Vague Visages’ Alien: Earth review (season 1, episodes 1-2) contains minor spoilers. Noah Hawley’s FX on Hulu series features Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther and Essie Davis. Check out the VV home page for more TV criticism, reviews and essays.

Do you want to see a magic trick? That’s a rather hackneyed old saying for sure, but in the hands of television shaman Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo), it’s usually best to brush cynicism aside and enter his tinseltown realms with childhood curiosity. In the case of the FX on Hulu series Alien: Earth, such sentiments hold doubly true. The narrative takes place in 2120 as a set of corporations, five in total (Weyland -Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, Threshold and Prodigy), look down from on high as the rulers of a race that edges closer to its inevitable conclusion. But what if the rules of the game could be rewritten with infinite cheat codes? For Prodigy’s founder, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), the results outweigh ethics. Enter the “Lost Boys,” a troupe of Hybrid synthetics. The minds of the dying and disabled attain eternity in the “bodies” of machines, seemingly the best of both worlds. Yet, in the case of Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and her ilk, their best case scenario seems like a Faustian bargain.

From descending from worlds unknown, not a man-made plague, comes a malfunctioning cargo vessel, one that houses a brood of unknown origins in Alien: Earth. Ever wanting to be the hero, Wendy joins the search. Fate, that cruel jester, throws a wild card in the protagonist’s way, as Wendy’s brother, Hermit (Alex Lawther), is among those in peril. Unbeknownst to either sibling, a duel boils between tech titans Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy — cyborg vs. synthetic. And in the midst of it all, there’s a Xenomorph, otherwise known as ALIEN. 

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Not one for subversion, Alien: Earth season 1, episode 1 (“Neverland”) opts for full-on 80s nostalgia, right down to the texture of control consoles and selected bits of dialogue. And the last hours of the “USCSS Maginot” prove equally as horrific as those of the “USCSS Nostromo” in Alien (1979), but there is one major difference — the human cyborg Morrow. Portraying a Weyland-Yutani loyalist, actor Babou Casey ingeniously crafts a cunning character that’s reminiscent of Ash (Ian Holm) from the original franchise film, yet his evil is not the result of programming, but rather a dark soul.

In Alien: Earth, it’s readily apparent that Hawley seeks to challenge the very notion of monsters in the alien universe. Is the beast internal or external? Do the creatures have a choice? Franchise newcomer Wendy proves equally as formidable, able to jump feet first from mountains and then accelerate at Mach speed. While this does come across a tad cartoonish, Hawley is never one to get too caught up in the “superman” of it all. As for lead actress Chandler, she exhibits the right amount of bravado and big sister warmth. She portrays Wendy as a kid throughout the first two episodes — she’s not John Rambo with a bob cut. But it’s Blenkin’s Boy Kavalier who claims the unofficial scene-stealer title in Alien: Earth’s first two episodes, as the actor homes in on the notion that his character is both out of time and out of his mind. As Boy Kavalier displays voyeuristic tendencies and the eerie need to read Peter Pan excerpts aloud while Wendy sleeps, audiences can quickly conclude that Xenomorphs aren’t the only invaders on the loose. Tech culture has turned us all into strangers in a strange land, and we might NEVER be going back. 

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The second episode of Alien: Earth season 1, “Mr. October,” leads to Hermit — salt of the earth and humanity personified. Although Lawther can never quite sell the notion that the Alien is terrorizing him, he nonetheless delivers a performance that is equal parts tender-loving-brother and guy-who-just-can’t-catch-a-break. Previous Alien entries usually have the males turn out to be two-faced villains, doomed star-crossed lovers or dumb musclebound jocks, so the inclusion of an average guy is a nice change of pace. A major flaw that may not be initially apparent is that the Xenomorph this time doesn’t lend itself to much visceral horror. Yes, it slices and dices with the quickness of Speedy Gonzales, and this benefits some great parkour elements, but never once does this lend itself well to the acid-dripping psychological intimidation of the original first three outings. Worst yet, a joke sequence with a “let them eat cake” nouveau riche vibe impairs the pacing without adding offsetting value. While it’s true that the old films have a dark and dry wit about classes and economic discrimination, they never once opt for visual gags. All in all, the aforementioned sequence evolves as a poor man’s modern take on J.G Ballard’s 1975 novel High-Rise. Fortunately, the scene is short and doesn’t detract from Wendy’s and Hermit’s heart-to-heart reunion or the eerie crypticness that comes from it. 

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In the grand scheme of it all, Alien: Earth’s initial burst from the mind of human host Hawley is a welcome metamorphosis, but not one without flaws. The series creator should focus more on engaging ethical dilemmas and less on superpowers. Meaning, every cybernetic person being able to go 10 rounds with the deadliest creature in the galaxy becomes tiresome. The Alien looks great, however, especially now that we have a proper man in a suit again… thank you, stuntman Cameron Brown.

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I eagerly look forward to providing more Alien: Earth coverage in the weeks ahead. The emphasis will be on world-building and how all of thematic elements come together. And, for what it’s worth, I highly regard Hawley’s vision. Alien: Earth could become the unofficial Alien Apocrypha. The 46-year-old franchise might have some acidic bite left in it, but it doesn’t leave the same corrosive mark in the human psyche that it once did.

Peter Bell (@PeterGBell25) is a 2016 Master of Arts – Film Studies graduate of Columbia University School of Arts in New York City. His interests include film history, film theory and film criticism. Ever since watching TCM as a child, Peter has had a passion for film, always trying to add greater context to film for others. His favorite films include Chinatown, Blade Runner, Lawrence of Arabia, A Shot in the Dark and Inception. Peter believes movie theaters are still the optimal forum for film viewing, discussion and discovering fresh perspectives on culture.

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