Resident Alien Review: Sexy Beast (Season 1 Episode 6)

The alien isn’t the most interesting storyline on Resident Alien Season 1 Episode 6, “Sexy Beast.” While this episode still brings the humor we have come to expect from this show, it introduces two characters we’ve already met, and another one we have heard about. 

While the show starts with Harry and Isabelle and the life they’ve settled into, it’s used as a segway to introduce us to David Logan (Alex Barima) and Lisa Casper (Mandell Maughan), who are on a mission from General McCallister (Linda Hamilton). We don’t fully understand General McCallister’s motivations yet, we do get a bit of her backstory in the form of a photograph. 

This the point where the series starts to lean a bit more into The X-Files legacy of alien shows. Hamilton’s performance as General McCallister who is subverting the chain of command to find aliens feels very much like Fox Mulder scenario, albeit a little more sinister.

“Sexy Beast” opens with a shot of her as a child witnessing a UFO fly overhead, and the reveal when she has the photo with her in the hanger gets us instantly invested in her story. While we may be following Harry’s story, there is something human and childlike about General McCallister looking for answers from that night that is easy to get invested in.

Another element that Sexy Beast adds to the mix is Lisa Casper and David Logan, two people who work for the General. While, like McCallister, their intentions aren’t known, their dynamic is interesting to watch. Barima and Maughan play well off of each other. Watching them fight back and forth keeps the story interesting, and the fact that Harry doesn’t know that they are out there makes it all the more threatening. 

Meanwhile, in Patience, Harry has been relieved of his post as the town doctor when the new doctor arrives. Harry starts experiencing jealousy, and it’s an interesting trait to see. You would think that he would be relieved to be rid of the post, but he seems to have found a bond with these people. However light it may be, it is there. 

His sadness at not being the town doctor anymore is immediately dashed when he realizes that he’ll be spending all his time with Isabelle. The fact that she wants them to sell the cabin and move back to New York is also not attractive to him. After all, his ship and device are in Patience, and he needs that to complete his mission so that he can go home. 

As much as he may be torn about humanity, he has formed a connection. The fact that he’s remembered all of the townspeople by their ailments isn’t nothing, it tells us that he is forming a connection by giving them a shorthand. The way that he gets competitive with Ethan and how he is vying for his friends attention cos he’s afraid of being replaced is very human.

Watching Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv investigate the missing prescription pad is another great dynamic duo. Deputy Liv continues to prove herself time and time again, and the audience is waiting for Mike to wake up and see that.  He is so self-absorbed that he doesn’t see that Liv is solving the case until he sees her murder board. 

The way Liv cracks the case by remembering something that Asta said brings them closer to solving Sam’s murder than dragging the lake did, but if only a handfull of people knew that Sam was a diabetic then that also narrows the suspect pool. 

Liv also seems to be set on a journey of self-disovery and as she learns to appreciate what she brings to the table and gets to know her value, she becomes a lot more dynamic. Watching her interact with D’Arcy and Asta at the bowling league is a good start, and her brief conversation with sweater girl shows the kind of human contact she’s craving. In fact, it’s possible that Liv is all of sau after spending a year in this new normal. 

The deeper Resident Alien goes the more richer the lives of each of the characters becomes, and the more invested I get in where the entire story will go. The lives of the humans get richer, Harry’s emotions and connections to them get more complex, and the writing gets more nuanced. 

This is essential for the show to be sustainable. It can keep the irreverant humor that it does well, but when a show is about an alien coming to face with humanity, humanity has to be centered in a way that doesn’t feel saccharine. That’s where Resident Alien shines, giving us something to laugh with and the space to think about what it means to be human. 

As the show leans into General McCallister, David, and Lisa, we’ll hopefully see more of that as the pressure mounts. 

Random Thoughts:

• Watching Harry being unable to work the coffee maker might be one of the most human things he has ever done. 
• Asta and Jay’s storyline seems to have been put on the back burner.
• This episode has some of the best Harry one-liners so far. The scene where he makes Isabelle coffee and then narrates their sexual activities is awkward and funny and it’s the kind of humor that Resident Alien does perfectly. 
• D’Arcy’s departure after her one-night stand with Ethan is relatable. 
• Everyone needs a girl squad like the one where Asta stands up to Jimmy! That moment is awesome and having the whole bowling league stand behind her is a great touch to this comedy.

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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