8Bit/Digi

It’s An Intelligence race

Some say the future is looking quite bleak, so why not watch a television show that confirms those suspicions and adds an extraterrestrial sense of dread? Worry not, Alien: Earth isn’t going to be for everyone, but the majority of people should find a good time in watching the super-rich corporations that run the world squabble over some specimens and have all of their new IPs fight back in enjoyable ways. Welcome to the worst timeline, where even the kids have to grow up tough, but at least there’s still Ice Age and maybe baseball.

I think it’s quite cool that we’re getting to see more of what Earth is like for a franchise that primarily focuses on the deep, dark reaches in the vacuum of space where people keep trying to scream. Here, the death throes are loud, and we’re most likely to be killed by something other than the titular Alien. We’re told that the future is about an arms race for immortality, and this conflict is coming in three flavors: synths (artificially intelligent beings), cyborgs (humans enhanced by technology), and hybrids (synthetic bodies imbued with a human consciousness). Take notes, this will all be on the test later. The movies give us a hint at where a lot of these elements end up, but this is about the journey.

For this particular series, we follow one of the five major corporations, Prodigy, their tech genius, who is fittingly called Boy Kavalier, a young man with a Peter Pan fetish, and his hybrid children. They’ve taken a bunch of sick kids and placed their minds into advanced robotic bodies, giving the boss child a group to call Wendy and the Lost Boys, but because this is all very experimental and could make them a lot of money, no one can know they’re still alive. Then a ship crashes into one of their cities, carrying a lot of interesting specimens, but that vessel belonged to Weyland-Yutani, and they want it back. That’s the general premise, and there’s a lot to work with before we even start breaking down personal relations and allegiances. 

I’m in.

This different take comes from creator Noah Hawley, who has television credits under his belt, such as Fargo and the wonderfully weird X-Men series, Legion. He seems to be quite the fan of the main movies at least, and if nothing else, he gets what is still interesting about the franchise and could be worth exploring with fewer restrictions. The budgets may be smaller, the visuals not all quite top-notch, but it is hard to deny his passion and execution for the most part. It looks as if, for many Alien fans, this was the ‘something new’ they’d been wanting, and the transition to the small screen hasn’t restricted the monster, even if it spends some time in a cage.

Your Time is Done, It’s our Time Now

The story of Alien: Earth is a little slow at times, told from multiple parts early on, maneuvering pieces in place while trying to express how important the events are. We see several parallel scenes, a few of which come together nicely to cement the storytelling elements. All of this may be awkward for some, too plodding, but the build is completely worth it. That said, the themes are blatant and feel a bit forced, and though I appreciate them not trying to be too obtuse, it’s a little strong for a series that traditionally respects its viewers’ intelligence more. The Peter Pan and Ice Age inclusions didn’t bother me, the former giving the grey and harsh world of Alien a more fantasy undertone; they were just momentarily distracting. These decisions, however, do make way for clever character quirks and conversation pieces, especially since our main protagonists are still children. It’s interesting seeing them dropped in this dangerous world and how they handle situations, now with robotic upgrades. The last episode is titled “The Real Monsters,” and we are beaten over the head with the idea that the Xenomorphs are far from the only ‘evil’ creature out there. They just express themselves with more direct physical violence.

Some fans were not happy with how the titular Alien was handled in this series, claiming that it looked bad, wasn’t scary, and became someone’s pet. I even saw some people arguing that it was Tinkerbell in this wild Peter Pan metaphor. This didn’t bother me, but we certainly see too much of the Xenomorph in a few scenes, when it’s sneaking around, which seems to be such a strong staple of the franchise. There are also a couple of close-ups that I thought could have used a little more detail on the mouth. This series isn’t putting all of its eggs in one basket, though, giving us several awesome creatures to witness in action. Yes, that eye was the MVP of the whole series, seemingly hating our main alien and playing its own games while incarcerated. Also, that crab on top of Arthur’s body would have messed that young Xenomorph the fuck up.

As for our other characters, we have a handful of interesting players and wonderful fodder, most of which are backed up by some splendid acting. The only one I took issue with was Joe Hermit (Alex Lawther), who plays our main character’s brother. There was something about his voice, connotation, and everyone having to hold his hand. It sounds harsh, but he grew on me by the end. His sister, Wendy, is our main character, and Sydney Chandler gives an excellent performance. She seems out of place in the world at first, but that makes sense, and her drive to save her brother and find her independence works for this story. However, she is a bit of a Mary Sue. I dislike using that term too much because it seems like an easy insult and is often arguable, but not only is she able to communicate with the Xenomorph, but my real complaint is her technomancy. She has such an innate ability with machines that she is able to control most of the facility and stop fights before they can ever be started. This didn’t irk me too much, because her powers really only seemed to actually hurt the story in the final episode when it rendered several threats and obstacles inept. I’d like to think that if Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) was still active at that point, he could have put a stop to most of the nonsense.

Kirsh and Morrow (Babou Ceesay) are my favorite characters from the show, which does concern me a little, because I think it means I have a type. Both men are quiet, serious, effective, and while Morrow has this amazing threatening voice and purpose in his growl, Kirsh is almost a little sassy for a synth. We don’t get enough about Morrow’s Cyborg nature, but he has an incredibly cool arm, and we get to hear how much his transformation cost him, how the company owns his everything. I enjoyed watching these two butt heads, and their fight near the end was an almost perfect payoff, an intense encounter where either fighter could have come out on top. No more jokes or threats, just action.

Did IQs Just Drop Sharply While I was Away?

We have a slew of other enjoyable characters, many of whom feel complex and emotional, even if they aren’t human. On the other hand, some didn’t like Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), with a name that he embodies so well. I’m not sure if anyone thought they could like a character who was a child prodigy (even the company name is on the nose) and the world’s youngest trillionaire, but he’s also so good at being hateable. My only issue was a small complaint about the convenient backstory he gives, not feeling complete and believable in this overly oppressive world; they should have given a little bit more or left it as a mystery. I think more people would have enjoyed this performance had he met a glorious end, something truly brutal and maybe a little humiliating. The fodder I mention mostly comes in the form of the lackluster island security and the somewhat inept crew of the Maginot, with that wonderful flashback episode.

There are a few excellent episodes in this set of eight, and although they aren’t all quite the same quality, the visual presentation is a strong trait of the show as a whole. They are clearly matching much of the aesthetic from the films and paying homage in numerous places, but we might be abusing the overlays, crossfades, and I think there were some diopter shots in there as well. This is an example of where less could have been more, but that doesn’t take away from the excellent lighting and sets. Kudos to the people who constructed the real parts of these, matching the originals and standing out as well. I loved seeing the ship smashed into the building, watching the characters traverse that disaster in a sort of ‘old meets new,’ as we travel from a vessel of workers and company employees to a garish penthouse of rich debauchery. The title sequences, with their cerebral recaps, were exciting as well, and a good taste of how solid editing helped the show.

Then there is the music, which features several sounds from the original films and some delightful atmospheric tones. At the end of each episode, usually just when we want more, that’s when the impeccable selection of hard rock comes in, featuring bands like Black Sabbath, Tool, Metallica, Jane’s Addiction, The Smashing Pumpkins, Godsmack, and more. I found myself trying to associate the characters or scenes with these songs, and I’m not sure that works, or that the tunes really add much to the overall experience, and yet, they pushed me to let that next episode start up, an audio incentive. Music is a motivator, and though the tracks selected may not be the best fit for the tone, they are powerful.

Nearly Perfect Organism

I was loving Alien: Earth, as were a lot of other people, even Ellen Ripley herself. Sigourney Weaver praised the show and what they were accomplishing on the small screen, especially expanding on the themes and their vision of this dystopian future. I was a huge fan of the additional lore, like learning that Weyland-Yutani used to make trading cards, just like Nintendo. However, other than a few small gripes throughout the series, I was almost turned off by the second half of the final episode. For some reason, after about twenty minutes of solid build, it felt like Alien: Earth lost its way, or sacrificed what it had built, all to set up for a second season. The tone was just different, a little more sanitized, choosing to flip the dynamics softly rather than leave a mark. We needed more character death, satisfaction, for things to feel like they had a sense of finality, even if it isn’t true. I’m all for building and laying groundwork for potential futures, but don’t blue ball me in the process. Chandler said that the scripts changed quite a bit during production, and I have to believe most of episode eight was rewritten to accommodate future episodes. I do want more, I’m just not willing to sacrifice the integrity of such a solid show just to make it happen.

We’ll be waiting a while, but that gives me time to study Alien: Earth more and theorycraft for a second season. The Xenomorphs have made it to Earth, and they aren’t alone. I want to learn more about the cyborgs, the other corporations, see the conflicts, and how my favorite characters are involved. I just hope Hawley and the others involved see how close they got here to having a perfect specimen and learn from it, let the show evolve more.  

Disclaimer: I watched the entire season on Hulu, which I pay.

8Bit/Digi is an independent news outlet that provides insight into the video game and fandom community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alien: Earth (Season 1)

8

Excellent

8.0/10

Pros

• Wonderful visuals and music.
• Excellent acting and characters.
• Feels like it does something new and furthers the franchise.
• Pays homage and offers fan service without going overboard.

Cons

• Some minor plot issues and contrivances.
• A less-than-satisfying ending.