Could There Be Two Moles? Retrospective: Falling Skies — “At All Costs”

Season 3, Ep. 4

Air Date: Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 10/9c on TNT.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Those who mind don’t matter; those who matter don’t mind.” — Matt Mason

At the end of last week’s “Badlands,” Tom (Noah Wyle) and the residents of Charleston were waiting for an Espheni strike to rain down upon them. As “At All Costs” opens, guns are ablaze as Tom, with the help of the soldiers and Volm aliens, proves to a disbelieving Lt. Fisher (guest star Luvia Petersen) that some aliens aren’t as bad as she thinks.

Observations:

Stephen Collins as President Benjamin Hathaway

As we’ve learned, Fisher works for Benjamin Hathaway (guest star Stephen Collins), the President of the United States who was in office prior to the Espheni invasion of Earth. After contacting Hathaway and informing him about the circumstances in Charleston, Hathaway agrees to meet with Tom for a discussion. Like Col. Weaver (Will Patton), I’m skeptical of Tom leaving Charleston with so little protection. He’s going to an undisclosed location on a plane that even the fearless alien Cochise (Doug Jones) is afraid of boarding. But maybe, just maybe, this could be a good thing. I’ll soon regret that line of thought.

As Tom secretly meets with Hathaway, he learns Hathaway’s entire mission has been to link with other resistance groups to bring civilization back. “Information does travel. It’s not Federal Express. It’s more like the Pony Express but it’s up and running and I’m not willing to put that at risk.” Needless to say, Hathaway didn’t anticipate Cochise being there. Thankfully, Cochise is able to persuade Hathaway that his race, the Volm, are not here to hurt the humans or take over Earth, but simply to help save them from a fate his planet and people have suffered. I, too, was touched by Cochise’s tale and can only hope that what he claims is true.

Pope (Colin Cunningham) seems to have the coolest gadgets, but a plane? I’d love to know when he had time to find stuff like that. I know he’s a good scavenger but I’m not crazy about the way he wields the power he has over Tom who needs to ‘borrow’ the plane to meet with Hathaway. I found it quite comical when Pope explains, “I’m reading a book,” so he can learn to pilot the plane. Although Pope isn’t always on the up and up, he’s not the bad guy. He gets a bad rap, for sure, but he’s not the one anyone should doubt. Hal (Drew Roy) on the other hand…

Tom (Noah Wyle) compliments his son Hal (Drew Roy) after the battle as Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter) looks on nervously

Hal’s inner turmoil begins to spill out in a volatile way as he struggles with the possibility that he is the mole. Maggie (Sarah Sanguin Carter) desperately pleads with him to be cautious about telling his father about his theories but a determined Hal begins doubting himself as his darker side starts to emerge. Whatever Karen (Jessy Schram) did to Hal, whatever she implanted, its reign over Hal continues to the point where you aren’t sure whether Hal is really himself anymore. I did notice one thing, though—the real Hal struggles with his own movements. After being in a wheelchair for so long, regaining the use of his legs is difficult; however, the darker version of Hal walks out of the room confidently. He only mimics the real Hal’s stumbling to cover his tracks. Will Maggie catch on before it’s too late?

Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) explains to both Ben (Connor Jessup) and Deni (Megan Danso) that she can safely remove the remaining harness spikes from their backs. She further explains that in spite of the increased agility and strength they both get from the spikes, they could be doing prolonged damage and shortening their lifespan. It’s a tough decision for Ben. He’s enjoying being the stronger brother instead of the middle son who was dependent on an inhaler prior to the invasion. He likes being needed by his father because of the spikes. Losing them would mean he would be normal again, but what is normal anymore? Matt (Maxim Knight) tells Ben he doesn’t care whether he keeps the spikes, which I’m sure means a lot to Ben. Jessup and Danso do a great job of conveying their characters’ individual struggles with the decision they must make. Jessup’s compelling performances throughout the seasons, especially this one, continue to impress me.

Tom (Noah Wyle) kisses Anne (Moon Bloodgood) goodbye before he leaves to meet with President Hathaway

Anne (Moon Bloodgood) still believes baby Alexis isn’t quite right. She coyly enlists the help of Roger Kadar (Robert Sean Leonard) to perform DNA testing on the 12 kids who’ve had their harnesses removed. Of course, one of the kids in the test is Alexis, and Kadar finds some startling results. Anne takes drastic measures to ensure Alexis’ safety as she flees Charleston, but she and the baby don’t get very far in a surprising twist of events. What I want to know is which kind of alien DNA? Espheni, Skitter, or Volm? Remember my wild hair theory that Alexis’ DNA could have been tainted since Anne was the only one able to work the Volm machine to remove the Skitter harnesses? Or, could Alexis have residual effects from whatever the Espheni did to Tom while he was a prisoner aboard their ship?

Could there be another mole among the 2^nd Mass or even among President Hathway’s people? How could the Espheni know where they are? Hal didn’t even know his father was gone so I don’t think Hal could have relayed any information to Karen and the Espheni about this top secret rendezvous. So, who is the other mole? The possibilities: Tom himself, Pope, Lt. Fisher, Cochise, and General Bressler (Matt Frewer). What do you think?

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For more on Falling Skies, go to http://www.tnt.tv/series/fallingskies.

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Follow some of the cast on Twitter: Matt Mason/Maxim Knight @RVRocket, Ben Mason/Connor Jessup @connorjessup , Maggie/Sarah Sanguin Carter @sanguin_carter, Hal/Drew Roy @drew_roy, Lourdes/Gabrielle Seychelle @seychellegab, John Pope/Colin Cunningham @CunninghamColin, Crazy Lee/Luciana Carro @lucianacarro, Anthony/Mpho Koaho @MphoAK, Karen/Jessy Schram @jschramer,

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.