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Post by Raffy on Jul 24, 2011 15:46:44 GMT -5
Synopsis
FALLING SKIES “Sanctuary, Part 2″ Episode 7 – Hal takes the lead fighting an unexpected threat against the children of the 2nd Mass. Anne has her hands full when Sarah goes into labor while the 2nd Mass base is being evacuated. Henry Czerny (The Tudors) guest stars.
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Post by claired80 on Jul 25, 2011 5:28:10 GMT -5
I'm commenting while watching…  Nice points: - I was actually surprised by the beginning, seeing Jimmy running at first, I thought he was escaping from the "Sanctuary". - Nice touch that they are happy about vegetables and fruits… I like the talks about those "details" in the survivors' life. It makes the show different from other 'alien invasion' ones. - I like the non-explicit explanations of how Pope told Clayton about the 2nd Mass. and how he got there in the first place. - I actually felt quite some tension when Mike was checking the place to see if the sanctuary is not what it is supposed to be. - Nice continuity from the make-up department: Anne still has a cut lip, and Tom still has a scar on his forehead. - Hal makes a good leader (and Drew is always good). - Ben is the new Forrest Gump . Run Ben, run. - I love the line "kick their alien ass" ;D - The plot after Tom surrenders wasn't so predictable (to me at least… ). No clue how they would get out of that situation. Somehow I even forgot the 2nd Mass could come to the rescue. - I actually liked the history professor speech at the funeral... - Very intrigued by Rick's talk about humans. "Killing is in their nature". Very creepy… And why is it that Rick is still apparently a skitter, while Ben is quite his old self? - Things are interesting even without one skitter or mech showing up. Less nice ones… - Pope and the sanctuary don't seem to be very well guarded. - What is Eli's backpack doing there? Don't they know better? It's quite bothering to see that many plots are starting because people are making stupid mistakes. I wish there were a bit more 'clever' ways to trigger plots. - Mike's speech when having Hal take Rick away: already making you know what Mike's fate will be, and feeling inappropriate to take the time to do that while they are being shot at. - The piano was quite a nice touch, but not very smart when you want to hide… - Wrong timing again for the "thank you speech" from Ben to Hal… I don't know, it just doesn't feel right to put those important talks always before danger. Once in a while, okay, but now we've seen many of those. Tom to Hal before he goes inside the hospital to rescue the kids, Mike to Rick before in the episode, now this. Just too many for my taste. - Not enough Noah , but I still liked the episode much better than part I. - Okay, I'll say it (it's not the first time I noticed… ): I'm not a big fan of Noah shaking his head while delivering a line. I'm worried it's becoming a habit.  - Why are people always showing up and shooting at the right moment? Clayton last episode, now Pope, exactly a split second before Hal would get shot… It's like people are all waiting hiding somewhere just waiting for their "Action" moment… - Amazingly, Clayton and his buddies stop shooting when Tom shows up. And again, there is time for a nice quiet chat between Tom and Pope. How could he even show up like that and get close to the shooting scene without getting hurt himself? - Hugs, more hugs - It's probably the first time Tom killed a man, isn't it? Shouldn't he look a bit shaken by that? I know he had to, but still… Now what's with that in the promo: "With only 2 episodes left"  What? not 3? Did I miss something? |
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Post by darksparrow on Jul 25, 2011 11:45:57 GMT -5
Liked this one much more than last one. Even with the relatively little Noah, it worked really well for me. Nice pacing and tension, for the most part. I haven't noticed it in this episode, but I've noticed it before. It doesn't really bother me.  I'm really very impressed with Drew. He's one of the better actors on this show. I really didn't expect that to be the case. I actually didn't.  Please someone make a gif out of running Ben! PLEASE!!!  Yes, those speeches really did seem out of place. I can't imagine stopping for a hug while being shot at. Then again, it's not like we didn't see the Mike thing coming from the second Clayton detatched himself from the group and started sneaking away. I think one positive thing that came from that scene is to contrast how emotional Mike's feeling, and how unresponsive Rick is. It's like "I love you son" *blank* it was quite disturbing. Wrong timing perhaps, but still disturbing. I don't understand what's going on with Ben. Last episode Hal suspected he wasn't fully himself. This episode he lets the fate of the entire gang rest on Ben's shoulders as he sends him off to the school. What happened to 'he's like a different kid'? there doesn't seem to be any doubt that he's 'with the humans', as opposed to Rick. And yet he brings up 'math geek' as if testing him or something. And Rick speaking for the skitters didn't really shake me as much as it was supposed to, I guess. I mean, it's been clear ever since they removed his harness that he was still with the skitters mentally. I just wonder what sets him apart from Ben... I know what you mean. Way too much relies on coincidence here to be believable. Ben runs off in the school's general direction, Tom and Dai take off randomly on the bikes, and Ben just happens to literally run into them? Not convinced. Ben making it back to the school on foot, and getting Weaver and the guys to the barn on foot. and all that BEFORE they bring the hostages back to the camp? I don't know, didn't Tom say it was a half day's walk to the camp site? The timing is just either really fortunate for the good guys, or not well thought out. ETA: one thing that's been bothering me for many episodes now: how the hell is everyone so good at navigating?! I mean, Ben made the trip from the school to the campsite ONE TIME and he has no problem finding his way there and back through the woods? I'd probably be lost after half a mile. And how did EVERYONE know what house the kids are hiding in- Clayton's gang, pope, Tom? Oh yeah. I rolled my eyes at that too. No shooting at all while Tom and Pope are talking... Maybe they thought Pope was dead since there was no incoming fire from his side, but in that case, why didn't they proceed in trying to take down Hal? They just sort of sat there and waited for something to happen until Tom came out of the trees? I think I figured out what the problem is, for me, at moments like this. I don't really see Carter when I watch FS, but when trying to predict how Tom Mason would act/feel, I rely on what I'm used to seeing from Noah in his characters so far- which is sensitivity and being very easily shaken up. I think Carter is the perfect example of that. If you think about it, what we have here is a man in an emotionally numb state, in survival mode, being in mortal danger and constant fear, having fought monsters hands on, living a completely surreal life. What's shooting a person compared to all that has happened to him in the last half year? I don't think ANY of the things he's been doing since the attack is registering fully, not while on survival mode, not as you'd expect under normal circumstance. But I thought it was really nice that the shocked and shaken reaction came from Hal, who, as a kid, is in a different place emotionally, and is still quite capable of processing what his father did. All in all, I liked it. And dammit, I caught the preview for next episode. I hate that. Spoilers, or at least, hints at where they're going.  They're not unpredictable enough to be able to afford to spoil like that. |
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Post by claired80 on Jul 25, 2011 13:14:19 GMT -5
Yup, that's one big problem. At first I thought there's something I don't get, a detail I missed that explains something, where things are exactly... But it doesn't look like that. They just find themselves conveniently where they need to be. What takes a long walk one way is right around the corner when they come back... It could be seen as a detail, and it'd be okay if it was only once or twice, but it's really too often and too obvious not to notice. I think they are just using too many words... That's the same problem with Tom and Pope chatting in a middle of a (non-)shooting scene. Instead of speeches, they should rely more on the actors' face and reactions in the middle of action scenes. Words can make things not so believable. That's true. But Tom seems to have moments when he is not numb at all, talking about Rebecca, talking to Hal about how proud he is, now saying that he loves the sound of a crying baby... You get glimpses that he could easily be a very emotional guy. Maybe that's the point , he gets numb when in soldier mode, and you still know that's not who he is. That's consistent with Noah saying that Spielberg told him to think of his character as Tom Hanks' Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan. |
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Post by nia on Jul 25, 2011 14:48:48 GMT -5
The 'storyline' or maybe just aspect that I like the most is the relationship between Hal and Ben. And the differences between Ben and Rick. I find myself actually being intrigued in a good way because they aren't pushing them heavily in your face as opposed to some other ones. I like the slow burn of it.
My guess as to why Hal let Ben go search for the rest of their team is that there weren't too many other choices. I think unlike Rick, there isn't too much doubt that Ben is still with the humans. He recognized his father immediately after the harness came off too. The other issue here is that being harnessed seems to have given him a lot of extra strength. Not super-power like but clearly more than the other humans. He can easily do a hundred push-ups, he runs faster, etc. In a situation like this, he would the right person to lean on. I also saw a shot where he was slyly trying to get a look at Rick's back. I think he's also wondering why Rick is so different from him and perhaps a small part of the harness still got left in or maybe the nerves weren't cut properly when he was operated on. Being harnessed also cured Rick of his physical problems so that could be another reason why he looks upon the aliens more kindly. While humans actually kill each other, the aliens actually *helped* him (in his mind).
The one real issue I have with the show is that all the plots seems to be borne out of stupidity. Every time they want to get something going, they start it by having the characters act dumb. In that situation, I think the characters would have become hyper-sensitive about not making mistakes. And yet, that's not the case and it happens constantly. There should be a better way to move the plot.
The other problem is that for a race conquered by aliens and having lost so many family and friends, the tone of the characters is so light-hearted. I understand it's supposed to be life-affirming and that people cannot grieve forever but it really rubs me the wrong way. Even after shooting and killing people, they bounce back so quickly and there doesn't seem to be any reflection on what they've actually just done. It's very comic-book like in that there are no real emotions or repercussions to the psyche after the violence and bloodshed.
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Post by nia on Jul 25, 2011 14:54:44 GMT -5
Btw, how good looking is the Mason family? Tom, Hal, Ben, and Matt. Wow, they have some great genes or what.
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Post by breizh22 on Jul 25, 2011 15:32:19 GMT -5
A good point, the streaming subtitled arrive quickly, within 24 hours I'm glad ;D Thanks to the translators I agree with you on the points you mentioned! You've all mentioned, I say more  Still some inconsistencies but I try not to lend to the attention Just: I like the idea of fruit and vegetables I think the series become realistic but the problem of the feelings that bother me. I am of the opinion of Nia, it would be good they show their feelings...As you said Tom kills another man... But I liked this episode! More than Part 1 Otherwise I finished the episode without subtitles (the problem of streaming) I'm not sure I understand what Rick said (Killing Is In Their Nature?) And before / after I can't understand |
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Post by janet on Jul 26, 2011 3:16:33 GMT -5
Not a lot to add. You guys have covered most of the pros and cons of this epi. I preferred it to the last one. No skitters... but I expect we'll get them back next time. My main complaint was not enough Noah, so I hope we get more of him back next time too.
I agree, Drew is shaping up as a good actor and I liked the scenes with all the children together. Although it wasn't a surprise that Rick is still part alien, I was intrigued by what he said at the end about not understanding how humans could kill eachother, whereas "we" would never do that. It sets up an interesting idea as to how evil the aliens are, or not.....? I also think that the question mark about Ben is still there in some way and I look forward to seeing how that develops. All this I think is very good and complex.
It kind of makes the holes in the plot stand out more in that bits are sophisticated and other bits aren't ( like the easy navigation, the cavalry arriving at just the right time, the gunfire stopping for the speeches, the obvious mistakes etc.....). I think they still haven't decided whether they are a kind of comic book adventure story, in which case loose plotting doesn't matter. You just go with the fantasy flow, but if they are aiming for a more sophisticated drama about the nature of humanity and relations , which they seem to be sometimes, then the plotting should be a bit more sophisticated too.
I do like the attention to detail in some cases e.g. the piano was suitably out of tune and they kept continuity of clothes make-up etc, so there is hope that some of the plot holes will improve???
The only real wrong detail was the usual enormous newborn baby. Breech birth and that size, ouch! Weaver must be some miracle midwife
I only counted one real hug, the rest were squeezes, tentative prods etc etc
Overall not bad, but more Noah please.
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Post by claired80 on Jul 26, 2011 3:57:09 GMT -5
It kind of makes the holes in the plot stand out more in that bits are sophisticated and other bits aren't ( like the easy navigation, the cavalry arriving at just the right time, the gunfire stopping for the speeches, the obvious mistakes etc.....). I think they still haven't decided whether they are a kind of comic book adventure story, in which case loose plotting doesn't matter. You just go with the fantasy flow, but if they are aiming for a more sophisticated drama about the nature of humanity and relations , which they seem to be sometimes, then the plotting should be a bit more sophisticated too. Indeed. They are walking a very thin line... After re-watching a bit, I think they are trying to cover the "navigation" part. It just doesn't work so well somehow . But when he comes across Ben (okay, that's one lucky strike!), Tom tells Ben to go with Dai back to the HQ, that is on a motorcycle. When Clayton and co. are taking back the kids and Tom to the sanctuary, Matt is carried by Hal, which is a way to say: "That was a very long walk... Lil' Matt can't take it anymore... " Meaning there was time for the cavalry to come back if they have cars and motorcycles. I read a review saying there were really too many speeches in FS. Yep, that's one flaw that they need to correct. Ill-timed speeches especially should go. Maybe that's again because of the very thin line they are walking. To be different from other sci-fi shows, they may think they need to add drama... and thus dramatic speeches. |
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Post by darksparrow on Jul 28, 2011 23:40:47 GMT -5
Puzzle solved:
from TNT's "Falling Skies" facebook page
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They're not unpredictable enough to be able to afford to spoil like that.
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