On the penultimate episode of Resident Alien season one, Harry and Asta went to a UFO convention, where they ran into an alien hunter played by Terry O’Quinn; Sheriff Thompson deduced the identity of Sam Hodges’s killer; and Lisa and David had dinner at Ben and Kate Hawthorne’s house.
“Welcome Aliens”
Written by Nastaran Dibai
Directed by Shannon Kohli
1. John Locke, Alien Hunter
Harry goes to the UFO Con because alien abductees are often implanted with transmitters, which contain the metal he needs to repair his doomsday device. Terry O’Quinn played Peter Bach, a man who can also see Harry’s true appearance, and whose child was stolen by the Grays thirty years ago, while it was still in utero. (The opening flashback establishing his backstory was very spooky and well done, simultaneously evoking Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Poltergeist.)
After trying to avoid him, Harry confronts Bach privately face-to-face, and cuts out the transmitter with a scalpel, while coldly telling him his people had nothing to do with the abduction. It’s definitely the most villainous Harry has ever felt, and that tension is something Asta becomes aware of in this episode: after taking to the podium to balance out the other attendees’ horror stories about being abducted with her positive experiences, a fellow Native tells her to be careful, warning her visitor could be a “Christopher Columbus of the sky.”
I am dreading what’s going to happen when she learns Harry came here to destroy us.
2. Why Invite Him?
The episode also guest-starred Giorgio A. Tsoukalos (he of the bizarre hair and “aliens” meme) as himself, espousing the same ancient astronaut theories he peddles on the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens. As funny as Harry eating almost all of his fruit flower was, I felt queasy seeing Tsoukalos because the theories originated with the racist Erich von Däniken: no one ever speculates extraterrestrials helped build European cathedrals, ships and empires. The show’s creators likely thought by bringing in Tsoukalos, they were inviting him to fun of himself, but it’s difficult when those theories are true on this show! I just feel Harry could’ve responded to Tsoukalos’s observation about architectural similarities between distant peoples, that pyramids just look cool.
3. She Shouldn’t Have Been Invited Either
Lisa Casper and David Logan have dinner at the Hawthornes while continuing to pose as a couple: I love how the two make coded barbs at each other, while Max’s parents are completely none the wiser. Lisa also takes David’s lead inventing a cover story about how they’re unable to have children, to get closer to Kate, and persuade her to let her babysit Max in the near future. Fortunately, Max has a security camera in his bedroom, which alerts him to her snooping around, and taking the souvenir he received from Harry — trouble is, will his parents believe she’s a Man in Black? Poor Max, stuck between a murderous alien and a murderous military woman.
4. Did I Ever Tell You You’re My Hero…
After some subtle advice from his father about how it’s not weak to ask for help, Thompson uses Baker’s evidence wall to unmask Sam Hodges’s killer: turns out it was his wife, Abigail, who used the botox ingredients from her salon, so she could run away with the man she was having an affair with. Afterwards, Thompson thanks Liv in his own distinctly, gloriously bizarre way: he enters the bar while she’s singing a karaoke rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and joins in, using the lyrics to apologize for taking her for granted. I think D’Arcy spoke for all of us when she asked what was happening, because it was so surreal, but it was absolutely hysterical. Thompson gets down on one knee, and holds up her badge, offering her her position back. “Guess I’m deputy again!” she exclaims, somewhat bewilderedly.
5. D’Arcy Must Feel Betrayed
D’Arcy is understandably upset at Asta for ghosting her, and has known her long enough to tell she’s lying about why she took Harry away (even before Nurse Ellen is her usually unhelpful self). She’s the only reason her best pal is still alive, yet she’s being evasive, and doesn’t want to celebrate their survival? In the end, D’Arcy breaks into Harry’s house to find out what’s really going on with him, and discovers the body of the real Harry in the freezer. It felt quite contrived — if I were looking for my friends, the last thing I’d prioritize would be to break open a padlocked box — but now a dramatic confrontation is set for the season finale.
Continued belowBonus Thoughts:
– Harry is well balanced for someone who starts the episode with a missing leg.
– I absolutely love Harry’s confusion over Sahar swearing to God she wouldn’t reveal his secret (“Allah knows?! How many people have you told?!”) He has a point: is anything technically a secret if God knows everything?
– Max and Sahar learned what punishing someone with a good time meant this week.
– Other quote of the week: “My people are not a costume.”
– Jay only learns Asta nearly died while interviewing D’Arcy for the school paper, demonstrating you don’t know what you have until it was possibly gone.
Well folks, next week marks the last episode of the season. Until then: did I ever tell you you’re my heroes?
