Falling Skies: S05E03 "Hatchlings"

Rating: 5

In A Nutshell

The excitement of knowing this is the final season is still keeping me going! This episode is much "meh" but thankfully not too bad overall.

Things start off with everyone heading off on a jolly walk through the woods, avoiding mummy and daddy bear, towards where the skitters were all on mass at the end of last week's awful CGI visual shot. Using some chemical spray they've used before, they send their new remote control drone up over the critter pool, and BOMBS AWAY!, it kills the majority of them. But, alas, all is not good, because the numbers soon return. Seems the critters are restoring their numbers from someone. Perhaps via copy/paste on the CGI maybe?

We then get a rather cringe investing scene with Maggie and the girl whose alien-mutated brother they tricked last week. Seems the girl has figured that no one can help her brother anyway. She seems to really jump on the fact that Maggie can communicate with her brother via her spikes. It's very awfully acted. I almost had to watch from behind the sofa, it was that bad. Anyhow, eventually of course, the alien brother and sister simply escape, or walk out the camp without anyone noticing, sigh, and the pursuit of them leads them to find an overlord. A few bang bangs later and brother, sister and overlord are dead, yet the overlord isn't quite, so he's taken back to camp, where's he rather barbarically tortured. Maggie and Ben then "spike up" together to infiltrate the overlord's mind with some acting that's like off a b-movie, which leads to them discovering the location of a skitter creation site. It's housed in some disused warehouse (naturally). We witness the 2nd mass taking that out in mere minutes, but not before Pope's poor girlfriend, Sarah, succumbs to nasty alien killer mist. Pope is enraged that killing skitters was more important than saving his lover's life. All hell is going to break out next week as we end with a scene of a very cheesed off Pope.

What I liked

Not much really. They didn't go anywhere with the brother/sister thing really that we hadn't seen before. The Pope/Sarah moments were probably the best. Quite sincere and funny.

What I Didn't Like

Where do I start? The fact that overlords are now as easy to take down and play with as plasticine? The awful b-movie acting? Tom always shouting and raving like he has a hamburger in his mouth? The ease that they took down this skitter factory? There's so many questionable stuff this week.

Huh?

Forgot to get any screen shots :( Ahh, didn't miss much anyway.

And Finally

Nothing amazing. Very much everything you've seen before regurgitated into another typical episode of ridiculous dialogue, acting and the usual grim looking people shooting and killing aliens.

The Last Ship: S02E02

Rating: 6
GOOD

In A Nutshell

This episode is essentially a continuation of last week's episode. Hardly worth splitting them up really as it only served to lesson all the tension built up last week, and the reasons behind it all. One can sum up this episode very quickly; the crew take back the ship and kick some serious ass! It all feels very much like good guys versus bad guys, no matter how they dressed up the realities that the government lady faced to build her superior nation, surrounded by civilisation being wiped out all around her. Despite this, there were at least a few moments of members of her guards showing some sympathy with the ship crew, instead of being hard arsed trigger happy tough guys. It was hard to work out what the point of that was, when her guards were essentially gun hungry bullies most of the time. Can understand the civilians being able to change their minds, but the guards? Thankfully there was only a little of that and it didn't detract from the action, of which this episode didn't disappoint.

The Captain's family get back to the ship, not before the crew have retaken it, stopped the scary baby operation from occurring and taken down the government lady, in a series of high octane, yet conveniently choreographed scenes. It was a genuine surprise, and disappointment, when the lead rebel guy was gunned down when confronting the government lady, which of course led to the captain getting to engage with her. Despite everything being against her, and refusing to apologize or truly give up, she still picked up the walkie and told her people to "stand down", of which there couldn't have been too many left given the slaughter of her guys throughout the show. Her daughter had already been shot in the stomach in a hard to grasp wrestling scene with a female guard who was all mean until the gun went off, and then ran away frightened over what had happened. One minute tough. Next minute a wreck? That was odd.

Onboard the ship, it was great yet comic book stuff as the crew took out all the "bad guys" of which the Lieutenant Slattery spent most of his time in the backup bridge, helping his guys take down the ship in true american military style. Why he stayed in there so long I don't know, but he did get a fight scene with the guy who led the bad guys attack on the ship, ending their brutal battle with an axe to the chest. Yikes!

So, it ends with a true patriotic musical few minutes, as everyone comes to terms with what's happened, licking their wombs and mourning the fallen. It's cheesy, but it's a well matured cheese that although goes OTT on military ways and the American spirit, it still has enough character and decent action to work. Can't quite work out what happened to all the civilians in the government building. I'll assume they are now on the ship, as are the captain's children. Be interesting to see where this series goes next.

What I liked

Lieutenant Slattery in the backup bridge was a little laughable but you gotta love this guy, and the actor. He really makes his scenes mean something.

Action, and lots of it. Sure, it's way too unbelievable at times with all that shooting going on, but it's darn good eye candy.

What I Didn't Like

Wasn't happy that Rebel leader (aka Lost's Man in Black) was taken out so meekly. I'd have loved to see him have a recurring role, but alas, it had to be the American Navy guys who had to win the day.

Was a little too perfect a recapture and easy takeover of building, but, hey, sometimes you just got to overlook these things :/

Huh?

The ONE guy left to defend the power plant, holds off what were tens of "bad guys", disposing of them like candy sweets. He also gets out of the station unchallenged. That's ... either lucky ... or well scripted.

Axe to chest always works

No No No, not the "lethal dead in 2 seconds suicide injection". Yup, she goes with a whimper.

Poignant scenes like this might be patriotic and military OTT, but they do remind us all of the seriousness and genuine emotions that this show intends to deliver to us.

And Finally

Not quite up to the level of the opener, due to a lack of intrigue and mystery, as this was just like a western style shoot them up. It was, however, enjoyable.

Extant: S02E04: "Cracking the Code"

Rating: 5
OK

In A Nutshell

Things don't start off on a good foot in this episode, once again, because we start with Molly doing her nails and acting all "weird" and spooked by a pigeon flying into her window. Yeah, as if that wasn't a WTF moment, we're all quickly trying to realise how this links into last week's ending, what with Toby being shot. Minor issue perhaps? Anyhow, a minute later we get the flashback to the end of last week, and a quick few seconds of Molly running to Toby's side and discovering he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Sigh. Strange, as I thought those weren't traditional guns? Possibly I got that wrong, but regardless, this was a "Well, thanks for that pathetic cliffhanger ending" whose conclusion they fobbed off on us in mere minutes. It's scenes like this which don't do the show any favours.

Charlie spends the whole episode babysitting Ethan and Lucy, the latter of whom encourages Ethan to go all rebel and find out who Molly is, whom he keeps remembering. Thus, off he goes to their old house, where a very convenient builder guy turns up to tell him not to be in what's a derelict house, before pointing him to a red poster, which seems to contain lots of information about the building. From this Ethan gets Molly's address and off he goes on his scooter once more. Eventually Charlie and Lucy are in pursuit and come across two comedy like drug dealers who earlier nicked Ethan's scooter. When threatened, Lucy beats up one of them, but not before they figure out where Ethan went anyway. Like Ethan just moments before, they too seem to just walk into Molly's apartment like it's an open house, and there they find Ethan unconscious. His brain once again shut down on him after absorbing too much Molly related stuff which was wiped from his brain. Yeah, we all feel like that with Molly my son.

JD this week easily breaks into some health centre for pregnant women, essentially to see some conveniently staged altercations that make him think it's not a good place for his daughter. It's ridiculous, but JD rocks. He tries to stop his daughter going to the health centre in spectacular fashion by shooting out the tyres of the car she tries to drive, but she then nicks the motorbike. JD gives chase in his jeep. So, that's 3 vehicles he's got? Odd. Even more strange than that, the next time we cut back to JD, he's at home. Seems even this great private detective can't give a decent car chase. No mention of it at all. Having got Molly in on his daughter's pregnancy thing, an earlier blood test that Molly did says there is nothing wrong with JD's daughter's baby. Group hug everyone. Was this just to get JD and daughter together? I'd have thought her having alien baby would have been an ideal sub-plot but alas no. Or is it?

Molly spends most of this week in Toby's government building in their new DNA lab, where experts high and low are trying to work out how to kill the mutants but not normal humans. They don't' seem to be getting anywhere, but Molly speeds along after a super alien tripping moment where she works out a lot about the alien DNA that even the nearest scientist seemed too thick to appreciate, and finds a sound wave embedded in their DNA. They play it over the speaker and it sounds like static to everyone except ... you guessed it ... Molly. She hears the words "Help Me!" which is pretty much what us viewers are thinking right now. At the end of the episode we have a Molly steamy shower scene, where she seems to be going a little weird alien trip on us again, but ends up seeing writing on the mirror in the bathroom with the words "Ethan was here". Did the alien trip do that? Or Ethan?

What I liked

JD; still, easily the most intriguing and engaging character in show. Somehow he manages to make the ridiculous dialogue or clunky scenes actually believable and interesting.

The alien DNA sub-plot is an interesting one although I'm doubting it'll produce any high-brow stuff.

After JD, his daughter does a decent job, even if it is a bit like a teenager stumping about. She at least carries the emotion with intent.

Charlie remains a likeable cast member, although this week he's babysitting both humanoids.

It was ridiculous to watch, but I did at least giggle when Molly woke up in shock at that guy in her bed. Yup, we had another Molly date scene earlier when she tripped out and brought a man home.

What I Didn't Like

Was it just me, but I had the opening credits (2 seconds of it) at the 14 minute mark in this episode. Odd!

Which reminds me; still got that long opening "Hi, my name is Molly and this is my story" opening sequence.

This has fast become, once again, the Molly show. Everything is about her, which wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't so horribly acted. She comes across as a crazy women, but not a very believable one because there seems to be little logic or process to what she does. Some of this is obviously alien induced, and that's made somewhat clear most of the time, but it all seems so much like B-movie acting.

Huh?

... thrown in the bin? This is all the alien DNA thing that later Molly goes all alien trip on us and waves her hand about in a gesturing mode to rearrange everything.

When a smirking man's face in bed with a shocked Molly is a highlight of the episode, you know this show's got problems.

Charlie seemed to spend the whole journey in the car not watching the road. I know these cars can be automatic but he did appear to be actually driving it, although rarely looking.

The most amusing drug dealers in the world. Stereotypes anyone?

... and us. Molly sex is not what we want to see. Thankfully JD wrestles her off him in one of her alien tripping moments.

Seems instant messaging is back in fashion in the future. Probably the most boring simple conversation Charlie and Lucy have ever had.

That'll work Courtney. JD's daughter and JD have the most emotional scenes in the show.

But did he or the aliens write this?

And Finally

The actual "bad guys" of the show didn't appear in this episode. Refreshing maybe, as all they do is have their eyes glow, give cryptic words, and try to mate.

This was an episode overdosed on Molly narcissism. Sigh.

The Last Ship: S02E01

Rating: 7

In A Nutshell

I was so looking forward to this show returning and it did not disappoint! Wham Bang; straight into the action! For me, even liking this show last season was a big surprise as I don't tend to watch military stuff or shows about viruses getting loose, but it was certainly more engaging than I thought thanks to lots of likeable characters, a premise that really works and is captured in great realistic detail, and, of course, great action!

There was no "Previously" on the on-demand episode, as one was thrown straight into where things left off last season. After 5 minutes I was so baffled I had to quickly watch a recap video on YouTube to remind me, as I'd totally forgotten that the ship was taken over by the authority of the local governor lady in the city's port they'd pulled into. After discovering that she was basically creating a super-elite environment of only the best and brightest people, whilst dumping all the dead to create their electricity, relationships between the USS Nathan James ship crew and her went south quickly than this virus spread around the world!

So, we kick off with the russian doctor in a bad way on the bridge where a few of our crew are being held captive as they try to save his life, whilst trying hard to not let on that the medical bag contains a sample of the cure. The rest of the crew are gathered into a holding room, after one guy makes a run for it, jumps off the side of the ship, and escapes into the water. Yup, it's that kind of show, but you forgive it all that, cause for the most part, this is enjoyable stuff, so the silly stuff is easily forgotten. As the russian doctor bleeds out and gets progressively worse, the oppressors fail to find the cure and grow more annoyed and desperate. After it's discovered that the doctor's wife and daughter are on board the ship, the oppressors try to use the threat of shooting her to get the cure location from the doctor, whom they seem to think must know where it is. In one of the most disturbing scenes from the show's existence, and a little B-Movie like, the doctor refuses to reveal anything and removes what was stemming his wound and essentially bleeds out to death, with blood squirting everywhere like a burst water mains!

Meanwhile, on land, the captain puts his children into the care of one of his senior officials, as he and a couple crew members go to strike back at the lady governor by taking out her electricity generating facility. They sneak in rather effectively before going all gung-ho in a great sequence of action, to capture the facility. Here, they meet up with the local rebels (the head of which is Lost's Man in Black, woohoo!) and together they agree a plan to take down the governor's headquarters and get control of the ship once more.

Back at the governor's facility where everyone is enjoying a sterile and comfy living, we find Tex (the bearded highly enjoyable guy) sneaking into the Government Facilities, named AVOCET, and within the space of two minutes, he's wearing a security guard uniform and walking about the facility with a gun. This takes some believing that someone would turn up at the gate, volunteer to help them, and seconds later be in trusted locations of the building, but hey, we'll try to ignore that, as Tex is a lovable guy. Anyhow, he makes contact with our main doctor, Dr Scott, who is being imprisoned by the governor to make more of the cure. As they hatch a plan to escape, they discover that one of the ship's' crew has been retrieved as it's been discovered that she's pregnant and thus the "bad guys" want to operate on her to remove her baby's stem cells!

What I liked

The Russian Doctor I'd always had sympathy for, as he really did start to do some good work when he was working as a spy for the russians who had his family captive. His heroic death was graphic and really helped add to the high stakes at play.

Tex; steals every scene he's in. The Captain is also a very tough James Kirk like individual. You just know he's got the brains and the brawn to win the day.

Great action scenes that make you punch the air with joy!

What I Didn't Like

Doctor Scott, as cute as she is, she does go around with an emotionless face and forever sounds like she's in a mood.

Tex's quick transition into a security guard after just volunteering less than 5 minutes previously in the show was just a ridiculous turn of events to really take without a little lack of credibility.

Huh?

Could have been a scene from The Walking Dead, as bodies are tossed about with disregard and burnt for electric.

It's Lost's Man in Black! Woohoo! Well, ok, not the same character, as he's the rebel leader in this show. Highly likeable guy though.

You just wouldn't want to mess with this crew member. Make a great American Football player maybe? Just needs a big hug.

Our Russian doctor bows out of the show in the most bloody fashion ever.

Tex as a security guard is believable. The fact that he got the job in less than an hour or so is not so believable.

Could be from the X-Files, as the pregnant crew member is hastily prepared for surgery.

And Finally

They even gave the show a new opening credits sequence! Yes, last season it was all of a few seconds. This season, at least 10 seconds! Much better. We didn't want a long one for this kind of show, but a couple seconds was too quick by far.

This was a great opener, doing what the show does best; action, drama and likable characters.

Podcast Review: The Explainers (Specifically, Episode 3)

Rating: 4 (Awful)
*Based on listening to episode 3

In A Nutshell

Admittedly I've only listened to one episode but usually it's possible to gain an appreciation of how other episodes might go from just the one, and my impressions from what I heard were not very good indeed.

There are 4 episodes of roughly 25 minutes in this series, which is a decent run time, although a short series. One episode was enough for me. I'd tuned into the 3rd episode in the series, entitled "Did a UFO Crash in North Wales?". The two "investigators" are reasonably likeable and clear in their beliefs or lack of, and reasonably sensible in terms of what content is needed for such a show. Sadly though, a lot of it is just plain boring. They either spend their time talking about non-relevant issues or making a mockery out of interviews with any genuine witnesses.

I struggled to get through the 25 minutes as I'd had enough after just 10. These two revealed nothing, except for how they can waste good subject matter, witnesses, and 25 minutes of your life.

What I liked

The subject matter; I'd seen documentaries mentioning the UFO crash in Wales so this caught my curiosity to hear what, you may think was a good team, of a sceptic and believer investigate.

The running time of around 25 minutes is a decent period for a weekly show.

The idea of a believer and non-sceptic (X-Files like) is something that might be old hat but should be able to produce a good ping pong of ideas and views.

What I Didn't Like

The believer, of which I'm not sure who is who from their names, is just plain annoying in his absolutely OTT lengths he goes to make anything remotely believable sound like a farce.

25 minutes of these two is at least 20 minutes too long sadly.

The content sounds good on paper, but these two make everyone they interview look like a comedy character by not asking any genuinely investigative questions without quickly sounding stupid.

Huh?

There's 4 (ok, maybe 5 if you count the introduction) episodes in this series. Great range of topics, but as to if they are any good, I'm not willing to put myself through them after the episode I suffered.

And Finally

You can listen to clips of the show here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05xbxb0/clips as well as find where to listen to the episodes and download them to listen to.

I was thoroughly disappointed so much with what I heard in the one episode that there was absolutely nothing in it that would make me want to hear these two again.

Extant: S02E03: "Empathy for the devil"

Rating: 5

In A Nutshell


I timed it this week, because the opening introduction from last week isn't a one-off. We had it this week. 57 seconds it lasts, whilst Molly summaries events from this and last season. Why do we need reminding of this every week? I've tried hard to forget last season!

The episode starts with far too long an explanation of what happened five months earlier to Molly's alien son. We didn't need to see this, because we knew enough from last week to have an imagination, and seeing it all was not any bit more interesting. So he metamorphoses in the morgue, nicks some clothes from the workers, and then spends a few months eating and watching TV in a flat he's tricked someone into letting him use. What was the point of all that?

Meanwhile, at that bar, alien son notices the cameras watching him, which it seems he's not noticed on any other night at this bar or for the last half hour he's been in there ... but he does when a drone is coming. Anyhow he doesn't know about drone, and invites Molly outside, which she seems really up for, like she's suddenly a hooker. Outside in alley, JD shows up, having tracked her, and this is when the plot goes bizarre as the alien uses mind control to have JD aim his gun at his own head, which is when Molly realises he's not only an alien but her son! Seriously! She didn't know? Why the heck was she at that bar and hooking up with a young man for sex then? This just makes no sense. Even the drone strike on the building, which JD amazingly figures out at last minute to protect them, doesn't knock any sense into them. They get interrogated by Toby and his military staff, which leads to some entertaining dialogue with JD but some rather plain and odd dialogue with Molly and anyone she talks to at that place. Just plain odd. Not only that, but minutes later, JD is released without charge and Molly is in a green looking space suit walking about the military place. Why did she change clothes? Is it compulsory for her to wear spacesuits?

Lucy is having more tests. Her behaviour is weird too, but one would expect that given her programming and lack of any ethical standards. She doesn't do what she's told and is happy to think that killing children is a good thing if it means getting the terrorist when she's given a field test. This I can all accept, even if it's all rather simpleton stuff. At least we finally get confirmation that Lucy is being built to tackle the alien. Any bets on it being Ethan who wins the day on that one? This episode though he's having several moments when he just pauses, stares into space, as he has memories of Molly. Seems deleting his memories that Julie did to have him think she's his mum, isn't a good idea. Go figure? These scenes are very cringe too. Very simpleton moments. He still annoys me as a character.

JD is the star of the show still. Oozing charisma and intrigue as he turns up, lounging about in Molly's home after she's been given some crash course on shooting a gun (which she seems to do laughably ace on). Everyone is expecting the alien son to visit her, so the conversation with JD is welcome over any dull alien son encounter. However, she starts her itching thing, and sends JD on his way, before the local power grid goes down and out of the shadows comes Captain no-charisma, her son. Totally expectedly she caves in at shooting him, and he speaks the most boring sentences ever, before showing her that there are other alien kids around. Whether they are actually in that room and invisible or spread over the planet, one doesn't know. It's enough to make her say the most rubbish sounding "no, no, no" cries ever.

Meanwhile, JD has gone home (although I figured he might have disobeyed Molly and stayed about nearby) and finds his daughter on the doorstep. She says she pregnant. He's shocked, although the convenient plot line tie in to alien pregnancies is not too shocking in this programme which seems to have limited shock value.

Molly awakes from her alien son encounter to find an empty house. Someone is opening the back door though and walking in! It must be her son, so she blows the crap out of him with the gun. Yup, just shoot and ask questions later. Turns out it's Toby she's shot! Is he dead? Is the world flat? It's a cliffhanger on the sort of badger mound kind. Guessing he'll be ok. Why did she think her son would be coming back in the door? Popped out for a smoke???

What I liked

JD; easily the most interesting and watchable character this show has ever seen.

What I Didn't Like

57 second opening summary of 1 and a bit seasons :(

5 months earlier flashback to show Molly's alien son come alive in the morgue and live it up in a flat. 4 or more minutes to tell us nothing that the narrative hadn't already told us.

Toby, aka David Morrissey, just seems to bellow commands and look like he's lying with everything he says. That seems to be the kind of person David plays in every show. And he seems to always be shouting, even when talking quietly!

Julie; this weeks random behaviour person. Ok, they all are pretty random, but she's the queen this episode. I get she's stressed but her behaviour with Charlie is just bizarre and desperate. It's not just Lucy that needs an ethical algorithm but Julie does too.

Huh?

That's the sound of us viewers falling asleep my dear

... which just about makes the whole segment completely bizarre.

Why did she change into this green space suit thing?

... and give JD much more air time whilst you're at it!

So, there's lots of alien children going around? Invisible?

And Finally

The pace slows and so does any quality. The faster things move in this show, and the less time we get to think, the better. So it's really a serious degrade in believability and interest this week. The title of episode is about having empathy for the enemy but I'm not sure how we gain any from what's happened in this episode! 

Extant: S02E02: Morphoses

Rating: 6

In A Nutshell

After last weeks sort of promising opening episode of some, err, promise, this week just about manages to almost match it, which is a relief. We do however now get an opening blurb at the beginning of each episode which is quite a long winded overview by Molly.

So, things kick off with a failed government attempt to take down an human alien in, of course, a warehouse. The soldiers start to turn on each other as the alien's eyes glow and take control of the situation. David Morrissey's chief of security character is naturally dismayed at the outcome of no captured alien and dead soldiers. At their funeral, which is a fraction of a second later, he gets more bad news that Molly is out of the hospital with JD. Seems he's only now catching up on last week's episode.

Ethan this week looks like someone hell bent on being mean because he can. He's not happy with Julie looking after him, and gets angry at home by throwing his breakfast over the floor, and then at her work he starts playing games loudly. Overhearing Julie's boss telling her to do as she's told or they'll take him away from her, he attempts to go all Carebear on us, by glowing his core chest battery to dangerous levels and threatening to kill himself. He doesn't of course. He's talked down by Julie and her sidekick Charlie. To help Ethan get over this "pain" of being with her, she "takes away" his memories, so that he now thinks she's his mum. You can be sure as anything, that that's not going to end up going well for either of them. Not least when earlier, the enforced test of the new humanbot, Lucy, ends up with Charlie's hand getting crushed.

JD is the star of the show, with all the good lines, and he and Molly roll together nicely, although even though he's beginning to realise that she knows stuff, they clearly aren't fully on each other's side yet. Back at her apartment, after a failed attempt to extract information from a lady they suspect has an alien baby inside her, she drugs JD in a rather pathetic way, and then goes back after the lady again, yelling at her at a supermarket, before things go seriously weird. We have visions of Molly having sex in some club and then awaking in a forest where she chats to the obligatory scary child with bright eyes. Yes, an alien. Seconds later and JD is waking her up in her own bed. She nor he knows how she got there but he's not happy with her behaviour. Thankfully he places a tracking device on her secretly, because she absconds yet again, but this time he knows where she's gone.

Seems so do the military, because in the closing scenes, as they prepare to take out an alien human again, who happens to be Molly's aged and not dead at all alien son (yes, really), they get a visual on the scene and see Molly with him! Shock and not much horror. A little rattled, David Morrissey's general guy orders the drone strike, and we get the credits come up. It's supposed to be a cliffhanger but only an idiot would think the star earner of the whole TV show will be blown up in episode two, so expect JD to have something to do with that.

What I liked

JD; what a cool charismatic guy.

David Morrissey adds character, but he seems to play the same kind of strong voiced guy in every show I see him in.

It was quite a fast paced episode, which is useful, because if it wasn't, we might doze off.

What I Didn't Like

Ethan; I know critics like this side of the story, but I feel this human/robot thing has been done so many times in other shows and much better. I just find it cheesy and him to be plain intent on being nothing but a nuisance.

Aliens and their glowing eyes. Don't mind the concept, just looks naff on this show.

So, Molly's Alien Son had his head explode last week, but this week we're told he escaped the morgue and has aged to be an adult? What was that all about last week then??

Even though Molly was seen with tablets just seconds before, when JD passed out due to the drugs in his drink, we got a flashback to Molly putting the tablets in the drink. AS IF WE COULDN'T HAVE WORKED THAT OUT?!?!

Huh?

Julie's boss and she's quite demanding. Gotta like that in a woman ...

Wait! It's Star Trek: Enterpise's doctor, Phlox! And he's playing ... a doctor!

The new human bot's female look was deliberate by creator John. She's supposed to look like Molly. Guess he got the skin colour right ...

Scary non-talkative children in woods? Tick!

It's carebear Ethan!

Molly on a date? Surely not, as that's her alien son you know!

And Finally

So, JD aside, Mr Morrissey gives a decent performance, whilst Ethan is the usual brat and Molly the usual frantic mad nut who doesn't stop for a breather. Still, things move so quickly in this episode that interest is maintained.

Falling Skies: S05E02: "Hunger Pains"

Rating: 5

In A Nutshell

This week, Falling Skies is brought to you by the words "food" and "skitters".

Yes, relentless attacks by disorganised hordes of skitters leads to the 2nd mass losing their food supply and reminding us (after an 8 days later graphic) very constantly that they are starving, by way of people walking around looking wary and Matt's new girlfriend collapsing. Yup, in this episode he goes from nothing, to almost base one in cheesy stomach curling junior school romance style. A plan is hatched to go via a very convenient storm drain system to get to a nearby distribution store warehouse. They find food, but almost rather predictably, they also find trouble, thanks to a sister who has a half brother/half alien for company. Lying to her that they can cure her brother, she falls hook, line and sinker for that, and allows them to take the food, and her brother (in a crate) back to the 2nd mass.

Meanwhile, whilst they were away, our mechanic extraordinaire, Mike, builds a remote controlled weapon of some sorts from alien tech. He's pretty damn amazing, huh? Sigh. Tom continues to have random hallucinations, whilst that fly from last week remains in a glass jar awaiting study, as a million times it's presence is reminded to us. At the end, a makeshift magnifying device reveals that the fly is made up of human and alien parts. It suddenly, but predictably, then takes off. Tom and his missus then give chase, perform some fantastic tracking techniques that is sure to lead to them becoming beekeepers one day, as they pursue the fly for what must be a few miles. They they discover that the fly has friends, although exactly what was going on I couldn't tell from the CGI mess. Looked like skitters and flies together on mass.

What I liked

Them going out on a food run sort of reminded me of classic "The Walking Dead". Not as tense or dramatic perhaps but that sneaking about with guns in the dark is always a good watch.

Well, the fly isn't mechnical like I thought, but genetically made up of lots of species. Yuck.

What I Didn't Like

Another CGI mess with the skitters, but as there was so much going on, it wasn't as noticeable.

Tom's visions just seemed completely pointless this week.

The way everything is quite predictable and contrived in this show was on overload this week.

Tom and his missus can follow a fly for miles? I can barely see them move across the front room without losing sight of them!

Huh?

Fish is off the menu! And so is eating cooked skitter. Doesn't seem to agree with human intestines.

Ahh, the plot lazy but very convenient storm tunnels to get about

Oh, look, the food warehouse subplot involved getting trapped. Who'd have thought that?

Skitter overload this week!

The fly has human eyes! Not on the same scale of size of course. Could have been animal eyes too, so not sure why they jumped to conclusion that they were human.

And this is what Tom and missus discovered at the end after following that fly. Yeah, no idea for sure what it is either.

And Finally

Pretty unremarkable but not too offensive this week either. The usual sort of contrived, cheesy and pointless dialogue of course, but it just about held together some interest.

At A Glance Review of ... Britain Beneath Your Feet E02: "On The Move"

Rating: 6

Dallas Campbell is back to pose and posture about in this second episode of a two part series that takes us around underneath parts of Britain. This week was themed to concentrate on things beneath the ground that keep the country moving, although I wasn't expecting puffins to feature.

You can find the whole episode on the BBC iplayer; check availability here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0619k4f

First up, Dallas heads to Heathrow, before taking to the skies in a WW2 plane to once again rather unnecessarily fly about to show us nothing much in particular. His aim was to let us know that in WW2, lots of fuel was hidden underground and piped around the UK.

This fuel system is still in use today, although we never see one of the refuelling stations or any of the pipes in this programme.

We do however get computer graphics to show us the not so amazing concept of underground pipes below heathrow.

Up to Scotland next, as Dallas takes a boat out into the Firth of Forth to show us from the water level, the true majesty of the rail bridge. Amazing to think this was constructed in 1880s.

Dallas gets hold of the plans for how they lay the foundations for the Forth Bridge; a rather sophisticated and hazardous system of pumping out water and workers hacking away at the ground.

Before motorways or any roads, it was canals and barges sending coal and other minerals across the country. Dallas takes us underneath the Pennine mountain through an amazing tunnel.

Flat on his back, Dallas shows how barges used to be pushed along the tunnels by using your feet! There were professional "leggers" employed who did nothing but this job.

To show how much effort was required to get through that mountain, Dallas does some blasting of his own. The result leaves you in no doubt that it was a job that required considerable manpower and a heck of a lot of time.

Dallas then goes down a closed down Silica mine in Wales. Water has overcome most of the lower levels now and is used by some extreme divers, of which Dallas joins them. Amazing to see everything underwater. Certainly not a dive for anyone inexperienced.

Dallas then takes a break from man made routes below ground, to take us to the Farne Islands and meet the warden of the island who looks after the welfare of the inhabitants of puffins. They burrow underground to nest, thus linking into the theme of the programme. One adult puffin and the child, a puffling, is rather unnecessarily pulled out from their nest carefully to show to us. Very cute, but I'd rather they were not put through that.

Next up, badgers. Yes, you heard me. We follow Dallas as he helps relocate a set of badgers encroaching on a primary school.

Back in Scotland, we're in Edinburgh visiting an underground bunker created by the government in case of nuclear war many decades ago.

Dallas shows us the radio broadcasting room as well as other rooms in this creepy and curious bunker.

To Wales now, and a mountain in snowdonia where a hydroelectric plant lurks beneath.

How it works, the power involved, and dangers, is quite amazing to take in.

Finally to London and the billion pound CrossRail project due for completion in 2016. Dallas shows us inside the massive drilling machine.

He also meets the lady in charge of constructing one of the underground stations.