Falling Skies "Young Bloods" REVIEW

TV REVIEW: Father issues ahoy...

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Episode 2.04
Writer : Heather V Regnier
Director : Michael Sapochnik

THE ONE WHERE : Weaver is reunited with his daughter when the 2 nd Mass discover a group of young resistance fighters…

THE VERDICT : The assault on the harvesting factory is the highlight of this otherwise middling episode. It’s an environment that feels torn from the nightmares of a Victorian urchin, all steam and rust and cries of children. The show adds an especially eerie moment of bio-horror here, showcasing the vile, lamprey-like creature that emerges from a goo-dripping chute to sink its hooks into its victim’s flesh. The shot of the skitter brushing Matt’s hair with almost maternal tenderness is a nicely creepy touch. Elsewhere, it’s good to get some back story on the terminally gruff Weaver, but the daughter storyline ultimately drags, leading to an interminable ending filled with platitudes about living with hope (an emotional beat over-egged by the closing shot of a crying Weaver). And the episode wastes the chance to contrast the respective leadership skills of Weaver and Diego – that was the story, surely, right there?

ALIEN LORE : We continue to build up a picture of the post-invasion world. Northern Mexico has apparently been devastated, with the agricultural town of Parras completely wiped out. Bad news for devotees of Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the Western hemisphere.

BEST LINE :

Weaver: “I’ve never been able to control my anger. It sweeps through me like a brush fire.”

Falling Skies is now showing on FX.

Nick Setchfield
Editor-at-Large, SFX Magazine

Nick Setchfield is the Editor-at-Large for SFX Magazine, writing features, reviews, interviews, and more for the monthly issues. However, he is also a freelance journalist and author with Titan Books. His original novels are called The War in the Dark, and The Spider Dance. He's also written a book on James Bond called Mission Statements. 

Latest in TV
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again immediately earns its title with a foundation-shaking opening that sets it apart from its Netflix predecessor
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO boss says new Game of Thrones spin-off's battles "match" the mainline series at a "fraction of the price"
Noah Centineo in The Recruit
The Recruit fans are blaming The Night Agent for the show's cancelation: "It's Netflix's fault for releasing at the same time"
Moonrise anime series
Attack on Titan studio's new anime series just got a release date, three years after Netflix unveiled its first teaser
A Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
The Evangelion studio's Gundam anime finally gets a release date and streaming home
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 3
Reacher star Alan Ritchson wants to play Batman so bad, he says "you wouldn't even have to pay me"
Latest in Reviews
The pump header of the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB showing a 35 degree cpu
NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB review: "Has some solid design points that make installation a lot easier"
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid gaming keyboard on a wooden desk with blue lighting
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid review: "one of the best value Hall effect gaming keyboards out there"
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU"
Doggerland player board
Doggerland review: "A delicate dance of survival and management that doesn't feel weighted toward a single strategy"
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX gaming mouse standing upright on a wooden desk
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX review: "a force to be reckoned with"
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review: "There have been far worse Marvel projects, but few as disappointing as this"