Love and Other Acts of Courage

""Love and Other Acts of Courage""
Season 2, Episode 5

Episode	15
Air date	8 July 2012
Written by	Joe Weisberg
Directed by	John Dahl
US Viewers	3.64 million
Episode Guide
previous "Young Bloods"	next "Homecoming"
Cast Guide
Starring
Noah Wyle as Tom Mason Moon Bloodgood as Anne Glass Drew Roy as Hal Mason Connor Jessup as Ben Mason Maxim Knight as Matt Mason Seychelle Gabriel as Lourdes Delgado Peter Shinkoda as Dai Sarah Carter as Margaret Will Patton as Daniel F. Weaver
Also Starring
Ryan Robbins as Tector Murphy Luciana Carro as Lee Tedeschi

"Love and Other Acts of Courage" the fifteenth episode of Falling Skies and the fifth episode of the second season. It was written by Joe Weisberg and directed by John Dahl. It first aired on TNT on 8 July 2012 and drew 3.64 million US viewers.

Plot Synopsis[]

The 2nd Mass discover the existence of a resistance among the skitters when they stumble across a battlefield with no human's involved. The rebel faction is lead by Red Eye and has been disrupting the Overlords plans. Ben has been aiding the rebels and Tom is angry at his son for keeping their communication secret. Tom meets with Red Eye and they form a cautious alliance.

Plot[]

The episode begins with a group of skitters howling at the rising sun on top of a building. Soon they are joined by Ben who proceeds to do the same.

At the second Mass's headquarters, Hal reveals to Tom that Ben's spikes were glowing at the Harness facility but gets his dad to promise not to push Ben about it. An explosion nearby puts everyone on alert and Weaver sends Tom with some others to investigate.

The humans come across the remains of a firefight with many dead Skitters but no signs of humans. Even stranger, the Skitters are found to have been killed by Mech shots. Finding it bizzare that the aliens are attacking each other Hal makes a discovery in the rubble thinking he has found Ben only to find Rick.

Not wanting to take chances, Weaver has Rick put under guard until he comes around and can explain what happened. He also sends Hal and the Beserkers out to look for much needed medicine. Maggie leads them to a nearby hospital that is found to have been overlooked by the aliens. It is well stocked and perfect to set up camp for the next leg of their journey.

Rick eventually comes around and, while disoriented, says that Ben was at the battle and is out there badly injured. Weaver authorizes Rick to be brought along to find Ben whom they find in an abandoned building guarding the Red Eye Skitter. The humans want to kill the creature, especially Tom, after the torture he went through at the hands of that Skitter. Through Rick, the Skitter says that torturing Tom was the only way to keep him safe and he did release Tom when he could have killed him with the other resistance members. The Skitter collapses and Tom decides for now to take it back to base for information.

While Anne works to keep the Skitter alive, Tom is angry with his son for hiding the fact he was communicating with the skitters in secret. He is also skeptical of Ben's claims of an underground resistance within the Skitter ranks. Ben claims that Tom's torture was the only way Red Eye could keep in favour with the Overlords and be able to move around the ship to collect intel and find others like him without arousing suspicion. Tom is informed by a soldier that the Skitter is awake and wants to speak with him.

Meanwhile Hal and the others take cover on the way back from their discovery when they encounter a troop of mechs. Hal and Maggie get a little closer but Hal is still grieving the loss of Karen in first season.

After sending the others away in order to speak with Red Eye through Rick, Tom demands answers. The alien promises him answers but says there is little time since there is a death Squad on the way to eliminate him. Tom is skeptical of the Skitter resistance despite the alien's claims that the death of his allies this morning should be proof enough.

Red Eye explains that the Skitter homeworld was once much like Earth and they lived in relative peace until the Overlords came. They ravaged their planet and enslaved them with the harness like they are now doing with human beings on Earth. All this took place 100 years ago. As time passed, the Overlords became careless as the Harnesses are not as effective as they once were, allowing some Skitters to retain their free will and individual identities. However this has never happened in a large enough number for effective resistance and the Overlords kill any who have the defect.

Resistance seemed impossible until they came to Earth. While the Overlords think of humanity as primitive and savage, the Skitters have been impressed by the humans. Despite being pushed into a corner, humanity has managed to keep fighting and deal the invaders blows that they had not expected.

Other Cast[]

Co-Starring[]

Uncredited[]

Deaths[]

Significant Events[]

Hal reveals to his father that he witnessed Ben's spikes glowing a week before and that he appeared to be communicating with a harness.
The 2nd Mass, while camping out in a ruined city, notices signs of a battle. The 2nd Mass discovers the bodies of twenty Skitters and several Mechs, but no sign of a human presence.
Under a dead Skitter, Hal finds the long-missing Rick Thompson while Ben has disappeared. Upon awakening, Rick tells Tom that Ben was at the battle and needs their help.
Rick leads the 2nd Mass to Ben who is guarding a badly injured Red Eye. Tom recognizes the Skitter as the one that tortured him and killed the other militia leaders. Ben begs for their help in saving Red Eye while Red Eye tells Tom through Rick that he saved Tom's life. Tom eventually agrees to take Red Eye prisoner in hopes of finding out something useful from him.
Doctor Anne Glass is able to reluctantly save Red Eye's life while Ben reveals that Red Eye is the leader of a Skitter Rebellion. Ben is revealed to have been communicating with Red Eye since Jimmy Boland died and helping his rebellion.
A skeptical Tom agrees to meet with Red Eye alone. Communicating through Rick, Red Eye explains to Tom that the Skitters were once like humanity: a race conquered by the Overlords and harnessed as children. Red Eye believes that working together, the Skitter Rebellion and humanity can finally defeat the Overlords. For this reason, Red Eye had saved Tom's life.
While Tom interrogates Red Eye, Hal, Maggie, Tector and Crazy Lee scout some nearby hospitals for much needed medical supplies. While hiding from a squad of Mechs, Hal and Maggie flirt until the subject of Karen Nadler is brought up.
Hal's team eventually finds a fully-stocked hospital that has not been raided by either humans or Skitters. Hal and Maggie share a kiss, but Maggie refuses to pursue a romantic relationship with Hal. On the way back, they come under attack by Mechs and Hal risks his life to save an injured Maggie.
Red Eye reveals that there is a Death Squad coming for him and the 2nd Mass and Weaver attempts to kill him. Red Eye escapes, but Rick is accidentally killed by Boon while trying to help him.
The 2nd Mass is able to escape to the hospital where Maggie and Hal hold hands, Anne and Tom take an empty room together and Ben tells Matt that he will soon have to leave the 2nd Mass.
Its revealed that Captain Daniel Weaver has developed an infection from the harness bite he received rescuing his daughter. Despite Anne's best efforts, she has thus far been unable to find a cure.

Trivia[]

Red Eye's story about the Skitters origin foreshadows the story of the Dornia revealed in season 5, with the Dornia being the original Skitters.


		Falling Skies Season 2
#01	Worlds Apart		#09	"The Price of Greatness"
#02	Shall We Gather at the River		#10	"A More Perfect Union"
#03	Compass
#04	Young Bloods
#05	Love and Other Acts of Courage
#06	Homecoming
#07	Molon Labe
#08	Death March