Aliens versus Tea-Party Patriots: Falling Skies and the Post-Apocalyptic Survival Narrative in the Age of Obama.

In an alignment of recent right-wing populism-especially that of the so-called Tea Party-with post-invasion narratives, the television series Falling Skies recasts conservative populist visions of anti-government activism in the popular vernacular of science fiction. By mobilizing and exploring the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of Language, Literature & Culture Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 117 - 133
Main Author:	Hantke, Steffen
Format:	Film/TV Criticism and Review
Published:	Taylor & Francis Ltd Aug2014
Subjects:	Falling Skies (TV program) Tea Party movement (U.S.) Science fiction television programs American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 Extraterrestrial beings on television Bloodgood, Moon, 1975- Spielberg, Steven, 1946-
Online Access:	View this record in EBSCOhost

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Summary:	In an alignment of recent right-wing populism-especially that of the so-called Tea Party-with post-invasion narratives, the television series Falling Skies recasts conservative populist visions of anti-government activism in the popular vernacular of science fiction. By mobilizing and exploring the iconography of the Revolutionary War in the service of defining national identity and legitimizing the need for an armed citizenry, the series responds to a distinct phase in the political activism of the Tea Party during the Obama presidency, defined by the economic crisis of 2008 and its aftermath.