Can you believe it’s been 16 months since the Resident Alien Season 2 finale?
Even if you watched it all again as I did, parts of Resident Alien Season 3 Episode 1 feel a little off-kilter because so much happened just before the world came crashing down, making us wait so long for the series to return.
While jumping back into the story requires a little Patience (ha!), listening to Harry Vanderpseigel’s inner thoughts felt like coming home.
Part of what makes Resident Alien such a success relies on Harry’s soliloquies, those moments when, despite everything he does to the contrary in life, he proves how much he has learned and processed about human nature.
Working in a group like a human is not efficient. Yesterday, I spent half the day searching my email for data sequencing numbers, but all I found were fantasy football requests. If I’m going to defeat Joseph, I need to work alone like a real alien. So, I handled it exactly like a human worker would. I texted Jeff and asked him to tell the General I was sick.
Harry [to himself]
It’s a symptom of the human condition that we act contrary to our feelings. We do it to save ourselves humiliation, to ward off rejection, to act like we know more or are more compassionate than we fear others may see us.
There are so many reasons to act in opposition to yourself, but there are just as many to take a chance with honesty. That message proliferated the premiere, especially where Harry was concerned, but he wasn’t the only one grappling with it.
Sahar and Max were in a quandary as she tried including him in a new circle of friends, and he preferred remaining a twosome.
It was ultimately revealed that she’s leaving Patience (and I assume the show) as the series begins incorporating other characters.
You really feel the 16-month lapse when you see Max and Sahar on screen. They’ve sprouted like weeds. Thankfully, this is a series that suspends your disbelief regularly, and their friendship continues its realistic, close, and simultaneously antagonistic feel.
That’s another pervading theme the show deals with very well and is highlighted during “Lone Wolf.”
During Resident Alien Season 2, Ben and Kate Hawthorne found their way back to each other emotionally after several close calls in their marriage.
Now, they’re both grappling with emerging memories of abduction, which we can only assume will eventually come to light for Max, as well. They’ve all been alien pawns many times over, and we haven’t even begun to explore what that means to them individually or as a family.
With Joseph successfully infiltrating Patience on behalf of the Greys, how much more will be revealed about how they’ve terrorized everyone in town?
Joseph was quick to spout off the rules of the alien covenant to Harry when Harry threatened to tell everyone who he was, but surely there had to be a rule about letting him in on their secret, too.
That’s probably why they were so eager to get rid of him and so surprised that he stayed behind. Dang it, I miss the baby alien. Bridget was just about the cutest little creature on TV, certainly giving The Mandalorian’s Grogu a run for the money.
The Greys have an entire network on Earth, while Harry works alone to save the world from destruction. It’s quite a change of heart from Resident Alien Season 1 when Harry arrived to destroy Earth on behalf of his species.
Harry’s inner voice pushes him in the right direction, urging him to trust Asta and the others to help him in his endeavor, but the battle to go it alone rages on.
Other decisions are so big they affect the whole planet. I knew what I was doing when I told Asta to date Joseph, I was making the decision that the earth is more important than any one person, but what if that one person feels more important than anything? What if you love them so much you will choose what is best for them before what is best for an entire planet? If I am a superhero, Asta is my kryptonite.
Harry [to himself]
He was more willing to utilize what General McCallister had to offer, but it reminded him he was not a team player and that his superior intelligence made working with others a waste of time.
Seeing Harry in a cubicle felt all kinds of wrong, but scoring equipment to go about his business is worth the time he wastes trying to work within that bustling network.
Right now, it doesn’t feel like she’ll have much to offer by way of saving the planet. She’s spent so much time trying to eradicate aliens that working with even one is a stretch.
But if we use Harry’s evolution as a guide, anything is possible.
Harry tried tossing aside the person he cared for most to achieve his goals, only to discover those goals would more likely be achieved by working with her.
Every step of the way, well before they built trust with each other, Asta helped Harry, and he saved her. They didn’t need to know anything about each other to feel an innate and unbreakable bond.
It’s as significant as what Asta and D’Arcy have and functions in the same way. D’Arcy was so concerned about Asta before learning Harry’s secret that the enormous discovery was like water off her back. She was just happy to have her friend again.
Similarly, after breaking down in sobs about needing to kill Asta, she offered her help, no questions asked. Harry is so used to being a lone wolf that the idea someone would be right by his side escaped him.
Harry: Asta, what should I do? I could have gotten information from Joseph, information that would help me save the planet, but I had to stop because of you. I will always have to stop because of you.
Asta: I, I don’t understand.
Harry: I care about you too much. If I could just kill you, I could save the world, but if I save you, then the world dies, and you die with it, so why can I not just kill you [sobs].
Asta: Oh, Harry.
Harry: You’re afraid of me now.
Asta: No, I know you would never kill me. And I’m gonna help you. I will not let you fail your mission.
Harry: You’ll kill yourself? You are such a good friend. [hugs her] You’re a good friend.
Harry knew he wasn’t alone, but like most humans, he couldn’t shake the idea even when Asta practically presented herself on a silver platter.
To fight a force like the Greys, all of these people will have to find common ground and reach the same conclusion.
You have to believe that the Hawthornes’ input will be crucial once their memories return, and that’s what’s happening now. And what other skills does Max possess besides seeing Harry for what he is?
He was excited about picking up the taser and carrying on the alien tracker legacy, and it was played as a kind of joke, but it seems pretty fitting.
We also have the whole Native community and everything they know. There is a wealth of knowledge in Patience that can be used to thwart the planet’s demise.
Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv are outside the circle of trust, working with a Grey, no less, but they’re not less invested in uncovering mysterious secrets.
They’re unaware of the enormity of their task and what they’re tapping into with their investigation, and it will probably be a while before they’re looped in with the rest.
That’s OK, though, because just like Harry, Mike’s life commentary on life is valuable, if only for laughs. Every time Corey Reynolds opens his mouth, gold spews forth, and Elizabeth Bowen’s Liv is his perfect foil.
Liv [music blasting in the background]: Listen, that duffle bag belongs to the alien tracker’s son. I found the information in a diary.
Mike: Who has diarrhea?
Liv: No! DIARY!
Mike: Diarrhea?
Liv: DIARY! And I found the name of the son’s therapist. He lives in Utah, and, get this. He was murdered last night!
Mike: Damn! Things have taken a turn. No wonder you have diarrhea.
I’m not one for potty humor, but when Liv’s plan to mask their conversation in a crowded bar devolved into it, I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s not just what is said but how it’s delivered, and Reynolds and Bowen are becoming a masterclass.
When it comes to remarks on life’s little pleasures (like the cast iron skillet talk), Mike’s forthright inability to hold back what he’s thinking clashes with Harry’s obscure remarks (which usually end in a “HA!”) because Mike is sincere and Harry is concealing his emotions.
That Resident Alien creator Chris Sheridan uses a comedy about aliens to dig deep into the human condition still amazes me. M*A*S*H used war, The Office used the workplace, The Good Place used the afterlife, and Resident Alien uses an alien infiltration.
They’re all genius.
Now it’s your turn to chat about the return of Harry Vanderspeigel and his insightful but hilarious musings. Hope to hear from you!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.