Rarely does a new TV Show capture my interest and attention like Resident Alien did. I was not aware of it when it first came out. In fact, the entire first season had wrapped airing by the time I found it online and proceeded to binge watch it. Boy was I thrilled when I discovered what a rare gem it truly was.

So, let’s jump in and see what I’m talking about…

An Alien in Hiding

After crashing on earth, the alien takes on the identity (and bodily appearance) of reclusive doctor Harry Vanderseigle who lives just out of town at his vacation cabin. We find out later on in the season that he was sent from his planet to kill every human being on earth, but because of his crash, he must blend in so he has the time to recover his ship and the weapon to kill humanity.

Recruited by the local sheriff, Harry must go into town and investigate the death of the local doctor, who is determined to have died from foul play. This begins the unrelenting hilarity as Harry the alien tries to now interact with the town folk, including the Mayor and his wife, the sheriff and the deputy, Asta, the clinic nurse, and the local bar tender, D’Arcy.

Hilarity Abounds

The hilarity really begins when the son of the Mayor (Max) is found to be immune to the alien’s cloaking ability. He can see the alien’s true complexion instead of looking like the original “Harry.” The alien fights with the kid on the street, he sneaks into the kids room, tries to kill the kid by cutting the brakes on Max’ bike (which he then has to treat the kid at the clinic).

He learns English from watching Law and Order episodes and also goes out on a date with D’Arcy, but is not nearly as attractive as he first appears, given his tendency to lick her face instead of kiss her.

When things couldn’t get worse, the original Harry’s wife shows up from New York with an eye for “reconnecting.” All the while, the alien has to keep searching for his “device” and ship.

The Octopus Connection

We discover that Harry (the alien) is actually related to the octopus on earth. It is the closes living creature to his alien race. The octopus in the restaurant even speaks to Harry telepathically, and in the second season the octopus speaks to Asta (apparently they can speak to all humans but do not out of protest against humans turning them into food). Harry eventually rescues his “cousin” from the tank and takes him home.

Surprisingly, the voice of the octopus is Nathan Fillion.

Season Two

By the end of Season one we find the government agents who are after the alien to be thwarted by none other than the Mayor and his wife, who attack them and drive them from their home (in defense of their son). This ignites a primal desire in the couple for each other that spills over into the next season.

The long anticipated second season finally arrived not long ago and we find the ship that the alien has left in (and Max as a stowaway) crashes back to earth (because of Max). It’s invisible in the football field and Harry is suffering from amnesia at a hospital in a neighboring town. Asta goes and retrieves him. By the time we get to the second episode, the ship is “shrunk” down to 4 silver balls (Max steals one of them). Harry uses one of the balls to build a bunker under his cabin to protect Asta when his alien “people” come to destroy the earth. Asta finally talks him out of it and convinces him to build a radio to contact his people.

Latest Episode?

The third episode, though, has seemingly run off the rails. Somehow, the sheriff now suspects the good doctor of killing the original doctor (not sure where or when he made that connection) and they confront him in his cabin. He turns into Asta and then they find Asta down in the basement. He does some leap frog alien maneuvering around the cabin, Asta tries to protect him, they finally confess that he’s an alien, then suddenly it flashes to the diner and the sheriff and his deputy are calm, relaxed, etc.

We find out a little later that Harry did some kind of brain scan to make them think they solved the murder and wipe their memories of his true identity. It also appears as if he planted memories in their minds that the FBI would be taking over the murder case (what?).

He tells Asta, “I killed the man who killed your friend, Sam.” So they only explanation is that, or whatever reason, the human Harry killed the previous doctor (Sam). I’m sure there will be more about this in the future, though, I’m not certain why. There is also the issue of Max going through hormonal changes because of the silver ball he stole from Harry. He and his friend finally figure it out and she hides it from everyone and the kid goes back to normal.

But then there is this bizarre subplot as if the writers kind of lost their minds. They all end up at the bar that night, Harry tries to seduce the scientist to get a part for his radio, then the issue of the deputy’s pay comes up (the fact that she hasn’t ever gotten a raise) and this spirals into the women breaking into City Hall to get the pay list, finding that all men get paid more, which prompts them to confront the Mayor while he’s sleeping, then posting flyers on telephone poles the next day (which the sheriff takes down because its against the law), only to end with D’Arcy taking the helicopter and dropping copies of the playlist over the town.

I really hope they got this crap out of their system, because this last episode has made ZERO sense at all. I don’t care about politics or pay gaps or supposed equity or any of your insanity. This was a really hilarious show when it was about aliens. Unfortunately, I fear it will die because of this crap they are injecting into it.

Fingers crossed this is the only episode they will do this and we’ll get back to the actual story. They did this on The Rookie for two or three episodes, then went back to the regular stories after that. Here’s hoping they do the same with Resident Alien.

Conclusion

In the end, it is a really great show (at least Season 1). I will be disappointed if it is ruined and subsequently canceled because of the insanity pills the producers or writers have taken. Get back to the story about the alien. That’s why I started watching the show in the first place.

Until my next review….

Please consider supporting my writing, my unschooled studies, and my hermitic lifestyle by purchasing one or more of my books. I’m not supported by academia or have a lucrative corporate job – I’m just a mystical modern-day hermit trying to live out the life I believe God has called me to. So, any support you choose to provide is GREATLY appreciated.

Excerpt from In the Meadow:

A second later, the engine roared to life, and Dawn glanced back, one last time, at the trailer she’d grown up in.

Buy my book In the Meadow to find out what Dawn will do as her perfect fairytale life begins to unravel. Are the girls calling out from the banks of the Skagit River trying to help her? Do they want to hurt her? What secrets will she find? 

Click here and grab your copy today! Get the sequel, Returning the Meadow and keep the story going even longer!

But, trust me when I say, this is going to be a roller coaster of a ride. People are dying all around her, and you have no idea what evil lurks in the meadow! Get started in this thriller story today and find out why they’re warning her…calling out to her….trying to tell her…to RUN!