2021’s most underappreciated comedy show is back! And what a hysterical ride it is, as Alan Tudyk’s alien doctor Harry Vanderspeigle returns to Earth waking up in a hospital room, without his human memories. While Asta looks for him, Max and Sahar try to make sure no one discovers Harry’s crash-landed ship in Patience, Colorado’s baseball field.
1. Is He Human Or Alien? Or… is He Both?
Harry clearly got hit pretty hard on the head, because not only does he have no memories of his new life, he’s also blabbing about who he really is with the hospital staff, behaving condescendingly towards them about their lack of knowledge of his homeworld. (It’s pretty amusing no one cares despite him telling the truth.) Then, after an incident involving a girl’s octopus toy (which Harry believes to be his stuffed “cousin!”), he wakes up again believing he’s (who else) Jerry Orbach’s Law & Order character Lennie Briscoe. Asta plays along after finding him, until she takes him to his favorite sushi restaurant, where Nathan Fillion’s octopus, Number 42, restores his memories.
It’s all very amusing (Harry thinking he’s Lennie Briscoe particularly helps him saying unpronounceable words from becoming overplayed), but it also reflects that Harry is lost now that he’s disobeyed his orders to destroy the human race: he believes he has become human inside and out, and is in denial. As shown by the scene at the lake, where Asta explains you don’t have to be related by blood to be family, he and his kind clearly think who you are, and what you are, are the same thing, and it’s going to be tough for him to shake that, or accept his people are going to come after him. (And you could certainly argue his decision to rescue 42 from the sushi place was an example of him identifying with his species more, though really, if you knew a talking octopus, wouldn’t you try to prevent him from becoming Monday’s chef special too?)
2. Sheriff Thompson’s Secret Pain
Ah, Sheriff Thompson: he’s still just as weird as Harry, somehow (albeit unknowingly) deducing the good doctor has an extra pair of arms while investigating the murder (of the original Harry) at his home. This week, we’re initially led to believe he’s taking Deputy Liv Baker for granted again, bringing two coffees into his office for himself, instead of sharing them with her. However, after his frail father Lewis comes to visit, it’s revealed this is how Thompson marks the anniversary of the death of someone close to him six years ago: it’s ambiguous whether he was a family relative, partner, or even a boyfriend, but I suppose we’ll learn more about him later this season. Lewis presumably clarified the situation to Liv, since she’s seen meeting Thompson in the diner the next day (and it’s there she finds out you probably wouldn’t want him to pick a coffee for you anyway.)
3. OMG STOP IT
Remember how fending off Lisa and David’s attempt to kidnap Max really turned on Ben and Kate? This episode really ran with that, starting with the scene where they gave Liv a description of the incident: I started cringing seeing Kate get turned on by Ben talking about hitting Lisa, and then became hysterical when they started using the phrase “pounding” instead. And if the S&M vibes from this scene weren’t enough, it actually went there, when we cut to them during the scene where Harry accidentally causes a power cut, and saw they were trying to spice up their sex life with fetish clothes and objects! (I was absolutely not prepared for the sight of Kate wearing a mask, or the two of them both trying ball gags, OK?) I can also imagine the running gag/innuendo of Ben’s newfound obsession with dressing up like a cowboy is only going to get funnier as the weeks go by: goddamn, this show is wild.
4. Max’s Life is Getting Pretty Weird
(Yes, even for a kid who’s been repeatedly threatened by an alien, and a homicidal government agent.) Max goes to Harry’s home to see if he’s OK, and to thank him for shielding him during the crash. Harry’s mad that he’s stranded on Earth again thanks to the kid, and takes the opportunity to spank him after he compares him positively to his dad, something Max points out is very inappropriate (especially after Harry himself complained he did not consent to being hugged by the boy.) Later, while getting ready for bed, Max learns the crash may have caused him to go into puberty prematurely, after he discovers an ungodly amount of chest hair. So in a very undesirable way, Max is going to get Harry to accept he’s become a surrogate father figure, because he’s the only guy who’s going to be allowed to know what’s happened, and who knows how to help him through this very, very, strange coming-of-age experience.
Continued below5. Alright, What Else’s Going On
OK, so Thompson and Baker are on (the original) Harry’s trail, and Harry also has to contend with someone else possibly finishing his job to destroy humanity. Asta and D’Arcy reconciled, and got on the same page regarding all their secrets (except Harry’s true nature, of course.) Both of them are unclear why the dashing Dr. Ethan Stone has disappeared, leading D’Arcy to visit his empty home, which is apparently being guarded or occupied by David Logan. David is visibly tormented by his role in helping kidnap the innocent doctor for General McAllister, further hinting at a redemption arc. Oh, and for some reason, Judy is now dying her hair the same color as D’Arcy, which is… odd.
In hindsight, Harry picked the perfect town to blend into.
Bonus Thoughts:
– I’m surprised they didn’t title the episode “Space Oddity,” given it plays at the start of the episode.
– Harry transmuting his ship into water makes a lot of sense, given his species’ aquatic origins.
– I’m guessing 42’s name is a reference to the Meaning of Life in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
– “I know you are but what am I” should really not be this funny, but oh my god, Harry’s brain being repeatedly destroyed by Max saying that absolutely killed me.
Well, Resident Alien season 2 is off to a terrific start, and I can’t wait for more: I hope you do as well, and that you all have a great weekend as well.
