Falling Skies - Season 3 Episode 8 - Recap - Strange Brew
In a delicious twist, this week's superb installment of TNT's Falling Skies opens on a black screen dubbed with the sounds of combat, before a smash cut to Professor Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) waking up next to his wife, from a nightmare about an alien invasion. In what is easily the season's best episode, the beardless Tom goes about his normal Christmastime life, with his normal family, and his normal alive wife. The ruse lasts without explanation for longer than I'd expect, but reality finally starts to creep in, as such conflicts are wont to do, right before the first commercial break. The reality seepage comes in the form of a beggar (who looks suspiciously like Colonel Weaver) blocking traffic with a cardboard "THE END IS NEAR" sign, demanding that Tom wake up. The beggar is led away by a female police officer who looks quite a bit like the traitorous Karen.
From here, we continue to follow Mason through the beardless alternaverse, with familiar faces showing up as ancillary characters in the episode's facade plot. Tom's on the fast track to takeover as dean of the college he works at, a professor who looks like Pope is having an illicit affair with a student who looks like Lourdes, and Tom keeps getting notes and messages from Anne Glass (his wife in the normal alien invasion world, but a stranger in this different place). A man claiming to be Anne's husband shows up to accuse the two of having an affair, but Tom maintains that he's never before met this woman. Four cities (Boston, New York, Jacksonville, Chicago) keep coming up in conversation, as vacation destinations. Tom's trying to work out the connection, when he's interrupted by his son Ben. When Ben asks where the vacation will be, that's when Tom knows.
Tom is summoned to a coffee shop to meet Anne, who he still does not know. She starts to grill him on vacation location, then it turns hostile once he deduces the ruse and remembers himself. Back in the real(ish) world, Karen peels a parasite from Tom's face and demands again to know the location of the humans' attack: Boston, New York, Jacksonville, or Chicago. The cavalry arrives just in time, and Tom is rescued. He demands of Karen to know where Anne and weird alien hybrid baby Alexis are being held, and when Karen says she doesn't know, Tom shoots her point blank through the forehead (I audibly exclaimed at this because, wow).
Tom's knocked out during the escape and wakes up in a hospital bed back at Charleston. He gets up right away and bursts into the war room. They're planning the final assault and ask Tom to join them, to lay out the map. He goes over to the map rack, and his face drops when he notices the four choices: Boston, New York, Jacksonville, Chicago. He's just another dream level higher in this alien inception. Tom shoots Dream Colonel Weaver to end the dream and then laughs in Karen's face when he's back in the real world. The laughs end when Karen threatens Anne and Alexis.
Well, "threatens" is maybe the wrong word. She brings Tom to another area of the base, and shows him the dead bodies of Anne and Alexis, encased in some weird alien goo pod. He lashes out in anger, but is then overcome by the gravity of it and slumps. Karen again demands to know the plan, and Tom spits a defeated "Never" at her. Karen leads him out to watch the defense grid be activated, and Tom takes this chance to escape, tackling his Skitter guard over the edge of the balcony and splatting it to the ground. He wanders off, determined for home but overcome with despair.
On his walk home, Mason comes across a house that looks a lot like his pre-invasion home (which I'm pretty sure, based on context clues, is exactly what it is) and goes inside. He goes in, on the verge of tears and he walks though the devastated and rotting building. He takes a note from the refrigerator, folds it up after reading it (we do not see the contents of the note), and heads upstairs. As he lays, overcome with emotion, in bed, a vision of his dead wife, and mother of his three sons, appears next to him. I'm going t be straight with you here, dear reader: Recounting the scene is getting me a bit weepy. She tells him that she loves him with all of her heart and (no no don't cry please don't let the readers see you cry) that she needs him to get up, to go back home, and to keep fighting for their family. Tom turns suddenly to point his gun at a loud noise (which turns out to be a cat) and his ghost wife is gone when he turns back. He leaves, renewed but saddened.
Back in real (probably) Charleston, while Tom is in the dream world, the investigation into the murder of President Hathaway continues. The head of security says he can account for everyone's whereabouts during the attack except newly-appointed President Marina Peralta. Meanwhile, Colonel Weaver and Maggie prep for the assault and argue strategy. Maggie wants to be on the first team, Weaver says no. Because of Maggie's hold-up, Weaver narrowly misses being caught in an explosion. In the wake of the explosion, while the alien defense grid activates, President Peralta reaffirms her commitment to the New United States in the face of the unspoken doubts Weaver has about her loyalties.
Wow! Holy crap! This is such a good dang episode. The alternate reality dream stuff is not only brilliant in its execution, but does wonders for revealing a side of Tom Mason rarely seen. Plus, with the potential for alien bugged humans at every pass, adding another reason for us to doubt reality is a great move. I hope to writers recognize what they've done for themselves here and use it to its full potential. With just two episodes left, I'm hoping the drama ramps up and the show only improves. Come back next week for another recap and check out the preview for this episode below.