Falling Skies Season 1 Episode 3 Prisoner Of War

I mentioned last week when reviewing the second episode "The Armoury" that at times I was sitting thinking, come on get on with it.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the episode and I'm pleased I didn't let it put me off as this week it done just what I asked, got on with it and in spectacular fashion too.

This week saw the fighters going out to rescue the kids as had been promised by Commander Weaver.  Problem is the teenagers who have all been harnessed by the aliens are under armed guard from the skeeters and the Mech's.  The fighters need to come up with an idea of getting them out without anyone getting hurt.  A new face is also in town or high school as the case may be, DR Michael Harris (Steven Weber), he has discovered a way to remove the harnesses from the children's backs without loosing them.

From the minute DR Harris and Tom met each other last night you were sensing a slight degree of awkwardness between the two, they clearly knew each other but what was going on behind the scenes.  I really didn't think we would find out so quick but turns out DR Harris was with Tom's wife Rebecca the night the aliens came and as far as Tom is concerned Harris is responsible for her death.  The episode is called Prisoner Of War, I initially thought this would be in relation to the biker gang prisoner John Pope who they captured last week.  Turns out not, Tom got into a confrontation with a skeeter and shot it's legs off maiming it, he then trailed it back to the high school where it's going to be kept for further observations, or is it?

Progress it seems is being made across the whole of America, not only are there the 600 people from the first episode but we now learn that their are unorganised resistance groups in almost every city, the down side to that being the aliens, they also have a command center in every city, this did breathe some light into the camp though, in relation to their chances of defeating the Skeeters.

Probably the best part of the episode last night was when Tom's son Hal and his girlfriend got left behind following some foolish behaviour by one of the resistance fighters.  Hal awoke to find the harnessed children dragging his girlfriend away whilst he started at the end of a loaded alien gun, the gun however wasn't for him, the Skeeter lined up a few of the harnessed kids and ordered the Mech to shoot them all in front of Hal.  At first I thought this was some sort of offering, you take one of the kids and send us back our alien friend, he's been to school already and doesn't need to go back.  No it was a message and Hal is the messenger give us back our pal or we will shoot the rest of the kids, Tom's other son and Hal's brother is in that group of kids remember.

Pope is a prisoner of war as I've mentioned but he is slowly proving his worth to the group, disapproving of the food we learn that he is a qualified chef and he has bartered with Commander Weaver for some time out the cell in order to cook meals for the 2nd Mass .  I said last week that I think this guy is going to play a massive part in the story and last night proved that he is starting to win over some of his doubters in the camp.

This was a brilliant episode of the show, especially after being a little disheartened last week.  This one was full of action a great part to the story, more story to build on and finally the budget must have been slightly upped this week as they showed the Mech's and Skeeters in the daylight and they did look pretty good even for TV.