‘Falling Skies’ Review: “At All Costs”
‘Falling Skies’ season three rains down its fourth episode of the year with “At All Costs,” as Tom meets with surviving U.S. President Benjamin Hathaway (Stephen Collins) to defend the Volm's involvement in the war, while Anne discovers a startling truth about her baby, and Hal continues to fight his alien implant.
Previous ‘Falling Skies’ episode “Badlands” saw Tom discover both Anne’s fears about the baby and an external human force looking to mount an attack on Charleston, while Pope worked to save a wounded member of his team, so what does the latest episode bring?
Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Falling Skies’' newest episode, “At All Costs”!
Smack in the middle of the battle started last week, Tom takes Catherine Fisher outside to witness the Volm easily decimating a Skitter aerial attack. By the next morning, the fighting has stopped and Hal once again seeks out his father to talk, but finds Tom too busy to notice. Tom and Weaver debate the minor losses of the battle, before Fisher volunteers an apology, and summons President Hathaway via shortwave radio to prove her story.
After catching the President up on their situation, Tom agrees to a face-to-face meeting at his compound. Meanwhile, Lourdes tells Ben, Deni, and the other traditionally de-harnessed youths that the Volm technology can completely remove their spikes, costing their abilities but lengthening their lifespan. Meanwhile in Pope’s bar, Pope reluctantly agrees to let Tom borrow his plane, on the condition that he come along to meet the president.
Weaver questions Tom’s decision to leave Charleston again, as does Anne, still worried about their baby. Cochise too joins the flight to the President’s camp, somewhat nervous about the condition of the airplane. Afterward, Anne pays a visit to Dr. Kadar (Robert Sean Leonard) and asks him to run a DNA test on de-harnessed children, slipping in a sample of Alexis’ tissue as well. Meanwhile, Ben continues to wrestle with the possibility of removing his spikes and no longer proving as useful to the resistance.
Lt. Fisher guides the plane to President Hathaway’s base, wherein the military force (among them ‘Battlestar Galactica’’s Michael Hogan) are none too pleased to see Cochise along for the ride. Cochise cooperates in being detained, as Tom and General Bressler meet with the President to discuss the Volm’s involvement in the war. Hathaway reveals that his forces have set up a minor communication network, but the President remains wary of trusting another group of aliens, despite Tom’s apparent successes under their alliance.
Tom brings President Hathaway before a captive Cochise to hear his side, as Cochise explains that he himself was born aboard the Volm ship for the purpose of fighting, and seeks only to end the conflict so that his descendants might one day see their home world. Back in Charleston, Ben informs Deni of his decision not to undergo the procedure, while Hal finds that his father has once again left on a mission. In his quarters, Hal’s mirror hallucination taunts him that he’ll never confess the truth to anyone, before assuming command of the body.
Anne returns to Dr. Kadar’s lab to find that Alexis’ tissue sample indeed tested positive for alien DNA, but when Kadar suggests they confess the truth, Anne knocks him out and grabs the sample. Upstairs, the possessed Hal finds a returning Maggie, and aggressively seduces her to lower her guard. Meanwhile, Ben learns that Deni opted not to undergo the procedure either, and the two go stargazing on a nearby roof.
Anne finds Lourdes taking care of Alexis before drugging her with wine to sneak baby Alexis off the base. Once there, she soon finds herself confronted by a Skitter and a harnessed child looking to take the baby, backed up by the possessed Hal. Meanwhile back at the President’s base, Tom and Hathaway learn their location has been compromised and prepare to take separate flights to a new location, regrettably placing Cochise on the President’s plane.
Both flights attempt to evade the pursuing alien ships, but Tom, Pope and Bressler see the President’s plane shot down, before their own takes a hit and descends into the forest.
Where last week's episode told a much smaller story to conserve budget and bring out the more human drama of the season, "At All Costs" very much shifted back into the larger conflict, even going as far as to include a surviving U.S. President! 'Falling Skies' being what it is, our instinct tells us not to trust this new authority figure, particularly given such a vicious attack dog as Saul Tigh himself!
In any case, it was interesting to see just how far the second Massachusetts had come, considering the majority of the U.S. human resistance had continued to fight small skirmishes against the Skitters, unaware of the existence of the Volm or any rebel aliens. So too did we enjoy the chance to get to know Cochise a little better, as he seems to have proven an innocent regardless of his race's true intentions.
Back on the home front, we're still a bit apprehensive about Anne's alien baby story, which so far has done little more than provide Moon Bloodgood a means to be absent from the show for her real-life pregnancy. Similarly, Hal's apparent possession hasn't amounted to very much, even with his creepy presence at Anne's abduction. As for Ben, the less said about a C-story that takes four-plus scenes for nothing to ultimately happen, the better.
We're guessing we've seen the last of General Bressler in the crash, though the President's plane plummeting should prove an interesting twist in the coming weeks, once Pope and Tom manage to escape their current circumstances.
Did you get your fill of Skitter-y ‘Falling Skies’ action? What did you think about tonight’s episode? Join the discussion in the comments, and be sure to check back next week for another recap when ‘Falling Skies’ returns with “Search and Recovery” on TNT!