In this episode of SYFY’s Resident Alien, Harry hits a new low but gets by with a little help from some friends… and an octopus.
Thus far in Resident Alien, we’ve seen Harry do all it takes to maintain his secret identity including reluctantly agreeing to be the town doctor, befriending both Asta and D’arcy in the process, and agreeing to play along with his marriage to a woman named Isabel. There’s even Harry’s bizarrely cartoonish rivalry with the little boy who can see him named Max, all for what has been a crazy adventure thus far this season. Which finally comes to a head in this episode.
During last week’s events, Doctor Ethan — Harry’s effective replacement revealed in the last episode — is well-received by everyone in town. Meanwhile, Asta’s ex-husband Jimmy is a suspect in the stolen drug prescription pads from Sam’s office, right when Harry — who is distracted by his new wife that teaches him human… intimacy — keeps drugging that same wife to keep busy while he attempts to find his ship. Leading to an eventual conflict military.
Which is where we pick up from in this episode…
Sometimes You Have To Lose Things to Know What You Have
But in a classic case of the old bait and switch, we’re relieved to see that it’s actually Isabel who intercepts Harry — moments before the military tries to snipe him. When Isabel confronts Harry about her knowing about the sleeping pills, along with the odd changes Harry seems to have undergone as a person (mostly that he’s not a person), Isabel chooses to leave for good.
Processing a new-founded feeling of sadness, we see Harry cope by poisoning himself with alcohol and sleeping pills. That’s when his psyche, in the form of a dead human version of the actual Harry, confronts the alien Harry, who admits that his humanity has made him a complete and utter loser.
My Wife Left Me and I lost my Job and My Life is Horrible
Asta and D’arcy have to find Harry who has been at it playing Galaga since the breakup with Isabel. When they acknowledge that a doctor simply can’t use booze and pills to make himself feel better, D’arcy gets some marijuana (this is Colorado after all) for her, Harry, and Asta. And while it does help elevate Harry away from his depression, it’s also really fun seeing Alien Tudyk talk to an alien Octopus (Nathan Fillion). Revealed to be another alien race that landed here eons ago.
It is at this moment of inspiration Harry refinds his purpose, finding his child rival Max — by infiltrating and peeing in his bed while stoned no less — to help him find his device. Max has an ability to see a uniquely alien green glow (he can see through alien disguises and see alien radiation somehow — we’re just going with it). In turn, Harry agrees to help Max not be sent away by admitting he was wrong to Max’s parents, Ben and Kate Hawthorne. Kate feels awful she almost sent her son away and Ben… lights candles.
Meanwhile, now apparently friends, Max and Harry go out and discover by using a telescope, that Harry’s device is on a glacier which is now severely melting and dangerous to travel towards. Surprisingly, Max asks Harry not to go (because they’re buddies now!) but when the alien chooses to go anyway, Max shares where Harry is going with a curious Asta and D’arcy. When they arrive to find Harry, who finally takes the orb device he’s been looking for, the floor finally cracks sending Asta, D’arcy, and Harry falling into a ravine.
In Max’s room, it’s revealed that he’d taken a piece of Harry’s spacecraft from his bag when he wasn’t looking during the telescope scene. Max sees the mysterious green hue.
I Can Grow My Mustache as a disguise but then I’d have to get a job as a firefighter or pedophile
In the exploration of Sam’s missing prescription pad drug angle, Asta reveals to SHeriff Mike that it’s her ex-husband Jimmy who swiped the pad. Mike and Liz are on the case, who then find a Janitor who is revealed to be selling drugs to kids.
It’s a big bust for Mike and Liz, but things aren’t exactly right here either. And when Big Mike makes a big deal over Liv’s improper recitation of the Miranda rights, she’s had her last straw. In what’s honestly, a liberating arc to see her be free — Liz angrily quits.
The Take
This episode mostly focuses on the military storyline which I didn’t cover that much in detail (Though it’s neat to see Linda Hamilton as the General) along with sets a group of bad guys in the series. Mostly, it was a funny reason to see Harry down and stoned though seems like more of a build-up for next week.
