Resident Alien Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)

There is an alien in the town of Patience, Colorado, and he’s a little odd. Resident Alien Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” leans into some alien awkwardness, makes a few ill-timed jokes, and sets us up for an adventure. 

“Pilot” introduces the audience to Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk), an alien in disguise who is pulled back into town to investigate the death of the local doctor. As he attempts to uncover the mystery, he also needs to find a device that will allow him to complete his mission. Which, as the first piece tells us, is a full extinction event. 

Resident Alien was first announced in 2019 and is premiering in a very different world so it makes that it would hit differently. Viewers are watching this in a world where a pandemic has ravaged our way of life, and where mortality is a little closer than normal. As such, the moment when he finds the first piece of his device is both a little closer than normal and much more terrifying.

Fortunately, Resident Alien isn’t just a story about an alien among us with nefarious intentions. It’s got a fair amount of comedy that still holds up. Tudyk brings a lot of mannerisms to Harry that are overly awkward and alien and it works for the character. 

Having Harry learn English through Law & Order reruns is probably one of the best ways around the “Why do all the aliens speak English?” conceit in science fiction and the way he continues to learn through mimicry feels like a natural progression. 

Even Harry’s voice over seems to fit the theme of the episode well. Listening to his observations about humanity as he is going through different settings adds a touch of awkwardness to the scenes. 

Simply showing Harry acclimating to humans would get old fast though, and the show’s answer to this is to extend the murder mystery and give Harry a foil in the form of Max. 

The revelation that Max can see Harry’s true form is exactly what this show needs. From the little we’ve seen of Max, he appears to be a kid who has an imagination. This could make for an interesting running gag if he continues to insist that he’s seeing an alien. 

It’s hard to judge where the series is going with Max and Harry’s relationship since so much of the episode is focused on Harry’s interactions with the town around him. This makes sense for the show’s first outing because Harry is our way into Patience, but right now everyone’s reaction towards him is icy, at best

The way forward for Resident Alien lies in Harry forming deeper connections, getting comfortable with humans, and maybe exploring more libations at the bar that aren’t Whiskey. This is all within reach and can be accomplished in subsequent episodes. 

As far as premiere’s go, “Pilot” is solid. There are a few laughs, some funny moments, and high stakes to be how. How exactly those plots will progress, is anyone’s guess, but the cast is delivering solid performances if the writing is there. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Harry’s revelation about what “Fifty-nine died to save one,” means feels out of the blue. He went from not knowing what it meant to understand the entire backstory for a voiceover.
• I get that burying the doctor’s body in the snow was meant to be unconventional and show how alien Harry’s through process is, but the line about considering sawing him in half to put him in the freezer seems like it toes the line. 
• The drunk dancing scene and ensuing hangover are some of the best comedic moments of the episodes, next to Harry’s reaction to Max being his first patient. Can we agree that “Starships” was the most on-the-nose song choice for that scene? 

What did you think of this episode of Resident Alien? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Resident Alien airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Syfy.

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