Falling Skies (2011–2015): Season 4, Episode 10 - Drawing Straws - full transcript

You're back.

I wanted to show you what you've done.

And to thank you in person.

You did this!

Look at me!

Lexi, look what you've done!

- What's he doing, delivering a baby?
- We learned how to start the car.

Now, we gotta figure out
how to drive the damn thing.

Ugh. Forget it.

Been looking all over this damn ship
for the steering mechanism.

- I didn't even find the damn yoke.
- Perhaps there isn't one.



We know that Beamers
are remote-controlled by radio waves.

They're drones.

We must somehow override
the remote control...

...and take local dominion
of the navigation system.

How do we do that if there's no yoke,
no steering wheel?

Come. Allow me to show you something.

Hey, don't touch anything.

- It's dangerous.
- You guys are touching stuff.

We're trying to figure
out how to fly it. - So am I.

When did you enter
your teenage rebellion phase?

When I became a teenager.

This ship stung my arm and it hurt. I'm just
trying to give you a little bit of advice.

- I don't need advice.
- Okay. Good talk.

- What am I looking at?
- Find the moon.



Look 5 degrees below it.

A whole line of Beamers.

They are following the homing beacon
to the Espheni base.

Perhaps I can use the sub-communicator
to mimic the Espheni homing beacon...

...and trick the ship into flying
to the moon on its own.

You think you can hack into the drone
and go along for the ride?

- We don't even need to find the
steering wheel. COCHISE: Precisely.

You think you can hack into it?

Well, we Volm have infiltrated and taken
control of automated Espheni ships before.

I will give it one chance in three.

All right.

Unh!

Where's Matt? He must've gone back in.

If he's still alive, I'm gonna
kill him. WEAVER: He's 13 years old.

Remember, we would've done the same thing.
Go easy on him.

Hey.

- I told you not to touch anything.
- Why do you have to be so mad?

- I figured something out.
- What is this? What did you do?

Pushed one of the lights under the stairs
and the hatch popped open.

Which tendrils did you touch
to make the ship move?

Look.

This one and that one.

- You pull this and the wings moved?
- Yeah.

- Pitch.
- Yaw must be nearby.

- The two controls are integrated.
- See how the tendrils come together there?

See, Dad?
Now we know how to control pitch.

Sometimes, the Espheni try to hide
their communication channels...

- ...in the terrestrial spectrum.
- Right.

Wait. What was that?

Everybody hear that?

Did you guys hear that? Go back.

Is that Spanish?

Anthony, what's he saying?

What is the most pervasive force
in the universe?

Gravity, the attraction of a body
to another body.

It's what makes the planets
go around the suns.

It's what makes the stars.

And you have been born
with the unique ability to use gravity...

...and other natural
forces to control them.

As you develop your power,
you will do amazing things.

Do you see those trees in the distance?

- The tall one.
- The big, live oak.

I want you to break the chains of gravity
that hold it together.

I don't wanna destroy it.

You aren't destroying it.

You are setting it free,
sending it back to the stars.

You are the bringer of peace.

Can you feel every atom of the tree
pulling on every other atom...

...and all the other atoms in the world
pulling on those atoms?

That is the eternal
tug-of-war of the universe.

I want you to take all that relentless
static background power and reverse it.

Turn the pull into a push.

Use the light in your mind.

Singularly gifted.

I can't breathe.

Rest. Your strength will come back.

Stronger next time.

How strong can I get?

It depends on how disciplined you are
in your training.

Your potential is unlimited.

Could I make a star?

Your perfected power will be divine.

We received a radio transmission
from inside the Beamer.

It was a loop,
the same message over and over.

"The ghettos are being emptied.

Almost no one is left in Andalusia.

It is the same in Italy and Morocco.

Virtually everyone has been taken
for processing.

The enemy has a new weapon
to capture human fugitives.

I've seen it.

It's horrific,
beyond anything we have encountered before.

Believe me when I say there is no defense.

Anyone hearing this should realize you are one
of the last remaining pockets of humanity.

Do not attempt to fight back.

Go to ground, retreat...

...hide, survive.

Or this is the end."

How do we know this is real
and not just another Espheni trick?

We don't. But it was broadcast
on a frequency we think was ours.

What frequency is that?

Seventeen seventy-six megahertz,
as in American independence.

Somebody's looking out for us,
hoping we'd get the code.

So, what are we gonna do? Those voices
said we need to retreat, hide, survive.

We're running out of places to do that.
We're gonna leave?

We're gonna liberate another ghetto,
get some people out before...

Before what?

The Espheni solution is happening.
I've seen it for myself.

Well, it sounds like yet another
hold-down-the-fort detail to me.

And I, for one, have no intention
of playing the sitting-duck card again.

Maggie's right, all right? What's wrong
with rounding up some new recruits?

We replenish the army, we get out there
and we frag those cockroaches, huh?

If that broadcast is telling the truth
and this process is that far along...

...we need to do something more aggressive.

Sorry, I forgot your master plan.

Hijack the Millennium Falcon there
and fly it to the moon.

Pope, shut up.

I haven't heard a better plan yet.
Not out of you, anyway.

We can't win a war of attrition.
We don't have the numbers.

What we are about to embark on
may not be the most rational...

...but it is the plan
with the best chance of success.

If we've run out of time,
maybe this is too desperate.

Maybe we should just hide.

Okay, I'm just gonna speak for myself.

I'm not gonna hide. I am sick
of scrounging around and just surviving.

Yeah, me too.

We could find a cave, and we could eke out
another week, month, another year, but that...

I wanna win the war.

And if there's a way, if there is any way
that we can cripple the Espheni power core...

...we can bring down their war defenses,
then that's what I'm gonna do.

Tom's right. This is no way to live.

And exactly who do you propose
would be foolish enough...

...to pilot that flying saucer to the moon?

Me.

I just think you're being rash.

You're treating this situation by rote...

There's nothing rote about it.

I'm the one driving the plan.
I have to walk the walk.

- And I'm glad you are. Everyone is.
- But?

You can't make another decision
because it's the shortest distance...

There are no good options here.

- I see that, and I know you're worried.
- It's more than that.

I mean, you are flying
on an alien spaceship to the moon, Torn.

And just think about it.

Once you destroy the power core, doesn't
that kill everything Espheni-powered?

How the hell are you planning
on getting back exactly?

Cochise has done his homework.

He says there should be enough stored power
in the Beamer to fly it home, in a...

- Like, a battery or something.
- Well, that's reassuring.

Okay, well, once the Espheni here on Earth
realize that they've been hit hard...

...you think they won't retaliate, and
don't you think we need you when they do?

It's a two-man job. Cochise pilots
and I have to deploy the bombs.

I can't ask somebody else to do this,
and I need to lead by example.

I want you to lead, but with the
consent of those you're leading.

Tom, you've got to think it through...

...and allow the people around you
to think it through with you.

That is the only way we pull this off,
if we decide things together.

I hear what you're saying, I really do, and I
know you're not just talking about the group.

We are...

We are partners now.

- Yeah.
- You got me?

Yeah, I got you. I do.

Okay.

- Excuse me.
- It's okay. What's up?

We need you at the Beamer.

Thank you.

We were working, and these tendrils
lurched out of the Beamer console...

...and seized the Volm communicator.

And fried it.

Because we integrated Volm technology...

...to access the ship's navigation system.

Apparently, this Beamer is armed
with a defense mechanism...

...which recognized the Volm override.

Once this ship is fully activated, I worry
it will recognize any Volm presence...

...and will reject me.

- You're saying you can't go on the mission?
- I could, but it would jeopardize our objective.

The only one of us who has any
understanding of how this thing works...

...is grounded.

So much for hitching a ride.

There is one possibility.

If we can manage to fly this Beamer, manually,
above the interference of Earth's atmosphere...

...there is a chance it will automatically
lock on to the homing beacon...

...to the Espheni power core.

- And then fly itself to the moon?
- Yes.

- So it's not a magic carpet,
it's an airplane? COCHISE: Hm.

Airplanes have four basic controls.
Thrust, pitch, yaw, roll.

And we already know pitch and yaw,
thanks to your son.

And we know where the main control
panel is, thanks to your son.

So then all we need to isolate
is thrust and roll, the old-fashioned way.

Pull.

Nothing.

- Pull.
- Nothing.

Pull.

Stop! Stop! Stop!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cochise nearly got sucked
through the intake.

Thrust.

Pull.

How's the bomb coming?

I said, how's the bomb coming?

Well, if we can't figure out a way
to control this accelerant...

...it's gonna be hard
to time the explosion.

Look, um...

...I know I crossed the line.

Yeah? What line is that?

The line you don't cross when you're
hitting on your brother's girlfriend?

You have to understand, it...

We couldn't help it.
Something's going on with the spikes.

Spikes. Right.

- How do you know you don't just like her?
- I wouldn't have done anything with Maggie...

You're my brother, Hal.
I'd never do anything to hurt you.

That's easy to say, isn't it?

We haven't isolated
the roll mechanisms as yet, but we will.

- There are so many options.
- When can we test drive it?

- I doubt we'll be able to take it for a test
drive... ANTHONY: We don't have to land on a carrier.

I mean, all we have to do is fly up.

The sky is literally the target.

According to Cochise's diagnostics,
once in space...

...the Beamer will lock on to the Espheni
homing beacon and fly to the moon base.

We still need to train with it. It's gonna take
two people to drop the bomb. I can pilot it...

- Whoa. Has that been decided yet, partner?
- Of course it has. He's a glory hog.

Well, hold on. I realize
it's not about that.

But, Tom...

...this task is unique, to say the least.

It's not just another rescue mission
or weapons grab.

This is for all the marbles.

Shouldn't there be a fair process
to determine how it works?

Sounds good.

I agree.

We should draw straws.

- To be fair.
- Out of the mouths of babes.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

- Draw straws? Are you joking?
- Yeah.

This isn't a game.
We should pick the right person.

And exactly who said that you
were the best person for the job?

I have 13 registered hours as a pilot.
Do you?

- I like it.
- I wanna take a shot.

- Hey.
- I wanna do it.

- Nothing should be left to chance.
- Then you can vote against the draw.

Who's for it?

Okay, we'll draw straws.

It's a dangerous mission. Nobody should
be forced to go. Should be voluntary.

I tell you what, think very carefully
whether or not you wanna volunteer.

If you do...

...you should come back later.

We'll get pen, paper.

Write your names out, put them here.

Come back tonight, we'll pull out
the names. Find out who got lucky.

- I'm proud of you.
- For what?

For going with the draw.
It was very democratic of you.

I also think it got everyone more invested.
I already put my name in.

I think it's a horrible idea.

We should go with the person
who's got the most chance of success.

- Meaning you.
- Not just pick people at random.

- What happens if Hal or Ben gets picked?
- I would hate that.

- But we can't make exceptions because...
- They're my children?

Aren't we all a family now?

Ahem. Yeah. I'm sorry I said that.

Look, you're not gonna pull rank
if you don't like who gets decided?

I don't know how I would react
if one of the boys gets picked.

I'm on your side. You're not the only one
who can save the world, Tom.

I wanna put my name in the draw.

No.

You're 13.

You said Joan of Arc was a teenager...

- Don't get smart with me now.
- The draw was my idea.

You have to be 15 to pilot an alien spaceship,
and you don't have your learner's permit yet.

- End of discussion.
- God!

I'm worried about that kid. Heh, heh, heh.

You wanted to discuss the hybrid, brother.

I'm worried you won't be able
to control her for much longer.

Don't be.
She's completely committed to our cause.

She's completely committed to our cause.

She's more human than Espheni.

She sees humanity as inferior,
as she has been taught.

You saw what she did to the forest.

That's the reason I summoned you.

She's progressing much more quickly
than I could've imagined.

She could single-handedly win us the war.

Or lose it if she rebels.

She's not going to rebel.

And even if she did,
I have a special means to control her.

Trust me,
she has no idea of our purpose for her.

She thinks her power
is being developed for peace.

I don't care. End it.

I want you to eliminate
the risk she represents.

You want me to kill her?

That's the safest course of action.

Now, do as I say. End her.

Yes, brother.

I saw you put your name in the draw
when I put mine in.

Right thing to do.

What do you mean?

Just that.

I try to do the right thing.

For my family, the people I care about.

So do I.

I saw you with Ben.

I'm so sorry, Hal.

It's...

Ben and I have this connection
because of the spikes.

It's more physical than anything else. I...

I don't know how to explain it.

You know, I've already heard this story,
and you know what? I get it.

Maybe you are meant for each other.

No. That's not what I'm saying.

When Ben and I are near each other, it's
like the spikes are attracted to each other.

It's totally out of our control.

It's just so convenient that you both
have these spikes...

...that you can blame
for your lack of self-control.

I got news for you.
Everybody's got their version of spikes.

- Heart wants what it wants.
- I don't wanna be with Ben.

That's what I'm saying.

You know, the truth is...

...you just really hurt me.

What are you doing?

I should've known you...

You'd try to get out of it.

Put your name in and sneak back
and take it out, see?

There's a word for people like you.

Yeah, what's that? Coward? Please.

I'm the one saying we should get off our
ass, round up some men and some weapons.

Frag these cockroaches.

Yeah, why don't you quit complaining
and go do that?

I would.

But I can't, not alone.

- Mason's got everybody so brainwashed.
- Is that what it is?

You never run out of excuses,
do you, Pope?

Why? Because I don't see the point...

...in wasting nothing but time
on a wing and a prayer?

You know, even if they get that
Beamer running...

...it's gonna crash.

Meanwhile, the rest of us...

See, we're all sitting in one place...

...with a giant target on our heads.

You watch.

This little adventure...

...it's gonna end like they all end...

...with a smudge on a windshield.

We're all just a bunch of lab rats, cap.

Just waiting...

...for whatever delightful little skitter
experiment they're brewing up next.

Then again, you'd probably know
all about that, now, wouldn't you?

I didn't take my name out of the skull!

I didn't take my name out of the skull.

I just saw you do it.

It wasn't my name. It was yours.

Yours and Mason's.

What?

What are you talking about?

Give me that.

I need to be on that ship.

All right? I need to be chosen.

Look.

These people, they...

They need you.

You and Mason. Nobody needs me.

I could disappear tomorrow. I really doubt
that anybody's gonna notice, all right?

I got to be on that ship.

That Beamer's on a one-way ticket,
all right...

...and it ain't coming back
and we both know that.

Let me be...

Let me be the hero, Dan.

Let me be the martyr.

Right?

The mission's just a Hail-Mary
for the planet, man.

Let me do...

...something...

Something...

Something worth remembering.

So you're saying that, for you...

...this is just another way out.

So, what if it is?

Are you serious, Pope?

I'm done. I'm done fighting
and I'm done running.

I'm done with the whole program.

Mason's right...

...about one thing.

This is...

This is no way to live.
This life is not worth living.

And what do I got?

I got no family. I got...

I got no kids, no wife.

I got nothing, man.

She might come back.

Come on. I'm sorry.

I stand corrected. I thought that...

I know what you thought.

Well, here we are.

- Mind if I do the honors?
- Go ahead.

Lot of names in here.

Boy, anybody not put their name in?

That says a lot.

Thank you.

We wanna go.

Okay.

The winner is...

Ben.

- Way to go, kid.
- All right, Ben.

- I got your back, kid.
- Way to go, Ben.

Good for you.

Pulling for you, Ben.

Well, that's one.

Who's the other?

It's me.

All right, Tom. All right.

May I?

You can do it.

Looks like it's you and me.
We got this.

Yeah, we got this.

Well, after all of that...

...he gets picked anyway.
Now, that is classic.

Two from one family.

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

I got a lot to do before I go, so...

Tom.

Will you sit down.

Please.

Did you or didn't you?

Did I or didn't I what?

Fix the draw.

This might be the last time we're together.

Is this really how you wanna leave us?

- Did you palm it?
- Yeah.

I fixed it.

You know history.

This is exactly the kind of hubris
that comes before the fall.

If people found out...

...it would destroy their trust
in your leadership.

It would jeopardize everything
we've been fighting for.

Are you really willing to risk all of that?

I'm not willing to let Ben go without me.

But even more than that, I just...

...have this feeling like I'm
supposed to go on this mission.

I can't even think of any other way to
describe it except I just have this sense.

This is what I'm supposed to do.

It's like your belief in Lexi.

Are you ready to train?

Yes, Father.

Close your eyes.

Relax.

- Use the...
- The light in my mind.

Yes. That's right.

I've been practicing.

Don't be afraid.

I'm the Bringer of Peace, remember?

I heard your conversation with your brother
in the Shadow Plane.

I'm not the Bringer of Peace at all.

I'm the Bringer of Death.

You were right about one thing.

Power perfected is divine.

I got to be honest, I wish I was
the one going up there with you.

They say you can hit a golf ball
about two miles up there.

Bet the putting's tough.

How do you feel about flying the Beamer?

I got the basic controls down but until
we go live, until we do it for real...

Well, I don't know.

- Nothing to it but to do it.
- That's right.

So I heard about you and Ben.

Yeah? Who told you?

Ben.

He said none of this would had happened
if it hadn't been for the spikes.

That's like saying the war wouldn't
have happened if it wasn't for Espheni.

I don't know if it had anything to do
with the spikes or not.

I do know Ben. I do know his character.

Maggie told me they both got feelings
for each other.

I'm sorry.

You're not the first brothers in history
to fall for the same girl.

And ultimately, it won't be up to
you or Ben. It'll be up to Maggie.

I'm the one that pushed to give her
those spikes in the first place.

He wants to see you.

You should go see your brother.

- You might not get another chance.
- Don't talk like that.

Well, hey, don't make
me feel like I have to.

This one has me scared.

I should have told you everything
from the beginning.

I'm sorry that I didn't.
It won't happen again.

But you're not sorry you
fixed the draw, right?

No.

I won't tell.

I should have known.

When they announced the draw,
you'd find a way to go.

You're a good father.

I'm gonna do everything that I can
to come back to you.

I promise.

I have a gift for you.

A going-away present?

Nope.

A second-day anniversary present.

What is it?

Epictetus. The stoic.

"A man should be prepared to be sufficient
unto himself."

It's one of my favorites.

- I know.
- Where'd you find it?

Found it in some rubble
when we were digging for you.

It caught my eye. I've been saving it.

Thank you.

It's pocket-sized.
It's perfect for the man on the go.

You sure a man should be sufficient
unto himself?

What does Epictetus know?

How's it going?

Bomb's packed.

Set the Tovex for the charge,
double-checked the wiring.

Just got to connect the timer.

I meant with you.

I mean, you must be scared, right?

- I probably shouldn't be here.
- Probably.

I just had to say goodbye.

I'm gonna miss you.

I'm, um...

I won't be gone too long.
I'll be back before you know it.

I'm serious.

I'm gonna miss you too.

We shouldn't.

Hal.

I came to accept your apology.

- Hal.
- Just...

Just stop.

Sorry.

Hal.

Hal.

Worst goodbye ever.

Okay, Dingaan.

Looks like we're all set.

Any last thoughts on our flight plan?

Once you reach the upper atmosphere,
you'll be able to see the corona.

Above the surface to the north,
that's when I turn the beacon on.

- You have it.
- Thank you for everything.

- Good luck, Tom.
- Thank you.

Hey.

Keep my family safe, huh?

You got it. Godspeed.

Keep an eye on Colonel Weaver for me,
would you?

Where are you, Hal?

Matt, I'm counting on you to be strong.

Don't be afraid to let
yourself feel things.

I feel things.

Just got to be tough about them.

Don't have to be tough all the time.

Yes, you do.

Dad, I love you.

I love you.

Thank you.

For protecting me...

...and for loving me...

...and understanding me.

I shall return.

You better.

You owe me a honeymoon.

You know, I was thinking about everything
that happened last night, and...

I just wanna let you know I forgive you.

I do have feelings for Maggie.
I'm sorry, but I do.

Well, thanks for coming clean.

- Don't worry. For her, it's about spikes.
- You know...

Let's not talk about it. I don't think
this is the time or place.

Thanks for forgiving me...

...and for not punching me.

Okay.

The truth of the matter is I'm not the one
that gets to tell Maggie...

...what she can and can't do anyway, so...

It's up to her.

You're right.

It's up to her.

Who knows, man? Matt will probably
end up marrying her anyway.

Come here.

- Hey, keep an eye on Dad up there, all right?
- Yeah.

Oh, good.

I'm glad to see you two made up.

Go get them.

- Wait! Wait! Stop the launch. Stop
What's the matter?

- I hear something.
- What the hell is it?

Something's coming.

Come on. Move. Move.

Beamers!

Take cover!

Spread out! Spread out! Everybody, back!

Stand down, Matt. Put that gun down.

Stay down.

Get down.

Look out, Matt.

- What happened?
- All clear.

- They blew up in midair.
- What?

Who did that?

Hello, Father.