Shall We Gather at the River (Falling Skies)

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"Shall We Gather at the River"
Falling Skies episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 2
Directed by Greg Beeman
Written by Bradley Thompson
David Weddle
Production code202
Original air dateJune 17, 2012 (2012-06-17)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Worlds Apart"		Next →
"Compass"
Falling Skies season 2
List of episodes

"Shall We Gather at the River" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies , and the 12th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on June 17, 2012 as a two-hour season premiere with the first episode of the season. It was written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle and directed by Greg Beeman.

Contents

Plot

Tom begins having nightmares about the Skitters recapturing him. A parasite is found in Tom's eye, forcing him to question his own loyalty. The 2nd Mass has to find a way to cross a destroyed bridge. Ben offers to cross the river alone to scout the area ahead. He learns that the ships are controlling a structure ahead. The bridge is fixed and vehicles begin to cross. However, airships begin to approach the 2nd Mass. Ben, Hal, Maggie and Dai blow up the structure controlling them, sending the ships away from the bridge. A swarm of Skitters and Mechs attempts to cross the bridge and attack the fighters. Tom slows them down by firing at them. Tom then runs, attempting to cross back. The 2nd Mass had planned to blow up the bridge. Weaver tries to wait for Tom but Pope detonates. Tom is, again, assumed dead. However, he swims back and the 2nd Mass heads to an abandoned airport.

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Shall We Gather at the River" was seen by an estimated 4.46 million household viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. [1] The episode was down 24% from its series debut, [2] which garnered a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic. [3] Nevertheless, Falling Skies remains TNT's highest-rated scripted series. "Shall We Gather at the River" received a 1.5 rating among viewers between ages 18 and 49, meaning 1.5 percent of viewers in that age bracket watched the episode. [1]

Reviews

After spending the last several months mulling and anticipating the Falling Skies season 2 premiere, I finally got a look at the two-part debut including the episodes "World's Apart" and "Shall We Gather at the River". Result: I'm stunned. Since the creative team had little or no opportunity to course correct based on viewer feedback in season one, I sort of anticipated season 2 of Falling Skies would be a reboot in many ways, but I never expected the magnitude of improvements I've just witnessed. Falling Skies has set the standard for prime-time action and Science Fiction and delivered an opening act that finally fulfills the promise of a blockbuster level experience on the small screen.

– Jon Lachonis, TV Overmind [4]

Reviews for the episode were strong. Many critics noted a step-up in quality from the first season. Newday's Verne Gay called stated "'Skies' has made the bad guys intriguing, and now if it can only get serious about character development with the good ones — humans — then the second season will be a big improvement." [5] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post compared the episode to the first season by saying "Season 2 is a different animal, a much leaner and meaner machine that allows sentiment to be present but unexpressed and depicts a darker world in which innocence is a luxury that no one can truly afford." [6] Chuck Barney declared "Sunday's explosive two-hour opener boldly delivers on the promise by TNT producers to rev up both the pace and the firepower in Season 2." [7] Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic called the episode a "strong start overall to Falling Skies Season 2," and continued by praising the performances of Wyle, Patton and Cunningham. [8] Screen Rant's Anthony Ocasio praised the episode. "While further episodes will reveal more, the type of character development, intriguing storylines and exciting action that will be contained in Falling Skies season 2 , there’s no doubt that TNT’s hit drama will likely become an epic adventure, spanning many seasons," he said. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Falling Skies</i> 2011 American science fiction television series

Falling Skies is an American science fiction television series set in a post-apocalyptic era, created by Robert Rodat and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. The series stars Noah Wyle as Tom Mason, a former history professor who becomes the second-in-command of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, a paramilitary group of remnant US military personnel, military veterans, civilians and various fighters fleeing Boston, US, following an alien invasion that devastated Earth.

<i>Falling Skies</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American drama television series Falling Skies commenced airing on June 19 and concluded on August 7, 2011. It consisted of ten episodes, each running approximately 40 minutes in length. TNT broadcast the first season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States.

Live and Learn (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Live and Learn" is the first episode of the first season and the series premiere of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies. The episode was written by series creator and executive producer Robert Rodat and directed by Carl Franklin. The episode first aired in the United States on June 19, 2011, alongside the second episode.

The Armory (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 2nd episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"The Armory" is the second episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired June 19, 2011, alongside the pilot episode. The episode was written by Graham Yost and directed by Greg Beeman.

Prisoner of War (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 3rd episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Prisoner of War" is the third episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired June 26, 2011. The episode was written by Fred Golan and directed by Greg Beeman.

Grace (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 4th episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Grace" is the fourth episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired July 3, 2011. The episode was written by Melinda Hsu Taylor and directed by Fred Toye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silent Kill</span> 5th episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Silent Kill" is the fifth episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired July 10, 2011. The episode was written by Joe Weisberg and directed by Fred Toye.

Sanctuary (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 6th and 7th episodes of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Sanctuary" is a two-part episode, consisting of the sixth and seventh episodes of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies. The first part aired on July 17, 2011, and the second part aired on July 24, 2011. Part 1 was written by Joel Anderson Thompson and part 2 was written by Melinda Hsu Taylor, both episodes were directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Hides Beneath</span> 8th episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"What Hides Beneath" is the eighth episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired July 31, 2011. The episode was written by Mark Verheiden and directed by Anthony Hemingway.

Mutiny (<i>Falling Skies</i>) 9th episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Mutiny" is the ninth episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies, which originally aired August 7, 2011, alongside the season finale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eight Hours</span> 10th episode of the 1st season of Falling Skies

"Eight Hours" is the tenth episode of the first season of the TNT science fiction drama Falling Skies and the season finale, which originally aired August 7, 2011, alongside the ninth episode.

<i>Falling Skies</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies premiered June 17, 2012. It consisted of ten episodes, each running approximately 42 minutes in length. TNT broadcast the second season on Sundays at 9:00 pm ET in the United States.

Tom Mason (<i>Falling Skies</i>) Fictional character

Tom Mason is a fictional character and protagonist of the TNT television series Falling Skies. The character is played by Noah Wyle. Falling Skies tells the story of the aftermath of a global invasion by several races of extraterrestrials that neutralizes the world's power grid and technology, quickly destroys the combined militaries of all the world's countries, and apparently kills over 90% of the human population within a few days. Mason is one of the leaders of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, a group of survivors fighting against the aliens.

"Worlds Apart" is the second season premiere episode of the American television drama series Falling Skies and the 11th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on June 17, 2012, as a two-hour season premiere with the second episode of the season. Written by the first season showrunner Mark Verheiden and directed by Greg Beeman, "Worlds Apart" was the first original Falling Skies episode in 10 months.

"Compass" is the third episode of the second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies, and the 13th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on June 24, 2012. It was written by Brian Oh and directed by Michael Katleman.

"Young Bloods" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies, and the 14th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on July 1, 2012. It was written by Heather V. Regnier and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

"Love and Other Acts of Courage" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies, and the 15th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on July 8, 2012. It was written by Joe Weisberg and directed by John Dahl.

"Molon Labe" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series Falling Skies, and the 17th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on July 22, 2012. It was written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle and directed by Holly Dale. The title is drawn from the defiant cry reportedly uttered by Sparta's King Leonidas I to Persians demanding that he surrenders his army's weapons, Molon labe.

<i>Falling Skies</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television drama series Falling Skies was renewed on July 11, 2012 for a total of 10 episodes. The season premiered on June 9 and ended on August 4, 2013. On July 2, 2013, TNT renewed the show for a fourth season.

<i>Falling Skies</i> season 5 Season of television series

Falling Skies was renewed for a fifth and final season, which began airing June 28, 2015, and concluded August 30, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (June 19, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood', 'Falling Skies', 'Real Housewives of NJ', 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' + NASCAR & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 18, 2012). "TNT's 'Falling Skies' Down In Season Debut". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert (June 21, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Falling Skies,' 'Game of Thrones', 'The Killing,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'The Glades' and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ Lachonis, Jon (June 16, 2012). "Falling Skies Season 2 Review". TVOvermind. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ Gay, Verne (June 14, 2012). "'Falling Skies' and visiting aliens". Newsday. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Maureen (June 15, 2012). "'Falling Skies' Review: Sci-Fi Drama Kicks More Alien Butt In Season 2". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  7. ↑ Barney, Chuck (June 13, 2012). "Chuck Barney: 'Falling Skies' is TV's version of the summer blockbuster". Mercury News. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ Richenthal, Matt (June 17, 2012). "Falling Skies Review: An Alien Presence". TV Fanatic. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  9. ↑ Ocasio, Anthony (June 18, 2012). "'Falling Skies' Season 2 Premiere Review & Discussion". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
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