It’s hard to realize that the Resident Alien Season 2 conclusion was sixteen months ago. Parts of Resident Alien Season 3 Episode 1 feel a little off-kilter, even if you watch it all again like I did. This is because so much happened right before the world fell apart, leaving us waiting a very long time for the show to return.
It was comforting to hear Harry Vanderpseigel’s inner thoughts, even though it took some patience to get back into the plot. Harry’s soliloquies, in which, in spite of all he does to the opposite in life, he demonstrates how much he has understood and digested about human nature, are a big part of what makes Resident Alien such a hit.
Acting against our feelings is a sign of the human predicament. We do it to protect ourselves from embarrassment, to avoid rejection, or to project an image of compassion or knowledge that we are afraid others won’t notice.
Recap
There are plenty of reasons to act contrary to who you are, but there are also plenty of reasons to take a chance on being honest. Harry was particularly affected by that message throughout the premiere, but he wasn’t the only one.
Sahar and Max were in a conundrum as she tried including him in a new circle of acquaintances, and he liked remaining a twosome. At some point, when the story starts adding new characters, it was made clear that she was departing Patience and, I guess, the show as well.
You certainly feel the 16-month lag when you watch Max and Sahar on television. They’re as abundant as weeds. Thankfully, this is a series that suspends your disbelief periodically, and their bond keeps its realistic, close, and simultaneously adversarial vibe.
That’s another pervading theme the show deals with very well and is highlighted during “Lone Wolf.” After a number of near-misses in their marriage, Ben and Kate Hawthorne found their way back to one another emotionally during Resident Alien Season 2.
They’re both currently dealing with newly surfaced memories of their kidnapping, which we can only hope Max will ultimately experience as well. We haven’t even started to get into the implications of them being used as foreign pawns on multiple occasions, either as a family or individually.
How much more will be revealed about the Greys’ successful infiltration of Patience on their behalf, and how they’ve terrorized the entire town? When Harry threatened to reveal his identity to everyone, Joseph was quick to rattle off the terms of the alien covenant, but there had to be a restriction about not disclosing their secret to him as well.
That’s probably why they were shocked that he stayed behind and so ready to get rid of him. Oh no, I miss the little alien. Bridget was quite possibly the cutest small animal on television, rivaling Grogu from The Mandalorian in cuteness.
While Harry struggles to prevent the end of the world, the Greys have a vast network on Earth. Compared to Resident Alien Season 1, where Harry came to destroy Earth on behalf of his species, there is a significant shift in perspective. Though Harry’s inner voice encourages him to trust Asta and the others to support him in his attempt, the struggle to go it alone persists.
You watch episode 1 and the upcoming episode of the show on Amazon’s Resident Alien Season 3.
