Falling Skies (2011–2015): Season 3, Episode 2 - Collateral Damage - full transcript

Hate to say it, Benji,

but...

Believe me now?

Oh, my God.

Look at all those
shiny new Mega-Mechs.

All waiting in line to gas up.

Rebel Skitters were right,

as usual.

If those Mechs
top off their tanks,

we're toast.

It's not just that group,
either.



This plant makes
all the fuel

for all the Mechs and Beamers
on the East Coast.

The Fishheads invade our planet,

but they forget to
bring enough fuel?

What's that about?

We can't worry about that.

Our problem right now
is that the only road in

is guarded by Mechs,
and they're all powered up.

They'll pound us to road kill
if we try to go that way.

Then we'll go
where they won't expect us.

They're not defending
that cliff.

Those tubes
must contain the fuel.

Oh, my God.

You think it's
the radiation?



It could have been us.

Okay, let's go.

Ah, you're wrong, Pope.

The Volm are freedom fighters,
like the Contras.

Tector, do you honestly think
when this is all finished,

they're just going to what...?

Ride off into the sunset?

No, they got plans
for this place.

Think about it.
You got your Volm family.

They're cruising
across the cosmos

in their interstellar S.U.V.

They got to make a rest stop,
right? Some refreshments.

No, no,
I'm telling you,

when this war is finished up,

you, my friend,
are going to be standing behind

a counter serving
hot dogs and super slurps

to bubble heads
in Hawaiian shirts.

Hey, Glamour Grunt,
is that a love bite?

What, this?
It's a dueling scar.

A little hand-to-claw action
with a Skitter.

You fought
a cockroach barehanded?

Oh, yeah.
Big fat one.

Jumped out of a tree,
smack on my back.

Holy crap.
How did you survive?

Ah, I just flipped him over
my shoulder Lucha Libre style.

That's when one of his buddies
charged me from behind.

He's lying.

When he told me that story,

he fought off three Skitters
and a Mech with a tire iron.

If you expect a girl to hop
in the sack with you,

you're going to have to do

a whole lot better
than that, Lars.

Well, if that girl
was you, Mags,

I certainly would.

I would start with a bouquet
of fresh-cut wildflowers,

followed by dinner
at Pope's Bar,

a bottle of his
best champagne.

And then...

Hal,

what are you doing here?

I knew you were
coming off the line.

I thought we could grab
some breakfast.

Looks like you're busy.

Hal.

Hal!

Lars and I are battle buddies.
You know what it's like.

We're always busting each other.

Yeah, hey, I know what it's like,
with us, and where that led.

What, you seriously think
I'm sleeping with Lars?

Are you?

Can't even believe you
asked that

after what we've been through
the past seven months.

Maggie, I'm sorry.
You don't deserve that.

Yeah, you're damn right,
I don't.

You're not trapped
in that chair.

You know you can get up
anytime you like.

I don't want to hear
anything else

about the mud on my boots,
all right?

I'm not walking in my sleep.

Then how did the mud
get there, Hal?

You know damn well how.

You think Dumbo's
magic-feather trick

is going to make me walk again?

Look, I know Karen
did something to you.

I don't know how,
but she put you in that chair.

And now, for some reason,
you don't want to get out of it.

You're holding
something back, Hal.

I can see it every time
I look in your eyes.

I know you think
I'm lying to you,

I'm playing games with you.

You're the one
who's keeping a secret from me.

I just wish the hell
I knew why.

Okay.

We all know
it's a tough nut to crack.

Dan's got the only plan
that might get us

by those Mech emplacements.

It's tactically unsound.
It's damn near insane.

On the other hand,
it just might work.

I like the sound of it already.

The main entrance is
heavily guarded by Mechs.

We'll never get through it.

Our only hope is to come through
these dense woods,

down this cliff.

Get them from behind.

But no matter
how good the plan is,

if our spy leaks it
to the enemy,

we'll be walking
into an ambush.

But the Volm feel that

this is an essential target
to hit,

and I'm inclined to agree
with them.

These Mega-Mechs,

they're part of the forces

the Espheni want to use
against Charleston.

We deny them their fuel,

we knock these
pieces off the board.

Will the Volm be joining us
on this mission?

No, they will not.

We can't leave
the city unprotected.

You will take a small unit
of our best fighters.

General Bressler's troops
will stay on the perimeter,

and the Volm will stay
in Charleston to assist them.

Yes, sir.

We still haven't talked about
the elephant in the room.

I can get a team
close enough

to destroy the reactor
with one of Cochise's big guns.

But if we blow it up,

we're going to spew
radioactive fallout sky high.

It'll be a homegrown Chernobyl.

Depending on the winds,

it could poison everything,
even as far away as here.

Maybe these Volm have
some kind of high-tech gizmo

which can prevent that
from happening.

Nope.

And they don't have anything
that can help us

contain a massive
radiation leak.

Is there anybody
in Charleston

that has any expertise
in nuclear reactors?

Dr. Roger Kadar.

He runs our power grid.

Kadar taught
nuclear engineering

at the University of
South Carolina before the war.

Have him meet me
in my office.

Not going to happen.

Kadar is agoraphobic.

He never leaves the power plant
beneath the city.

If you want to talk to him,
we have to go to him.

Dr. Kadar is among
the first people

to arrive in Charleston.

Arthur Manchester
struck a deal with him.

If Kadar would help
provide power to the city,

Manchester would make sure
he gets everything he needs,

he wouldn't have to leave
his power plant.

We've continued to honor
that agreement.

We?

You have enough
on your plate, Tom.

No need to deal
with Kadar until now.

Dr. Kadar?
It's Marina Peralta--

No, no, no!
No, no, no, no!

You'll contaminate
the reaction system.

I've been trying to obtain
this combustion efficiency

for over a month!

What the hell kind of
contraption is that?

This facility is off limits to
unauthorized personnel.

What are they doing
down here, Marina?

This is Tom Mason.

The-- The President.

I didn't vote for you.

I won't hold that against you.

Uh, this is,
one of my top military aides.

This is Dan Weaver.

Hi.

Well, that's not
the right ratio at all.

Mathematically, that's not--

No, it's a chemical reaction.

I mean, the numbers
shouldn't even be--

Oh, come on.
This is a waste of time.

Yes, it is.
I have work to do.

Right.

Dr. Kadar,

we understand you're the person
we have to thank

for all the electricity
in Charleston.

That's right,
and with this generator,

I'll be able to produce
10.5 kilowatt hours per day.

Your team has done
an amazing job down here.

I-- I don't--
I don't have a team.

I've done this all myself.

Oh, no team?

Well, then you're probably
the only person who can help us.

Help you with what?

We need to know
if there's a way to safely

destroy the Wakonda reactor.

By safely,

I assume you mean
you do not want to rain

radioactive waste
over the state,

leaving it uninhabitable
for the next 24,100 years?

That's right.

We'd like to avoid
that if possible.

Well, that's--
That's a bit of a poser.

That's a fun one.

I'll have something
for you tomorrow.

Well, I guess
the interviews over.

Yeah.

There you go, little girl.
All clean and warm.

I love you. I love you.

You're so cute.

What are you looking at?

You're just a week old.

You shouldn't be able
to track like that.

Mama.

Alexis?

Alexis?

Oh, God. What--

Mama.

Mommy.

Sorry I'm late.
Is she still awake?

Barely.

She just ate,
so her eyes are getting heavy.

Here. Oh, yeah.

Oh, I have been dying to

get back to you all day.

She's a very different
little girl.

- Different?
- Yeah.

Different in what way?

She's very advanced.

I don't follow.

Maybe it's just my imagination.

Anyways, I'm going to be late
for my shift.

- Milk's in the fridge.
- All right.

Okay.

Oh, Lexie.
Oh, that's good.

Hello, Lexie.
It's your daddy.

I'll check in on you
a little later.

Got to admit I'm envious.

Of what?

Alexis.

Why is that?

Because whenever
new mothers

bring their babies in
for check-ups,

I look into the kid's eyes
and realize they don't know.

A baby has
no way of knowing

there's been an apocalypse

and that we're at war
and people are out there

dying every day.

To a baby,
everything's new and wondrous.

And it thrills them
just to be alive.

It must bring you
so much joy

having her.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

I'm fine.

You seem...

Is everything okay
with Alexis?

She's really good.

I'm going to go check on
Ms. McManus.

Duct tape.

Math class started
10 minutes ago.

Oh, how I wish I could be there
with Mr. Hooper and the gang

learning all about
trapezoids and parallelograms.

Stop!

My head is going to
explode from that.

Yeah, it's so stupid
learning that crap.

How's math going to help us kick
the aliens off this planet?

Match.

Hey.

Do you think
it'll make too big a bang?

I mean, we could
get in trouble, right?

Relax. It's only a half stick.
It'll just blow out the window.

Yeah, don't be such a wimp.

This is going to be killer.

That was totally epic.

Matt?

Awesome.

Tick, tick...

Boom! Yeah!

Hold there!
Got movement!

Go. Come on.

Run! Go!

Matt?

What the hell
have you been up to?

You're lucky you didn't blow
yourself to pieces.

Do you know people
heard the explosion

and thought
we were under attack?

Did you stop to think about
how that would scare them?

Not really.

Why would you do
something like this, Matt?

I don't know.
Bored, I guess.

Is that why you haven't been
going to school?

Your teacher, Mr. Hooper,

he stopped by
a little while ago to say

you haven't been to class
in four days.

And you haven't done
any of your homework

for the past week.

So what?

School's useless.
I'm not going back.

Yes, you are, Matt.

You can't tell me what to do.
You're not my mother!

You're right, Matt.
I'm not your mother.

But as a concerned citizen,

I'm going to ask Anthony to
escort you back to school.

School ended half an hour ago.

Not for you.

You have an extra
two hours of detention

for the next two weeks.

Anthony.

Anthony.

I've thought about
your problem.

It's, uh---

It's tricky.

If you demolish
the reactor building,

you destroy the cooling system,
as well.

So the nuclear fuel overheats,
and the steam--

Would blow up the reactor
and rain radioactive debris

all over the countryside.

Right.

So you have to turn
the reactor off

before you blow it.

That would mean sending
a team into the facility.

Yeah.

And that's just the first part.

Then you have to render
the system inoperable

without compromising
the integrity

of the reactor
containment vessel.

That means destabilizing

precise structural
tipping points

so the building's collapse
will entomb the reactor

without impairing its shielding.

I didn't understand a damn word
of what you just said.

Just give it to us
in layman's terms.

If you put your
detonation charges in

exactly the right places,

then, yes,
you can destroy the building,

you can wreck the system
without leaking any radiation.

Can you show us
where to put the charges?

Sure, once I see
the facility's plans,

and elementary physics.

It'll be fun.

Well, the fun has just begun.
We don't have any plans.

You're going to have to come up
and show our demolition team

where to set those charges.

I never go topside.
And I can't. I'm sorry.

Dr. Kadar,
you are the man for this job.

Okay, goodbye.
Goodbye.

Dr. Kadar,
you can do this.

- I can't.
- You can go.

Nothing good happens
up there.

You can do this.
It's easy.

- I can't.
- You can.

I can't. I can't.

I had a deal with Manchester.
I had a deal--

I know.

That I would never
have to go tops--

I remember.
But things are different now.

All of our lives depend
on this mission.

You can do this.

We don't want to lose
any more children.

Proceed, General.

Yes, sir.

People, what we're about
to discuss in this room

is highly classified.

What that means is
whatever's said in this room

may not be repeated
outside this room.

This is a need-to-know
basis only.

Anybody involved
in the mission

is being told only
what they need to know

for their part of the operation.

All right, Dan.

Yes, sir.

The success of this mission
rests upon surprise and speed.

If the Espheni get wind of it,

mission failure is probable,
death all but certain.

We're taking the risk
because this operation

can cripple
the enemy war machine.

Understood?

Anthony. Ben. Pope.

I will lead my core group of
fighters north

along Mill Highway.

We will then
head east on 1081,

secure our vehicles,

travel by foot to this bluff
overlooking the reactor.

We will then descend
into this gorge

and enter through
the back end of the facility.

So you think we can
just sneak in from behind

and take the Espheni
by surprise?

Well, that's insane.

Which is exactly
what the enemy thinks.

Which is why they have left

the back end
of the plant undefended.

Any more questions?

Wish the hell they'd
tell us where we're going.

Don't worry about it.

Tom told Pope our real target,
and Pope told Tector.

Spill it, big man.

Fort Knox.

Turns out the Espheni
came here for our gold.

Tector told you that?
And you believe him?

Okay, I'll prove it to you.

Hey, Benji.
Where we headed?

You'll find out
when we get there.

See what you started?

Now everyone's
calling me that.

Hey, Ben.

You guys stay close
to each other.

Be careful out there.

Don't be a hero.
I know.

See you in the morning.

Don't worry, Mr. Mason.

I won't let anything
happen to him.

A lot rides on this one, Tom.

It's a solid plan.
It's going to work.

They're all solid plans
till the first bullet flies,

and then they're as relevant
as yesterday's racing forms.

Oh, you'll pull through.
You always do.

When I have you by my side.

To ask the hard questions.

Give you a swift kick
in the butt

if you need it.

Well.

You have your job to do now.
I have mine.

I guess that's the way
it's got to be.

Hey, Dan.

Yeah?

Stay frosty.

Like a winter in Buffalo.

People,

stow the talk
and your gear!

We're moving out!

They knew we were coming!

We walked right into it!

Shut up!
We need more firepower!

I thought you said
this part of the reactor

wasn't defended!

It's working.

The Mechs are leaving the gate
to attack Weaver's team.

You were right.

The mole leaked Colonel Weaver's
plans to the enemy.

I'm using
my own people as bait,

and they're paying in blood
for every second

that we waste.

Refresh my memory, Cap!

Was being massacred
part of the plan?

Weaver's team
has bought us a window.

The road to the power
plant's wide open.

We're going in.

Don't sweat it, Doc.
You can only die once.

Thanks, that thought will be
a great comfort to me.

No matter what happens,
you stay close to me, okay?

I got your back.

- How do you do it?
- What's that?

All these people
depending on you?

How do you carry that load?

I don't have much of a choice.
Let's go.

Thanks, Anthony.

Be careful.

Weaver's getting
pounded out there.

I'll see you
on the other side, okay?

- Be safe.
- All right.

Come on, let's roll, Tec, we got
people that need our help.

It's wide open.

Okay, let's go.

Take cover!
Get down!

Spoke too soon!

Those are harnessed kids
shooting at us.

Try not to kill them.

- It doesn't matter!
- It does matter.

Forrester, you're up.

Try to push them back.

Cover him!

All right, cease fire!

Cease fire!
Cease fire!

Help me. Please.

It hurts.

Please.

Mommy, please.

It hurts.

It's a child.

It's a harnessed soldier
fighting for the Espheni.

A kid's a kid.

It's not his fault they slapped
a parasite on his back.

- No, it's a trap.
- It hurts.

That's a chance
we got to take.

Please!

Help me, please.

It hurts.

Mommy.

Barely looks human.

The harness is in too deep.

Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no.

- Is he?
- Yeah.

He's gone.

His name was Scott.

Lars!

I'm right here.
I'm right here, buddy.

I'm right with you, Lars.

Forrester,
finish bandaging him up.

Get him
to the rendezvous point.

We'll meet you there.
Let's go!

We're-- We're going to
go back with him, right?

Like hell we are.
We're going in. Let's go now!

Okay.
I'm going to see you soon, okay?

You hang in there,
you hear me?

- Let's go! Let's go!
- Wait, wait.

There could be more of them
in there, a lot more.

Then we'll smoke them.

Lyle, two o'clock!

Just keep down!

Colonel Weaver, this way!
The road's open!

About time!

Okay, if we're out of here
in 15 minutes,

we should be able to get home

with a little
nausea and no hair loss.

Let's get to it.

Where do we
set these charges, Doc?

There and there and there.

That could
bring down the building

without rupturing
the containment vessel.

"Could"? We need to do a hell
of a lot better than "could."

Call it a high order
of probability, then,

if it makes you happy.

All right, Anthony,
set the charges.

The control room
should be that way.

Let's go turn the reactor off.

My glasses!
They're broken!

Get up!

I can't see anything
without my glasses.

What's wrong?

They've re-routed everything.
If I only had my glasses.

You don't have your glasses,
so figure it out.

We got people dying out there.

I can't-- it's no use.
I can't see.

I can't see anything.

It's not going to work.
It's not going to work. Okay.

Come on. You can do this.
You can do this.

Tell me what to look for.

I'm looking for a button, uh,
something that says "scram."

"Scram"?

Scram.

- Got it.
- Push it. Push it.

All right.

Do you see anything
that says "reactor power"?

Reactor power, 93%.

Needle's not moving.

Open it.

There should be two wires

sticking out coming out
from under the switch.

What color are they?

Red and orange.

Follow the orange wire.

It should lead to the control
rod motor relay socket.

I got it.

It's been cut.

Hurry up in there!
I can't hold them much longer!

You got to run a wire
from the red side of the switch

to the orange side
of the relay socket.

Red side to the orange side.

Reactor power,
63% and dropping.

She's shutting down.

Okay. Let's go.

Been busy?

Those charges set?

Yeah, ready to blow
this place to hell.

All right, let's go.
Start the ball, Anthony.

Why not?

That's the last of us.
Nobody left behind.

Right.

For what it's worth,
Colonel, it worked.

Your unit bought us
the time we needed.

And the spy never
learned the real plan.

Where's your father?

He should have set
the charges already.

He should be out anytime.

You see what our great allies,
the Volm, are doing now?

Using our own soldiers
as sacrificial lambs?

It's funny because I don't see

any of them out here
dying with us.

Put a sock in it
and keep moving, Pope.

Sir.

What are you gaping at?
Move your asses.

- I want you to wash this down for me.
- Lourdes.

Head injury.

- Hey.
- Hey.

How's Lars?

The bite of the harness kid
introduced an extremely

aggressive bacteria
into his system.

It's releasing toxins
that are destroying

his internal organs.

I tried the most powerful
antibiotic we've got.

It's had no effect.

What about that thing
we did with Colonel Weaver

where we take the blood out
and heat it up?

It's too late for that.

It's already in his liver
and his lungs.

He's got a couple
hours at most.

All we can do
is make him as comfortable

as possible until it's over.

But you performed
courageously out there.

You can enter your house
fully justified.

Thank you, sir.

He's right.
You did a hell of a job.

I wish I had
a medal to give you.

Oh, I don't need a medal.

I'm honored that you
took the time to see me, sir.

It's Tom.

And the honor is mine.

Get some rest.

Maggie.

Yeah?

My dog tags.

Would you keep them for me?

You're the only family I got.

Absolutely.

To Lars.

To all of them.

To all of them.

Good kids.

Good soldiers.

Good soldiers.

Well, we did it.
We fooled them all.

The Espheni only knew
about my team, not yours.

It had an element of surprise.

I hope I never have to send you

out on anything
like that ever again.

That wasn't easy.

Yeah.

I never had any doubts.

No?

Not even a little bit?

I never had
any doubts about you.

But the Volm, you still have
your doubts about them, huh?

What are we doing with these
new allies of ours, Tom?

I mean, we don't even know
where they came from.

They pointed to a star.
They said, "That's our home."

Why should we believe that?

I don't know.

But everything
that they have told us

is consistent with everything
that we do know.

I do not believe
that they are these crusaders

that are going
around saving all the planets

that the Espheni have conquered.

I don't believe that.
That's too good to be true.

And even if
it's only partly true,

there's no
getting around the fact

that since they showed up,
the tide has turned.

If they ever finish
that big weapon of theirs,

we might win this war.

How do we know that's a big
weapon they're building?

They could be creating
something entirely different.

We don't even
have the slightest idea

how that thing works.

That's a good point.

It's a good point.

Maybe Dr. Kadar
can help us with that.

Come in.

Gentlemen, congratulations.

When my team
first arrived on this planet,

I had doubts about
our mission's chance of success,

but, over the past seven months,

I have watched
you hone your soldiers

into a highly skilled force.

And after the way
they acquitted themselves

on this latest engagement,

I am certain you will
prevail over the Espheni.

Don't need you to tell me that.

But thank you, Cochise.

We are very proud of the way
our people conducted themselves.

And I guess we won't be hearing
from the Espheni anytime soon.

On the contrary.

You can expect them
to attack Charleston in force.

Really?

It seems we knocked
a lot of their assets out today,

destroyed most of their
fuel supply.

Most, but not all.

We have learned
that they are bringing in

every surviving Mech
and Beamer in this region,

consolidating
whatever supplies they have left

and will hit you hard to prove
you have not weakened them.

So I advise
you to keep your soldiers

on the perimeter at high alert.

Dad, I guess you heard

about me blowing a hole
in that building.

Uh, yeah, I did.

I realize it was
a stupid thing to do.

It scared a lot of people.

That's an understatement.

Did you know that that building
was one that we were planning

on refurbishing so families
could move back into it?

No.

I thought it was abandoned.

I figured as much.

Anyway, I signed you up
for a work crew

after school so you could
help repair the damage.

That's okay.

I don't mind
fixing what I blew up.

But I don't see
the point of school.

You know, memorizing
the names of dead people

won't help us win this war.

Matt, one day,
this war's going to be over.

And when it is,
we're going to need some people

with a lot of skill
to rebuild this country.

I may not live to see
that day, but you will.

That's why
you're staying in school.

Even math class?

Especially math class.

How come you're being so nice?

I thought you'd be doing
a lot more yelling.

Because this isn't
entirely your fault.

I've been so busy with this job

I haven't really
paid you any attention.

That's going to change
starting tomorrow.

I'm going to come home
and help you with your homework.

Uh...

I guess I like
the sound of that.

Dad.

Can I talk to you
about something else?

Sure.

I-- I did something really bad.

You mean worse than
blowing a hole

in the side of a building?

Yeah.

I said something mean to Anne.

Really mean.

I'm not sure
if she'll ever forgive me.

I don't know.

She's a pretty
understanding person.

What should I do?

You should talk to her.

I'm, uh, sorry about what I said.

I was mad,
and I didn't mean it.

I know.

Thank you for saying so.

Would you mind...

Mind what?

If I, like...

...called you mom?

I wouldn't mind at all.

She's such a happy baby.

Have you noticed
she never cries?

It's true.

You and your brothers used
to scream your heads off.

But she does,
she seems quite content.

She's a very unique little girl.

Hal!

Hal!

Hal!

Hal.

Hal.

Hal.

Hal.

Wake up.
Wake up.

What? What?
What's going on?

You're walking.
You're walking.

See?
You're not paralyzed.

Okay?

I'm walking.

I'm walking.

Come on.

Let's get you home.