Falling Skies (2011–2015): Season 1, Episode 3 - Prisoner of War - full transcript

Previously on Falling Skies...

I was in school when the ships came.

All electronics stopped working.
Everything.

They kill grownups, and they catch kids.

Get off!

We cannot fight these things
unless we know how.

Ben. He's alive,
we got to go and get him.

They die just like us,
you just have to get... close.

I thought you were all just a bunch
of strangers thrown together by fate.

Ships are gonna target the flares!

Well I guess you got me after all.



I said you could go look for your son,
do you have any idea where he is?

Margaret, she saw some harnessed kids
out by a hospital

what if it's a trap?

If it goes bad you wait for us,
you go and you go fast.

[ Clattering ]

[ Metal squeaking ]

[ Clattering ]

Tom: Ben's on the roof.

Looks like they're
scavenging scrap metal.

That's exactly
what they're doing.

[ Hissing ]

They flew here in spaceships
and turned kids into slaves

just to collect old toasters
and copper wire?

Well, there must
be some reason for it.



[ Sighs ] You think they know
what's happening to them?

I hope not.

How many kids
are you trying to grab?

Tom: As many as we can.

[ Thudding, whirring ]

Okay, let's see
what we're up against.

Anthony:
Okay, we got two mechs

patrolling in front
of the building.

Hal: And there's that one
behind the back.

Skitter by the collection bin.

And another one
inside the building.

Six of us, five of them.

I like those odds.

All right, we do this now...

tired as we are,
low on ammo, low on supplies...

I mean, losing click was enough,
wasn't it?

That's my son over there.
I know.

But we may only get one shot
at this. Okay, Tom?

They're gonna be here tomorrow
and the day after that.

Okay. How about we do this?
[ Gasps ]

[ Screeching ]

Dad, come on.
We'll be back.

We'll get him, dad.

[ indistinct shouting ]

[ Door opens ]

Welcome home.

Love what you've done
with the place.

Did you find Ben?

Ben and about a dozen others,
yeah.

Is he all right?

He's alive.

Look, there's some
really good news.

What's that?

Excuse me. Um, did you,
uh, see my daughter?

No.

No, no, I'm sorry. We didn't
really get that close.

Our son... he's been missing
since the second week.

Maybe you saw him.
No, I'm sorry.

Man: Please.
No, I... okay, everybody, just...

hey, hey, hey, hey. Come on.
Break it up. Give them some space.

We've got the right to ask!

Hey, no one's saying you don't.

But we all have missing kids,
including Tom here.

And you.

That's right...
my boy, Rick.

Okay, look, everybody, I know
what you're going through.

We all just want
to get our kids back.

And I promise that we're
gonna do everything possible

to make sure that that happens.

Wait, look. There's a...

there's a school-announcement
board here.

Why don't you guys
take your pictures

and post your missing kids
up here?

Yeah. Great idea.
Anthony: Yeah, and write their name,

hair color, weight, height...

Last time that you saw them.

Yeah, anything that
you guys can think of

that'll help us identify them.

I promise that all the squads
will check this board

before each and every mission.

Okay?

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Thank you...
both of you.

Mike: Porter's here.

He's not due back
for another couple weeks.

You know that good news?
He brought it.

He's delivering a briefing
in the command post.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Take a seat.

The picture in this war
is changing.

One of the runners
that we sent west

ran into a contingent
of resistance fighters

just outside of Chicago.

[ Indistinct murmuring ]

But they've made contact

with other groups in Texas,
Oklahoma, even California.

What that means is...

We're not in this alone anymore,
people.

That's the good news.

The bad news...

Is that alien structures
like the one that's over Boston

are going up over every city
that we know about.

Anybody figured out
what they're for?

No, Weaver.

So as of now...

We're in a full-court press

to gather intelligence
on the enemy.

I want to know about his plans.

I want to know
about his tactics.

I want to know about his weapons
and his technology...

everything.

Now that you people have
a secure operating base,

I want you to start collecting
war material.

That means motorcycles.

That means weapons,
explosives, camo gear...

anything and everything

that could be used
to support a growing insurgency.

Weaver, put 'em to work.

All right,
start breaking your units down

into search-and-requisition
teams of four to six fighters.

I'll give you your assignments
tomorrow.

Dismissed.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Hey, Tom.

Got a report that you spotted
a bunch of harnessed kids.

Yeah, we were tracking
my son Ben. We found him.

At night, they've got them
in a hospital off route 9,

and by day, the skitters
have them salvaging scrap metal.

Yeah, we've gotten reports
like that before.

They seem to use them
as some sort of slave labor.

Yeah.

Look, Tom, our science team

is struggling
with this harness thing.

They were able
to get it off of three kids,

but they died
a couple hours later.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yeah, well...

The chief surgeon thinks he's
got an answer to the problem.

But in order to test the theory,
he needs a kid.

Ben?

Look, Tom...

I'll understand
if you want to say no.

But this is probably
the best...

hell, it may be the only chance

Ben and any of the other kids
have got.

Yeah.

[ Clears throat ]
Yeah. Um...

I can't go back
and just rescue one kid,

even if it's my own son.

We need to rescue them all.

We will, in time.
The time is now.

If it were up to me,
you wouldn't be going at all.

Our priority has to be
winning this war.

There are hundreds of people
out there with missing kids.

We rescue those kids, as many as
we can, we keep their hope alive.

We give up on those kids, those
people are gonna give up hope, too.

We save a few dozen kids
and lose the war,

they're no better off
than they were in the harness.

Well, they'd die free.

I think we're wasting time
and resources,

but it's not my call.

That's right. It's mine.

Just Ben this time.

That's it.

Right.

You okay?

[ Scoffs ]

Did you know I was due to retire
when all this happened?

Nothing to look forward to
but golf and travel and...

A stack of spy novels
on my nightstand.

[ Chuckles ]

Listen, Tom...

You go out there and get Ben.

But, damn it, be careful.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

[ Basketball bouncing ]

[ Children laughing ]

Hey, buddy.

Hey.

I'm back.

Did you bring Ben?

No, not this time,
but we found him, and he's safe.

We're gonna go back for him.

What's the matter?

Come on. I can take it.

At school today,

some kid said that when you take
those things off their backs,

the kids die.

Yeah.

Well...

That was before.

Before?

Before a really smart doctor
figured out

how to take them off safely.

What doctor?

He came here today
with colonel Porter.

He's gonna teach Anne
how to do it, too.

So Ben's gonna be okay?

[ Door opens ]

Hey.

Hungry?

You bet I am.

Here you go.

Everybody's got a right to eat.

Thank you.

[ Clears throat ]

You got a problem?

What is this...
skitter a la king?

Chicken and rice.

Are you sure?

Look, if it's not up
to your usual high standards,

you'll have to make allowances.

We all take turns
in the kitchen.

Let me guess...
it was your turn.

First of all, the chicken
shouldn't bleed like this.

It's way undercooked. That, and you got
enough salt in here to give my kid a stroke.

And what is that?
What is that... paprika?

Paprika?
Nobody puts paprika on chicken.

What are you... Hungarian?

You do realize
you're a prisoner, right?

Before you grill it, fry it,
put it on a barbecue,

you poach the chicken first,

preferably
in some chicken stock

with a little bit
of herbs and spices.

That way, it absorbs all
the herbs and all the spices.

And then you can drop it
onto a barbecue,

you can grill it,
put it into a frying pan,

and all that moisture and all that
flavor's already cooked into it.

What are you... a cook?

Certified culinary arts.

And it's "chef,"
not "cook."

How was the food?

When I could stomach

eating with a bunch
of degenerate psychos...

The food wasn't bad.

And who prepared it?

Pope.

He said he trained in prison.

I say we just put him
to the test.

We already have people
who can cook.

Yeah, they can cook...

Oatmeal.

He'll be under guard
at all times.

You three can go.

Send him in!

Man: Yes, sir!

So, you want to cook?

Oh, I'd love to...

If you had anything
to cook with.

He showed me what you got,
and what you've got...

Are 50 cans of lima beans...

32 cans of tuna fish,
some chicken...

And rice.

"Rots" and "rots" of rice.

Don't you people know
how to scrounge?

You were here for weeks before
we came along. What did you eat?

We hunted.
There wasn't about a dozen of you.

Okay?
We've got 300!

Maybe you can't hack it, Pope!

Hey...

I cooked Thanksgiving dinner
for three entire cell blocks.

That's 170 inmates.

If they didn't like my food,
I'd lose body parts.

Here's the deal, Pope...

the facilities are substandard,
the provisions are meager,

and until Scott rigs the burners
for propane,

you're gonna be cooking
on camp stoves.

Now, if you're not up to it,
you just say the word,

and we'll put you
back in lockup.

I'll do it.

But for the love of God,

could somebody please
find me some olive oil?

Hey.

How'd it go?

Um, that good news
that you mentioned,

it was about the harnesses.

That's right.

Have you talked
to Porter's guy yet?

Briefly.

And what do you think?

Oh, the procedure is simple,
to the point of elegance.

What about the guy?

It's just my first impression,

but he's very smart,
very capable,

and very sure
he's the best man for the job.

I suppose
he's good-looking, too?

I don't know. Lourdes, did you
think he was good-looking?

Uh, yeah, for an older man.

Older?

He must be, like, 40.

Ohh! Ouch.

Oh, no, I didn't mean that...

oh, no, that's quite all right.

I think I kind of walked into that one.
[ Laughs ]

So [Chuckles]
Who is this medical genius?

Harris.
Dr. Michael Harris.

Do you know him?

Harris: Tom?

Tom! [ Chuckles ]

Michael.

You're alive?

Yeah, so are you.

[ Chuckles ]

Rebecca and I foraged for
a couple of hours, and... and...

It looked like rain,

so...We both figured

it'd be more efficient
to split up.

And... and there hadn't been
an a-attack for a while.

Yeah, I remember.

We weren't apart
five minutes...

these airships started
pounding the area,

and I-I-I-I tried
to get to her, Tom.

I really did, and, uh, I...

and I got this.

And, uh...

And then the second wave of
the attack started, and, uh...

[ Chuckles ]

I hid in a collapsed house.

I passed out.

And a group of fighters
found me the next day,

and I became the medical officer
for the resistance.

I can't tell you how sorry I am
about your wife, Tom.

Thanks for telling me.
Sure.

Where are your boys?

Hal and Matt are with me.
Ah.

Ben's a prisoner.

[ Sighs ] Is he harnessed?
Mm-hmm.

Is he nearby?
Yeah, yeah.

We were gonna try
to go get him tonight.

You know...

When we found Rebecca...

We went to go look for you.

But there were skitter patrols
everywhere, and...

You don't owe me an apology.

This is war, right?

Yeah.

Bring Ben to me.

I couldn't save Rebecca,

but maybe I can give you back
your boy.

Okay, let's go.

[ Screeching ]

Tom: They didn't see
the explosives in the car.

That's good.

[ Engine running ]

[ Thudding ]

What's going on?

The first crew's here.

Ben with them?

I don't see him.

[ Thudding ]

There's another crew coming.

I think I see him.

No, it's not him.

It's Rick.

What?

It's my boy.
Where?

Right by the building.

Ricky! No! No! No! Cover me.

No! No! No!

Ricky!

Ricky. Rick. Rick.

It's dad. Dad.

Come on.

[ Screeching ]

They must have Ben.

Let's go.

[ Tires screech ]

There's the truck!

I'm going after Ben.

[ Thudding ]

[ Tires screech ]

Where's hal? Karen?

We couldn't get them.

We were running for the truck.

Got hit by debris
from the explosion.

Tom, we got you this far.

Where's hal and Karen?!

There was a mech on our tail.
Couldn't wait.

How far to the school?

A quarter-mile,
maybe less.

You two go on.

What about you?
I'm going after them.

At least come with us for
weapons and reinforcements.

No.
There's no time.

What were you thinking, Mike?

I'm so sorry, Tom.

He's the only family
I got left.

Where are the rest
of the weapons?

I had to leave them
in the truck.

Just got this.

Let me have that rope, too,
and your flashlight.

Be careful.

[ Water splashes ]

Who's there?

[ Water dripping ]

[ Screeching ] Aah!

[ Gun cocks ]

[ Hisses ]

[ Screeches ]

[ Moaning ]

[ Screeching ]

[ Screams ]

[ Panting ]

It's only natural
that you want to do that.

Anthony: Captain Weaver?
Colonel Porter?

Weaver:
What is it, Anthony?

Dai and Mike are back
with one of the harnessed kids.

Porter:
Yeah... Ben, Tom's son.

No, sir. Mike's.
They're in the clinic.

[ Indistinct shouting ] Man:
Guys, it's Tom... he's back!

What is this?
You... you go ahead.

I'll see what this is.

[ Object sliding ]

[ Chitters weakly ]

Tom!

Captain Weaver.

I've brought you
a prisoner of war.

[ Growls weakly ]

You beat this thing yourself?

Yes, sir.

How?

You just got to
get close enough.

Can I trade this in
for an automatic?

Where you think you're going?

I still have two sons
and a scout out there.

Sentry, give me your weapon.

I'll give you two fighters.

No. Thanks.
It's safer if I do this alone.

Hey, buddy.

How much did you hear?

Everything.

Go get him.

[ Fire crackling ]

Ben.

Ben!

[ Thud ]

[ Thud ]

[ Screeching ]

[ Growling ]

[ Screeches ]

[ Hisses ]

[ Thud ]

No!!

No!!

The father says the patient
has cystic fibrosis.

Really?
I didn't hear anything.

Well, he's on
supplemental oxygen, so...

As long as his airways are
clear, shouldn't be a problem.

[ Sighs ]

Boy, I'll tell you...

if we'd have had access to...

Modern hospitals and labs,

we could have this all figured
out in a matter of hours.

As it was,
it's just educated guesses...

And trial and error.

What can I do to help?

Uh, you can stay out of my way.

Here you go.

All right, get ready
to lift the harness, please.

The whole idea behind this

is to expose as much needle
as possible.

Pulling those out kills them.

Yeah, well, that's why we've
been cutting them instead.

Learned that the hard way.

So did a lot of people.

Wouldn't you rather be outside?

I like to expose...
[ Air hissing ]

At least an inch of needle.

Start the drip, please.

How far?
All the way.

Lift up the harness, please.

[ Grunts ]

Okay.

[ Groans ]

You know, the first few times

we cut the needles...

We lost the patients.

Why?

[ Groans ]

Look at his eyes.

Pinpoints.

He's drugged?
Yeah.

My theory
is that the harness...

Synthesizes an opiate.

Didn't show up in the autopsy.

It's like nothing
we've ever seen before.

But I realized...

If you cut the needles,
you cut off the drug,

the kid goes into shock...

end of story.

Oh.

The... the morphine drip
is a bridge.

That's right.

That's the idea, anyway.

And all opiates basically
affect the same brain receptors.

So then I thought,
pump the kid full of morphine...

Before we cut off the harness.

Then, once he's stable,

you walk back the dosage,

bring him in
for a soft landing.

Okay. Take it away.

Okay. Blood pressure?

Still 110/70.

Okay.
That's what I like to hear.

Harris: Once the needles
penetrate the spine,

they soften and grow roots.

They become part of the host's
nervous system.

How is that possible?

Oh, you know,

some sort of nano-engineering
or something.

I mean, they look like needles,

but they behave
more like living tissue.

It's fascinating, actually.

And that means if they wear
the harness long enough...

The kid and the harness
become one.

[ Gasping, coughing ]

Doctor!
I got it, I got it.

Come on! Do something!

Get him out of here, will you?

Come on, Mike.

[ Gagging ]

[ Gagging stops ]

Okay.

Okay.

It's all right.
I was actually expecting that.

[ Dog barking ]

Who's there?!

Dad.

Hal?

Dad. Oh.

I got you. I got you.

What happened?
Where's Karen?

You drove away.

Then the mechs stunned us.

Then, when I woke up...

They were taking Karen
to the skitters.

She's a prisoner?

You left.

No. No, no. No.

One of those harnessed kids
was Mike's son.

He saw him, and he just...
he just grabbed him.

If I didn't hit the explosive,

they both would've been killed.

And I got knocked out.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have left.

I wouldn't have left.
I'm so sorry.

[ Crying ]
I'm just glad you came back.

I'm just glad
that you're alive.

Dad...

They killed those kids.

Wait a minute. What kids?

Ben?!

No, no, not Ben.

What kids?
Not Ben.

The other crew.

The ones with Mike's son.

Yeah.
I don't know why, but...

The skitter
made the mech kill them,

and they let me go.

They let you go?

Yeah, it was like
they wanted me to see it.

And then... they killed them,
and they let me go.

[ Grunts ]

The Nazis sometimes did that
with allied prisoners of war.

To send a message...

take one,
and we'll kill the rest.

That's why they left you alive.
You're the messenger.

That means we can't
just take one kid.

No, no. When we come back,
we take them all.

[ Crackling ]

[ Growls weakly ]

If it was up to me,
we'd kill the damn thing now.

Anthony:
Yeah, let's do that.

Porter: Nope.

We've never had
a live skitter before.

Nobody's ever had one
that I know of.

And if we're gonna beat
these things, Weaver,

we damn sure need
to understand them.

Tom handled this one

with a sawed-off shotgun
and a flashlight.

What more is there
to understand?

That'll be
Dr. Harris' call.

Dr. Harris?

I thought he was leaving
with you tonight.

Nope. Change of plans.

You're gonna have him
for the next three weeks.

I want somebody
with a background

in physiology and anatomy
to study this damn thing.

And we'll always have
flashlights and shotguns.

Well, don't everybody
thank me at once.

Well, it's good.
Isn't it?

It's not bad, considering...

Considering what?

Who made it.

Well, line up, everybody!

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Gonna have some?

Serve them first.

Looks like you might be
of some use to the 2nd mass.

Yeah?
We'll give it a week.

Does that mean I don't have to
be, uh, locked up anymore?

It does not.
Lock him up.

Scott:
All right. Come on, Pope.

You're not gonna regret it!

I already regret it.

Yeah, yeah.

How is he?

[ Sleepily ] He's stable.

So it works.

It seems to.
Are you okay?

Yeah.
Hey, Tom.

Looks like he's gonna be okay.

I'm praying.

Keep an eye on him
while I step out?

Of course.

Why don't you sit down,
let me take a look at you?

How did it go?

Hal's okay.

But they captured Karen.

Oh, no.

Lord.

How's he taking it?

He blames himself.

I'm so sorry.
Yeah.

Now we know, right?

I mean, now we know...

That we can take
these things off

and it doesn't have to
kill them, right?

Harris knows what he's doing?

Yeah. He's great.

Got any idea
where I can find him?

Ah.

I...

I got some scotch.

How's the prisoner?

Eh, too soon to tell.

Uh, Porter wants me to stick
around a little while longer

and make a Fuller study
of our conquerors.

Is that what he called them?

No, that's my word.

We're not conquered.

Unless we give up.

[ Growls weakly ]

Uh, I got too much respect
for your intelligence, Tom,

to, uh, take that little display
of human vanity seriously.

Well, maybe
I'm not as intelligent

as you think I am.

You know, there are people

who actually believe

that surviving the first wave
of the invasion

proves that they're
the best of mankind.

Obviously you don't agree?

Well...

Those people who ran away

or found the deepest holes
to hide in...

they're the survivors.

You find something
ennobling in that,

I-I'd love to hear about it.

Is that how you survived?

Running away?

Hiding?

What do you mean?

The morning of the attack,

when you and Rebecca
got caught outside,

you ran away and you hid.

And you left her
to save yourself.

I mean, I... look.

She was not with me
the morning of the attack.

I told you that.

I know what you told me.

But when I found her,

she was still holding
onto the duffel bag

full of provisions that you guys
had collected,

and it was much too heavy
for her to carry by herself.

And that's how I know
you were with her

when the attack started.

Look, Tom...

Please.

I-I-it wasn't premeditated.

It was
a split-second decision.

And I-I guess I thought...

what? What?

Well, I guess
I thought that my...

t-the community
needed my medical skills.

[ Groans ] Man.

[ Groans ]

Well...

I guess
you had to do that, huh?

You guessed right.

[ Grunts ]

Well, I understand
how guilty you must feel

'cause of what happened to her.

What are you talking about?

Well, it was your morning, Tom.

Wasn't it?

Rebecca told me that you
were supposed to go out there

looking for food with me
that morning.

But she knew
how exhausted you were,

and she couldn't bring herself
to wake you up.

She really loved you, Tom.

But it should have been you out
there the morning of the attack

and not Rebecca.

You're as responsible
for her death as I am...

maybe more.

And because I'm alive,

you've got a chance to get
that harness off your son.

Rebecca's death
may save Ben's life.

The skitters won't win.

Well, we'll see.

And no matter
how each of us survived,

maybe we owe it
to those who didn't...

To become the best of mankind.

[ Growls ]