Falling Skies: It Has Begun! What Happened In The First Episode?

They're here! You know you're in for a treat when Steven Spielberg has anything to do with a show about aliens. TNT's "Falling Skies" debuted with a 2-hour premiere Sunday night. The series, starring Noah Wyle, takes place six months after an alien invasion sparking comparisons to the original "V" from the early '80s, not the recent ABC reboot. "Falling Skies" combines elements of "War of the Worlds," "Jericho," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Walking Dead" into a story that starts off slow, but quickly picks up pace.

One thing Steven Spielberg knows how to do is create an interesting alien species. The Skitters aren't exactly cuddly little E.T.s though. The six-legged alien creatures enslave children with a spinal brace attached to their backs. The main goal of these alien invaders is to construct four-legged skyscrapers over the major cities of Earth. The alien invasion is recounted by crayon drawings made by the children. That's not to say that special effects aren't used, but the story is more character-driven.

There isn't much depth to the characters in the 2-hour premiere. However, those behind the show have said more details of the characters working together to reclaim Earth will be given as the show progresses. Wyle, best known for his role on "ER," is a history professor named Tom Mason. He serves as the know-it-all who tries to put everything into some sort of perspective. His character has shades of the one he played in "The Librarian" movies. He is a little annoying, but does serve to educate the viewer about what is happening. His son Ben (Connor Jessup) is among those who have been captured by the aliens.

Tom and his oldest son Hal (Drew Roy, seen recently on the NBC soap "Days of Our Lives,") form a resistance movement against the alien invaders known as 2nd Mass (for Massachusetts) after Dr. Michael Harris (Steven Weber of "Wings" fame) discovers a way to remove the harness without harming the children. The original goal of the survivors is to stay alive. Tom's middle son Matt (Maxim Knight) is also part of the resistance. They don't really have a plan to combat the aliens just yet. This is not a bad thing since it leaves room for plot twists and turns.

Characters who seem important to the story are killed off early on and there is still plenty we don't know about the aliens. This is another plus, since it leaves enough unanswered questions to hold viewer interest. This can be a slippery slope since leaving too many unanswered questions (a la "Lost") frustrates viewers. Those who were in jail pre-invasion still behave like convicts after the invasion, another interesting twist since usually everybody bans together to conquer the invaders. The cast is rounded out by Moon Bloodgood and Will Patton as part of the 2nd Mass Army regiment. Other characters pop in and out of the story, giving the story a more legit feel most dramas of this type don't offer.

The 10-hour production will air through August 7th when the series concludes with another 2-hour episode. The special effects are decent for television and the events unfold at an even pace that should hold viewer's interest. There is a lot of details that remain unknown as the series starts. Early word is that the series will come to some sort of conclusion when it wraps up, but still leave a possible jumping off point for additional plots should TNT decide to order more episodes. Regular episodes of "Falling Skies" airs Sundays at 10pm Est. on TNT. The pilot episode will re-air Sunday morning on TNT.