Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

A better season all around, with a better Blu-ray release to boot...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 3, 2014

When last we left Falling Skies, things didn't look too good for the 2nd Massachusetts or former history professor Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), who was reluctantly boarding an alien ship in an attempt to save his son, Ben (Connor Jessup). Things didn't look so good for the fledgling series either. While its ten-episode summer run earned a respectable following and enough Comic Con cred to gain some momentum, the Steven Spielberg-produced TNT alien invasion action-drama walked away from the first-season battlefield riddled with holes; plot holes, character holes, script holes... you name it. The series' second season, though, returned with a vengeance. More crucially, it returned with a new showrunner (Remi Aubuchon), more focused ambitions, sharper writing, and more clever twists on familiar genre tropes. Armed with better things to do and better things to say, Wyle and his co-stars are stronger too, bolstered by lucrative newcomers like Lost castaway Terry O'Quinn and ever-reliable character actor Matt Frewer. Is Falling Skies everything it could be? That depends on your perspective. If you find its comicbook stylings, endless mini-cliffhangers and cornball dialogue entertaining, the second season will be a blast. If you deem it too shallow and predictable for its own good, you'll wince more than you cheer.

On the brink of extinction...

Still, it's hard to deny Falling Skies is something more than it once was. American audiences are quick to abandon a series that doesn't grab them from the outset. I'll be the first to admit I was ready to give up on Spielberg and company last year after just two episodes. But given time to grow and mature, it is possible for a show to work through those early season growing pains. So although I remain quite skeptical, I also find myself caring about the men and women of the 2nd Mass much more this season than last. Who knows? Perhaps Season Three will make me a convert. Or maybe it will just confirm Falling Skies to be a flawed but decent bit of summer escapism. Either way, the second season is at least tolerable, which is more than I can say for the first.

The Complete Second Season Episode Guide:

• Worlds Apart: Three months have passed since Tom Mason (Wyle) agreed to go with the alien invaders. Weaver (Will Patton) is still in command of the 2nd Mass, while Anne (Moon Bloodgood) continues to serve as medic. They have seen many battles and are a much leaner unit now. Pope (Colin Cunningham) has taken command of the Berserkers, a renegade group within the 2nd Mass that Weaver doesn’t fully trust. When Tom suddenly returns, he is faced with doubt about his loyalties to the group. Meanwhile, Hal (Drew Roy) and Ben (Jessup) continue to drift apart as Ben challenges his older brother’s authority.
• Shall We Gather at the River: Tom is still haunted by memories of his time with the aliens and begins to wonder if they did something to his mind. Pope, who is in charge of questioning Tom, plants seeds of doubt about him among the group. Meanwhile, Ben’s hatred for skitters grows, and the 2nd Mass scouts locate an old bridge that will help them cross the river to safety ahead of an impending attack.
• Compass: The 2nd Mass moves into an airport hanger, but the drafty conditions cause Anne to grow concerned about the group’s health. Meanwhile, the Berserkers hatch a plan to get rid of Tom. And while dealing with a loss of one of its own, the 2nd Mass receives a promise of hope from a mysterious visitor.
• Young Bloods: While on patrol together, Ben and Hal try to help a young boy and wind up having their bikes stolen. The hunt to recover them leads them to the discovery of something much bigger. Also, Matt (Maxim Knight) is put in danger, and Weaver is reunited with a family member.
• Love and Other Acts of Courage: A familiar face returns to the 2nd Mass, but his intentions remain unknown. Meanwhile, a skitter is captured and brought back to the camp as a prisoner. And Hal bonds with Maggie (Sarah Carter) as she begins to open up about her past.
• Homecoming: Hal stumbles across bodies of de-harnessed kids and finds someone from his past. Tom and Anne grow closer. And Weaver’s health deteriorates just as Tom discovers he may have been keeping important matters from the group in order to protect them.
• Molon Labe: Ben is placed in harm’s way by someone who he thought he could trust. Tom captures another hostage. Weaver offers Matt a job to lift his spirits and make him feel useful. And when members of the 2nd Mass are trapped in the basement of a building, the situation takes a turn for the worst when they find themselves faced with a new enemy.
• Death March: The 2nd Mass pushes on to Charleston, but some are still grieving the group’s recent losses. Weaver learns more about Tector’s (Ryan Robbins) background before the invasion. And Matt begins to bond with a harnessed girl who was found recently.
• The Price of Greatness: The 2nd Mass meets new faces, while Tom comes across his former mentor and professor Arthur Manchester (O’Quinn). But it’s difficult to know who to trust. Maggie begins to realize that Pope may not be sticking with the group very long. And Tector embraces his military past.
• A More Perfect Union: When skitters approach the newly combined resistance force, the groups’ interaction surprises everyone. Meanwhile, Tom finds out life-changing news just as the 2nd Mass comes face-to-face with their most dangerous threat to date.

Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Complete Second Season's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is more polished than its problematic VC-1 encoded first season counterpart, if only a bit. Whether that's due to differences between the VC-1 and AVC codecs, improvements in the series' source, a bump in budget, or more tender loving care isn't really clear. What is clear is that the minor macroblocking that plagued the first season presentation has been reduced significantly (reduced, not entirely eliminated), and other issues -- black level consistency, delineation, and crush -- have been marginally improved (marginally, not dramatically). Yes, there are a few pesky source-based invaders. Noise attacks and retreats at will, CG effects are sometimes accompanied by irritating but ultimately minor anomalies, and crush still hampers shadow detail. But, on the whole, the series' second season is a more agile freedom fighter than its predecessor. Even though colors are largely muted, with bleached contrast leveling and damp primaries, the Falling Skies palette retains its personality and pulse. Detail is quite satisfying too, with clean, well-defined edges, revealing textures and nicely resolved closeups. Ringing and aliasing are held at bay, as are any serious bouts of banding. In fact, episode after episode rises above the series' television roots with more visual oomph than your ordinary basic cable sci-fi actioner. It's decidedly TV, mind you, and lacks cinematic heft. But it has style and presence, and its high definition presentation rarely disappoints.

Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Complete Second Season's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track nudges past its first season cousin too, if only because the series' sound design is a bit more cinematic (or at least more convincing) this go-round. Dialogue is clean, clear and precisely prioritized, despite some chaotic battle scenes that render a few lesser quips and cries unintelligible, and dynamics are especially notable, thanks to a slightly less generic, more atmospheric soundscape. The LFE channel is armed to the teeth as well, with plenty of punch and power to back those punches, and everything from machine-gun fire to explosions to alien machinery has enough heft, weight and presence to take action scenes up a notch. Rear speaker activity is still a touch too sparse considering the peril in which the humans often find themselves, directionality isn't as exacting as it could be, and Noah Sorota's score is a tad aggressive, domineering even. That said, the second season offers a leaner, meaner sonic experience than I expected (having reviewed the first season), and fans will be pleased with the decidedly solid results.

Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: Four commentaries are available. "Worlds Apart" with co-executive producer/director Greg Beeman, writer Mark Verheiden and actor Noah Wyle; "Homecoming" with Beeman, Wyle and executive producer Remi Aubuchon; "Molon Labe" with Aubuchon, Wyle, and writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle; and "A More Perfect Union" with Beeman, Aubuchon, Thompson, Weddle and Wyle.
• One Page at a Time: Writing the Second American Revolution (HD, 21 minutes): "Bigger, badder... it had to move faster!" The writers, showrunners and cast discuss developing, penning, producing and realizing the second season, as well as giving fans more bang for their buck.
• The Fans' Perspective: Touring the Set (HD, 9 minutes): The producers take a busload of worldwide contest winners on a tour of the Falling Skies set, where they meet actors, FX crewman and other team members.
• The Skitter Evolution (HD, 10 minutes): The VFX team eagerly take to "blowin' up Skitter heads" in this behind-the-scenes featurette for the second season's fourth episode, "Young Bloods."
• 2nd Watch: Episode 20 (HD, 31 minutes): Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wil Wheaton hosts a 2nd Watch roundtable with key members of the Falling Skies cast and crew, centered around the season finale, "A More Perfect Union."
• Terry O'Quinn is Manchester (HD, 2 minutes): Meet Lost's O'Quinn in this much too short character quickie.
• Team Skitter (HD, 3 minutes): Then meet the Skinners, or rather the people in the suits.
• Creating the Crawlies (HD, 1 minute): A rapidfire creature feature...ette.
• Designing the Spaceship (HD, 1 minutes): Yet another one-minute BTS promo.
• Season 2 Animated Trailer (HD, 1 minute): A Dark Horse Comics-produced preview.
• Season 3 Preview (HD, 2 minutes): A brief look at the series' third season.

Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Blu-ray release of Falling Skies: The Complete Second Season is an improvement on its predecessor in every way. The episodes, though still flawed, are tighter, smarter and more tense. The video presentation is more refined. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is more involving. And the special features are more satisfying all around. No, the series' sophomore season isn't going to win an enormous amount of new fans -- don't worry, it won't cause an exodus either -- and no, it has yet to live up to its potential. However, with a new showrunner and renewed vision, it's several steps in the right direction. If Season Three pushes farther ahead with the same boldness as Season Two, my next Falling Skies review might just be a glowing one.