The Alien franchise has been a rollercoaster of quality and tone since the original film in 1979. We’ve seen many different perspectives of what this universe is and how the xenomorphs came to be. The films, video games, and books have their place in the history of Alien and each has its own group of fans and defenders.
But, throughout all these entries in the universe, we’ve never had a television series until now. And just like each of the preceding projects, this series takes what we thought we knew about the xenomorphs and expands upon it in a big way (including the revelation that the movie Ice Age is canon). Let’s talk about the first season of Alien: Earth.
Homages to the original Alien and Peter Pan are well-established.
The opening sequence of the pilot episode is a near-perfect homage to the original film. The silence of space, the suspense of something bad about to happen, the tense conflicts between the crew members living in tight quarters on a ship. But this series soon establishes it’s not the original film soon — it’s something very different from anything we’ve seen before.
The main plot revolves around a group of kids with terminal illnesses. They are given the opportunity to transfer their conciseness to a synthetic body for a chance to outlive their odds. The company offering these children a second chance at life is the Prodigy Corporation, led by a young and eccentric man who nicknames the island this endeavor is taking place on “Neverland” (the first of many references to Peter Pan).
Space race.
These kids are introduced to a much larger world when a science research ship with various creatures on board crashes in the middle of a populated city. The kids, led by their synthetic leader Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), enter the crashed ship and are immediately sucked into the world of aliens, intergalactic politics and consciousness.
It’s a race between Prodigy and Weyland-Yutani to see who can claim the various alien species that may or may not be safely contained on the ship. With the mysterious cyborg Morrow trying his best to help Weyland-Yutani regain control of the situation and the alien creatures significantly more intelligent than anyone expected, the kids are forced to decide if the adults around them can really be trusted or not.
A dash of Spielberg charm.
What sets Alien: Earth apart from the rest of the franchise comes down to two key factors. The first is the tone/genre of the season. By now, we’re all used to a certain level of body horror and suspense in an Alien project. To the credit of series creator Noah Hawley and the writers, this show takes that expected horror/suspense and masterfully mixes in elements of Peter Pan and even a slight pinch of that Spielberg adventure charm.
The jumping back and forth between adults trying to examine and manipulate an alien incident and a group of children suddenly in slightly older bodies trying to figure out their own identities and their roles in this conflict is something that really grew on me throughout the season.
Xenomorph radio.
The second aspect that made this show standout was its ability to be unorthodox and different. The two biggest examples of this are Wendy and the now internet famous “eyeball alien.” Giving Wendy the ability to communicate and understand the xenomorphs was a moment that could have (and probably did) split the audience. On one hand, this has never happened before in any previous Alien project and the idea that someone now can command a xenomorph like an attack dog is pretty badass.
On the other hand, this completely disrupts the preconceived understanding of the xenomorphs and the (somewhat) set in stone rules of how xenomorphs operate. The eyeball alien had a similar response from fans but seemed to be received in a more positive way. Up until this point, we were just shown xenomorphs and face huggers.
There wasn’t much or a variance on their look and abilities. The eyeball alien not only had a unique design, but also a character arc and growth that xenomorphs have never had before. It had a personality and was a constant threat, even when it just stood there inhabiting whatever creature it made itself at home inside of. These characters and their strange circumstances made for a refreshingly different take on this well-established universe.
Overall.
Though parts of this show are really enjoyable, there are a few minor complaints. The first few episodes did a great job introducing the characters, the world, and the conflicts. The main story follows Wendy and her brother while the rest of the kids and various other characters were sprinkled throughout.
When the other kids and side characters weren’t interacting with Wendy, the quality of their writing suffered. This made the middle episodes feel like a slog to get through. It also took a while for all the big character revelations to happen. By the time it felt like the story was picking up steam, it was the season finale.
Whether you loved it or hated it, Alien: Earth is hands down the most unique and bold take on this classic universe. With the introduction of new characters and alien species, great and surprising character moments, and an engaging story, this show is sure to grab your attention. No second season confirmation yet. However, the show would definitely benefit from at least one more season to explore what happens after the wild end of the season finale.
Alien: Earth is available on FX and Hulu
Images courtesy of FX.
REVIEW RATING
-
Alien: Earth Season 1 - 7/10
7/10
From a young age, Tyler has been amazed by filmmaking and writing. When he’s not watching movies in theaters, he also enjoys playing video games and binging one of the numerous shows he’s watching at any given moment. Working with The Young Folks was a highlight of his writing career and he is looking forward to this new adventure with In Between Drafts!
No Comments