Episode Report Card Potes: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Farm Aid
By Potes | Season 1 | Episode 6 | Aired on 07.24.2011
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Everything is seemingly hunky dory good times on the Farm of Doom, except for the fact that Jimmy is freaked out by Ben and his back nubs. While kids play soccer, the Second Mass fighter escorts are sent back to their home base, to help with the supposed oncoming Skitter attacks. A girl named Tessa has a crush on Hal, of course, and her dad tells her not to get too attached. Apparently EVERYONE on this farm is in on the dastardly shit that's going down! It's no wonder that they're willing to sacrifice little kids to maintain their lifestyle, though -- these bitches even have a vegetable garden.
Clayton gets super smug with Pope who, we learned, broke into the Farm of Doom's shed after stabbing the guy who was guarding it. Pope is disgusted that Clayton and his team have made a deal with "those lizards," and manages to free himself from his restraints and escape with the gun of the guy who was supposed to guard him. On his way out, he sees two of the Second Mass escorts dead under an apple tree, likely killed by Clayton.
Back at the Second Mass, it's been two days and Tom notes that there has been no sign of Skitters or the Third Mass, and the escorts should be back already. He and Dai head off to check out the farm, despite Weaver's misgivings. Meanwhile, it's dinnertime at the Farm of Doom and Rick is a total downer, per usual. He freaks everyone out and then looks at Ben, saying, "How can you eat their food?" Ben is as freaked out by Rick's Skitter solidarity as anyone. Mike, who has stayed at the farm with the kids, is totally embarrassed.
And then! Lourdes makes herself useful for once and finds Eli's backpack. She tells Hal and Mike about it, and Hal points out that the farm's sentries are more focused on watching the house and the barn than the sky. But Mike has known Clayton since right after the attack, and can't believe that anything nefarious is going on. Nonetheless, Mike checks out the barn after hours. As he discovers Eli's stuff, Clayton discovers Mike. He tells him about how the Skitter attacks on the Seventh Mass were relentless, but once they captured Megan, the Skitters left them alone for a week as if to say, "Thanks for giving us your human kid!" Shortly thereafter, a harnessed Megan came with a message: the Skitters just want the kids. They don't really want to fight -- they just want to meet their human kid slave labor quota. Once this message was understood, Terry says, "The arrangement just evolved." So as long as they keep giving over kids, Clayton's people are safe. Mike cannot even believe this shit. But Clayton is wily, and tries to convince Mike to join them, for Rick's sake. Which, wouldn't everybody be happier if they just gave Rick back?
So, as you probably guessed, Mike is honorable and is totally not down for joining up with the evil people. He tells Hal and Lourdes to gather all of the kids because they are getting the heck out of there. Stupid Tessa sees them on their way out and screams for help. As the kids run away, Mike engages in a shoot-out with Clayton and the other evil people. Hal wants to stay and help, but Mike tells him to go, and asks him to take care of Rick. After the kids are gone, it's clear that Mike is seriously outnumbered. He says that he may not be able to stop this, but he won't be a part of it. Clayton comes around the side of the car that Mike is crouching behind, and off in the distance Hal and Rick hear a shot fired.
Meanwhile, Tom returns with the news that the map was wrong and they didn't find anything resembling a farm. He knows something is fishy and wants to send out search teams, but Weaver still wants to follow their fake orders. Tom heads back out with Dai anyway. Hal and the other kids wander the streets of wherever they are, and decide to take a rest in an abandoned house for a few hours. Fucking Lourdes manages to find sheet music for her favorite hymn sitting on the piano. No, I am not kidding. Ben doesn't need a rest, and so volunteers to go ahead and try to get help back at the school. Jimmy is suspicious, but Hal agrees that Ben should go. As Ben is en route, he sees Clayton and his goons hunting for the kids.
Back at the school, Sarah is in labor and her baby is breach! As it happens, Weaver's first baby was breach, and he helped the doula turn her from outside. Anne is willing to try anything if it means that she doesn't have to attempt a C-section. Meanwhile, on the road, Ben fortuitously runs into Tom and Dai and tells them what happened.
At the kid house, Rick is "waiting." Oh my God, just let the Skitters take him and get a week of rest! Clayton and his goons have located the kids, and yell from outside the house for Hal and the others to come out. Clayton says that they're willing to kill a kid or two to capture the others, and Hal tells him to go to hell as he shoots. Just as Clayton gives one of his men the order to take out Hal, there is a shot from behind. It's Pope! Yeah! Clayton and Pope have a shoot-out, and Pope takes a bullet in the leg. Then suddenly Tom is near Pope, telling him to put down his weapon. Pope doesn't have time to explain exactly what he's doing there, but does say that he has no tolerance for anyone who makes a deal with the Skitters.
Tom emerges from the trees and lies that Pope is dead, adding that Porter is on his way. Tom offers himself as a hostage, because he doesn't want the kids to get hurt. He calls out the kids, who come out of the house and are stripped of their weapons. Hal can't believe it, but Tom says that the first rule of combat is survival. They all go back to the Farm of Doom, and ha! The farm is occupied by the Second Mass! Weaver shoots a couple of guys, and then Tom has to off Clayton when he attempts to pull a fast one. That was well deserved. Ben is there, too, and has proved his mettle as a regular old human. Weaver isn't going to actually kill all of the other Farm of Doom folks, but also isn't going to extend an invitation to come and join the Second Mass.
Meanwhile, Sarah's baby is alive and Pope's back with the Second Mass. There's a burial for Mike. Maggie holds Hal's hand, Lourdes sings her favorite hymn, and Rick doesn't even care that his dad is dead because he is still three-quarters Skitter.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We open with Jimmy running and breathing heavy in slow-motion. Something is in hot pursuit. Is it a Skitter? A Mech? A creepily lurking Ricky? Nay, it is, in fact, a dozen other kids chasing a soccer ball. Yes, it's field day on Doom Farm, and everyone is having a grand time. The security detail stands guard as Hal runs into yet another teenage girl who's hot on his jock. She smiles dopily, because Hal's pheromones are like the equivalent of a Barry White extended remix. Rick sits off to the side, of course, because his favorite team sport is scrap metal collecting. Jimmy has the ball, but though he sees that Ben is open he opts to try to take a shot himself. He fails, and then the girl who is on Hal's jock takes the ball in for a goal for the other team. She does all that in fashionable boots, with her hair down. And I have to take a moment to say that in real life post-apocalyptic scenario you would see a lot more ponytails than you do on this show.
The Second Mass soccer team regroups, giving Jimmy a few additional moments to look askance at Ben. As Hal tells his team that they can make a comeback, the girl on his jock -- whose name is Tessa -- says that with a score of Sanctuary eight, and Second Mass zero, they have their work cut out for them. As Hal tells Tessa that the Second Mass doesn't give up, Lourdes busts through to take the ball and stop this ungodly flirting. Meanwhile, Ben tries to exchange a few words with Jimmy, who tells him to stay away. Poor Ben. And then we see Clayton preparing to take the Second Mass fighter escorts back to the main road. They're heading back to the school, since the Second Mass will need all additional humans who can fire a gun in the event of a Skitter attack. Matt wonders when Tom will join them, and Hal says that it will be a couple of days max until the Third Mass gets to them. What he doesn't know is that in fact, the Third Mass will arrive on the twelfth of never, because their exodus is all part of Clayton's lying lies. Matt looks forlorn, yet still adorably moppet-esque.
Tessa's dad calls her over, because he's noticed that she fancies Hal. I just said, "fancies," like I'm recapping Leave It to Beaver. But the Cleavers never dealt with the dastardly shit that is going down on this farm of human sacrifice. Tessa's dad tells her, "You know why they're here. Just... don't like him too much." Everybody's in on it! That's so fucked up!
Back at Camp Second Mass, Weaver is barking out strategy notes in preparation for the exodus after the Third Mass gets there. He notes that they'll have to move fast and Maggie, who is standing beside an 11-months pregnant Sarah, says that some folks will be able to move faster than others. Weaver asks if Sarah has an ETA for the baby, and she tells him that she was due two days ago. If I were that baby, I wouldn't want to come out either. Weaver suggests that she wait until after they've reached their next destination to give birth. She'll get right on that, I'm sure. Sara asks if Weaver has any children, and he says that he has two daughters. She looks sad, which means she must have figured out that they're probably dead. Maggie sends Sarah to the food line, and once she's gone, Weaver tells Maggie that if the attack does happen, Sarah will have to keep up.