girl agrees to go with them.
Back at the camp, hilarity ensues. Pope of all people prepares a candle light dinner – complete with wine – for Sarah. Maggie presents Hal, who has meanwhile collapsed from hunger, with a roll of 5 years expired Pringles. Last season’s pristine Hershey bar was not the end of ridicolous product placement. For a crowning moment of “oh come on now”, Matt has constructed a microscope for Ann to examine the bug that bit Tom. Said bug has not only Skitter and Espheni legs, it also has human eyes and it was a bad, bad idea to show a close up of that. The bug is the funniest looking alien on the show and after seeing the bright blue eye, it is nearly impossible to take it serious as a threat.
While the bug was shown to be roughly the size of a bumblebee, Tom and Ann have no problem to follow it on foot as the bug turns out to not be dead and escapes. They follow it to a valley, where a large swarm of either bugs, winged skitters or both is emerging. Now, THIS might be a better threat – unless they are all shown to have doll eyes.
circusofscars 