SEASON 2 HAS COME AND GONE
Oh man, I just finished the first week of filming of season 3... I can't say much, but I will say that the last 3 days of filming were the hardest and most intense of my whole career. Everything went smoothly though and Season 3 promises to open with a bang!
So, as I did last year - if you fans (or haters) have any questions abut the show go ahead and ask them in the comments column below. I will let the questions gather for a week or two and then will do a final FALLING SKIES column where I answer them all.
But please remember I cannot spoil and even if you have issues with the show, feel free to express them... but play nice and don't be rude!
Now, presented without comment the last behind-the-scenes photos I have not previously published.
See you next time!....
Comments
I was noticing in the last, say, 3-4 episodes of this season, that the pace was a bit... uneven. Obviously, we're not expecting epic action sequences every week, but were there some cuts/alterations for the later episodes to overcome previous episodes going over-budget? Just wondered if this was so, and if so, how do you decide what stays in and what is cut out?
--
Mike
1. Is it possible that we might learn more about the past of our favorite characters (for me Pope, Ann, & Maggie)?
2. How closely do you watch and abide by the budget for the season?
3. IS being over budget why the last few episodes of season 2 seemed (to some of us at least) not quite as smooth or well thought out as the 1st episodes?
I really do love Falling Skies. I just want MORE. More story, more detail, more back story, and to be honest, more Pope. :)
This may already have been answered elsewhere but how long does it take from start to finish to complete a season? With only 10 episodes I figure it could not take as long say a 22 season show but it makes me wonder why we have to wait almost a year to see the next one?
Thanks
1. I would like to know which directors we can expect for season 3, old and new. And because you are also producing the show, does that mean you are always on set and supervise the other directors?
2. This is a Smallville question: The show was released as a complete set on DVD but unfortunatly not on Blu-Ray. Do you remember on what season the production team started to produce the effects shots in HD. I understand that some of the earlier seasons not having the FX shots in HD is the main reason the show could not be released on Blu-Ray.
Thanks again and have a great time doing season 3!
Peter
A asked this on a previous blog post, but I'm hoping you can answer it here. My question is about how you decide that a major character is to leave the show. My 15 year old son gets really mad every time one dies. :) The cynical part of me says people die off to save money for production. Is there anything to that? Or does that happen to show anyone (except for maybe Tom) is fair game?
First, let me say how much I’ve come to love Falling Skies. I somehow missed this show last season (I know, I know – still trying to think back on how THAT happened), and on an idle Sunday caught the Season 2 marathon. Got intrigued enough to tape all of Season 2 on my DVR while buying Season 1. Then I had a marathon where I watched all of Season 1 (spent as little time sleeping & working my daytime job as I could)(heh) & as far as Season 2 as had been aired (I believe 201-207). So I was lucky in a way…I at least got to miss the angst of fans waiting between seasons 1 & 2. But now I’ve fully caught the Falling Skies bug (maybe it’s in my ear?) and every week have been scouring online for YouTube clips, websites, etc. which is how I found your blog (and all the behind-the-scenes pics…bonus!!). I cannot WAIT until Season 3. Now to end this piece of my ramble and ask my QUESTIONS:
• I admit to a morbid curiosity regarding harnessed/deharnessed kids. In Season 3, do you think there will be even more background on the relationship between Skitters and their harnessed kids, especially since there is now a relationship between rebel Skitters & 2nd Mass? It would be interesting if the 2nd Mass asked questions of the rebel Skitters regarding the mutation process. I’m sure Tom in particular has burning questions on what is going on with Ben, and Anne may have questions on alternate ways to remove the harness (after all, the rebel Skitters came with other deharnessed kids…how did they get their harnesses off?).
• Also, in Season 1, the harnessed kids were mostly zombies following the commands of their Skitter. When Ben’s Skitter died, all of the kids went into shock & they all would have died if the harnesses hadn’t been removed. In Season 2, we meet Jenny, who is creepy crawlie crusty but is surviving without her Skitter aka Guardian. Is it because she is mutated enough to not need it? And…since she seems to classify herself as “other” instead of “human” – does that mean we have the potential of kids acting independent of their Skitters as potential enemies?
• Is there a possibility of more deharnessed kids becoming “regulars” as scouts etc. like Ben in Season 2?
• Will we get more history on the Berserkers…why is Crazy Lee called Crazy Lee, for example?
• How the heck will we know Rebel Skitters vs. Loyal Skitters with Red-Eye gone?
• Your blog has mentioned/had pictures of fans that had won the right to come onset to watch an episode or (joy of joys) been in an episode. Do you have any suggestions on where I can find these contests to throw my name in the magic hat?
Hopefully these questions are ones you can answer or at least allude that they might be answered in the upcoming months :-)
Thank you!
My question is a little bit technical, if you don't mind. I saw on IMDB that Falling Skies is one of a few shows left that is actually shooting on film and not digitally. You as a producer and director where probably involved in making that decision. Do you prefer to shoot on film and if so why? I really like the show and it's look but the release of the first seaon on Blu-Ray was a little bit uneven with crush, banding and macroblocking all being an issue, especially in the first half of the season. I remember that Heroes which apparently used the same cameras had similar "issues". Is it truly an issue or is it just a result of the more gritty look that the show seems to be going for? Thanks and keep up the great work!
The Skitters we saw, are they accumulated from a bunch of planets conquered by the overlords who turned out to look the same because of the arness metamorphose, or they are all from the same planet?
I honestly can't wait for Season 3!!!
So here's my question, and I do apologize if it has been asked or answered before:
When is Season 3 Coming out and can we expect new characters in it?
Thank's for being Awesome enough to answer our questions :D
1. Why do you have to wait so long between seasons even though the seasons do not have as many episodes as some other shows.
2. Is season 3 planned to be the final season or will is it planned to continue into season 4?
Falling Skies was a show I fell in love with instantly. The idea that something on such a huge scale with such solid production values was going to be a television series caught my attention indefinitely. Every week, my mind was blown by the scale of the series and the depth and development behind the aliens and their technology, as well as the plight of the second mass.
The cliffhanger basically floored me entirely and I was just like "Oh GOD HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT" However. Let's do this.
1. I loved Dai and to see him finally die (... I'm not giggling at the pun. I am not) was pretty heart-breaking, because he's survived so much and he's always been there and been on the right side of the fight and such. Loyal and a good soldier. With the nature of the show being based on a war, making death an inevitability, is it hard going into a show knowing that you won't be working with some of the characters or the actors for the entire duration? (I just really like Dai, okay.) Then, how do you actually deal with it on set, knowing that someone who's always been there is now going to move on and be (hopefully) working on other projects elsewhere?
2. I don't know if you can answer this, but Season 2 started after a 'break' in the Falling Skies!verse timeline. Like, time had passed from Tom hopping on board the ship to Pope and everyone in the city with the attack. Is season 3 going to start immediately from the point season 2 ended, or is it going to be after a break with some retrospective scenes like Tom remembering his torture. I now realize this question is probably spoilery, so feel free to pass on it if you can't answer.
3. This is less Falling Skies, a little more behind the scenes, but is there any chance you'll be releasing any of the footage of all the assistants and crew acting out the skitter battle, because it sounds absolutely fascinating, hilarious, and wonderful.
I want to ask more but I have college work to do, so these will tide me over for now. Undoubtedly, I'll be back.
Are the harnessed kids turning mutant?
Will Ben return to the skidders?
I cant really think of anything else right now, but very clever what happened to Hal; but still hoping he and Maggie settle down. Sharon turned super creepy.
I cant wait for season three.
Really, how realistic is it that a man who found his wife murdered by alien invaders is simpering and giggling with another woman just a few months later?
Here's hoping Season 3 goes back to what worked in Season 1!
Also, through the first two season, the civilian population has been relatively passive, except for a couple of instances where one civilian questioned what was going on in the first season. Adding in the civilians living underground in Charleston, will there be seeds of unrest coming out of these so far passive people?
One of my favorite things about the show is that you are not afraid to remove popular characters and elements for an episode or two to advance the story. It was very brave to not have Ben in two whole episodes, since he has become the defacto heartthrob star of the show. The same goes for whole episodes without aliens, which helps to make the scenes WITH aliens that much more powerful.
I had mentioned last year how much I love the original music and the song cues (Dude, using Debussey CLAIR DE LUNE palyed on guitar was wonderful), any word on a commercial release of some of this?
Finally, with all the losses to the 2nd Mass, can we expect a ZOMBIE 2ND MASS to rise from the dead anytime soon :) ?
-Ronnie, Texas
Just wondering whether the introduction of the new alien race/species will ruin one of the themes of the show?
One of the reasons I enjoyed this show, was that it its unique way, was a survival sci-fi series, similar to that of The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead is all about a 'realistic' post-apocalypse, and that theme was also what Falling Skies started with.
My actual question would be, With the introduction of the new alien, does this draw away too much from the 'realistic' post-apocalyptic world of an alien invasion? Already there is the skitter aliens, along the with Fish Heads, is it too much to bring in a new alien? I believe it seems that the show is now focused on the aliens too much, rather than the 2nd mass and its 'realistic' survival.
Also, I think that the introduction of a new species of aliens is too early - only the second season, and something that would be alot better used if brought into a 4th, 5th or even 6th season.
Thank You for your time,
- Kamil M
First I want to say thank you for making a show that parents can watch with their kids! We don't have to edit sex scenes, talk and all the rest. I love this show for this, and the who aliens vs humans because I'm a geek.
Unforunately every question I'd love to ask is more a spoiler then anything. But the following are my askable questions:
1. Is it possible to get more then 10 episodes a season? I realize SyFy doesn't have the money of ABC but they really have a massive hit on their hands and a devout following. And I do appreciate that SyFy has renewed the show and not pulled an ABC and turfed a great show to the curb after 10 or 20 episodes because it's not a Grey's Anatomy.
2. When you post fun extra videos and trailers we can't see them here in Canada and only Super Channel (a paid extra channel) carries the show, so can't we at least have access to the online content as they certainly aren't promoting the show. It would be better if Space carried it.
3. Will we learn what the red eyed skitter said to Ben to make him stay with his family? And will he continue to change or is there hope he'll remain 'human'.
4. Is there more to Maggie's past? Pope made it out to be such a huge deal.. but in the end it was much more tame then I was expecting.
The rest you can't answer. Thanks for taking our questions!
With that in mind, season 2 was a slight disappointment, as the romantic relationships were moved to a much higher priority - frankly, if I want to see that, I don't watch a show about an alien invasion; I watch a soap.
Now, the worst case scenario came into play: a pregnancy, possibly the most ridicolous and overused "shocking twist" in the entire genre. I'm in touch with many fans and really everyone rolled their eyes about that.
So I guess my questions are...
1. Is there any chance the pregnancy will not be a major topic? ANY?
2. Will we learn more about the relationships between people not romantically involved? Such as Crazy Lee and Lyle and their reasons to side with Pope?
3. Can we PLEASE have more Anthony? I really want to see how a sane cop deals with the end of the world.
4. Will Lourdes sew a trenchcoat made of alien skin and pick up guns to become a Tank Girl? Because, y'know, that would be really really awesome.
Only 1 thing the show wasn't clear on is the differences in strength between Karen Nadler, Ben Mason, and Rick(Daniyah).. They were all at one point harnessed. Karen seems to have SUPER DUPER strength while Rick has a bit less but can still climb on walls and such, and Ben has the least of the 3 or so it seems. Does Karen posses more strength because she is STILL harnessed? Or is it that Ben hasn't yet fully tapped into his potential?
I am very excited about season 3 but quite annoyed about it being 10 months away.
Question: Why is this even when there are only episodes in the seasons.
Also
Question: In the first season the 2nd Mass were all about saving harnessed kids and unharnessing them but in season 2 the 2nd Mass' focus changed to fighting the ailens. In the third season will they begin to unharness kids once again. I had thought that in the second season they would have had more of a drive to unharness kids because anne figured out a safe way of unharnessing kids?
Thank You if you spend the time to read this and hopefully to reply x
(also if you happen to see connor jessup can you tell him an Irish girl named Roisin Is his biggest fan hahahhaa)
Bye Roisin
I loved the first season and most of the second, but grew bored very quickly with how the writers were catering to the lowest common denominators: the squealing fangirl and the dissatisfied middle-aged housewife. Romance is fine in small doses but very quickly threw Falling Skies offtrack.
Tom started as a strong character whose main focus was his family. How did he lose track of that and does he even remember that he had a wife who was killed less than a year earlier? Please scrub the whole Anne/Tom fiasco and go back to what made us watch FS in the first place: action, survival, and the strong Mason family dynamic.
Any thoughts on bringing back fallen soldiers by revealing a shocking twist? I don't think we got to know Boon well enough...
1) Some of the fighters are using submachineguns and other *very* small arms against big critters. With access to the arsenal in Charleston, will the 2nd Mass upgun a bit?
2) The 2 seasons have covered little more than a year from the invasion (at least according to Tom's speech in season 2 episode 9). Can we expect to see some decay added to the destruction (I'm thinking along the lines of Life Without People)?
3) Will we get some explanation as to why the badguys stopped using nukes and massive airstrikes in season 2?
Their ability to work in a situation but not make it ordinary or cliched has been great.
So, as to the pregnancy, I don't understand the uproar? If you've been a fan of the show, you know that this is NOT basic storytelling, but very informed screenwriting, touching on sci-fi, histort, human emotions, war, and other topics that you don't always see so intelligently blended like Falling Skies has done.
So, while the pregnancy on the surface seems like an intrusion, I would venture this is NOT turning into a domestic comedy. Trust the writers to know what to do with the story lines and how to make them work in a way that you probably are not expecting.
Heard you guys got some pretty ass kicking guest stars lined up for next season, I'm very excited! So has filming begun with Mr. Robert Sean Leonard and Ms. Gloria Reuben yet? I know they both worked with Noah before so absolutely can't wait for the epic reunion! :D
And one more question, how would their characters affect the dynamics within 2nd Mass? Will their stint have a significant influence on where the story goes in season 3 and beyond?
Will Patton, will you marry me?
1) With Jessy Schram a series regular on ABC's "Last Resort", do you have an option on her for any episodes next season? I know on "Justified", Graham Yost came to an arrangement where they get Natalie Zea for at least three episodes every season. I hope "Falling Skies" has a similar arrangement with Schram.
2) I noticed your directing credit on an episode of "Perception". How does being a producing director like you are on "Falling Skies" compare to stepping in as a guest director on someone else's show like you did with "Perception"?
I already had several observations and questions that I posted in your previous episode blog entries as comments, and hope you can get to them as well, but no problem if you don't.
Here are some new questions. I may have to split up this post to accommodate the HTML character-limit restrictions. Thanks very much for taking the time to provide your viewers this forum!
1. How do you personally relate to this, or similar end of the world scenarios?
*In terms of constantly having to live on the edge of survival, what would you personally do differently than that which has been presented in the story so far?
*In the past two seasons, what have you learned of practical and moral value about surviving an apocalyptic event that you would find critically useful to your and your loved ones survival, that you would implement or pass on should such an event take place?
*Who, if anyone(s), do you credit most with helping you understand about how to personally deal with such a situation?
*How has this story changed your perception of the possibility that humanity might be destroyed, subjugated, or irreversibly changed by an encounter with extraterrestrials?
*Are there any similar experiences regarding other cast or crew that you could relate, or is it mostly just business as usual for everyone?
2. For several people commenting here and elsewhere, pregnancy seems to be a sensitive subject, as does the quantity and race of the various characters that have gotten killed off in the show so far. Besides the network (TNT) and censors, who in the production/creative staff ultimately has the last word on deciding how far to go when exploring relevant, yet sensitive issues that could be presented on the show?
3. Would you please share with us any anecdotes among cast and crew, in which a cast member reacted to his or her part being so totally different to how they actually perceive themselves? That is, when compared to who they portray in Falling Skies, were there any memorable times when anyone's reactions were like, “Geez, why did my character just say/do that?!”
4. On a scale of 1 (no way) to 5 (definitely believe), to what degree do you believe in the existence of the following intelligent human-like life forms:
Vampires
Extraterrestrials
Zombies
Cannibals
Werewolves
Superman-type super ability beings
Witches and Warlocks that can cast magical spells
*How do your views of the above relate to your acceptance of production projects?
*How do you feel about taking on a project about something you may not personally believe in, even if its presentation might well induce others to possibly believing in such things?
*In relation to your current project, Falling Skies, where do you draw the line about what sort of stuff, as above, is allowable?
*Is the presentation of harnessed children the closest this production will go towards portraying zombie-like characters?
*Were zombie-like characters an intentional idea to get a certain viewer segment to watch this series?
5. Are the members of the crew paid on a different scale when asked to participate as background extras, say for example when they are included in a large group of about three hundred like those that were present at Jimmy's funeral? (Season 2, Episode 3, Compass)
6. In the telling of this story, is there an intention to metaphorically draw parallels between the cooperative-to-inimical spectrum of relations between the different fictional races/types of alien extraterrestrials on one hand, and the similar issues and challenges that actually exist between the different races/ethnicities here on our planet?
8. Remy Aubuchon had stated that the producers expect to stimulate all sorts of thought provoking questions from the viewers of this show. If that is to be the case, (and given that Falling Skies will continue to be told from the characters point-of-view), what do creative and production staff face when trying to strike a balance between concretely answering questions to satisfy viewers needs for closure, and the possibility of leaving major story-lines and the story itself, open-ended (in order to elicit viewers questions/speculation as Remy stated)?
9. It was also stated (by you or Remy, I forget who) that the story being told in Falling Skies intends to thematically explore the possibility of humanity being faced with life-altering changes that may not allow the survivors to go back to the way they once were, and how they handle those issues as groups and individually. Given that, what other TV shows, motion pictures or books do you guys look to as inspiration for setting such high standards of both cinematic and thematic quality, that you and your fellow producers/writers strive to approach or emulate? Or is this virgin territory, do you guys feel that you have a groundbreaking phenomenon here?
10. What other science fiction project would you really like to helm in the future? A book? An adaptation, sequel, etc?
11. When this show was originally pitched to the network, to what degree did the whole story have to be revealed to them? That is, is there an “ending” that already had to be approved by TNT so they would green-light this series?
12. Are there plans for TNT to provide a proper Falling Skies talk forum organized by topic and seasons/episodes, to replace the existing scrolling one?
Moving away from the abstract to more concrete issues:
*I'm still wondering about my previous Overlord “Sanctuary” question that I posted as a comment in your Molon Labe blog;
*Lourdes and Karen revisited has way more depth, as opposed to a superficial Maggie-Karen throw down;
*Would Tom be OK with Anne having someone else's child, should he find out he's unable to father offspring;
*Pope's character could be fleshed out more, (it's kinda one-dimensional) perhaps with a continuation of the Matt Mason-John Pope mentoring relationship to help Pope deal with his nagging father/authority issues, and maybe a revealing epiphany for his character.
Keep pushing the envelope! This little ground-swell called Falling Skies may just go tsunami on us.
You could have some great dialogue from this construction!
regards
Dave
I'm interested in a couple of things...
first: What exactly is going on between (or went on between) Maggie and Pope. He seems to know quite a lot about her...when no one else really does. According to what she told the captured 2nd Mass team, she was only with him and his gang for three months...and it took Hal a heck of a lot longer to get close with her. So what is their deal? If you can't answer specifically, can you at least say whether or not we will learn more about them in future seasons?
and second: this may be a bit morbid...but how come the 2nd Mass never comes across any dead bodies. If most of civilization was wiped out...where'd they all go? The houses and buildings are empty, the cars are empty...whenever the 2nd Mass is scouting anything, they never come across anyone who as died. This just seems a bit odd.
And just an added side note...I hope we get to see more back story on our characters. The character development definitely stepped it up a notch in season 2, but I'd love to see more about who they were before. It just gives us that much more of a chance to see how far they've come!
Thanks again for all your fantastic work. Can't wait until season 3!
http://johnsturdy.com
I want to get into TV - specifically SciFi, Mystery, Fantasy, Action. So I've LOVED reading your blog and the focus on production, directing details, even location scouting and how one handles killing off a character with the very human person who is the actor. Now for my questions
My questions:
1. What is your involvement in post production? In your first entry for this season I think you mention about the long post production phase which is unusual for a lot of tv shows that are still filming while airing - so I was hoping you could comment a bit about that. Or maybe someone in post production could be convinced to have a tag along blog that talks about that from a technical perspective.
2. Was there any trepidation about adding the pregnancy storyline? I know fans are nervous about it as it has been badly done in many sci fi shows, so I imagine someone on the show would have also felt nervous about how the public would react to that storyline. I know Moon is pregnant - but I understand the storyline was written in before.
(personally looking forward to the pregnancy storyline, this naturally would happen - although I assume it will be altered significantly as Moon won't be available for much of the third season).
3. Was the earlier filming this year (Season 3) influenced by Moon's availability or to limit exposure to the cold!!
4. Do you read the comments on your other posts?
5. Not a question - as it's about future plot lines and so you can't answer them - so a request instead. Please make Karen redeemable and not obsessed with Hal. There are so frequently evil attractive women in sci fi shows (BSG, V, um.. i'm sure there are others) who's only human element seems to be something romantic. I really like Karen's character - but it's becoming harder and harder to see her as anything but "evil character who's weakness is a romantic obsession". Which is fine of course, it makes an interesting story, I'm just disappointed because I had hoped for something different from her (not better just different). I don't know what's coming up in the future, but that would be my hope. Heck, she and Ben could take over all the mechs and run into the wilderness together. :) Her dynamic with Ben (distrusting on both sides - yet have something in common) where she no longer has leverage over him, can't fool him, could make for a very interesting storyline. Pull her out of her constant control - because she knows she can't turn the situation to her advantage so she will be more likely to be straight (he will never be an ally, and he doesn't have influence with the "humans"). Oooh...
Anyway - I had so many questions during the season that I now forgot, but I think a lot of them were covered here. Oh, one more. How does one get to be a trainee on set of Falling Skies!
1) How long does it take for one of the kids to turn into a Skidder? I noticed that the girl on the bus and the one in the woods from the first season had changes in their face. But Karen and Ben haven't done that. Were they just not harnessed long enough to make that full transition?
2) Was it a conscious decision to not have Pope on as much in season 2 as he was in the first season? He is by far my favorite character so maybe it was just me, but I felt like he was just filler in this season and someone to be Tom's punching bag.
Also, he seemed like he had more of a struggle with his good/bad side in season 1 and was more complex. For instance, if it wasn't for Pope's online blog I wouldn't have known his motivation for keeping Jimmy's compass. On the show it appeared that he stole it and just didn't want to give it back.
Okay, just one more comment. I wasn't thrilled about Anne being preggers because I didn't feel the need for another Mason. I love the Masons. Just didn't see a reason to take up more airtime with another one. However, I like Ann and Tom and she's all ready lost Sammy, so I think it would be cruel to have her lose it at this point.
I lied. I have one more comment. I don't mind romance on the show. They gotta scrounge out some happiness somehow, but sometimes it just happens at the worst possible time. Especially, with Maggie and Hal. In a hospital basement with aliens attacking and hiding in a car from Mechs is not the best time to have a relationship discussion. And giggling while doing it? It just wasn't a good time for it. Okay done. Thank you for answering questions!
BTW we are lucky in Australia, Falling skies is shown pretty soon on pay tv after the US!
Thanks, Karen
1.) For me, the heart and soul of this show is the Mason family. I think that the strength of their bond really shines in the acting, writing, and directing. How conscious are the writers/directors/crew on keeping the focus on the Masons and does it affect your decisions for how to shoot a scene?
2.) is there a character on the show that you relate to the most? Who would you be in this post-apocalyptic world?
I'm a big fan of the show. I look forward to season three.
In episode 206 "Homecoming" - just curious - why did you & Remi decide to shoot the deharnessed kids pseudo-naked? For the shock effect?
Couple of quick questions:
1- Whatever happened to the boy who was harnessed in Young Bloods?
2a- What is the longest unedited segment you have filmed in the series so far? I love how these are done and I found a nice 2 minute segment in Homecoming but I wondered if there were any longer ones.
2b- How difficult are these to do? I've seen some quick behind the scenes on them but I can't imagine how difficult it is to get everyone synched up.
3- I've heard that Robert Rodat gave you the ending for the series. That being said, do you know which characters will be around for the long haul? No spoilers just curious how detailed the information he gave was.
Lastly, just a comment/wish, love the development with Hal and Maggie; please fix them before the end ;)
THANKS!!!!
My questions:
1. I love Tom Mason. He’s my favorite character because I just feel he’s more relatable, and he’s just kick ass. I loved his story in season two with both Red Eye and the Overlord. Is Karen now holding a grudge against Tom for killing her Overlord? She seems very focused on Tom everytime there’s a confrontation.
2. Tom mentioned to Hal that he’s missing “chunks of time” from his time on the space ship. Will that prove to be a story point in season three?
3. Are we going to see more tension between Tom and Pope or are those two going to end up as friends eventually? Okay, I doubt friends, but I’m trying to understand Pope’s gripe with Tom. It’s like he resents how the 2nd Mass cares about him.
4. Can we get more backstory on the skitters?
I came late to the show and so I hope you don't mind questions that span both seasons.
For instance, I'm wondering why in S1 the aliens did not reharness Ricky? I mean, he went out of his way to escape the 2nd Mass & make contact with them, and he fed them all kinds of info...at first I thought, well, maybe he can't be reharnessed because his body is linked to the harness he was previously attached to, but then in S2 Karen tried to reharness Ben, so...that blew that theory away. Just don't understand why they wouldn't take back someone who seemed willing to go, and this way the 2nd Mass would have been in the dark on what Ricky had told them. Obviously would have killed/altered future story plots, but had to ask :-) I guess a better question might be, are alternate scenarios fleshed out & discussed before the final plot is determined? How far in advance is the series developed? Were story lines for S2 already being developed somewhere while S1 was being filmed?
Thanks again for letting us ask questions! This blog is awesome, I love the behind-the-scenes pictures/information. This show & all of the people on it just strike me as extremely friendly & eager to involve the fans - one of the reasons I like it so much, I think :-) I follow everyone on Twitter & it's so nice when they respond to a post - Mpho in particular is awesome. Say hi to him for me :-P And let me know how blank his stare is LOL.
Can't wait for Season 3!!!!
Thank you for such great storytelling! Falling Skies has me gripping the edge of my seat every week. I am a big fan of Will Patton's work and I was happy to see his character evolution during the second season, and to know that Captain Weaver is getting a second chance with his daughter!
My questions:
How much does Steven Spielberg contribute to the plot and production on a per-episode basis? You have mentioned that he has clear directions for how the show is to be filmed and provides input to scripts. What other involvement does he have?
If you could have anyone you wanted to come and guest star on Falling Skies (someone that you don't already have lined up or aren't in talks with), who would it be and what character would you have them portray?
Thanks again for providing such a wonderful hour of entertainment, keep up the great work! (Oh, and thank you so much for the behind the scenes details on your blog! It is really awesome that you are willing to contribute to the audience and allow them opportunities to "talk" with you.)
-Merri J
Questions:
1. In season 1 you gave us a glimpse of Lourde's (praying for the lost, saying grace, etc) faith but you didn't do much with that in season 2. Why?
2. Do you think you might develop the issue of faith more in the future? I think faith would be challenged in the situation detailed in Falling Skies, but I also think it might grow and be a source of strength. I think the lack of this development might have hurt Lourde's character.
3. Will we find out what happened to Anne's family? I know her son is dead. How? Perhaps the pregnancy might cause some flashbacks/PTSD about losing another child in the future? (But maybe you can't say.... Am I warm?)
4. How much do the surveys after the show impact things?
5. What's your favorite scene?
6. What scene was the hardest (season I or 2) for you on an emotional level?
7. Will you do 2nd Watch again? Why don't they take questions from the internet for those of us who have no hope of being in studio?
8. Have you ever thought of exploring the emotional/psyche issues that get stirred up by the invasion? (Depression, PTSD, suicide etc?)
Thanks for taking questions! I really do love the show and cannot wait for more.
Amy in Illinois
I've been reading your blog posts for about a month.
The behind-the-scenes photos and commentary is an interesting read as well as your work on Smallville.
As a student writer who is interested in working in television and film, I learn a lot from reading articles and blogs like yours.
My question is, what's it like to work on a show like Falling Skies?
I really appreciated your blog and that you took the time last year for a Q&A from the fans last season. And I was happy to see you doing it again this season. Some of my questions may be spoilers or may be answered in the next season. But I still have to ask because I am curious! Obviously I am a rabid fan of this show.
• Charleston
o How many people are in Charleston?
o How long ago did they get the lights on?
o Are they mainly from around the southeast or from all over the east US?
o Do the humans remain underground all the time, or are they allowed outside at certain intervals?
• The skitters obviously have mind control over the harnessed kids. Do the Overlords have mind control over the skitters? If so, how to the Rebel Skitters keep their thoughts from the Overlords?
• Karen is “harnessed” to an Overlord rather than a skitter. Is that why she does not seem to be all scaly? Will she “evolve” into a creature that is more similar to an Overlord than a Skitter?
• Karen did not seem upset when her Overlord was killed. Why?
• I really like 2nd Watch. The first episode was about 40 minutes. However most of the rest of the episodes in the season were between 10-15 minutes. I would really like to request that 2nd Watch be extended to 30 minutes per episode.
• What do the aliens want from the planet earth? That is, is there a natural resource that they want to mine? Or are they just conquering earth for the sake of gaining new territory?
• How old are the skitters? One episode made reference that the Overlords invaded the skitter planet about 100 years ago. So are the skitters now that old? Or are they the children or grandchildren of the originally captured skitters? Does being harnessed increase your lifespan just like it increases your strength?
Again, thank you for appreciating the fans so much!
With all thats being bandied about by fans over Dr. Glass' pregnancy, I was starting to wonder if this might be a clever ruse by the gods of film-making to catch the audience looking the other way, when maybe we should be paying more attention to another possibility. Anyway, I hope she likes fish.
The gods of film-making have everything they need to bring Dai back:
+ A fresh body
+ A strange new extraterrestrial
+ A way for this new alien to “prove” himself beneficent towards the humans
= A resurrected (resuscitated?) Dai.
I'm new to the series - I missed it on UK TV and took a chance on the season 1 DVD. I watched all of season 1 back to back and then ran straight through season 2 thanks to the wonders of the internet. So 20 episodes in 3 days!
The show I am most reminded of is not SF at all but Band of Brothers. I like the continuous narrative and the focus on keeping the story within the boundaries of the characters' experiences - ie we don't know much more than they do about the bigger picture.
However, it seems to me that this has some limitations because the bigger picture influences what happens to 2nd Mass. My only problem with Band of Brothers was the tacit impression that Easy Company (and the US) single handedly won WW2. Of course in reality there was a lot of action elsewhere and also some stuff that didn't come out until long afterwards - for example the role of Polish mathematicians in laying the basis for code breaking which gave the intel which supported D-Day.
I wonder if there is a way of bringing some of the bigger picture to the experience of 2nd Mass - for example we know the Charleston people have had Short Wave radio comms with other groups worldwide?
Anyway, great series and waiting impatiently for season 3
Ian
Edinburgh, Scotland
My husband and stepson love Falling Skies; and I was so pleased to see your name attached to the project in such a significant way! Sending you a 'shout out' here on your blog.
The last time I think I saw you was a SF screening of Nash/Bridges ? Anyway, glad you are doing so well in your career.
Kristine Hanna
Tom and Anne's relationship was too obvious from the very first episode. I hope in the future, there will be less obvious outcomes - shocking twists and turns. I love Maggie and Anne. Will we see more women fighters? Anne? Is that too unrealistic considering that her character is a loving, caring, doctor, and new mom? I loved the episode where she killed the skitter.
Keep up the great work! Love the show!
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