Marketed as one part sci-fi thriller television show and one part historical war film, TNT’s "Falling Skies": The Complete Second Season is now available on DVD, along with hours of special features and commentary.

Season 2 focuses primarily on the surviving members of the 2nd Mass’ journey to Charleston after hearing there is a functioning American society there, despite the aliens (Skitters) trying to control and manipulate humans. Along this 10-episode trip, many discoveries are made about which characters have been compromised by the Skitter race. There's even a discovery of a rebel Skitter alliance, with a desire to work with the humans to dispel of the larger Skitter controllers.

In the final episodes, one question is proposed: Was it ever the Skitters' intent to attack humans or were they just looking for a place to start a military base in defense from “something else out there”? In true sci-fi drama fashion, basically everything that has been considered true of this world for two seasons may no longer be valid. Although frustrating for fans, this twist is intriguing and nicely sets up a plot line for Season 3, which returned to TNT on June 9.

The Season 2 DVD is accompanied with hours of special features, including four episodes with commentary from actors, producers and writers. The cast and crew's down-to-earth nature is evidenced heavily throughout the special features, as laughter and humor are frequent. Also, there is a lot of fan interaction, such as the behind-the-scenes tour with fans and the after show where the stars answer fan questions directly. An air of humility is present among the cast and crew members, and it is very refreshing and endearing!

Several of the special features center on the creating and performance of the alien characters, which are a combination of costumes and CGI. The mechanics and hours devoted to perfecting each alien is fascinating; this is the best part of the special features portion. It is an interesting deviation to see how puppeteers, costume designers and advanced make-up artists make these characters realistic for such an unrealistic world.

Much of Season 2 of "Falling Skies" reminds me of "The Walking Dead." For fans of both shows, this can be both exciting and frustrating. The fundamental ideas are the same: a post-apocalyptic world where survivors, all of who are extremely diverse in personality and background, attempt to live and work together to create a functioning society and find other survivors.

However, although both shows have moments and characters that resemble each other, "Falling Skies" brings more action to the screen, as opposed to the largely dialogue-focused nature of "The Walking Dead." There is also a solid story path of intelligent alien life in "Falling Skies." The advantage to creating a race of characters with extreme motivations and free will is that there is an entire world to be written in regards to the future.

Last year’s No. 1 cable summer drama has returned as the 2nd Mass deals with politically threatening survivors and a third species that is attempting to call Earth home. To get your "Falling Skies" fix, tune in Sundays at 10 p.m. on TNT, or pick up a copy of the complete second season.