5 out of 5

Creator: Robert Rodat

Covers through season 2.

Though the unoriginal post-alien-invasion-human-uprising setting and Steven Spielberg production tag had me expecting something gratuitously generic (like Revolution) or family friendly, Falling Skies has, from episode to episode, defied every expectations by taking advantage of what television shows should take advantage – the space to actually tell a story instead of flying by fueled on big ideas.  The organization of some human rabble into The Second Massachusetts Militia – including history professor Noah Wyle (and his three sons), pediatrician Moon Bloodgood, and once-something-now-captain Will Patton – is a clever way of tossing juxtaposed personalities together and forcing them to function with a goal a little more organized than ‘survive.’  As the group trudges about to various destinations, all of the genre tropes – family squabbles, humans against humans, conspiring with the aliens (or ‘skitters’) – poke their heads into the fray and just as you begin to sigh and accept that the show is going to fall into normalcy, just enough of a twist on the formula will be introduced to make it fresh.  And that paced writing insures that such twists don’t feel forced just for cliffhangers.  In fact, most come early in an episode, not pulling any stunts to get you to watch next week besides making solid characters you care about.  The keystone of this is Noah Wyle and his family.  The trust and challenge issues that are always easily family drama exist, but instead of ignorant responses we get human ones – Noah (Tom on the show) may initially misinterpret how his sons act, or the oldest – Hal – might get a little uppity, but there’s an acceptance of the world having changed and thus the family unit changing, which is a realistic but unexpected touch that many of these shows miss out on.  The rest of the casting helps to support sense of realism.  There are good lookers in the mix, for sure, but, for example, Moon Bloodgood is absolutely believable in her role, well cast as the doctor-turned-combat-medic, balancing confidence and vulnerability.  Even the production design or scene direction (or whatever) is in line with this mentality: in the background of almost every crowd scene are characters going about their tasks, sometimes main characters you recognize.  Conversations float in and out of earshot, and those you hear sometimes drop details without extra exposition to explain their context.  It all helps to get you into the mood, not breaking the wall to remind you – via lighting or dialogue – that you’re watching a show and we’re here to help you understand.  Does it wrench yer guts like Breaking Bad?  Not necessarily.  But not every show has to to be of great quality, and Falling Skies is such a premiere package of acting, writing and directing, that it deserves equal attention to any other well-respected show on current TV, regardless of genre.

As an extra note, the end of season 2 again introduces an element that could lead the show to normal TV land.  Here’s hoping – trusting – that the writers will be able to work their magic on this once again.