Despite some concerns with the timeline, Alien: Earth’s first six episodes are an exciting and twisting adventure that feels well-realized. Taking place two years before the events of the 1979 film, Alien: Earth is a show just as much about the titular Xenomorphs (and other alien threats) as it is about the rise of the Synthetics arms race between mega corporations.
Namely, Weyland Yutani and the Prodigy Corporation play the big bads behind the events of the show as they fight for custody of Alien material. Alien: Earth’s first few episodes take the time to introduce audiences to the Prodigy Corporation and Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), the aptly named young genius and foil to the Yutani arm of the Weyland Yutani corporation’s head (Sandra Yi Sencindiver).
The impetus of Alien: Earth starts with a Weyland Yutani-owned deep space vessel crashing into New Siam, a Prodigy-owned city on Earth, which kicks off an increasingly high-stakes war between the two mega corporations, as they try to claim ownership of its hostile cargo. Beyond just the inclusion of the iconic Xenomorph, Alien: Earth features some wholly original specimens that the show does an excellent job of adding to the mix, which ultimately results in some truly gory scenes, reminiscent of movies like 1997’s Event Horizon.
More importantly, the inclusion of new creatures also trickles down to threats that go beyond the scope of a typical Xenomorph, adding to the tension, even when taking into account the number of super-powered Synthetics that make up the bulk of Alien Earth’s characters. Catalogued as specimen 64, Alien: Earth features a parasitic eyeball among other non-organic eating insects that level the playing field and make for some harrowing encounters.
Viewers follow Wendy (Sydney Chandler), who takes it upon herself to rescue and reunite with her brother, CJ (Alex Lawther), a medical officer sent into the bowels of the derelict ship after it crashes into a Prodigy-owned apartment block. Wendy is not alone, however, as she is accompanied by other misfits who make up her squadron of impromptu first responders, who, like her, share code names derived from Peter Pan.
“Alien: Earth features some wholly original specimens that the show does an excellent job of adding to the mix…”
Alien: Earth does a great job of portraying characters that share similar values but interpret them in wholly unique ways, which creates interesting foils between characters, sometimes even amongst friends or allies, which makes the show feel just as much about the action and encounters with the Alien as it is about interpersonal relationships and power dynamics between characters.
Without delving too far into spoiler territory, I’ll just say that the cast of characters that make up Wendy’s crew are some of the most interesting characters featured in the Alien franchise thus far. Standouts include Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) and Slightly (Adarsh Gourav), who take on more of a juvenile role, which, when contrasted against the imposing and antagonistic Weland Yuntai officer Morrow (Babou Ceesay), makes for some genuinely good TV time.
Samuel Blenkin’s role as Boy Kavalier also creates a great foil against the Weyland-Yutani company. The young genius aptly takes on the role of an aloof and often cocky child, treating the lives of those under him as his playthings in a deadly high-stakes game of chess, echoing his own experiments on children and fitting into the Peter Pan motif.
“The cast of characters that make up Wendy’s crew are some of the most interesting characters featured in the Alien franchise thus far.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Alien show without the titular Xenomorph, and Alien: Earth makes sure of it. Paying homage to the legacy of the Alien franchise, there are several scenes within the first major arc of Alien: Earth with Wendy and her first encounter with the titular Alien threat that feel reminiscent of Ripley’s hostile relationship with the Xenomorph species. There is a tangible feeling of a rippling effect caused by the wanton disregard of safety and ethics from both the Prodigy Corporation and Weyland Yutani, which sets the stage and trickles into all parties involved.
Despite having access to an early press version of the series, Alien: Earth is a gorgeous show and feels right at home with its silverscreen counterparts, making for an exciting spinoff for the franchise that doesn’t feel out of place when compared to its feature-length siblings.
Getting an extended glimpse into some of the more grounded locations within the world of Alien, such as New Siam, is also a treat and really helps flesh out the universe beyond dingy Space colonies and derelict ships. If anything, one minor issue I have with Alien: Earth, outside of its vague lack of cohesiveness with the timeline, is a feeling that the series could have taken the opportunity to once and for all, connect the Alien franchise with Blade Runner. Of course, this is a minor nitpick and something that probably is best left for discourse between fans, and I understand wanting to keep Alien: Earth distinctly in the established canon of the Alien franchise.
With two episodes still left up in the air, it’s hard to form a definitive opinion on the longer-lasting ramifications of exactly how Alien: Earth will impact the Alien franchise as a whole, but as far as TV shows go, based on already existing properties, Alien: Earth is a compelling show that fans shouldn’t miss.
FX’s “Alien: Earth” premieres with two episodes on Tuesday, August 12 at 8pm ET on FX and on Disney+ in Canada.
