Resident Alien Review: Birds of a Feather (Season 1 Episode 4)

Harry seems like he’s starting to understand humanity a little bit more on Resident Alien Season 1 Episode 4, “Birds of a Feather.” On this episode, Harry gets to watch, and take part in human social issues, and realizes that some of the things humans do are deeper than they seem.

Opening up with a teaser where Harry is interacting with the town of Patience is a strong setup. It’s a little jarring at first and seems like an abrupt shift, but watching it end with his device exploding and him waking up to declare that he dreams now is an interesting introduction and signals a shift that we knew would have to build for this series to be successful. 

“Birds of a Feather” focuses on community and human connection and is essentially divided into two parts with Max and Sahar’s plan acting as a throughline. 

In the first half, the Mayor invites Harry over for dinner thinking it will help Max. What it really does is make for an awkward evening between D’Arcy, Ben, and Kate while Harry watches. The thing is, he actually starts to enjoy himself a little bit when Max shows him the model of the solar system. 

It’s an interesting sequence, but really only necessary so that Sahar can grab Harry’s keys. 

The Hawthornes and D’Arcy play so well off each other, and their chemistry makes it enjoyable to watch. In doing so, though Harry falls into the background; just how the character prefers it. 

The second part is a little more illuminating and exciting. His time at the Ute Reservation brings him to a welcoming community where he sees how people genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Although, why he didn’t see this at some point at the dinner, is anyone’s guess.

This isn’t a surprise, in itself, because Harry should be starting to like humanity. “Birds of a Feather” is setting for him to start forming some sort of bond with the humans. Whether that will be through sharing of food or friendly kinship is anyone’s guess. 

The moment between Harry and Asta where he alludes to why he took his mission is tender and gives his character a little depth. We don’t know anything about Alien Harry’s life on his planet just like we don’t know anything about Harry Vanderspiegle’s life as a doctor other than being a supposed recluse. 

That’s what makes the arrival of Harry’s “wife” so surprising. While it would have been enough to allude to Alien Harry being a widow, throwing in the fact that the Real Harry has a wife, who has now shown up is another level of complication.

Somehow I can’t imagine that Alien Harry accounted for the past of Real Harry to come back and further complicate matters. Didn’t he have enough going on with things like gravity, and a body disappearing under the ice? 

Running throughout this episode is Max and Sahar, who are trying to find proof that the doctor is an alien. It’s a good, strong bit, and Gracelyn Awad Rinke has great comedic timing. The moment when she quickly grabs the tampon box to get out of talking to the Sheriff and the Deputy is spot on. 

Furthermore, she appears to be the brains of the operation, tempering Max’s flights of fancy. She thinks calmly and rationally and when she does it makes Max’s plot move along. Let’s hope that they remain friends and positive influences over the course of the next several episodes. 

I can’t let this review pass without commenting on Asta and Jay.

The fact that Harry exposes Asta’s secret isn’t great, but it also has to happen for this plot point to go anywhere. This is the weakest of the plots on this episode, and it’s mostly because of the fact that all the conversations Asta has regarding it feel canned. Her family is supportive, and that’s great, but this revelation also feels swept under the rug really quickly.

The meat of it is probably coming and these weaker moments are probably just the show eating plot. That’s okay, and it doesn’t diminish the performances of the actors, but in watching it, it’s easy to feel like there should be more happening in those scenes. 

Resident Alien continues to make progress over the course of each episode. Characters who appear wooden and one-note are slowly unfolding to be more. It’s hard to imagine the show not improving. The cast and the team behind it have done strong work to get it to this point and going forward the show should rest on that.

The magic in this show is in its blend of comedy, drama, and mystery, but also in the characters and its use of the sci-fi genre. Rest a little more on the characters created and the growth will only be upwards.

Stray Thoughts:

• Does anyone else think that Max’s bike helmet looks a little bit like alien skin? 
• The doorknob in a lake bit is funny but does that lake even have any houseboats? The sheriff is starting to seem a little bit obtuse and I am really starting to feel for Liv. Hoping she gets some vindication by the time the series ends. 
• Four episodes into this series and it’s easy to forget that Sam has been murdered since the focus has been on the body in the freezer. The stolen prescription pads is helping keep the threads, but it registers as a blip. 
• I really need to know more about the social structure on Harry’s planet. Why is socializing so awkward to him? Is that not something he engaged in on his world? I’m not saying we need to see his world, but we definitely need more moment like when he and Asta are under the stars. 

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

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

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