Falling Skies: Worlds Apart

"Worlds Apart" is the second season premiere episode of the American television drama series Falling Skies and the 11th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on TNT in the United States on June 17, 2012, as a two-hour season premiere with the second episode of the season. Written by the first season showrunner Mark Verheiden and directed by Greg Beeman, "Worlds Apart" was the first original Falling Skies episode in 10 months. Remi Aubuchon was hired as the showrunner for the second season in May 2011 before the first season premiere. He replaced Verheiden, who is also the co-executive producer. Once Aubuchon entered the writer's room, he began speaking of the cliffhanger left over from the first season finale. He stated that creating the follow-up was a "fun challenge, which propelled a lot of the storytelling for the second season." Three months have passed since Tom Mason boarded the spacecraft, and the 2nd Mass has been on the move. Assuming their father is dead, Tom's eldest son, Hal, becomes more of a presence in the 2nd Mass, along with Ben, whose hatred of the Skitters grows stronger. After Tom's return, through flashbacks, "Worlds Apart" details his torture by the Overlords and his pilgrimage back to the 2nd Mass. Reviews for the episode were relatively positive. Many critics saw it as a step-up in quality from the first season and praised the darker approach to storytelling. In the United States, the two-hour season premiere achieved a viewership of 4.46 million. The episode garnered a Nielsen rating of 1.5 in the 18–49 demographic, down from the season finale.