Episode 'Falling Skies' Season 1, Episode 6 - 'Sanctuary' Recap

The theme of this week's episode seemed to be "remember who the enemy is." But the question of the week was this: why is everyone in 2nd Mass a total asshole?

"Sanctuary" started off with Anne dealing with a crazed father pulling a gun on her so that he could steal some medicine and run away with his family. I guess Pope isn't the only one who's selfish enough to be a jerk during a mass extinction. Luckily, Weaver, Tom and Mike (why is he back out in the field? Didn't he prove himself to be a pretty poor decision-maker on more than one occasion?) track the thief down, and are aided by Terry Clayton of 7th Mass.

Clayton comes with news that 7th Mass is toast. Skitters and mechs attacked and took them out, and he ran off. A bit suspect, isn't it? Sadly, nobody on this show ever suspects anyone of anything. These guys are all way too trusting. Either that or they're just plain dumb.

In any case, Clayton suggests that he should take all the kids off to a safe zone before the skitters close in on this location. The parents think that's a pretty nutty idea (at least someone around here has some sense in them), but after a lot of deliberation and a well-timed mech/skitter attack, they finally cave in to the idea.

Meanwhile, relationship dynamics are changing in the camp. Since Anne is now the victim of a trauma, she and Margaret are all buddy-buddy, with Margie even teaching Anne how to shoot a gun. Jimmy's back (remember him? The kid who ran after his dog because someone decided to give a 12-year-old a gun and put him out in the field?) and almost gets wasted by a mech, and there's kind of a touching father/son-type moment between him and Weaver.

Those relationships are all warm and fuzzy, but Ben's acting a little weird. All of a sudden the guy can do over 100 push-ups without breaking a sweat, and he talks about the skitters like they were his family. He even says that he misses how they knew what he needed without having to say it. It's all a bit creepy. Plus, he still has the spikes sticking out of his back...which causes some asshole in the mess hall to start a fight with him. Seriously, is every civilian in this outfit just a total jerk?

But all of this leads to everyone deciding that the kids should go ahead. Luckily, Hal and a few others go with them, but when night falls it doesn't seem to make a difference: Clayton convinces one of the kids (Eli, who is not too bright) to come with him in the middle of the night to "see his family." That leads them into the woods, where he's lured by a harnessed girl and then stunned by a mech. Clayton is a double-crosser!

If there's one flaw to "Falling Skies," it's this: they're a little too good at casting people. They telegraph these characters so that you know you're not supposed to like them from the get-go. At no point did I trust Clayton, and at no point did I like Harris, either.

The reveal at the end shows us that there's another level to the treachery: Clayton learned that there were kids at the school from an inside source, and that source is Pope! Clayton has the cook (sorry, culinary artist) tied up and seemingly beat the information out of him. Man, Pope is going to have to cook one hell of a meal to make up for this one.