Category: Directed by Kabir Akhtar

Resident Alien (2021) s02e10 – The Ghost of Bobby Smallwood

There are some fine performances this episode, but the whole thing seems strangely off, starting with the opening involving the kid who gets lost in the mines back in the thirties. It’s been a setting detail from the first season, but now we’re seeing it happen for some reason. By the time it’s relevant, the episode’s a third done, then it’s not clear why it’s more important for another third. In the meantime, there’s a lot of country music and sad regular cast members.

Except, of course, Sara Tomko, who Alan Tudyk brainwashed last episode to forget killing a bad guy to save him. He also wiped her memory of meeting estranged, given-up-for-adoption daughter Kaylayla Raine, who Tomko then stood up because she didn’t remember making plans. It ends up being an excellent episode for Tomko, as far as acting fodder, but the entire thing is a do-over of last episode.

They get away with it because it’s believable for Tudyk’s character, but… it’s not great plotting.

The script’s credited to Christian Taylor, their first credit. There’s some good stuff, and there’s some middling stuff. Good stuff is Tomko, Tudyk, hilarious deadpan nurse Diana Rang, and some of Alice Wetterlund’s romance arc. The middling stuff is Corey Reynolds getting excited to work with neighboring town’s detective Nicola Correia-Damude because they’re both from the East Coast. Last episode, Correia-Damude thought Reynolds was a loud-mouth doofus, this episode, she thinks he’s a loud-mouth from DC and full of good ideas.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Bowen’s jealous Reynolds isn’t paying attention to her professionally again, which was a big—and seemingly resolved—story arc.

Then there’s mayor Levi Fiehler and his wife, Meredith Garretson, having marital problems. Fiehler makes the mistake of asking Reynolds for advice and taking it. Just like Wetterlund’s arc with beau Justin Rain, the episode rushes into the fire, then puts it out immediately. Big, easy-to-resolve stakes.

Wetterlund and Rain are at least cute. Fiehler and Garretson are annoying.

Cute, but annoyingly not in the episode enough are Gracelyn Awad Rinke and Judah Prehn. At first, it seems like Prehn’s going to be off-screen the whole episode because he doesn’t figure into parents Fiehler and Garretson’s lives this episode at all, but then he shows up to check in with Rinke and set up something for later.

The episode seems discombobulated. Director Kabir Akhtar doesn’t do a bad job—and does quite well with some of the performances—but he also doesn’t save the episode from the meandering script.

Or the grating country songs over all the heartache and sadness scenes, which are most of them this episode.

Resident Alien (2021) s02e09 – Autopsy

“Resident Alien” returns with a lot of laughs but even more heart. There are some really, really good laughs, too, like when Alan Tudyk plays impromptu marriage counselor to Levi Fiehler and Meredith Garretson. Despite the outrageous events of last episode—an alien baby hatching, eating mammals, mind-melding with Tudyk, escaping after a bad guy shoots at it, then Sara Tomko shoots the bad guy to save Tudyk, which Alice Wetterlund witnesses without context—things are back to normal for most of the town the next day.

Only not Tomko, who’s plagued with guilt over killing the bad guy. Even with Wetterlund consoling her—Tudyk does as well, but he’s a murderous alien—Tomko can’t get over it, and it gives her an entirely new arc for the show, something borne of the show and not her backstory. There’s a backstory-related subplot, but it’s a lovely move—plenty of character development potential to go around, in fact.

In addition to Tomko, Wetterlund’s getting serious about dating, Garretson’s pregnant, Tudyk’s the town doctor again; “Resident Alien”’s primed for this season’s second half. The main plot seems like it’s going to be the murder investigation. Tudyk and Wetterlund dump the body somewhere they know they can get away with it—the motel where town ditz Jenna Lamia (who’s fantastic this episode) works. Except it’s close to the county line and Fiehler doesn’t want another murder on the town’s books, so he tries to sabotage Corey Reynolds.

Some great moments for Reynolds this episode, as usual, including when he meets the neighboring town’s detective, played by Nicola Correia-Damude. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Bowen’s still building her alien truther subplot, which may tie-in to all the other alien stuff, including Alex Barima and Linda Hamilton teaming up despite her trying to kill him all last season.

Tudyk’s plot this episode involves a newfound fear of death, but it’s the C plot after the investigation and Tomko’s guilt. It’s a nicely busy episode, punctuated with some very funny moments. Lamia keeps the bit going longer than she’s ever done before and it works out surprisingly well.

So then, standout performances would be her, Tomko, obviously, Tudyk, Reynolds. It’s a nice return, which will probably play entirely different when binged, but right now it feels like “Resident Alien”’s kicking off the next part of the arc and doing a good job of it.