'Falling Skies' Finale Recap: The Volm Arrive; Tom Shoots Karen

Falling Skies ended its third season with the arrival of the Volm to Earth and alien-human-hybrid Lexi demonstrating special powers in the season finale titled “Brazil.”

The humans, led by Tom and Weaver, have been waiting for the arrival of the Volm. Tom believes Cochise when he says that the Volm are going to help the humans fight the Eshveni. Using the Volm weapon, Weaver and Pope, with a chained up Lourdes, act as bait for the Eshveni as they travel on a train to Chicago to trick the evil aliens into thinking that the Volm device is on that train. The plan works, and the Volm device is activated from a boat off the cost of Boston. The device takes out the Eshveni defense grid, and soon after, the Volm ship arrives.

While most people spend the night celebrating their temporary defeat of the Eshveni, Tom is anxious about his meeting with the Volm leaders. And for good reason. The next day, Tom meets with the Volm commander, who just so happens to be Cochise’s father. Unfortunately, the Volm commander is not as empathetic as Cochise, and he instructs Tom that the Volm have not come to fight alongside humans, but instead of them. The humans will be relocated to Brazil, outside the warzone, and the Volm will fight against the Eshveni.

Both Tom and Weaver are weary – does that mean they simply turn themselves over to the Volm’s control? Even if the Volm have arrived with good intentions and do wish to fight this battle, Tom and Weaver insist that they want to fight for their own freedom. The Volm commander is genuinely uninterested in anything the two men have to say, and Weaver goes back to camp deflated. He tries to gather everyone up, and tells them to pack up and be ready to leave in one hour, before they’re all forced to go to Brazil.

Of course, Weaver’s attempts at running are fruitless, and the Volm military quickly arrive to transport the humans. Pope is less than pleased, and he wants to fight, but Weaver acts as the voice of reason and manages to convince him that it would be pointless.

Meanwhile, Tom is still trying to use diplomacy, and pleads with the Volm Commander. The Commander reveals that he had ordered Cochise to lie to Tom about their plans, and that he has never even considered allowing humans to fight alongside them. The Volm Commander tells Tom that he has rescued many planets from the Eshveni, and none of them refused to relocate when told. Tom gets to him, somehow, and the Volm Commander promises to consider it.

It works! And Weaver, Tom, and the others are given Volm weapons and permitted to stay, though Cochise asks them to stay out of Boston. Cochise bids them farewell, and tells Tom that he hopes they meet again.

On the road, they are quickly ambushed by the Eshveni and Karen, who comes out waving a white flag – she warns Tom against allying with the Volm, and it seems she is looking to form an alliance with the humans. Before any real discussion can begin, Tom takes out his gun and shoots her. The Eshveni attack in retaliation, but are defeated. As she lay dying, Karen tells Hal that she wanted to be with him. Maggie shoots her again, just to finish the job.

Tom is reunited with Anne and Lexi (now an older child) in the woods. Lexi goes up to Lourdes, and touches her face. Somehow, she manages to extract the bugs from Lourdes’ brain and crushes them in her fist.

And so, the third season of Falling Skies has come to a close: the humans are back on the road and Lexi is demonstrating some strange abilities…Falling Skies will continue with a fourth season next summer on TNT.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong