Falling Skies

Mech tracks.

Armory could be a trap.

Those weapons better be worth it.

It's about six hours old. That's when the rain stopped.

Those ones are empty.

Okay, who's got the ball?

Right here.

Think you can get it that far, old man?

$5 million says you can't hit the front steps.

You make that a stick of gum, we got a bet.

All right, buddy, you ready? Ready for this?

Nemo, come back!

Go, go, go!

Matty.

It's time to get up.

If I see him, I'll let you know. I'm sorry.

What was that?

Word's out I saw harnessed kids before we hit the Shopsmart.

They want to know if I saw their kid.

Aw, man. Oatmeal again?

We passed a Denny's. Maybe you can get a grand slam.

Bite me.

Not much of a morning person, are you, Matthew?

Come on, you go get in line.

I'll catch up to you. I have to go report in.

You gonna go look for Ben tonight?

That's the plan.

I found some sticks in the basement.

Want to play catch later?

After school?

No sign of any Skitters,

but wherever there's a Mech...

Weapons inside?

Didn't go in.

Didn't feel it was worth taking it on and attracting Skitters.

You were to be discreet.

Well, we had a little breakdown in discipline.

We drew fire.

Who?

Jimmy.

He's a good fighter.

13 years old.

Go back tonight. Find out for sure.

No, our agreement was that we would be going after Ben

once we scouted the armory.

Which you haven't done.

You're right.

That said, just like the food stores

and the pharmacies that we've seen,

it's probably empty, and the Skitters are just staking it out.

And you're probably right, but we need to know.

Hey, this isn't what we talked about.

You find a better place to make camp?

I scouted City Hall.

Too many windows, buildings all around.

I saw a factory on the edge of town

might work, though.

I'm guessing you didn't see any harnessed kids.

You know how much I want to.

All right, let's go. Come show me on the map.

Captain Weaver.

Dr. Glass.

Couldn't help but notice

all your people are sleeping in houses

while the rest of us are in tents.

My fighters need the best sleep they can get,

and we need to be able to get the civilians

out of here fast in case of attack --

wouldn't be feasible if everyone was in houses.

Well, maybe we take a few houses

and rotate some people through.

What, are you their leader now?

There's no leader.

I'm a doctor, and doctors hear things.

Well, doctor, you tell your patients

that if they're dissatisfied, they're free to leave.

If they want the protection of my soldiers,

they can minimize the whining and be grateful for the oatmeal.

They're not just eaters.

They know that's what your soldiers say about them sometimes --

they're eaters.

They contribute to the fight.

They cook. They fix clothing. They haul trash.

Dr. Glass, a few years from now,

when the Skitters have been wiped out

or sent back to the undoubtedly hideous planet

that they call home,

the concerns of the civilians will be addressed.

Until then, there's no time for this.

Dear lord.

I did not come here to get in an argument.

Uncle Scott wants a word with you.

He has some thoughts on the aliens

he thought might be useful.

Happy to talk to him after I get a little food.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for an egg...

Some bacon... A hash brown.

White or wheat?

English muffin, fork-split,

with enough butter that would make

a doctor such as yourself worry about my heart.

Ha!

You know, you never gave your opinion.

On?

The rights of the civilians.

I don't think I've ever been to Acton before.

It's a nice town.

Civilians versus the military -- it's an age-old question.

What side do you come down on?

I think civilians are a liability and a hindrance.

And I also feel

that they're the best motivation we have to fight.

No!

This way!

Just kick it!

Kick it! Yeah!

Come on! Come on, guys!

Here you go.

Biology.

Biology.

Biology, biology --

it's from a Greek word meaning "Life discourse."

That's from the dictionary. But you know what it is to me?

To me, it is the study of the most miraculous gift

that has ever been bestowed on us.

It is the study of the wonder and the beauty and the mystery

that is life itself,

and to study it is to --

well, is to learn humility

and responsibility and gratitude, right?

Yeah, Matt?

We're not grateful for Skitters.

No. No, we are not grateful for Skitters, right?

And we're not grateful for parasites or cancer, either.

But they are part of life,

and we're grateful for the chance to study them, right?

And hopefully by studying them, we'll be able

to better figure out how to kill them, right?

Right?

Yep. You bet.

I had a class of, uh -- of older kids,

and I had them brainstorming about the aliens.

And they came up with mostly, you know,

the stuff that we all talked about --

that the Skitters must come from a planet

similar to ours, and... Mm-hmm.

...That they have a wide range of temperature tolerance.

Anyway, this one girl came up

with something that made me think.

She said, you know, whenever we've dreamed up robots,

we've always imagined them to sort of be

basically like ourselves --

a head, two arms, two legs.

But the Skitters have six legs.

And yet, their robots, the Mechs, are bipedal.

Now, why wouldn't they build robots

that look like themselves, you know?

Well, chances are

they've been studying the Earth for a while.

Maybe they built Mechs that way

to have a bigger psychological impact on us.

Maybe, huh?

Hey, Hal.

Those harnessed kids you saw the other day --

they were headed west?

Yeah, but they may have changed direction after I saw them.

Hey, you, uh, never asked if I saw your son.

I figured you'd tell me if you had.

After I saw Ben, you know, I just --

I didn't see anything else.

We'll be going out tonight. I'll be looking for him.

Well, when you go, I'd like to go with you.

All right.

Hey, do you need a hand?

I got it, but thanks. Okay.

You could take mine.

Uh, oh. Okay.

She's kidding. I am?

You are. Right?

O-okay.

Um...

Hey, I saw you walk in past the outpost sentries.

You looked tired.

What were you doing by the outpost?

I was in the church on the corner, praying.

It's episcopalian, not catholic, but it's close.

I wonder if the Skitters have a God.

I-I know a lot of people have lost their faith,

but mine is stronger than ever.

Good for you.

The next time you get on your knees and pray,

could you see if the big guy might get us

an operational B-2 bomber loaded with nukes?

I don't pray for God to give me things.

I don't think that's how it works.

Then what do you pray for?

I ask God to show me what I could do for him.

Wonder who she was --

girl who lived here.

Well, maybe she's still alive.