Alien: Earth just wrapped up its first season on FX a few weeks ago. As huge fans of the Alien franchise, Steve and Jaypo were pumped to discuss the show and its place in the Alien universe! Obvious spoilers ahead!
Steve: I really loved the first season of Alien: Earth. Showrunner Noah Hawley just seems to have such a great grasp on what makes different franchises tick and how to bring them to the small screen. Legion was a visual feast that, while hard to follow often, brought an aesthetic unlike any other to the super hero genre. Fargo was a fascinating remix of the Coen brothers’s amazing film. Now Alien: Earth is his latest attempt at embracing a beloved franchise. In regards to homage to the source material, I loved how reminiscent the ship scenes were to the original Alien film from 1979.
Jaypo: I think you nailed it with how Hawley approaches established material, all the while throwing his own personal twist to it. What made me love this series is that not only did it capture the essence of the original film, but also explored the complex lore of the franchise. I feel as though despite the numerous films in the series, we don’t get a lot of explanation as to the motives of “The Company” and the world it inhabits. With AE it takes you closer to this world than we’ve ever seen and STILL gives us the intensity of a sci-fi thriller. Was there a character(s) that you connected with the most or found most interesting?
Steve: As a big brother, I really related to Joe Hermit. I love the perspective of this character being a medic and having to live by the philosophy of “do no harm” when he actually wants to rescue his sister from this hellacious paradise that she’s found herself in. Characters in general are such a strong point of this show. The approach of having the cybernetic characters have the minds of children and the power of demigods is so interesting to me. The entire Lost Boys motif works so well for what they’re going for. What resonated with you?
Jaypo: Also liked Joe’s character as one of the few main characters on the show that is actually human. I think my favorite though is Morrow. He’s complex, but embodies that stoic anti-heroism that usually draws me in. Morrow is also our introduction to cyborgs in the series and I just find that cool. His singular focused mind is somewhat admirable in the face of the never-ending tragedy that seems to follow him. Nothing goes as planned, but you’d never know based on his calm and collected demeanor. Although not one of my favorite characters, I had an appreciation for Boy Cavalier. I’m not sure if it was intentionally done so, but he is written and acted in a way that reminds me of another “prodigy” in real life who made billions being a shallow piece of shit in rating women. Did you have a favorite episode?
Steve: Morrow was so cool. One of the strengths of Alien: Earth is the question of humanity. Morrow sacrifices his humanity more and more as the show goes on. As we found out, he basically lost his soul when he found out that his daughter died while he was on his mission for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Boy Cavalier was such a funny parallel to the billionaires of today. I also need to shout out Timothy Olyphant for playing against type as the synthetic scientist, Kirsh. Such a weirdly funny, dry presence on a horrifying show.
As far as favorite episodes go, I was a big fan of the flashback episode, “In Space, No One…”, that tells the story of the Maginot before it crash-landed. It was like watching a mini Alien movie. Learning just what makes Morrow tick was a pivotal development at that point in the first season. But, most importantly, it had a lot of gross sci-fi deaths. Seeing the horrors of space beyond the Xenomorphs has been one of the greatest things about Alien: Earth. I’ll never think about eyeballs the same way…
What episodes stood out to you?
Jaypo: Most certainly “In Space, No One…” because of its genuine overall feel to the original Alien film. The set design was gorgeous and the characters, even though we spent so little time with them, were incredibly unique and interesting. I think I joked with you after watching it that I’d entertain an entire series of just the adventures of the folks on this ship (how they got the specimens, the betrayal, etc). I can’t mention a favorite without recognizing the pilot episode. It’s what drew me into the series and had me nonstop recommending it to friends and family (I got my dad hooked who probably hasn’t watched an Alien film since we saw Alien Resurrection in the theater together). The show’s attempt at recognizing what makes us human (or not) and making us ponder who the real monsters actually are elevate the series to elite levels.
With that, I read that Hawley designed this to be a multi-season series and not a ‘one-off’. I know this show cost a ton to produce and I see it hasn’t been renewed yet. Given critical success (and hopefully viewership), I think we should see that renewal sooner than later. The finale left us on a bit of a cliffhanger as our heroes (the children) have taken control (or have they?). I hope we get further exploration of the politics of this Earth and nature (acceptance?) of these hybrids. What do you hope to see in a potential Season 2?
Steve: I am so fascinated by the political situation in this universe. The concept of corporations splitting the world up is so real and terrifying, yet also vastly interesting. I want to meet the other players and see what their deal is. The relationship between Wendy/Marcy and Joe should continue to strain and tear. However that ends, it should be messy. Ultimately, what I am most curious about is our friend the eye creature is up to. It was dangerous in a sheep body, one can only imagine what damage it can do as a man.
