Over the course of the previous four seasons, "Falling Skies" was a show that largely succeeded because of its storytelling balance. You had action, science fiction, and plenty of bravado...but also many reflective, character-driven moments. Sadly, I felt that the show messed up that equilibrium in this final campaign, instead choosing to keep "push, push, pushing" forward with a lack of characteristic reflection.
This final season isn't terrible. For those who are in it primarily for the alien apocalypse angle, it might be one of the strongest seasons in the show's run. From the first episode of this Fifth Season, when Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) gives a revenge-laden diatribe whilst holding the severed head of the enemy, one could understand that this season would be different. It is more about setting up the final battle and less about the struggles of humanity.
Your enjoyment of this final effort will really come down to why you began watching the show in the first place. If you like to see people blowing up aliens, there is plenty of that (always has been). However, if you (like me) are into the show for other, more subtle, character-driven reasons, then you might be a bit disappointed in how things all play out. Despite friends and family telling me that I "had to watch" this show for a number of years, I ignored those exhortations because I saw it as "just another alien apocalypse show". When I finally relented, however, I realized that it was about so much more. It was a show about what it means to be human. There were many times when I was moved to tears, while other moments were so inspirational ("we choose to go to the moon!") that they left me speechless after viewing. I counted Captain Weaver (Will Patton) to be one of my favorite television characters of all-time. I remember one particular episode where the Second Mass. was literally travelling in a caravan from one destination to another, just talking with each other. It was one of the best episodes I can recall watching, proving that the science fiction and action (while exciting) was not what defined "Falling Skies".
As I've mentioned, however, this final season goes away from that and focuses on the battle. It also (disappointingly) covers ground that has seemingly already been tread: Masons vs. Pope, "can we trust the Volm?", Mason and his family "on trial" for questionable wartime decisions. Stop me if you remember this stuff from previous seasons. Basically, instead of being inspired by the ending of the show, the thought I had more often than not during this season was: "they had the freedom of mapping out the show's ending and THIS was the best they could do?".
I hate to rag on this final season so much, because the show truly is one of my favorites. I'll conclude with an example of why Season Five failed to live up to my expectations: After five episodes of tireless battle, the sixth episode finds the Masons stumbling across a family of "conscientious objectors" to the battle against the Espheni. At first, Tom is flabbergasted that they can live in such denial of the world around them, but after some time with them he realizes exactly what he is fighting this war for in the first place. Reflective, contemplative moments like this are what made "Falling Skies" stand out from the crowd. Without them, it would have been a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic blow-up fest. For four seasons, the show managed to maintain that perfect balance. Surprisingly (as this was a show that rarely let me down), it couldn't do it for a fifth.
This final season isn't terrible. For those who are in it primarily for the alien apocalypse angle, it might be one of the strongest seasons in the show's run. From the first episode of this Fifth Season, when Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) gives a revenge-laden diatribe whilst holding the severed head of the enemy, one could understand that this season would be different. It is more about setting up the final battle and less about the struggles of humanity.
Your enjoyment of this final effort will really come down to why you began watching the show in the first place. If you like to see people blowing up aliens, there is plenty of that (always has been). However, if you (like me) are into the show for other, more subtle, character-driven reasons, then you might be a bit disappointed in how things all play out. Despite friends and family telling me that I "had to watch" this show for a number of years, I ignored those exhortations because I saw it as "just another alien apocalypse show". When I finally relented, however, I realized that it was about so much more. It was a show about what it means to be human. There were many times when I was moved to tears, while other moments were so inspirational ("we choose to go to the moon!") that they left me speechless after viewing. I counted Captain Weaver (Will Patton) to be one of my favorite television characters of all-time. I remember one particular episode where the Second Mass. was literally travelling in a caravan from one destination to another, just talking with each other. It was one of the best episodes I can recall watching, proving that the science fiction and action (while exciting) was not what defined "Falling Skies".
As I've mentioned, however, this final season goes away from that and focuses on the battle. It also (disappointingly) covers ground that has seemingly already been tread: Masons vs. Pope, "can we trust the Volm?", Mason and his family "on trial" for questionable wartime decisions. Stop me if you remember this stuff from previous seasons. Basically, instead of being inspired by the ending of the show, the thought I had more often than not during this season was: "they had the freedom of mapping out the show's ending and THIS was the best they could do?".
I hate to rag on this final season so much, because the show truly is one of my favorites. I'll conclude with an example of why Season Five failed to live up to my expectations: After five episodes of tireless battle, the sixth episode finds the Masons stumbling across a family of "conscientious objectors" to the battle against the Espheni. At first, Tom is flabbergasted that they can live in such denial of the world around them, but after some time with them he realizes exactly what he is fighting this war for in the first place. Reflective, contemplative moments like this are what made "Falling Skies" stand out from the crowd. Without them, it would have been a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic blow-up fest. For four seasons, the show managed to maintain that perfect balance. Surprisingly (as this was a show that rarely let me down), it couldn't do it for a fifth.