Falling Skies Season One Recap & Comparison w/ V

Since the reboot of V does not seem to be coming back, it's a good thing that we have Falling Skies to watch now. It shares many similarities to both the original V and the reboot. Falling Skies also seems like yet another retelling, in modified form, of the American Revolution. For one thing, the series and the Resistance starts in Boston - the first reference to the Backbay neighborhood and the second to South Boston. 

The Resistance
The initial invasion of Falling Skies is dramatically overt, and more similar to what happens in Independence Day than in V  - Motherships arrive and launch attacks, then leave garrisons as they go somewhere else. Interestingly, the alien garrisons left behind are protected by large, odd-shaped structures. The initial attack is devastating and destroys all major cities and military forces. This attack uses a bright light, EMP-type weapon which bears some similarity to the "Blue Light" in V 2010.

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Resistance Leaders

Like in the mulitple V miniseries and series, the Resistance is largely lead by “moms and dads” – regular people in extraordinary circumstances. In V, the military is co-opted by the governmental collaborators who are their masters. In Falling Skies, the  military is essentially annihilated (as mentioned before).

 

One of primary adult characters and leaders is a female doctor, Anne, like Juliet in the original V. Another leading protagonist adult character is a history/military history professor named Tom Mason, as opposed to a journalist. Tom's PhD in the American Revolution lends more credence to the idea that the entire series is one entire retelling of the Revolution (similar to Star Wars). This is something we as Americans like to do in our storytelling.
 

In the original V, The Resistance teams up w/ mercenaries and counter-revolutionaries (whom would be called terrorists now) to help fight the invading aliens. In Falling Skies, the resistance teams up with a band of well-armed criminals. This merger of forces is bumpy and not at all smooth, but in the end it succeeds, partly because "Being the leader of a band of post-apocalyptic outlaws has been exhausting," according to Pope, the outlaw leader.

 

In Falling Skies/Original V, it is the outlaw criminals and mercenaries, respectively, who are the ones that develop alien armor piercing bullets. In the case of V, it was the lizard skin that the new ammunition penetrated. In Falling Skies it was the “Mech” armor that the new ammo could penetrate (made from destroyed Mechs, and inspired by a comment from one of Tom Mason's children). 

 

Alien Hierarchies & Evolution

The Aliens in Falling Skies seem to operate in a strict, racial/mechanical hierarchy, as opposed to the Visitors in V, who operate according to a military hierarchy. In Falling Skies, Skitters and Mechanical warriors (Mechs) comprise the lower caste helping the Grey alien-inspired "Overlords." One of the principal jobs of the skitters is to catch kids and attach biological harnesses to them. These harnesses turn kids into compliant servants of Skitters, and then eventually into Skitters
Ben, the son of primary adult character/leader is abducted (like in V) and harnessed to ensure his loyalty – in V, Donovan’s son is abducted and put into cold storage until putting him a conversion process to ensure his loyalty to the Visitors.

 

Episode 5 reveals a symbiotic relationship between alien Skitters and harnessed children – Aliens care for them, and according to one formerly harnessed child, “It’s like they care about us – part of a family – they know what we need before we do”  

Human Collaborators
The human collaborators in Falling Skies are much more nefarious than in V. In V, the collaborators are essentially upper crust society members seeking higher status by working with what appear to be alien "friends."After all, the aliens in V have a much more insidious, and less overtly violent agenda. They merely want to feed on "excess" humans. The collaborators in Falling Skies know that the skitters do horrible things to children, including turning them into harnessed slaves. However, they still try to deal children for peace to the skitters. The beginning of the collaboration to send children to aliens is revealed in Episode 5, which seems to be pivotal in revealing the connections between harnessed children and skitters.

V: 1983 & 2009, Part Seven : Why are They Here?

V 1983-1984 & V 2010-2011:
Part Six, Part Five, Part Four, Part Three, Part Two,Part One

Why the Aliens Are Here
Obviously the Reptilian meme among alien abduction/Area 51 conspiracies plays a strong part in both series. In both series the aliens hidden agenda is disguised by medical gifts to help humanity. However, their hidden agenda for coming to earth, and their time lines, are vastly different.

Time Lines, Purpose & "Red Sky"
While the original V series implies that that the Visitors are relatively recent arrivals to our solar system, this is not the case with the remake. The new series takes a page from conspiracy culture and states that the the Visitors have been here for generations, and are harvesting human DNA for reproductive purposes, instead of for for food. According to the most recent episode "Birth Pangs," the Visitors are harvesting the best DNA from around the universe to accelerate their evolution.

To that end they have been trying to carefully increase the phosphorous levels in human females to help reproduce Visitors, as well as in males they find genetically superior. This has been a multi-generational project. However, in contravention to conspiracy culture, the genetic manipulation wasn't done during abductions, but rather through disguised Reptilians on earth. Additionally, the Visitors release "Red Sky" to rapidly enhance the phosphorous levels, which fuels fears among the human population; in the original series the red dust in the atmosphere was a biological weapon against the Visitors and humans cheered when it was released into the air despite not knowing what it was for.

V 1983 & 2009, Part Six: The Changing Role of Reporters & Mercenaries

Part Seven: V 1983-1984 & V 2010-2011.
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Post-Modernism in V.

It' been interesting to watch the old V series on my TiVo and compare and contrast with the new ABC series.

The Role of Reporters
1983: Donovan/Woman - There were two different media personalities during the two original V miniseries, embodying America's complex view of the media at the time. On the one hand you had the ambitious female reporter, Christine, who would do anything for a scoop. She becomes a PR mouthpiece / Press Secretary for Diana, but later reveals that the Visitors are not friendly and should be resisted and is killed for doing so. She does not join the resistance despite exposing the Visitors.

Donovan on the other hand represents the intrepid foreign correspondent, willing to go anywhere to get the story but who became a journalist out of strong pro-liberty passions. He is the kind of patriotic reporter America wishes we still produced. Donovan, an experienced foreign correspondent in war zones, becomes a natural leader of the resistance. Unfortunately, he doesn't put his PR skills to good use advancing the cause, as would be expected today.

2009: Chad Decker's character development is roughly similar to that of Christine, but as he gradually becomes skeptical of the Visitors he becomes a full fledged member of the Resistance. In the 1983 episode, the Fifth column was chiefly disaffected Visitors show disapproved of their species' agenda.

The Role of Mercenaries & Terrorists
1983: Ham Tyler - While Michael Ironsides may have fit the Hollywood ideal of a freedom fighter back in the days of the Contras, his character feels dated. He appears after several events in LA draw lots of attention and announces that the LA resistance fighters led by Donovan and Julie, need to join the worldwide resistance of which Tyler is a crucial leader.

2009: Kyle Hobbes - the current cultural zeitgeist is much less kind to fictional mercenaries and this character is much darker than his 1983 counterpart, Ham Tyler. However, mercenaries are a more accepted fact of American life now than then. The rise of private security firms such as Xe (formerly Blackwater)has allowed the U.S. military to increase the number of combat forces it has without putting it directly on their budget.

However, the primary mercenary contact Kyle Hobbes, while a member of the inner circle, is displaced by an Israeli Terrorist named Eli Cohen as the main resistance military leader and has set up cells around the world. What he and Ham Tyler have in common is that they are both parts of the larger resistance movement that exists outside of the isolated groups banding together which we first encounter.

V: 1983 & 2009, Part Five: The Role of Women & Minorities

The Role of Women
The Resistance
1983: Julie, medical student and reluctant resistance leader. She is unsure of herself, and this is made worse by her interrupted Visitor Conversion attempt.
Diana, is merely one captain in the larger V squadron. Her primary source of authority comes because she is the lover of the Supreme Commander.

2009: Erica, FBI agent, part of 5th Column (5th Column as assimilated the resistance in this series) even has a feminized man's name. The most feminine thing about her in terms of attitudes prevalent in the 80s is that she is alien abductee whose fetus was modified by the Visitors. This fits in neatly with modern conspiracy theories as to why the "Grays" are here.

The Visitors
1983: Diana is merely the captain of one starship in a larger squadron, her position in the Visitor's hierarchy is assured through her sexual relationship with the Supreme Commander. While she is hard edged and successful enough to run a ship, she has not yet proven herself able to manage and lead a larger population. She engages in kinky sex with a subordinate, in this case kinky is defined as wearing their human skins.

2009: Anna is Queen of the Visitors, a position she secured by overthrowing her mother. She controls her people through dispensing a chemical called Bliss to her species. Her reptilian nature is emphasized more strongly in this series by her mating to produce an army of warriors. We later find out she is unable to produce additional non-drone children of her race. The future of her species depends on her daughter Lisa laying eggs and becoming Queen. Unfortunately, they are far from a suitable planet for her offspring, necessitating the transformation of Earth into a planet better suited for the Visitors.

V is fortunate though to have two strong females going head to head as leaders of different teams. I don't recall seeing anything like that before. This seems to indicate a growing acceptance of female leadership.

The Role of Minorities
1983 - Elias, a street hoodlum and criminal before the Visitor's arrival, and then a freedom fighter and resistance leader afterwards. This reinforces mid-80s American fears of black urban youth, to which even Jesse Jackson admitted having. Additionally, the Hispanic resistance fighter promotes cultural stereotypes of Mexican immigrants.

2009 - Ryan, the primary black character in the 2009 V, is a Visitor and member of the 5th column who may turn on his fellow freedom fighters for his own benefit making him a triple spy. Essentially he is an immigrant who assimilated but may retain allegiance to his original civilization. This corresponds nicely with the Zeitgeist of the home-grown home-radicalized domestic terrorists attacking us. There have been a number of these attacks or attempts from Ft. Hood to Times Square, and there is a fear of more out there. V uses a black character to embody this fear, presumable out of PC sensibilities of using an Arab, and a desire to avoid causing controversey.

Caprica: The Genesis of Cylon Monotheism vs. Human Polytheism (Part II)

One of the more interesting things of note about Zoe Graystone and the development of the monotheistic religion is that though the STO has existed for a while, Zoe's life and death add more complexity to the religion. And this complexity has strikingly Christian overtones. Zoe becomes The Trinity: Actual Zoe is flesh and the original Creator (God), Simulacrum Zoe is the creation (digital daughter) to which she gave life and which  evangelizes her beliefs through the STO and otherwise (Jesus), and Zoe's spirit - simulacrum consciousness - also inhabits the U-87 military robot (The Holy Ghost). The declaration that Zoe is the Trinity comes from Lacy Rand, future Blessed Mother (high priestess) of the STO's monotheistic faith.

Later, Sister Clarice, another member of the STO, imparts religious significance to Amanda Graystone as the Mother of Zoe. This is because Zoe had been given the power to create life through her Avatar program which recreates an entire person based on the digital footprints they leave throughout the world during their life.

The Avatar program is part of Sister Clarice's plan for Apotheosis, in which digital simulacra of human beings will be uploaded into a "digital heaven" at the moment of death. In this way, a continuous life everlasting will be granted to the adherents of the monotheistic religion. Sister Clarice views this as a reward to the faithful as well as a religious recruiting tool for her faith. Her pitch for Apotheosis to the guiding council of the faith causes controversy, leading to the death of one objector and the approval of the Blessed Mother to move forward with the statement "it's best to let these things play out as He sees fit." She then grants Clarice total control over all STO cells on Caprica and and agreement to provide the resources Clarice needs to finish Apotheosis.

Daniel Graystone pitches a similar, though crass, profit-driven secular version of Apotheosis to the Guatrau in a meeting about getting his company back from Daniel Virgis, Apparently Virgis is a friend of the Gautrau's who has taken it over from Graystone in a buyout. His secular Apotheosis proposal is met with rejection by Joseph Adama, an adviser to the Guatrau and father to William Adama who will play a central role in the subsequent Cylon Wars of Battlestar Galactica. However, the Guatrau is intrigued enough to order Daniel Graystone to proceed with the project. Graystone also begins work designing bodies into which to download the consciousnesses of the Simulacra. This sets up the resurrection process for the seven improved Cylon models in Battlestar Galactica, though of course the standard U-87 warrior models are still in use during the series reboot.

Sister Clarice's vision of Apotheosis for all is opposed by Simulacrum Zoe Graystone because she fears it will lead to "Hell on earth," a consequence-free existence turning reality into a mirror of the virtual world of New Caprica City where actions have no consequences. Simulacrum Zoe views this as contrary to the teachings of the faith with its emphasis on moral absolutes and consequences for one's actions - the same things that lead Actual Zoe to the One True Faith. In fact, Simulacrum Zoe is so obsessed with the cesspool of sin found in "V-World" that she vows to "clean it up." However, Sister Clarice has a working copy of Zoe's Avatar Simulacrum program and the ability to make her vision come true. Simulacrum Zoe and Sister Clarice have a theological argument over their differing perspectives during which Zoe declares "I am God!" to refute Clarice's declaration that she is following God's will. Zoe then turns Clarice's virtual Heaven into a virtual Hell using her abilities in the V-World.

Clarice spread the faith of the One True God and pleads with the Blessed Mother, Lacy Rand, to give God's blessing to the "differently sentient." Her exhortation to the Cylons is that there is no limit to what they may become and that they deserve Civil Rights. She prophesizes that there will be a Cylon to emerge to set them free and lead them on to their equality in life. This is revealed to be Cylon Zoe. 

Meanwhile, On her path to becoming Blessed Mother of the One True Faith, Lacy Rand gains the ability to control the STO's U-87 army. This seems to be because of residual memory / recognition of her by the original U-87 into which Zoe was downloaded. Lacy e asks the members of the army to raise its arm if the U-87 is Zoe Graystone. As she walks by them, they all raise their hand. However, we know that Zoe's consciousness is trapped in New Caprica City, so the residual memory is likely the best answer to this specific mystery. Lacy later used the U-87 army to depose the Blessed Mother and assume that role for herself, with her control of the army as testament to her holiness.



























 "All this has happened before and will happen again."

Caprica: The Genesis of Cylon Monotheism vs. Human Polytheism

One of the more interesting aspects of Caprica and Battlestar Galactica is the religious aspect of the conflict between humans and Cylons. To wit, Cylons have developed a monotheistic religion, complete with churches and priests/priestesses, which we witness at the end of the Caprica series, while humans have emerged as a polytheistic civilization. This is an interesting overlay of the conflict between humans and Cylons and was absent in the original series. Additionally, it was added into the original series, during the height of the Post-War Occupation of Iraq, giving the series a more politically relevant context. There's even a webisode and episode focusing on the use of suicide bombers by human POWs to inflict casualties on human collaborators and their Cylon masters.

The polytheism of the humans seems to track well with the fact that the Human Civilization in Caprica/Battlestar Galactica has colonized 12 planets, each named after a sign of the Zodiac, and each possessing its own patron God(dess). Battlestar Galactica acknowledges that the human race evolved on one planet before a diaspora, but still seems united under one political system instead of evolving into the planetary versions of nation-states. In fact, the 12 planets are referred to as the colonies, implying control from one central planet.

The development of the Cylon monotheistic religion is more interesting.  Zoe Graystone, the developer of the Zoe Simulacrum and program for the development of the Cylons was an adherent of the Soldiers of the One (STO). STO is a militant religious organization dedicated to advancing monotheistic beliefs in a judgmental, all-knowing God who wanted humans to understand right from wrong. This is a reaction against the perceived excesses, sexual and otherwise, of the polytheistic majority. These excesses are first, and best, witnessed in the Virtual Club where we first meet Simulacrum Zoe. There is group sex, murder for fun, and human sacrifice, all of which is dedicated to some God or other.

The STO didn't just come into existence weeks before the series show. According to the show's mythology, it's a long-existing cult, at least decades old. It has been driven underground because of its "extreme" views on human morality. Zoe Graystone, as an adherent of the STO imbued her Simulacrum with those same beliefs. Lacy Rand, Zoe's best friend and fellow STO member eventually becomes high priestess. Between the two of them and sister Clarice they indoctrinate all Cylons into the STO's monotheistic religion.

(To Be Continued...)