TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Falling Skies Season 4 Episode 06: “Door Number Three”

Hope and fear are two of the most powerful emotions we have. One keeps us going, the other keeps us alive. The problem comes when trying to define which is which, and which is better to have in a grave situation.

For the first time since the opening episode of Season 4, everyone we know and care about in Falling Skies reunited. It was a great and powerful moment, yet you knew the peace wouldn’t last, and we all knew why: Lexi.

“Door Number Three” was a true highlight for the up and down season Falling Skies has had. One part mystery, two parts drama, three parts danger, and four different Masons taking charge on what should happen to Lexi. Who’s side are you on?

Everything in this episode pretty much revolved around Lexi. And for once, it was not a bad thing. Her mutation (for lack of a better word) evolved and put her in a cocoon, with no one knowing exactly what was going to happen, but everyone having an opinion.

I really enjoyed this episode because it took the time to flesh out everything that everyone had been going through the entire season. With this event, Lexi’s cocoon appearing, everything was brought to the front, and emotions really ran high.

From Tom who was just happy to have his family back, to Anne who just wanted to have her girl, Ben starting to believe in his sister, and Hal thinking about what’s best for everyone, it was all out in the open and it was all spectacular.

Hal really shined in this episode. This season has really been about him becoming a true leader, and being a true leader means accepting that sometimes the needs of the group take precedent over personal feelings. It’s clear he loves his family, but just as he said oh so powerfully as he pointed to the 2nd Mass, “They’re my family too.”

Tom and Anne also did well here, each showing how far they’re willing to go to protect Lexi, albeit in very different ways. Anne’s willingness to drug herself to try and get repressed memories to show her how to deal with the cocoon was equal parts craziness and logic. Props to the writers for throwing in a fakeout astral projection trick, that one got me.

Tom on the other hand held the line in the real world and showed that fathers are just as passionate about mothers. His interrupting the “town hall session” was nice, and he both laid down the law and showed his willingness to see both sides…to a degree anyway.

To be clear, both sides are justified. Tom, Anne, and Ben’s willingness to risk everything for Lexi is understandable, even though it is a little foolish given what we know, but we can’t judge them for that. And as Lexi would show Anne, she always “chooses her family”.

On the other hand, Hal, Pope, and the Volm have every reason to fear what Lexi may become. Especially when Shaq (still love it ladies and gentlemen) revealed what happens when Espheni appear from that cocoon. Hint: It’s not good. So not good that Shaq and crew left rather than find out who was right and who was wrong.

The near riot at the end of the episode was excellently done, what started as a desire to talk quickly escalated and lines were drawn as both the fear of Lexi and the hope that she is their savior were both on display. For better or for worse the confrontation was stalled, but not without blows to both sides. Ben convinced Maggie to join him in defending Lexi, and Hal’s power monologue showed he’s not just thinking as a brother but as a leader of people.

The ending was touching, but a little confusing. So Lexi is conscious in the cocoon? And what is going on with her? After an episode of “is a she a threat or not?” I really wanted answers, yet not surprisingly, we didn’t get any. Maybe next episode.

In the end, “Door Number Three” may not have had any action per se, but it did have some of the best character moments of the season, if not the series. Drama is more than just guns and explosions, it’s about characters going to great lengths to show what they believe in. This episode did that.