Resident Alien Review: End of the World as We Know It (Season 1 Episode 8)
There’s truly nothing like a good story of life-threatening peril to up the stakes. Resident Alien Season 1 Episode 8, “End of the World As We Know It,” does just that and, in the process, brings Asta in on Harry’s secret.
This episode comes at an absolutely essential time. Harry is an interesting character and his inability to understand human idioms and mores makes for great comedy. That can only go on for so long though, and getting to know a little bit about where Harry comes from and what his life may have been like is essential for us to continue on this journey with him.
The fact that this episode takes place mostly in the crevasse of a glacier makes for the perfect opportunity for this reveal. Putting Harry and Asta in close quarters with Harry slowly turning back to his original form gives them nowhere to run from the issue.
Of course, the writing style and jokes do not stray from the type of humor Resident Alien has come to be known for. Harry’s take on The Wizard of Oz with the monkeys being the good guys is particularly interesting, and his comments justifying why Isabelle couldn’t be pregnant gave us enough information about his species, without changing the tone of the episode.
The fact that the conversation once again goes back to the idea of the environment and the earth being like an egg a chicken sat on for too long. The more that the series weaves these threads, the more I start to wonder what the larger mythology could be.
This comes after Resident Alien Season 1 Episode 7, “The Green Glow,” introduced us to Harry’s octopus cousin who had been swimming around with garbage around his neck. Now that we have a little more info on Harry, it seems like Resident Alien is teeing up that revelation.
We also have to give some props to Alice Wetterlund’s D’Arcy. Her performance on this episode has been amazing. It can feel a bit like D’Arcy is the butt of the joke sometimes, but on “End of the World As We Know It” we got to see some of D’Arcy’s strength and tenacity come through. This was helped by flashbacks of D’Arcy’s injury and her memories of Asta.
This goes a long way towards making us even more invested in D’Arcy’s character and Wetterlund sells each moment whether D’Arcy’s recording a funny message to her future self or pushing herself to get Asta and Harry out of the crevasse.
As a result, we feel bad when D’Arcy is left behind so that Asta can keep Harry’s secret.
While it’s still pivotal that Harry’s identity as an alien remains secret, D’Arcy is the hero of this episode and she deserves to be brought in on what’s going on in the near future.
“End of the World as We Know It” does a good job of turning the tables, and setting up a pivotal moment. At the end of the day, Asta knows (most) of the truth, and now Harry has his device. This knowledge is vital to the plot moving forward and will lead to more interesting plots in the future as the reason for Harry’s mission is revealed and he decided whether or not to set off his device.
Stray Thoughts:
- Anyone else waiting for an aliens playing poker sequence after the Reptilians comment?
- The scenes between the Mayor and his wife were cute but they felt like filler in comparison.
- Has anyone tried to write out Harry’s real name yet?
- How long do you think it will be until Sheriff Mike realizes he needs Deputy Liv in his life?
- So, Harry is related to fish now! Did I hear that right?
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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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.
One thought on “Resident Alien Review: End of the World as We Know It (Season 1 Episode 8)”
The Reptillian comment literally sent chills down my spine. “Reptillians use Earth as a laboratory for hybridization…” Ancient Egypt, how many different humanoids were depicted through hieroglyphics? 20 + species, easy. What if they survived all the way from the dinosaurs? History isnt true in our day and age, the fact that this statement made the episode, makes me think they want us to know this about Reptillians. I also find it very peculiar that two actors/actresses star in this show, both of these actors/actresses also were in PEOPLE OF EARTH. One was actually a reptillian… This cant just be a coincidence!
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