Table of Contents
Show of the Day – Alien: Earth
With the season finale of Alien: Earth airing last night, I thought it was about time to talk about it. I don’t think I have a ton to say about it other than the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed it! There are a few spoilers below, so don’t read on if you haven’t watched the series yet.
I guess the thing I liked most about Alien: Earth was the decision to focus on different variations of humanity through its synthetic and partly-synthetic characters. The hybrids, the synthetic bodies with copied human minds, are incredibly interesting at a conceptual level. Are they really the same as the kids whose minds were downloaded into their heads? How human are they really? Answers to these questions and more are worked towards throughout the series, though there is absolutely more territory to explore. Especially with the idea of being able to delete parts of their minds, and with Wendy/Marcy ending the season feeling like she might have more in common with the aliens than with humans. The hybrids are full of amazing story potential, and what we’ve seen so far feels like just the beginning (hopefully).
Then we have the cyborg, Morrow, who is a human with synthetic parts, and Kirsh, a fully synthetic being. Those two characters are at opposite ends of the humanity spectrum, but I loved how they’re also alike in certain ways. They’re the extremes that help define the hybrids by contrast. I love that a show about aliens is really about what it means to be human. I suppose that’s not unusual in the genre, but I think Alien: Earth conveys that theme in an amazingly entertaining and engaging way.
Speaking of the aliens though, I like how they were used throughout the series. We got plenty of the “oh no, the alien has escaped and is killing everyone” throughout multiple episodes, and it didn’t feel overly contrived each time it happened. The eyeball alien is, of course, the most fun new addition to the Alien lore. Like Boy Kavalier, I wanted to see the eye get into a human head so we could see if it could communicate through the body. It got into Arthur’s dead body during the season finale, so we’ll definitely see more in the next season.
Also, I have to say that I love the fact that the xenomorphs are played by real actors in suits. I’ve seen some of the online chatter complaining about the look and movement of the xenomorphs, but I don’t care. Opinions can’t be wrong, I know, but some opinions are not as good others. In my opinion, stating that the xenomorphs in Alien: Earth look bad is, well, not a very good opinion.
I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed Alien: Earth, but those are the biggest things that I liked about this first season. As I write this, there is no confirmation that a second season is happening. I feel certain that it will. I’m looking forward to the continuing story of the hybrids, as well as seeing more with Yutani and some possible connections to the larger Alien franchise.
In the News
- Season 2 of The Creep Tapes will premiere on Shudder and AMC+ on November 14th. (Bloody Disgusting)
- Laura Gordon (Late Night with the Devil) has joined the cast of Insidious 6. (Deadline)
- New trailers:
Birthdays
Jessica Lucas was born on September 24th, 1985. Jessica played Olivia in Evil Dead (2013), the nurse who cut off her own face when she became a Deadite. In horror, Jessica also co-starred in Cloverfield (2008), and she was in the film Amusement (2008).
Also born today, in 1966, is Kelly Jo Minter. Kelly had prominent roles in two big horror movies, playing Ruby in The People Under the Stairs (1991), and playing Alice’s best friend Yvonne in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989).
Events on This Day
Shaun of the Dead was released theatrically in the United States on September 24th, 2004. Shaun of the Dead is arguably the greatest zombie comedy of all time. The movie is the result of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s love for zombie movies (and the Resident Evil video games), which previously led to them developing a zombie episode for the TV series Spaced which they both worked on.
Curse of Chucky was released digitally in North America on September 24th, 2013. Though it was initially described in the press as a remake, Curse is actually a sequel that brings the continuity of the entire franchise together while adding new characters and lore. The film stars Fiona Dourif, the daughter of Brad Dourif (Chucky/Charles Lee Ray).
