Falling Skies: Season 2, Episode 3 “Compass” (C)
It’s not clear to me why shows with enormous potential such as this one can fall prey to such poor, familiar plotting and even worse writing. The increased visual presence of the aliens should make things more exciting, yet it leads to more excessive human drama rather than any major shoot-outs or revelations. Following up last week’s superb eye-bug introduction with nothing but a hypnotized Ben being spared by the aliens is an enormous letdown. More problematic, however, is Tom’s inane suggestion that he be assigned to the Berserkers, so that he reports to Pope despite giving orders to the contrary on nearly every occasion. Pope is supposed to be the thorn that constantly gives all the other characters grief about taking themselves too seriously, but he’s becoming extremely obnoxious and just feels like an angry Nicolas Cage character at this point. It’s better that he be kicked loose to have his own misadventures and maybe make some headway on defeating the enemy aliens instead of constantly second-guessing and dragging down the 2nd Mass at every turn. Avery Churchill’s arrival by old-fashioned plane felt a little too airbrushed and out of place, and Charleston seems like a dream that’s very far away. Jimmy’s death is somewhat of a surprise, but his funeral seemed forced and overly emotional, turning what might have been dramatic moments into over-the-top, corny scenes with an excessive amount of fake tears. The whole group moving out, with Ben in tow, signals that there should hopefully be more excitement to come in the near future.
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