This week on Resident Alien, Harry discovered he had a daughter! (Well, his human predecessor did.) Eliza, or Liza (Taylor Blackwell), turned out to be a troubled child from Dr. Vanderspeigle’s first marriage, who ran away from a camp for difficult teens, and who had not spoken to her father for three years. Her appearance coincided with Patience’s Family Day fair, where Ben threw a play to honor the memory of the 59; meanwhile, Asta and D’Arcy got into a fight, and Thompson and Baker realized they were missing a day’s memories.
1. Existential Blues
Before discovering he wasn’t alone in the universe (so to speak), Harry faces existential dread about contacting the number he received in the alien signal from New York, fearing he’s become so human that whoever he meets there will not recognize him. Asta insists he call the number, which turns out to belong to a pizzeria; presumably the alien in New York lives upstairs, though it was funny to hear Harry paraphrase the impatient owner’s insults. The octopus, meanwhile, continues to be a hilarious nuisance, his telepathic communication causing him to see Asta and Harry’s fears and anxieties, to the point I shouted, “Get out their heads you asshole!”
2. Quality Time
Similarly, I squealed with excitement when the bicycle thief Sheriff “I can’t outrun that bike!” Thompson catches turned out to be Harry’s daughter; her introduction opens up an ocean of possibilities, including the comedy goldmine we got here. I loved everything Harry did to try to bond with her, from trying to get in touch with his feminine side (again), to kidnapping the dog Sahar was walking (OK, that was a little self-serving), and attempting sex ed with a freaking donut, as well as him failing to realize human parents do find it scary when they teach their kids to drive.
It was similarly delightful when it turned out the key to winning her over was mutual antagonism through a water balloon fight, and other rebellious behavior like targeting Ben for being a killjoy, laughing at his stupid play, and stealing an alien toy for her from a stall. Did their relationship improve a bit much too soon? Perhaps, but she apparently didn’t want to pry into her father’s new leaf, assuming he just had a “head injury” (that’s one way to put it), and hopefully we will see her again soon.
3. Is It OK?
Thompson’s father announces his biopsy results came back negative, which confuses his son, as he can’t remember driving him to the appointment. Worried he might be showing signs of early stage dementia, Thompson asks Harry for medical advice, leading him to instruct him in some meditation, aka implanting a memory of Mike and Lewis fishing together on the day he can’t remember. This sweet white lie will likely backfire when Lewis admits he can’t remember going fishing, and only make Liv more determined to figure out what the hell is going on, but besides all that, is it OK? It’s an awfully slippery slope, even if Harry needs to protect his identity.
4. A Sisterly Quarrel
D’Arcy confronts Asta after finding out she stayed the night at Jimmy’s, however, despite knowing it was a mistake, Asta gets defensive, and starts weaponizing her best friend’s issues — alcoholism, DUI, hanging out with Jay behind her back — to deflect from it, instead of apologizing for not telling her how she felt after the birth of Sunny’s baby. It’s a really messed up thing to do, which I suppose does reflect how people might alienate friends because they still feel drawn to a toxic partner, as Asta herself explains when they reconcile; as awful as Jimmy is, he was still there for her after she gave up Jay, so it is hard for her to break that emotional reliance on him. The two sisters-in-arms make up after participating in the fair’s hot chili eating contest, which proves how close they are; even when siblings aren’t speaking to each other, you can at least hope they’ll come to each other’s rescue when dying from hot food.
5. Ben vs. Karens
Ben directs a school play about the 59 miners who died during a mining collapse in the 1800s, after going back to rescue a missing colleague. His intention was to remind everyone they were heroes, and not just a pile of dead guys, but the gory musical he concocted was inadvertently insulting, because how can you keep a straight face with a bunch of singing kids covered in fake blood, intestines, and fake limbs? (OK, Thompson and Baker did, but y’know how quirky those two are.) The mother taking her son off stage in disgust was pretty interesting, as it felt like a light acknowledgment of the way certain parents are becoming overly “concerned” about their kids not getting a sugarcoated history lately.
Continued belowBonus Thoughts:
– Backstory time: as revealed in the cold open, Thompson’s best friend and colleague Jesse was shot and killed after he told him to go upstairs during a pursuit, and he inherited his dog Cletus from him. Asta also tells Liza her mother abandoned her when she was born, which I’m sure won’t become important later.
– David Logan’s storyline progresses a little again this week, when it’s shown he retrieved the silver ball Sahar placed in his (mostly) abandoned caravan. Abigail Hodges is also out on bail, and is relieved to learn Asta doesn’t believe she killed Sam; but the question remains, was she involved with Human Harry, and if so, will things get awkward?
– I am officially adding “You are flip-floppy!” and “lip metal” to my personal glossary. Also, what is it with Harry and ceiling fans by this point?
– Favorite line of the week was either “Would gluten kill you?,” or Harry fretting about Thompson remembering he’s “possibly a werewolf.” (You’re not a werewolf Harry, what the hell?)
– Ellen Cho (whose surname we learned here) is so savvy, I wouldn’t be surprised if she figured out Harry’s deal before the cops remember (if she hasn’t already); and I think she revealed she was gay, maybe?
See you next week for “An Alien in New York.”
