This week on Resident Alien, Harry continued to search for the Alien Baby, now terrorizing the livestock of Patience, Colorado, but his newfound fear of death proved to be a problem. Elsewhere, Asta was enjoying life after having her memory of killing the assassin erased, the Hawthornes continued to confront their marriage problems, D’Arcy went on a date with Elliot, and Lena Torres teamed up with Thompson and Baker to investigate other bodies turning up in town.
1. Oh, That’s Bobby Smallwood
As we find out in the opening, Bobby Smallwood (Kesler Talbot) was a poor boy who disappeared 80 years ago, after venturing into the mine the 59 died in while hunting for his dinner. In the present, Harry pursues the Alien Baby after it’s reported to be milking the cows as he once did, but when it heads into the abandoned mine, his anxiety over his mortality causes him to have a panic attack and leave. Inside, the infant assimilates the DNA of Bobby’s remains, and takes on his size and appearance.
Sahar encounters him in the park and, after realizing who he is, takes him to her hideout to show him to Max. Sahar, who still assumes the worst of Harry, believing he’s breeding an army, declares she will foil his “plans” by turning the feral boy into a properly behaved one. All in all, this stunning turn of events makes a lot of sense given how expensive the CGI baby probably was to create, even if it is quite convenient that it can already take on the form of a preteen boy. Anyway, welcome to the cast “Bobby,” please be a good protégé! (Who am I kidding, he’s gonna be rough.)
2. Bad Feelings Prevent Worse Outcomes
Asta soon discovers Harry tampered with her memory after encountering an angry Jay on the street, and scolds him over his misguided attempt to help her, explaining her guilt is something she must deal with herself. It provides the main lesson of this episode for Harry to learn, that negative emotions are as essential for us to experience and grow from as positive ones, no matter how painful they can be. (I related to Harry trying to force a positive mood by bringing up how Law & Order cheers him up by the way; my mind often works in similarly tangential ways.) It’s good Asta remembered what happened as well, since D’Arcy was growing suspicious of Harry, and her memory loss would’ve been difficult to explain without revealing his true identity (he would’ve been useless at concocting a cover story without Asta.)
3. Thompson and Torres, Sitting in a Tree
When the bodies of the other Galvan/Powell hitmen are found in the lake, Lena Torres starts involving herself in Thompson and Baker’s investigation, despite his initial misgivings about her help. The two soon bond after Jessup’s police department quickly identifies the two men, and over their similar backgrounds as former city cops, leaving poor Liv feeling like a third wheel. It’s a platonic love triangle, and dreadfully ironic given how Liv helped Mike open up earlier in this season, paving the way for this (potentially romantic) relationship. That said, we all know the other woman who’s really got the hots for him: Judy, who behaves very coldly towards Lena when she’s brought in for additional questioning — I imagine she’ll take their potential romance well then.
4. Romantic Subplots About
Kate and D’Arcy reconcile over the whole kissing Ben thing refreshingly early on, letting the focus be on their respective relationships. D’Arcy spends the night with Elliot after their second date, and after considering it, decides not to sneak out the morning after while he’s asleep: I hope it’s safe to say she’s found a keeper, who she can continue to feel safe and let herself be vulnerable around.
Ben, meanwhile, continues to take Thompson’s bad romantic advice, and meets with Kate about their problems at the diner to minimize the risk of her blowing up at him (something she and a waitress both find pathetic.) The two reconcile at home after Ben remembers how they would connect and talk endlessly over the phone when they were younger: he calls her from the living room while she’s in the kitchen, taking their role-playing to whole new heights. It was nice both storylines concluded on a happy note, making the time spent on them (which was more than the title one!) well worth it.
Continued below5. To Die Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure
The episode concludes on a moving note with Asta explaining to Harry how humans live with the knowledge of our inevitable deaths, seguing to him visiting the terminally ill old man from last time, Gerard (John Innes). Gerard wants to be euthanized so he can be reunited with his late wife as soon as possible. Harry confesses he is afraid of death, but Gerard tells him dying has made life so much sweeter, with the two agreeing it’s like when you reach the last slice of pie, and savor eating it so much more as a result (seriously, Harry’s love of pies is so — excuse me — sweet.) Harry innocently asking Gerard what it felt like as he passed away was beautiful too, and certainly felt like a homage to the above line from Peter Pan — like J.M. Barrie’s hero, he is coming to understand the natural cycle of life is not such a betrayal after all.
Bonus Thoughts:
– It’s strange Kate feels she doesn’t have any real friends in Patience after all this time: not even her colleagues at the school? I wonder what’s really going on there then.
– You have to love how Max automatically assumes zombies are real after everything he’s experienced.
– Harry’s yoghurts must be really that good if everyone at the clinic keeps stealing them.
– I still can’t believe Judy only wanted the fortune from the fortune cookie.
See you all next time for “The Weight.”
