This week on Resident Alien, a fearful Harry used one of the spheres from his ship to build a bunker that would protect him and Asta from his people’s imminent destruction of life on Earth. Asta herself thought it would be a good idea to encourage Harry to make new friends, leading him to attend a poker game with D’Arcy, Ben, and several others; a bugged Thompson was also there, continuing to uncover whatever dirt he could find on Harry.
1. That Was Quick
It turns out Max swiped one of the spheres while visiting Harry last week, hence the “hormonal irregularity” that led to him sprouting chest hair, and now a beard. Sahar comes over to shave it off with a razor and shaving cream (presumably so his parents don’t overhear what’s happening), but she winds cutting up his face, something Harry notices and finds very amusing. I thought Max’s issues were going to be a much bigger problem, but he doesn’t return the sphere in this episode, so I guess we might have one more week of hairy hijinks before Harry retrieves his property.
2. Patience Does Have a Terrible History
It’s summer, and Mayor Hawthorne is struggling with a tourism commercial from the rival town of Jessup, which tackily mocks the recent murders and disappearances in Patience. Obviously the town has a PR problem, but some level Ben is also struggling to accept Patience is a town he has to make feel like a safe and secure town for those he serves, including his son. (Not that Max has a problem when Judy comes their way with a true crime tour.)
Tellingly, during the poker game it’s mentioned the table they’re using is a Hawthorne family heirloom that his ancestor saved during a saloon fire, instead of the three people who died; Ben has a sentimental view of his town that’s clouding what he needs to do, whether it’s putting such an old table in a museum, or not assuming “Dr. Ethan” only has a family emergency — and if he’s not careful, perhaps Harry being a sore loser, and accidentally breaking the table, will be the least of his problems.
3. A Surprisingly Civil Conversation
Asta greets Jay when she sees her waiting for her adoptive mom, Laurie (Lauren K. Robek), outside the store. When Laurie sees them talking, she tells Jay to get into the car while she has a word with Asta: she tells her she wasn’t happy with how Jay learned about her biological mother’s identity, and that she should resist making contact with her. I was surprised that Laurie didn’t come across as a Karen, and instead had a reasonable point: can Jay really consent to speaking to Asta if she’s not the one initiating a conversation? Otherwise, she’s just being polite and trying to avoid making a scene in public. Anyway, it’s going to be interesting to see how their difference of opinion pans out this season.
4. Pokerface
As was made clear during the game, Harry has a terrible understanding of poker, a theme that extends to when Asta finds out about the bunker, the apocalypse, and so on: she declares she would rather die with all her friends and family than sit it out with him and the octopus (still alive, and long may he reign.) Harry, who’s unable to contact his people, thinks she might be bluffing, so he pretends not to care, but Asta immediately calls him out, and proves it by taking a toaster to the bathroom (the electrical socket wasn’t turned on, thankfully.) Well Harry, Asta called your bluff, so maybe now you can really prove you care about her by making sure your superiors don’t blow up everyone else she cares about.
5. Harry’s Officially a Wanted Man
Oh wait: after learning several shady things about the human Harry Vanderspeigle (including Nurse Ellen’s disclosure that he once tried to sell his cabin to her uncle to pay off his debts), Thompson and Baker show up at Harry’s door with a search warrant, and are let in after he uses a sphere to disguise himself as Asta. The crime fighting duo find the botulinum toxin Human Harry used to murder Sam Hodges beneath a loose floorboard, and proceed to search the cellar, only to find the real (and very confused) Asta. Looks like “phoning home,” as she put it, has gotten a lot more complicated.
Continued belowBonus Thoughts:
– As always, this show’s openings are like great little short films, with Harry’s nightmare of the post-attack world looking very stylishly monochromatic, and the amusing sight of D’Arcy as a zombie with a perfectly normal speaking voice.
– Speaking of D’Arcy, holy cow is her new red hair blindingly vibrant.
– The BDSM subplot gets another look-in (and guffaw) when Ben briefly asks Harry for his medical advice on strangling.
– The octopus (who is somewhat disappointingly just called Octopus, and not 42) cares a lot about cultural appropriation for someone who doesn’t like humans.
– It’s there one thing I learned from this chapter, it’s that justice is no match for half-price Tuesdays at the dry cleaner.
Well, that’s all for now: be sure to share your favorite jokes and moments in the comments. See you next time for “Girls’ Night.”
