For the past ten weeks, both old and new fans of Falling Skies have watched as the writers have set in motion story line after story line like bottle rockets in the night sky, each on it’s own new and exciting trajectory and those of us who sat eagerly watching, especially those of us who have been watching the show from the beginning, anxiously awaited every Sunday night for our beautifully explosive pay off. Well much like cheap fireworks, there was no pay off and the most exciting thing about the whole process was the lighting of the fuse.
The pace was frantic in tonights season finale as they tried to tie up a seasons worth of loose ends in the 45 minutes of airtime that TNT affords them. It was a classic case of trying to fit 15 gallons in a Ten gallon hat. There were no less then 6 story lines that found their resolution in such a short amount of time. When there has been a ten week build up it’s disappointing to any fan that they only get 7-8 minutes to find the answers they’ve been waiting for all season long.
It’s a shame because the writers did a wonderful job with character development and launching story arcs that were brimming with possibilities throughout the season. Let’s not forget the Mason/Pope buddy episode “Search and 
Recovery” or “Strange Brew” the trip into the Mason’s history. While these episodes were interesting and entertaining. They did little more then flesh out the characters without necessarily propelling the story lines forward. This time would have been better spent in a two hour finale with a more thorough and complex season finale.
While viewers may have found the season finale lackluster, much to their chagrin, Fan’s of the Second Mass shouldn’t feel too down. Next season we can look forward to 14 episodes. If the writers see what most of the viewers do, the stories will be told in much more dramatic and exciting fashion. With all that extra time on the books we can count on more fleshed out story lines and rather than just seeing individual characters developed. We also might get to see and learn some of the intricacies tha
t make the people of the Second Mass so endearing to the viewers.
The finale had its flaws and imperfections but it wasn’t defined by them. Although tonight the vibe was definitely reminiscent of the last minutes of an important exam and the unfilled bubbles taunting you as the raucous boom of the second hand counts down to your inevitable doom, however everything was tied up. Loved ones were reunited, enemies temporarily vanquished, usurpers ousted and the spies were rooted out and terminated.
The Second Mass put the human spirit on display in this episode with moxie and spunk putting everyone on notice, Volm and Espheni alike, that if you’re planning to invade earth it’s not going to be easy, because were not giving it away. Tom Mason found his place at the front once again tonight which is obvious to everyone that’s where he belongs.
While most fans agree this wasn’t the best season of Falling Skies. It wasn’t as engaging as the previous seasons. There’s no cliff hanger to take us into season four, and all the important questions have been more or less answered. So what is there for a fan to look forward too? This season was about growth. The ground has indeed proven fertile and the seeds have been planted. All that’s left is to see what pops up next season. And reap the rewards.
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