Vague Visages’ Alien: Earth review (season 1, episode 8) 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.

This is it! The point of no return. As the mood shifts from resentment to rebellion, the Alien: Earth season 1 finale, “The Real Monsters,” is a violent disruption in the franchise canon. Another epistemic paradox drops into the lap of the “Lost Boys.” What becomes of a young person when they are no longer a child and not quite an adult? In the case of Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), the revelation is just as bone-chilling as one might expect. The actor, for his part, takes his final moments of the season to the bank. As for the “Lost Boys,” Wendy darling (Sydney Chandler) pushes her acting chops to the limit, evoking that same level of bravado that she first brought to Craig Pearce’s 2022 FX on Hulu miniseries Pistol. Alien: Earth season 1 makes the grade, not without fault of course; no transition is without with hiccups. However, what director-writer-producer Noah Hawley leaves in his wake is a series for minds of all kinds, one that the intelligentsia can dissect, one with numerous new possibilities that fans can blast on their social media accounts; he prevails as a creator with no regrets, completely dedicated to the revival of the Alien franchise and the return to its former glory. 

As fanboys debate Alien: Earth’s placement in the saga timeline, critical impressions are that Hawley’s FX on Hulu series thrives as a massive overhaul of the franchise while honoring canonical themes and ideas. In Alien: Covenant (2017), director Ridley Scott’s underlying intention was not to create a definitive origin, but rather to reignite the film series by way of a synthetic villain named David (Michael Fassbender), and contrast said antagonist with the likes of the jaded replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). In execution, the model fails to go beyond its default settings. Allusions to Mary Shelley and Michelangelo are nifty, but the mystique quickly wears out its welcome. However, Hawley’s tale of Wendy — brisk at its pace, almost to a detriment at times — still manages to create a vastly superior POV of robot and human relationships. Sometimes an eccentric Übermensch isn’t enough, as it is critical for the lynch pin character to have depth. Chandler excels with a physical and nuanced delivery in Alien: Earth episode 7, “Emergence,” rising to fully unleash it in the season finale (episode 8), and bringing all the elements full circle. 

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The Alien: Earth season 1 finale kicks off in stunning detail. Jon Racinskas’ title sequences are always poignant, but when an alien’s tail coils around its obscure prey, it plunges viewers into the final judgment. Also, Wendy’s visual expressions are intriguing during her time in Boy Kavalier’s hold cell. As the other “Lost Boys” appear impotent, the main protagonist’s performance grows in leaps and bounds. Wendy’s somber sigh quickly turns into a sense of dread, sadness and then finally determination upon realizing the tasks at hand and what must be done. Thus begins the final showdown between Boy Kavalier and Wendy darling. The duel is a thematic combination of sorts, one part House on Haunted Hill (1959) and the real-life Occupation of Alcatraz from November 20, 1969 to June 11, 1971. And all throughout this turn of events, Chandler, like the aforementioned Hauer, completely sells the notion of a robot driven to the edge, and she’s completely committed to what must come next. The other “Lost Boys” receive closure in Alien: Earth season 1, but it’s somewhat lacking. The “coming to terms” of Curly (Erana James) works for the purposes of plot convenience but feels out of sync with the progression seen in episodes 3 (“Metamorphosis”) and 4 (“Observation”). Likewise, the turn of events for Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) and Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) is acceptable, but these characters do not receive full closure from the Morrow (Babou Ceesay) conflict of episode 6 (“The Fly”). Ceesay continues to exhibit great acting as Morrow, receiving the best lines of dialogue. The cyborg is the most appealing franchise character since Bill Paxton’s Private Hudson from Aliens (1986).The only downside is that there is not much for Morrow to do in the Alien: Earth season 1 finale, and the same goes for Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant). The characters robot battle it out in a Star Trek-like sequence that’s just as dorky as it was in 1966, and it’s merely serviceable to the plot. Hawley shortchanges Nibs (Lily Newmark), but the actress does great with the little she’s given. Perhaps the writers will give more attention to the character’s tale of survival in Alien: Earth season 2.

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The bond between the Hermit siblings, Wendy and Joe (Alex Lawther), once again steals the show. The fight with Atom Eins (Adrian Edmondson) is equal parts surreal and grim humor. The FX channel’s horror seal of quality remains unscathed, as Alien: Earth drives home the polarity of viewpoint on what should be done with human race. Blenkin hits it out of the park further by driving home the point of “bread and circuses” with the “kids” being just place holders — floor models to test the future that awaits. Wendy, on the other hand, has had enough waiting, now fully aware of the horrors of man. She fully intends to disassociate herself from Boy Kavalier — not only in name but in actions. Hermit’s response is to remind her that the world is complicated. This philosophy falls on deaf ears, as Wendy remarks that she admires her alien due to its honesty. Once more, echoes of Ridley Scott’s original vision are on full display as this scene echoes David’s ideology at its rawest.  

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Aside from references to previous Scott films, the ending of Alien: Earth season 1 and its mind-blowing, albeit abrupt conclusion carry within it strands of themes and ideas first seen in HBO’s Raised by Wolves (2020-2022), for which the original franchise filmmaker served as executive producer and occasional director. It’s highly possible that Hawley is a fan as that series’ finale, as Alien: Earth season 1 incorporates several of Raised by Wolves’ themes. Most predominant are the concept of right makes might and the dismantling of higher evolution for the greater good. Plus, Hawley has the additional benefit of the Hermit siblings and their ongoing debates. This goes a long way to add pathos. The Alien: Earth season 1 ending would have never crossed the minds of 20^th Century Fox during the franchise’s peak during the late 90s.

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Alien: Earth reignites the imagination and shows the dangers of retreating from ourselves and others by living in a private “Neverland.” The promise and dangers of AI and technological giants induce a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Like the scorpion in the jar from episode 1, “Neverland,” it’s important to remember that there are dangers that must be fought, while restraint and caution are sometimes the better courses of action in the face of uncertainty. 

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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