Oh man alien invader fans, 2 hour season finale!!!! Whose excited?!?! THIS GUY!!! So let’s get started with Part 1, hour 1: MUTINY.
We open with the good Dr. Anne breaking the bad news to Tom about what she found examining the skidder, and I must say he takes it better than I would have thought for someone who just heard his middle child might sprout six legs. We next join or rededicated Captain Weaver who is planning the upcoming attack with new comer Lieutenant Danner. I mention this because this planning session is taking place WITHOUT the second in command, Tom. Uh oh, trouble is a brewing and we have our premise for this episode. We finally see the battle between the two that the writers have been tip-toeing around all season. No sooner than Weaver mentions awaiting Dai to return with orders from Porter, does he coming riding up on his motorcycle, and the dude is f-ed up.
I guess we will just have to wait and see what exactly is going on and what Porter’s orders are. After Dai gets to Dr. Glass, Tom begins his series of confrontations with Weaver. The first confrontation is about how Tom is being kept out of the loop with regard to the planning of the upcoming assault. Weaver plays it off and feeds Tom a line of shit about how he needs to be able to count on him after their little therapy session in Boston, and then assigns him to sentry duty with Hal while he plans with his new flavor of the week, Lt. Danner. Tom does not like this, but accepts anyway. Little does Weaver know he sends Margaret with Hal so he can stick around and deal with Weaver.
Between confrontations, we also catch up with Tom’s middle son Ben as he joins Scott, whose is still screwing around with transistor radios. While playing with the radio frequencies to see if they can find the “skidder channel” a particular frequency ends up causing a reaction in Ben. Enter creepy ass Rik who heard the noise too. Rik confesses that he hoped it was the skidders coming for them to collect and rejoin them. Ben then informs Rik of what they are doing with the radio and their hopes to jam the alien communications, big mistake come Part 2, hour 2…
We rejoin the Tom vs Weaver round 2, when Tom again confronts Weaver. This time Tom brings up the pills Weaver was seen taking in last week’s episode and how he may not be making sound decisions. Weaver, who is furious about the allegations and Tom’s failure to obey orders boy-toy Danner to relieve Tom of duty, and lock him up in the boiler room. This is no good for the 2nd Mass, but don’t worry, Tom’s only temporarily out of the mix.
Upon Hal’s return, Jimmy – ‘the little boy badass’ tells Hal what has happened, and they set out to free his father. With Jimmy serving as a distraction, Tom is able to overpower his guard and escape to try to restore some order to the second Mass. before tracking Weaver down for round 3.
Tom talks to the now conscious Dai about his orders from Porter and we learn that not only were Porter and his group attacked by mechs, and are probably dead, but they have lost contact with the 4th and 5th Mass, and Porter’s last orders was to retreat. Dai goes on to also inform Tom that he already told all of this to Captain Weaver, and that Weaver still plans to go ahead with the attack on the aliens, without reinforcements. Oh snap, Weaver is off his rocker.
Before confronting Weaver for a third time Tom pays a visit to Pope to have him dismantle the bombs he’s making for the good of all the people in the second Mass. After Pope agrees, Tom sets out for Round three with Weaver which takes place in the lab. After a brief stand-off between Team Tom and Team Weaver, which shockingly includes Pope, the words Tom has been trying to get through to Weaver finally makes some sense after he looks into the eyes of Jimmy. Apparently the concern on Jimmy’s face is Weaver’s kryptonite. Weaver decides that informing the fighters of the 2nd Mass of what REALLY is going down and let them volunteer for the mission is the best course of action, thus ending the rift between Tom and Weaver.
Part 1 begins to wrap up with the Weaver speech to the fighters in the gymnasium where he puts the entire truth out there. Despite the overwhelming odds and bad news, he is able to get over 50 fighters to volunteer to carry out the attack on the aliens. Tom and the remaining fighters will stay behind and protect the civilians should an attack come to them during the offensive. Before leaving this scene we are treated to a hallmark moment between the two when Tom tells Weaver he wishes he was going with him, and Weaver telling Tom this was why he was put second in command. Awww how sweet. The episode comes to an end with the volunteers setting out to get ready for their assault.
Overall i would say Part 1 of the finale was decent. We got to close the loop on Weaver’s meltdown from last week and finally address the rift between him and Tom that has been hinted at since the premiere.
3 out of 5 grizzlies.
Now let’s put a pretty little bow on Season 1 with Part 2: Eight Hours.
We kick of this episode with old man Scott and his radios. The dude is flat-out attacked by creepy ass Rick, who can apparently crawl on walls now ala Spiderman. In order to try to stop him from somehow hurting the skidders he now loves. Scott tells Dr. Anne, Tom, and Ben what happened, and how Rick has stolen a piece of the transmitter. Ben then finds and confronts Rick about what he’s done and tries to convince him to give himself up. Instead, Rick goes off about how great the aliens are and how he wants to be back with them again blah blah blah, and runs off to find the skidders and bring them to the school.
After Ben almost gets shot in that back by trigger happy hick, Tom sets out after Rick, who eventually comes across a harnessed kid in the woods who is more transformed than himself or Ben, and asks Rick to tell her all about the people he is with before he can go back with the aliens.
Tom eventually catches up with the freak Rick, who is now alone in the woods. Rick tells Tom, that the aliens only wanted the info from him and didn’t care to have him rejoin.. Poor Rick :( At least he confesses to Tom that he told the aliens all about the school, and the plans Weaver is currently carrying out in the city. Despite that, Tom takes him back to the school instead of putting a bullet in his head like I would have done. Way to be the bigger man Tom.
We then join Weaver with his group of fighters at the agreed upon meeting point with the 4th and 5th Mass, but guess who us a no show???? the 4th and 5th. Despite this, the group decides to press on and split into 4 teams, each is to attack one of the 4 legs of the alien structure. More on them later…
Back at the school, Tom decides to evacuate the civilians due to the whole “Rick selling them out” fiasco. In order to provide for enough time to make their escape, Tom decides to stay back a with a small group of fighters to hold off the aliens. Then, to inspire volunteers, Tom gives a great speech about the battles of Lexington and Concord, where small groups of colonists took on and held off British troops since they had something to fight for. Obviously this works, and the group agrees to fight. America, F Ya!
Checking back in Weaver and his men, we learn that the plan is not going so well. Hal, back from scouting, reports to weaver that Mechs are surrounding the structure, and are awaiting their arrival. Hal also informs him that plumes of smoke can be seen and it appears the other finger groups did not make it. After hearing this, Weaver sends Hal back to the school to spread the word about what’s happening and decides to press on despite being the only group left. I bet you can guess how that will go…
Back the school the mech attack is soon approaching, but this time the 2nd Mass may have a secret weapon in Ben and Scott’s jamming device they developed in part 1. After destroying a single mech with Pope’s new ammo, second wave of multiple mechs is quickly approaching. After exhausting a majority of their ammo on the one mech, it’s up to Ben and Scott to save the day. They are able to drive off the mechs after hooking up the jamming device to the flagpole to broadcast the frequency they found. Score one for the humans.
Soon after the battle is over, Hal arrives and informs his dad of what’s going down in Boston. Tom decides to gear up and go help Weaver and any other survivors with their new jamming device. before he takes off, Tom decides to go pay a visit to the good doctor where he FINALLY gets to first base. Took long enough.
Upon reaching the city, Tom first finds Pope holding/protecting an injured Anthony. Pope informs Tom that Weaver went on to tuft and blow up the structure, but since he didn’t hear an explosion he must not have made it. Before leaving to go back to the school with Anthony, Pope gives Tom a mech tipped RPG to take with him on his hunt for Weaver, and wishes him luck.
Tom does find Weaver who just regained consciousness from his early attack attempt. Before heading back to the school, Tom decides to take a shot at an alien ship with the RPG. Shockingly, or maybe not so shockingly, Tom hits one of the alien ships flying back to the structure which causes it to crash into its base and set off some minor explosions. After moment of enjoying their mini-success they pack up to head back to the school. Now this is where shit gets weird……
On their way back they are stopped by Hal’s harnessed girlfriend in the middle of the road. Karen informs Tom and Weaver that the aliens brought her to them since they do not understand. After Weaver asks “Who?”, a mother f’n ship drops out of the sky and one of the two-legged aliens we met last week step out. Karen goes on to say that the aliens did not expect to see resistance of this kind be put up against their invasion, and find it interesting. They actually want to talk to Tom about what is going on.
After hearing this request, Tom and Weaver flip out and threaten to shoot the alien where he stands. Karen informs the two not to shoot because of Ben. Obviously this gets Tom’s attention. Upon asking why, Karen confirms Dr. Anne’s fears about the harness being a process to transform those who wear or have worn a harness, and Ben is not free from the process. Karen goes on to tell Tom that the aliens will call Ben back unless he goes with them to talk. Despite protest from Weaver, Tom goes with Karen and the alien to talk.
End season 1.
Ok so I would have to say the majority of the episode was kind of cheesy and predictable. Hooray the little guy was able to stand up to the big bad machines, and congrats to Tom for having a hottie to come home to. And if you didn’t think Tom was going to miss an alien ship when he fired the RPG, then you are just a ra-tard. I was almost going to be disappointed with the finale until the alien encounter at the end. I have to commend the writers on a pretty good cliff hanger that I don’t think anyone could have seen coming.
My only complaint now is that I have to wait till next year for season 2. WTF TNT, do you have a shit load of Law and Order reruns that HAVE to be seen. Hopefully a cliff hanger of this magnitude and withstand the time between the two seasons. It will definitely be interesting to see the ratings numbers come season 2 premiere.
Part 2, 3 out of 5 grizzlies. If i was just rating the ending 4.5 out of 5. If I was rating the majority of the episode, 2 out of 5. I split the difference and rounded down. See you summer of 2012!
Grizzly Bomb 