While the series premiere of Alien: Earth was a bit boring, Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 2 “Mr. October” was absolutely terrifying and elevated the franchise in a way I didn’t even know was possible.
Episode 1 “Neverland” introduced us to Sydney Chandler’s Wendy. And Episode 2 introduced us to her brother Hermit. Played by Alex Lawther, this character is the complete opposite of Wendy but at the same time just like her. He believes himself to be all alone and like his dreams are never going to come true now that he’s not going to med school on Mars. But just like Wendy, he knows he’s capable of entering dangerous situations and handles himself against a xenomorph.
MORE: Where does Alien: Earth fall in the timeline?
Let me say that again. This short king went 10 toes down against a xenomorph. First off, he clocked that there was something hiding in those shadows in the stairwell real quick. And it was kind of an echo of what Wendy was recognizing from outside. There’s a presence and a signal/noise that these aliens give out. And they both recognized it.
For Hermit, he clocked an unknown creature and bolted, jumped over that massive hole, and managed to avoid the xenomorph before leading it on a wild goose chase. Then after the xenomorph killed everyone, he didn’t run away. He went looking for it and was ready to die because it’s his job to keep the people of that building safe. And ol’ xenomorph girl is a threat to those people.
Together, Wendy and Hermit have this really interesting dynamic on Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 2 “Mr. October” that is going to destroy everything this show is building.
Boy Kavalier is pushing the boundaries of creation. And I’ll give him credit that he’s not doing this for money or power. I won’t give him credit for the fact that he thinks everyone is too dumb and that’s why he’s creating these hybrid synthetics. But you can’t create something like Wendy, be fascinated by her connection with her brother, and expect her to sit back and do nothing.
When Hermit gets kidnapped by the xenomorph, Wendy doesn’t hesitate to go after him.
Now, we know the terror of the xenomorph. Literally I was sitting in my chair, at home like the rest of everyone, watching this episode and I was leaning back when the xenomorph came off that statue or appeared from the ceiling. I was scared and there was no possible way for the xenomorph to get through my screen to get me. But we know this creature’s power over multiple films. Miss Xenomorph here has got a reputation and we’re terrified.
But Miss Wendy? She hasn’t seen any of this. All she knows is that there is an alien species on this vessel and it took her brother. And she’ll do anything to get him back. In turn, we will be seated right here waiting to see what happens next. Because it’s going to be messy and hopefully just as terrifying and bloody as what we saw in “Mr. October.”
So what was ultimately the problem between Episode 1 and Episode 2 of Alien: Earth? Because the first one left me a bit bored. But this episode, “Mr. October,” made me want to watch the entire season. And it all has to do with their being something to fight for in Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 2 “Mr. October.”
Before we were just getting a fanciful story about a girl and her lost boys. Oh yeah, and the big corporations ruling things. Now we have a family separated through death and rebirth reuniting before an alien rips them apart. That’s something worth investing in and it’s exactly why FX decided to air both of these episodes on the same night. They didn’t want to lose any viewers and knew they would lose people after Episode 1 alone.
As for the rest of the cast, it’s kind of shocking seeing Smee, Slightly, Nibs, and Tootles deal with these alien life forms in “Mr October.” It just goes to show you how much Alien: Earth is trying to shake things up while still using familiar elements from within the Alien franchise. Because we know synthetics. But we’ve never seen synthetics that look genuinely afraid but also have this carefree attitude about them like the world is something waiting to be conquered.
The innocence and childlike wonder of these synthetics is what could save these hybrids. But if Tootles getting that close to an alien because curiosity’s sake is any indication, they’re not going to last long.
MORE: Need more alien content? Read our review for Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 1 “Neverland.”
Additional thoughts about Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 2 “Mr. October”:
- As a long-time fan, I know we’ve had the Alien franchise around for a while. But I haven’t been this scared in ages when it comes to these movies. And it had to do with seeing that xenomorph in her full glory sneaking about while being abundantly aware of how capable she is. That right there is how you elevate things when it comes to a world with decades of lore.
- I’m never going to say no to references about Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. That first movie in particular was iconic and I still remember watching that with my siblings over and over again. I know they have sequels. But I don’t care for them.
- What I do care about is that Alien: Earth understands those tiny little references from the media that we consume together in our formative years. When you have siblings, you remember these moments and still spout off a line or twelve well into old age.
- The way that that alien came out of that cat’s eye socket. Not very demure. Not very mindful.
- I did feel for Smee holding down that overturned container with a microscope. Too often in shows like this, they would just step away for reasons when the commander came in. But no. Smee was ready and not taking chances. And so was Nibs.
- Have we ever seen the head of Yutani? Because I appreciate Sandra Yi Sencindiver in those heels with that look and face card threatening Boy Kavalier. She did it for us.
Alien: Earth is available on FX and Hulu with new episodes dropping on Tuesdays at 8pm ET.
