Resident Alien (1×03) Secrets Review

Dylan PhillipsFebruary 11, 202185/1008337 min
Director
Robert Duncan McNeill
Writer
Njeri Brown
Rating
TV-14
Running Time
44 minutes
Airs
Wednesdays 10pm
Channel
Syfy, CTV Sci-Fi
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Secrets brings the same level of funny and absurdity, but ramps up the thematic look at humanity and its faults without missing a beat.

For our review of last episode of Resident Alien, click here.

Synopsis: Harry races to keep his secret safe as Asta is forced to face her own past. (IMDb)

Spoilers Below

Three episodes in and Resident Alien continues to pair absurd comedy with dark mystery, but this time it dives deeper into its third element: the flaws of humanity. Secrets does this in a few ways as it tackles the skeletons in the respective closets of both Harry and Asta while also setting up a few other secrets along the way that could be pivotal to the story going forward.

First off, Harry is juggling multiple secrets that are complicating his situation. The obvious one is hiding his alien identity from the Earthlings, but now he must also hide the body of the real Harry that surfaced from the unfrozen lake. These two situations are the secrets on the surface that Harry is now dealing with on a daily basis, but he has a third inner secret that he is struggling with. Harry is feeling human.

What that means is now he is struggling with the emotions, anxieties and lack of sleep associated with human nature. It is an odd concept to think that this alien reconfiguring its molecular structure to appear human also causes its mentally and behavior to inadvertently become humanesque as well, but perhaps he feels that is part of the facade. A minor hiccup if one thinks too much, but it doesn’t take away from the themes at the center of this series.

Meanwhile, Asta has a secret too. Apparently she was a teen mom and she was convinced to give up the baby by both her adoptive father Dan and her paternal figure Dr. Hodges. This storyline gives more depth to the human protagonist of this story as she continues to show us more of her past and the strong bond she had with the late doctor. This storyline also shows the tight-knit nature of the community and potentially sets up Jay, the office’s intern, as the child that Asta gave up. Lots of potential in this storyline.

The final two secrets were small reveals through this episode. The first was Max’s continued obsession with outing Harry’s true nature and finally someone agrees with him. This classmate, Sahar, connects with Max through their shared bullied experiences, but she cannot see Harry’s true form like Max. Regardless, she plays along to feel included and perhaps form a strong friendship between these two outcasted kids.

And in the final moments of the episode, two alien enthusiasts learn more about a man’s encounter with Harry. When he won’t reveal the location however, they take matters into their own hands and dispose of the human. Seems that they may be aliens from his planet trying to complete the mission that Harry failed to finish and judging by their tactics, they don’t have many rules for how to get it done.

Coroner’s Report

  • Who poisoned Dr. Sam Hodges?
  • Will anyone believe Max about what he sees when he looks at Harry?
  • How long until Harry’s secret is revealed?
  • Will Harry change his mind about eradicating the human race?
  • How long until Asta and Jay learn about their real connection?
  • When will the other aliens find Harry and what will they do?

What did you think of “Secrets”? Let me know in the comments below!


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