***SPOILER ALERT***
The series begins 6 months after an alien invasion. We follow the fortunes of a group of resistance fighters called 2nd Massachusetts as they fight back against the alien occupiers. Tom Mason is the main character. He was a Boston History professor now the 2nd in command of the 2nd Mass. Not much is known about the aliens at the start of the series just that they are called Skitters and Mechs. The Skitters are spider like reptilian creatures while the Mechs are robotic war machines. Further on in the series we get glimpses of another type of alien. These are humanoid and resemble the traditional imaginings of what Aliens may look like. It becomes obvious that they are the main aliens behind the invasion. One of the running storylines in the series is that the alien invaders kidnap children between the ages of 6 and 16. These children are then fitted with a spinal slave device called a harness.
The series progresses along at a steady pace as it builds up to a shocking finale. I liken it to a Lost finale as it wasn’t explosive as such. It just left me with a desperate yearning to find out what happens next.
Steven Spielberg is an executive producer and it kinda shows. It’s a vast series almost movie like in scope. A lot of thought has gone into the development and storyline. It would have been far too easy to make this a cheesy series but it is most certainly not cheesy. It’s often bleak in places and sometimes shocking. It has real OMG moments such as the part where an autopsy is carried out on one of the Skitters. It’s revealed that the Skitter was once another species (maybe even human) that was harnessed. The fact that a couple of the children in the 2nd Mass (Toms son is one of them) were once harnessed makes this an even scarier revelation.
One of the true masterstrokes of the series is that it’s set after the invasion. The very first episode opens up with a child's description of the invasion accompanied by children's pictures. It really sets the tone for the series. We are then thrust into this post apocalyptic world. It’s also set in todays timeline. There’s not a laser gun in sight which can only be a good thing.
The 2nd season isn’t due until next summer and I for one will be tuning in. After the finale though, I’m not sure I can wait that long. I’m not going to say too much about it but it put me in mind of the season 2 finale of Lost. That is all I will say…..
8/10
