"Alien Earth" in August from FX and Hulu..

The lack of a serious adult protagonist might have been an active strategy from inept "word assemblers."

Third episode achieved better resolution. In a communication with his corporate boss lady, Morrow reveals that the mission was sabotaged (which at least explains the ship's own impotence in avoiding a crash landing, if not the Earth's passivity toward the oncoming vessel). That Mother indeed had a HAL agenda, and that the specimens were actually studied for decades(?) -- on their place of origin, apparently.

One of the kid hybrids (Curly) begins a power scheme to replace Wendy as Kavalie's favorite. Kirsh is fleshing out as having a few of Olyphant's usual character traits, after all. Dame Sylvia and her husband Arthur may be emerging as two legit adults in the "house" (though they seem minor roles). Didn't realize that Joe Hermit (Wendy's brother) is listed as #2 on the cast, so he's going to rally as more central in the long run.

Anyway, bit by bit -- perhaps these characters are becoming less and less cardboard props, and there is a plot tucked away in the background that can "thicken".

(Aug 26, 2025 08:12 AM)C C Wrote: Third episode achieved better resolution. In a communication with his corporate boss lady, Morrow reveals that the mission was sabotaged (which at least explains the ship's own impotence in avoiding a crash landing, if not the Earth's passivity toward the oncoming vessel). That Mother indeed had a HAL agenda, and that the specimens were actually studied for decades(?) -- on their place of origin, apparently.

One of the kid hybrids (Curly) begins a power scheme to replace Wendy as Kavalie's favorite. Kirsh is fleshing out as having a few of Olyphant's usual character traits, after all. Dame Sylvia and her husband Arthur may be emerging as two legit adults in the "house" (though they seem minor roles). Didn't realize that Joe Hermit (Wendy's brother) is listed as #2 on the cast, so he's going to rally as more central in the long run.

Anyway, bit by bit -- perhaps these characters are becoming less and less cardboard props, and there is a plot tucked away in the background that can "thicken".

I'm pretty sure the writers treated it as a standalone in the sense of spoon-feeding the lore so those that don't know of any of the predecessor films won't have to suddenly start binge watching them to grips. In the instance of spoon-feeding, actors can seem cardboard or hollow since the direction is just narrative, once it starts opening up to be directing action to the actual plot, then you can start seeing the actors do the job they like to do.

One of the comments in the critique video was about a Synth standing in a corridor doing the same task over and over. I'm pretty sure that's part of the plot mechanics.

I'm going to keep watching it regardless of the latest snarky review bombs. Pretty sure Hawley still has some quirky twists on the canonical Alien mythology up his sleeve..

The way Romulus trashed Alien cannon/lore, I expect Earth to further trash it, rather than redeem Romulus.

I cannot forgive last night's episode in which Clarke's Law, that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, was misattributed to Asimov. I could feel the screams of a million sci Fi nerds when they said that!

(Aug 27, 2025 07:33 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: I cannot forgive last night's episode in which Clarke's Law, that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, was misattributed to Asimov. I could feel the screams of a million sci Fi nerds when they said that!

OMG, don't know how it will ever recover from that. Haven't seen what the exact circumstances were yet, but any repair attempts would have to wait till next season (when it'll be too late). If it was one of the "kids" that said it, then the explanation or band-aid of cluelessness would actually be built-in.

It was the boy genius who said it! Even MORE inexcusable!

The dumb writers probably conflated Asimov's and Clarke's three laws.

(Aug 27, 2025 08:31 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: It was the boy genius who said it! Even MORE inexcusable!

Granted, I didn't search very deep, but on that limited basis, it is chilling how recaps of the episode don't seem to have noticed the glaring mix-up. The only mention I could find is the following, where the writer seems to explain at it away as Asimov having once directly referenced Clarke's third law. Which is wholly fiction, AFAIK.

"In Kavalier’s referencing of Isaac Asimov on Arthur C Clarke is a kind of answer to what drives him. “Above a certain level, technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Boy Kav wants to be the first thing that magic sees – so he can sell it." https://decider.com/2025/08/27/alien-ear...e-4-recap/

That aside, it looks like the story is going post-colonial (in an extraterrestrial context) by making the xenomorph seem a more sympathy-arousing character or species. Wendy establishes contact with the "infant", and as that particular relationship progresses, the view will probably emerge that it is a victim of the corporations, and that perspective treated as objective. As if that is the only one that matters, not the fact that the creatures deposit their egg-capsules to intrinsically exploit any unwary organism that comes along that is a viable host candidate. (Though it's hardly a new trope; it goes back to empathy for King Kong or the Frankenstein monster - and the former did even have the business opportunism and cultural hegemony context -- along with the island.)