Well, that’s it for TNT’s five season sci-fi drama Falling Skies. And while the final installment, which aired last night, was predictable and somewhat anticlimactic, it wasn’t without its merits.

With the finale next week, you really want to create something suspenseful yet satisfying in the penultimate episode. Alas, after being on board for most of this season, I have to say I’m disappointed and not very hopeful for a satisfying conclusion next week.

Some may be disappointed by the copious amounts of human vs. human drama this season, but I for one am glad that the writers and directors of Falling Skies have given the characters emotional arcs we can invest ourselves in in its final stretch.

When they join a group of trained military operatives, completely stocked with food and weapons, it may spell doom for one or more of the Masons in the series’ final stretch of episodes.

The sixth episode of Falling Skies’ final season does in fact offer some respite, a break in the action, from the last two episodes of maniac Pope trying to avenge the death of his dear Sara on the Masons.

A healthy dose of a muched missed component was injected into the final season of Falling Skies last night: genuine human drama amongst character we actually care about.

For the first time, and in its final season at that, we are seeing hero Tom Mason stray from his moral code. And even more surprisingly you may be finding yourself sympathizing with the very race trying to enslave and conquer the human race.

All in all, the questions the premiere puts forth are interesting enough to make me hopeful for a solidly entertaining if not Earth-shattering (get it?) final run.