Episode 3 Compass

ThreeIfBySpace · 06-24-2012, 09:49 PM

Post your thoughts and comments on this episode.

ThreeIfBySpace · 06-24-2012, 09:52 PM

Its interesting that we see the red-eye skitter following the 2nd mass. The last time we saw him, it was in Michigan when Tom was let off the ship. Than we saw the paracite from Toms eye fly back to him and go into his eye as he sat on the outside of the 2nd mass camp. The aliens have yet to ‘find the 2nd mass’, so why haven’t they attacked? I think its clear. It appears the skitter is tracking either Tom or Ben, if not both. What exactly was he doing to Ben? The sounds indicate communication of some kind. It would be reasonable to assume the skitter was learning more about Ben and his progress and possibly inputing things into this mind that could later prove to be a control over Ben. The skitter did it a second time, seemingly trying to input more information.

A recent comic strip from Comingsoon.net showing how Karen was harnessed had an interesting angle on the aliens. The tall grey choose her because she was resourceful and a fighter, she resisted. That reinforces my idea that the aliens statement at the end of season 1 about resistance was not talking about the 2nd mass, but Bens ability to resist the influence of the harness process. In the Karen comic, the alien said her resourcefulness would be useful to them. The harnesses don’t always take and they need a better system of restraints. Its clear the aliens have a keen interest in Ben as a result of his ability to resist them and Tom was a logical choice for them to study to understand how Ben was able to do it. Tom may also be a vessel for which to lure Ben at some point right into the aliens arms.

Jimmys death will further slip Ben into a state of extreme emotional mindset, furthering his hatred of the skitters and distancing himself further from the 2nd mass. The people of the 2nd mass also now trust him far less. That is exactly what the aliens want. If Ben doesn’t feel safe or doesn’t feel he belongs anymore, that will make it easier to lure Ben back to them.

The real question remains, what is this strange connection the skitter has to Ben? How much influence do the aliens have on him? Is Tom still a danger to the 2nd mass?

Jimmys death is sad. While he was a bit annoying in season 1, his character was really growing in season 2 and was a great partner for Ben. Compass has multiple meanings, beyond the compass itself. This episode helps set the tone for the rest of the season and sets up the emotional and physical direction of our characters.

Read our recap: Falling Skies Recap: Compass – The Direction We Choose & The Price We Pay | Three If By Space

swifty · 06-24-2012, 10:02 PM

I think that the red-eyed skitter is gathering intelligence on the 2nd Mass. When he did the thing to make Ben's spikes glow, he could have been getting information. And if the aliens know that the 2nd Mass intends on meeting a group in Charleston, then they will probably not make a major attack until they are in Charleston.

Thogar · 06-24-2012, 11:27 PM

What I don't get is if the 2nd Mass is trying to avoid the aliens yet Redeye is following them, why don't the aliens just attack? Obviously they know just where our favorite freedom fighters are if a skitter is trailing them, so something deeper must be going on.

My guess would be that the aliens want to know more about humans in general, but also about Ben's apparent ability to resist the harness as has been keenly pointed out by Three If By Space. Seeing that the real masters aren't the skitters it's fairly safe to assume we aren't the first planet they've invaded, but maybe Earth was the first place they encountered such trouble with the indigenous population. If so, they'd want to understand more about our abilities to resist not only to better control humans, but also for future invasions of other planets.

If that's the case, I think we will see more experimentation on people from the 2nd Mass. It's like they've become a microcosm of humanity for the invaders to study, rather than wipe out. At least until they've figured out all our secrets, then it's game over.

I also have little doubt we'll see something amiss with Tom after his "trip on the ship" and case of worms. It was all a little too easy, especially how he was the only one spared once all the captured humans had been released from the ship.

ThreeIfBySpace · 06-25-2012, 07:23 AM

perhaps Ben will be betrayed by his father. We do see an episode called Molon Labe where it says Ben is betrayed by someone he thought he could trust.

BuffyGroupie · 06-25-2012, 07:30 AM

Maybe it is all about resisting and fighting back. Ben did it, Karen did it and Tom did it, and they are all still alive. Ben and Tom are still basically free, although we have no idea what type of connection Ben still has to the aliens or what else they may have done to Tom. I can't believe that the one little worm in his eye was the only thing. There was no point to putting a tracking device in Tom, cause not only can they still communicate with Ben, but they've known right where the 2nd Mass is all along. That worm was something else and for all we know, it has brothers and sisters still inside Tom, just waiting for their turn to do whatever.

ThreeIfBySpace · 06-25-2012, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffyGroupie

Maybe it is all about resisting and fighting back. Ben did it, Karen did it and Tom did it, and they are all still alive. Ben and Tom are still basically free, although we have no idea what type of connection Ben still has to the aliens or what else they may have done to Tom. I can't believe that the one little worm in his eye was the only thing. There was no point to putting a tracking device in Tom, cause not only can they still communicate with Ben, but they've known right where the 2nd Mass is all along. That worm was something else and for all we know, it has brothers and sisters still inside Tom, just waiting for their turn to do whatever.

Exactly. No telling what its purpose was yet.

nifty413 · 08-04-2012, 01:39 PM

This episode is tied with "Molon Labe" as my favorite of season 2 so far!

06-24-2012, 09:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
ThreeIfBySpace Agent Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 20	Episode 3 Compass Post your thoughts and comments on this episode. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter! __________________ http://www.threeifbyspace.net "One if by land" "Two if by sea" "Three if by space"

06-24-2012, 09:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
ThreeIfBySpace Agent Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 20	Its interesting that we see the red-eye skitter following the 2nd mass. The last time we saw him, it was in Michigan when Tom was let off the ship. Than we saw the paracite from Toms eye fly back to him and go into his eye as he sat on the outside of the 2nd mass camp. The aliens have yet to ‘find the 2nd mass’, so why haven’t they attacked? I think its clear. It appears the skitter is tracking either Tom or Ben, if not both. What exactly was he doing to Ben? The sounds indicate communication of some kind. It would be reasonable to assume the skitter was learning more about Ben and his progress and possibly inputing things into this mind that could later prove to be a control over Ben. The skitter did it a second time, seemingly trying to input more information. A recent comic strip from Comingsoon.net showing how Karen was harnessed had an interesting angle on the aliens. The tall grey choose her because she was resourceful and a fighter, she resisted. That reinforces my idea that the aliens statement at the end of season 1 about resistance was not talking about the 2nd mass, but Bens ability to resist the influence of the harness process. In the Karen comic, the alien said her resourcefulness would be useful to them. The harnesses don’t always take and they need a better system of restraints. Its clear the aliens have a keen interest in Ben as a result of his ability to resist them and Tom was a logical choice for them to study to understand how Ben was able to do it. Tom may also be a vessel for which to lure Ben at some point right into the aliens arms. Jimmys death will further slip Ben into a state of extreme emotional mindset, furthering his hatred of the skitters and distancing himself further from the 2nd mass. The people of the 2nd mass also now trust him far less. That is exactly what the aliens want. If Ben doesn’t feel safe or doesn’t feel he belongs anymore, that will make it easier to lure Ben back to them. The real question remains, what is this strange connection the skitter has to Ben? How much influence do the aliens have on him? Is Tom still a danger to the 2nd mass? Jimmys death is sad. While he was a bit annoying in season 1, his character was really growing in season 2 and was a great partner for Ben. Compass has multiple meanings, beyond the compass itself. This episode helps set the tone for the rest of the season and sets up the emotional and physical direction of our characters. Read our recap: Falling Skies Recap: Compass – The Direction We Choose & The Price We Pay \| Three If By Space Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter! __________________ http://www.threeifbyspace.net "One if by land" "Two if by sea" "Three if by space"

06-24-2012, 10:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
swifty Groupie Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 1	I think that the red-eyed skitter is gathering intelligence on the 2nd Mass. When he did the thing to make Ben's spikes glow, he could have been getting information. And if the aliens know that the 2nd Mass intends on meeting a group in Charleston, then they will probably not make a major attack until they are in Charleston. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter!

06-24-2012, 11:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
Thogar Groupie Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 4	What I don't get is if the 2nd Mass is trying to avoid the aliens yet Redeye is following them, why don't the aliens just attack? Obviously they know just where our favorite freedom fighters are if a skitter is trailing them, so something deeper must be going on. My guess would be that the aliens want to know more about humans in general, but also about Ben's apparent ability to resist the harness as has been keenly pointed out by Three If By Space. Seeing that the real masters aren't the skitters it's fairly safe to assume we aren't the first planet they've invaded, but maybe Earth was the first place they encountered such trouble with the indigenous population. If so, they'd want to understand more about our abilities to resist not only to better control humans, but also for future invasions of other planets. If that's the case, I think we will see more experimentation on people from the 2nd Mass. It's like they've become a microcosm of humanity for the invaders to study, rather than wipe out. At least until they've figured out all our secrets, then it's game over. I also have little doubt we'll see something amiss with Tom after his "trip on the ship" and case of worms. It was all a little too easy, especially how he was the only one spared once all the captured humans had been released from the ship. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter!

06-25-2012, 07:23 AM	#5 (permalink)
ThreeIfBySpace Agent Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 20	perhaps Ben will be betrayed by his father. We do see an episode called Molon Labe where it says Ben is betrayed by someone he thought he could trust. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter! __________________ http://www.threeifbyspace.net "One if by land" "Two if by sea" "Three if by space"

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06-25-2012, 07:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
BuffyGroupie Groupie Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 4	Maybe it is all about resisting and fighting back. Ben did it, Karen did it and Tom did it, and they are all still alive. Ben and Tom are still basically free, although we have no idea what type of connection Ben still has to the aliens or what else they may have done to Tom. I can't believe that the one little worm in his eye was the only thing. There was no point to putting a tracking device in Tom, cause not only can they still communicate with Ben, but they've known right where the 2nd Mass is all along. That worm was something else and for all we know, it has brothers and sisters still inside Tom, just waiting for their turn to do whatever. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter!

08-04-2012, 01:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
nifty413 Groupie Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 9	This episode is tied with "Molon Labe" as my favorite of season 2 so far! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter!