Set Backs and Revelations: Retrospective: Falling Skies - "Journey To Xibalba"

Season 3, Episode 9

Air Date: Sunday, July 29, 2013 at 10/9c on TNT

Rating: ★★★★★

“And the human spirit remains the most powerful weapon on this planet; that is a gift.” — Cochise

After an intriguing episode last week with “Strange Brew,” Tom (Noah Wyle) has finally found his way back home to Charleston with a heavy heart. Delivering the news that Anne (Moon Bloodgood) and baby Alexis are dead to his three sons couldn’t have been easy, yet I’m not sold on Anne and Alexis’ demise. Yes, we saw a cocoon-like tomb encasing them in “Strange Brew” but that doesn’t mean they are dead. Right? As we dive into “Journey to Xibalba,” we are met with setbacks and revelations as time continues to tick away for Earth and its residents.

Observations:

Tom (Noah Wyle, center) breaks the news about Anne and Alexis to his three sons L-R: Matt (Maxim Knight), Ben (Connor Jessup), and Hal (Drew Roy)

Though Tom carries a heavy burden believing Anne and his baby daughter are both dead, he is all too eager to have his confidant, Col. Weaver (Will Patton), put a bullet in his head if it turns out Karen (Jessy Schram) indeed placed another bug in him. Tom has three sons, one who is still quite young in age. I know Tom is grieving but ensuring his demise if Weaver can’t pull the trigger by having Pope (Colin Cunningham) as a backup trigger man is asking for trouble. I mean, I know Hal (Drew Roy) is old enough to look after his two brothers but that doesn’t mean they don’t need a father. Despite their differences, I don’t know whether Pope could actually pull the trigger if and when the time came. These two men have a pseudo-bond of sorts from their impromptu camping trip after their plane crash.

Tom (Noah Wyle) is playing a dangerous game if he’s giving Pope (Colin Cunningham) permission to shoot him if he has a bug in him.

Lourdes (Gabrielle Seychelle) is the mole and she is on a mission to destroy Charleston by planting alien grenade bombs throughout the city. As explosions happen left and right, a large majority of the citizens are entombed in the rubble while those who are above ground frantically try to dig them out. Most of ”Journey to Xibalba” is tied up with the rescue effort, which I get, but the most interesting stuff happens within the confines of the chaos. Like Tom figuring out Lourdes is the mole. (Cue music – dun, dun dun…)

It’s a human slip of the tongue that gives Lourdes away. After giving her so-called condolences to Tom about Anne and Alexis, she says it was tragic how Anne died alone “right back where we started.” Tom only told Col. Weaver and Gen. Porter (Dale Dye) where Anne and Alexis were, so the only way Lourdes would have known is if she was the mole. I must give a hand to Seychelle for her performance. When Tom has her bound to the gurney, she begins telling him he need look no further than himself to blame because his actions caused all of this mayhem. It sent chills up my spine.

Col. Weaver (Will Patton, R) is thrilled to see his daughter Jeanne (Laci J. Mailey, L) emerge from the rubble.

Before Tom and Pope become trapped underground in the infirmary, they find a seriously wounded Cochise (Doug Jones) and his deceased Volm comrades. Cochise survives, barely. His alien body is able to regenerate but he needs quiet time to let the healing begin. Who else sucked in a huge gulp of air when Lourdes was alone with Cochise after faking her head injury? I was on the edge of my seat. There is more to Lourdes’ mission than just attacking the humans; Karen also wants to destroy the Volm. The question is, why? If you’ve seen the previews for the upcoming season finale this Sunday, August 8, then you know something is awry. Could it be an Espheni trick or are the Volm really a danger to the humans?

With the finale less than a week away, I’m sitting on pins and needles in anticipation. And thankfully with season four already ordered, there will be more Falling Skies!

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Falling Skies season three finale is Sunday, August 8, 2013 at 10/9c, only on TNT.

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

Follow Falling Skies on Twitter @FallingSkiesTNT, and use hash tags #Resistance or #Aliens.

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,

LIKE the series on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fallingskies.

Follow on Tumblr: http://fallingskiestnt.tumblr.com/.

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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.