Spoilers folks
I just finished watching the first episode of Alien: Earth, and wooowwwy!
What did you think of the first episode?
What stood out to you in the episode the most?
What are your predictions for the second episode?
Ask away or mention anything related to Alien: Earth S1 E1 (Neverland) below.
I enjoyed the first two episodes, lots of threads to explore as it goes on, juggling new Gods and devils with the struggle for immortality againstbasic survival in a settingthats deeplyappealing to me
The characters look interesting, the physical sets look fantastic, and I can’t wait to see more at this point.
What doesn’t bother me but might bother others is its quite light on exposition of the setting, its made fair assumptions about your familiarity with Alien and Balde Runner at this point. Personally I don’t want or need that but others might.
What I am not sure about is the timeline and it seemingly on actual Earth. I wish they’d gone between Alien and Aliens rather than before, and set it on say New Earth rather than Earth. I am pleased that he’s dumped Promethus timeline.
Next up has to be bringing the main characters together plus showing the heads of the other families.
People have made some great points here. I have one question though, in Neverland they made a point to show that guy in the full hazmat suit cleaning the wall or…repairing it? I don’t know. In any case they showed the guy twice and even lingered on him the second time.
What is the deal? It didn’t even look like they made any progress even though time had passed by the second showing. And what made the damage?
Is Kirsch even human? He made that comment about humanity being food, but the way he said it sounded like he isn’t human either. Maybe I missed something and it was explained somewhere?
What did you think of the first episode?
I went in like I do with any first episode in a TV show. Knowing that it’s there to establish the plot and the characters. Most likely, it won’t be the strongest episode in the bunch. I thought they nailed the pacing extremely well. I only had two moments where I had an itch to skip 5 seconds ahead, but asked myself, “What are they conveying here?” This could be that they wanted to have an emotion settle in your mind as to what’s happening or leading up to. Many other possibilities, but I’m glad I let it play through. It gave me time to think a bit deeper about a few things that had happened before.
I’m quite pleased with the starting point for the show and I’m looking forward to what’s in store.
What stood out to you in the episode the most?
I’m not sure I can narrow it down to just one thing that stood out the most.
…I guess I’ll go with the characters. I really appreciated the different kinds of characters we got to see/experience. It makes me feel like it’s not going to be a ‘flat’ TV show. Meaning, that there will be ebbs and flows because of all of the different characters, character needs and desires, etc.
What are your predictions for the second episode?
We ended the episode with Wendy saying to Kirsh, that she’s going to save Joe (a.k.a. Hermit.) I’m predicting that he’s either going to become infected by a facehugger or badly injured. Either way, she is going to demand/beg that he become a “hybrid” just like her, in hopes that he can continue to live.
I’m going to expand on your last point with a thought. The title for the last episode “The Real Monsters” will likely see additional motivations of Boy (which I’ll get to later). We’ve thus far only seen him in robes, not leaving his compound (which is far away from his territory). Maybe that’s just his eccentric side/youth, but I suspect despite his supposed genius, he is ill with something he cannot cure, hence going the route he has in hybrid development. He wants a body for himself, free of age, disease, etc, and with a supercomputer mind that can propel him even further than he currently is. While he stated he wants to have a conversation with something smarter than him, I believe he wants to then become that thing. Therefore, I believe the bodies that the children inhabit are test subjects for him and his investors. He probably has a body in storage or development, and sending the 5 out is his ultimate test to see if his gambit has paid off. Wendy and Hermit will likely discover this body at a critical juncture, to which will be denied to Hermit. Further, should the children survive this encounter with both the aliens and hostile corporate forces, Boy will probably be ready to serve the host bodies up to his investors, wiping the personalities and memories from them. Finding these aliens will probably alter Boy’s thoughts/intents on trying to go even further with hybridization (non-human hybrids, fusions, etc).
One of the big issues with mind transference is that once you have it working there is always someone who wants to transfer to multiple. Boy strikes me as someone who would want that, and having at least one version of himself who is a super computer backed would fit his requirement.
Valid point. Imagine getting into a fight with yourself - normal and upgraded version. Red Dwarf covered this a few times with both its AI and hologram Rimmer.
I imagine BK would try something along the lines of Omnius from the Dune prequel novels - a core awareness and synchronizing other versions to it on other worlds.
Yeah a hive style consciousness would fit him and what he can learn from at least the xenomorph on the ship.
If we alter the paradigm slightly, he is in essence the techno Alien King (counter to an as of yet Alien Queen): his creations are new and “alien” to the Earth (hence the xeno aspect), and morph means to change in form or character, which he seems to be trying to do at some level with the kids - suppress the child (wonderment and innocence) aspects while exposing them to things that even adults would struggle or be horrified to deal with (Example - death and letting go - “Here, lie beside your now dead body/empty husk”)
Too, he is watching through their eyes from his safe abode, extending the hive mind to an extent as you suggest.
While the others have largely been companions/props, Wendy has at least paid off in a few instances for him:
- her hearing going beyond what they seemed to have accounted for, and now seemingly attuned on some level to the xenomorph eggs,
- the ability to affect/manipulate other machines, including lower level AGI, and (maybe most importantly)
- her initiative and possibly resourcefulness, even if she is mainly focused on her brother as the carrot. I think BK intentionally dangled access to him (from a distance) to see what he could get out of her. The other children seem rather blasé about their past lives and attachments. In coming episodes, we may learn something about her, her connection to Hermit, and Hermit himself that may indicate why BK was so interested in her. (Ie what makes her special)
Yeah good spot, the rebirth of the new from an existing, dying host is another parallel between the kids and the xenomorphs. Something part made from what was (see the dog or cow alien dependingon your preferredversion of A3) and whats new.
Being able to see what the kids can do must be similar to how a Queen works with its children. I think you are onto something and we’ll see him exert control over the kids as a Queen can, further cementing the comparison.
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