Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.
Some of the kids who are saved from the alien control seem to "miss" it and have empathy for their captors because they still felt "cared" for by them.
Kids are taken and "harnessed" with devices by the aliens, which takes away their ability to think and act independently. They basically turn them into a child labor force.
The wife of the main character died in the invasion before the show's story starts and is referenced frequently. Many other survivors with children clearly had partners who died as well.
The first character to be shown dying on screen is Black, but plenty of other people die throughout the show and the character was not shown as weak or chosen for his skin color (far from it- he was a respected soldier).