This week on Resident Alien, Harry was invited to dinner by Max’s parents; and paid a visit to Asta’s grandmother at the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, where it was revealed he had deduced the truth about Asta’s secret.
“Birds of a Feather”
Written by Tazbah Chavez
Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar
1. Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Proving WandaVision‘s not the only comic book show that can parody classic sitcoms, the episode opens with a dream sequence where Harry is accepted for who he is, set to Cheers‘ theme song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” We see an alien wife and baby (more on her later), but unfortunately it comes crashing down when the bomb Harry was charged with delivering appears, and wipes out the human race (it’s Infinity War, but green). It lays out, as we see throughout the episode, that Harry has warmed to humans, and subconsciously wants to be part of our world now.
2. Dinner Date
Ben and Kate invite Harry over for dinner to help Max get over his fear of him, and he in turns invites D’Arcy as his guest. This chapter, where Max prolongs the party to distract Harry while Sahar swipes his keys, and has a copy made, could’ve been its own episode, but it was still fun: we learned Ben and D’Arcy used to date (from fifth to tenth grade), which was awkward, though nowhere as mortifying as Harry’s attempts at humor, or the subsequent scene where he and D’Arcy kiss (so much tongue), and then commented his penis had rigor mortis.
How is Harry getting away with all this?
3. Family Visit
Harry goes with Asta and her father to the reservation, to treat her grandmother, Ruth (Edna Manitowabi), for back pain. I must admit, this is the first time I’ve seen a mainstream TV show portray a modern, indigenous community, and another instance of how good the Native American representation on the show is. Ruth was a delightfully upbeat character, and seeing Harry join in a basketball game must’ve been as much fun for the actors to film as it was for us to watch; the inclusion of music by Native/First Nations artists was also great, and I hope the show continues to diversify its otherwise mainstream music choices this way — likewise, I hope we see more of the characters introduced at the rez.
4. Harry’s Figurative Bomb
When Ruth jokes she hopes Asta has a child soon, Harry excitedly blurts out she already has one, and that it’s Jay (something he deduced from observing their interactions, and physical similarities). Suffice to say, it was shocking he had worked it out, and breached her confidentiality like this: I’m surprised Asta wasn’t angrier at him. By the time they do talk, she had understandably mellowed after talking to Kayla and her father about her secret, but I think she deserved to give him a gentle kick for being so inappropriate. (At least Harry did realize he had to apologize nearly straight away.)
5. Harry’s Wives
While staring at the stars (and his distant homeworld), Harry discloses to Asta that he came to Patience because his wife died. I think he’s being sincere without telling the truth here: he would’ve been lying if he said his wife passed away in New York. Anyway, when Harry returns home, he finds Max and Sahar entered his home, but were knocked unconscious by his anti-gravity material. After placing them in gym bags to carry them out, he comes face-to-face with the real Harry Vanderspeigle’s wife (Elvy Yost). Well, isn’t that ironic?
Bonus Thoughts:
– If you ever need a video clip to illustrate how someone can be racist without any animus, Harry saying Jay was statistically likely to have stolen from the clinic is a great example.
– Max was awfully quick to conclude his parents were divorcing, no?
– Sahar wearing tin foil under her hijab was very fashion conscious.
– Sheriff Thompson is certainly eccentric, but his refusal to look into the door knob salvaged from the lake is quite suspicious.
– The interlude with Lisa Casper and her partner, David Logan, was pretty memorable thanks to the muted F-bomb, and the sight gag of Harry wandering in the background.
Finally, thank you to user “Allison,” who cleared up for me the circumcision gag from last week’s episode: I had no idea how common it is in the US! As always, feel free to share any thoughtful musings you have on this episode in the comments, before we return next time to discuss Harry’s (not really a) reunion with his wife.
