10 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
Six months after an alien invasion devastates Earth, history professor Tom Mason leads the surviving resistance, the 2nd Mass. His primary goal is to reunite his family, especially his captured son Ben. Tom's other son, Hal, desperately searches for Ben, who is being enslaved by the aliens.
The central conflict involves the 2nd Mass fighting alien invaders and their robotic "Mechs" while trying to rescue captured humans, particularly children. Key turning points include the discovery that aliens use harnessed children as messengers, leading to the rescue of Ben and other children. However, the season is marked by shocking losses, including Dr. Harris killed by a Skitter, Mike dying while helping children escape, and Karen, Hal's girlfriend, revealed to be working with the aliens. The season culminates with a desperate assault on an alien tower. In a shocking twist, Tom boards an alien ship to save Ben, leaving humanity's future uncertain.
Season 1 of Falling Skies covers episodes 1-10. Here's everything that happened:
Season 1, Episode 1: Live and Learn - Six months after an alien invasion devastated Earth, history professor Tom Mason is made second-in-command of the surviving resistance. While on a mission for supplies, his son Hal spots his captured brother Ben among enslaved children. The group successfully retrieves food, but Hal witnesses Ben being led away by aliens, highlighting the desperate struggle to reunite the family and survive.
Season 1, Episode 2: The Armory - While scouting an armory for weapons, Tom and his team are taken hostage by a ruthless gang led by John Pope. An alien ship intervenes, killing most of the outlaws, leaving Pope as the sole survivor of his group. Pope is taken prisoner, and Margaret agrees to help Tom find his son Ben.
Season 1, Episode 3: Prisoner of War - During a mission to rescue harnessed children, including Tom's son Ben, the rescue attempt goes awry. Hal witnesses the execution of several children by a Mech after he and Karen are captured and then separated. Tom successfully captures a Skitter, learning that the aliens use captured children as messengers. The episode concludes with the revelation of how Tom's wife died and Dr. Harris's role in it.
Season 1, Episode 4: Grace - Tom and his team, guided by Pope, seek motorcycles but encounter Skitters and harnessed children. While Anne and Dr. Harris attempt to communicate with a captured Skitter, Rick reattaches his harness, allowing the alien to communicate through him. Mike forcibly removes the harness, saving Rick but severing the connection. The episode concludes with the team escaping the armed children, leaving the fate of the harnessed kids unresolved.
Season 1, Episode 5: Silent Kill - Hal devises a plan to infiltrate the hospital and rescue the harnessed children, including his brother Ben. Dr. Harris is killed by a captive Skitter while attempting to inject it. Anne discovers the Skitter's vulnerable spot in its mouth, which Hal exploits to kill the Skitter guarding the children. The episode concludes with the successful rescue of most of the children, and Ben waking up and recognizing his father.
Season 1, Episode 6: Sanctuary (1) - Lt. Terry Clayton of the 7th Mass arrives, claiming the Skitters are attacking and proposing to evacuate the children to a safe haven. This plan causes significant parental debate, especially for Tom. Meanwhile, Mike is killed while helping the children escape a trap set by Clayton. The episode concludes with Tom surrendering himself as a hostage to spare the children, only for Weaver's forces to arrive and apprehend Clayton and his men.
Season 1, Episode 7: Sanctuary (2) - The 7th Mass leader, Clayton, reveals his deal with the Skitters: children in exchange for safety. Hal and Mike attempt to rescue the children, leading to a confrontation. Mike sacrifices himself to ensure the children's escape. Pope returns to aid the rescue, and Tom confronts Clayton, ultimately killing him. The episode concludes with the children safely returned, though Rick's disturbing conversation with Ben hints at his continued Skitter influence.
Season 1, Episode 8: What Hides Beneath - While scouting the alien structure, Tom, Hal, and Weaver discover a new, taller alien species commanding the Skitters. Weaver grapples with the traumatic memory of inadvertently killing his own daughter while trying to remove her harness. Meanwhile, an autopsy reveals Skitters also have harnesses, suggesting they were once human. The episode concludes with the unsettling reveal that Karen, Hal's harnessed girlfriend, is now working with the aliens.
Season 1, Episode 9: Mutiny - Tom Mason confronts Captain Weaver about his erratic behavior, discovering Weaver has been taking drugs. After Tom is imprisoned, he escapes and convinces Weaver to change his suicidal assault plan on the alien tower. Rick betrays the group to the Skitters, who then abandon him. The episode concludes with a failed assault on the Boston command tower, with survivors retreating.
Season 1, Episode 10: Eight Hours - As the 2nd Mass evacuates, Weaver leads a desperate assault on the Skitters' Boston structure. Rick defects to the aliens, revealing the humans' plans. Scott and Ben's jamming device temporarily repels the Skitters, but Weaver's strike team is decimated. Tom, armed with a Mech-metal RPG, confronts Karen, who reveals the aliens want to negotiate. Tom ultimately boards an alien ship to save Ben, leaving the fate of humanity uncertain.
