Sci-Fi Alien: Earth (Noah Hawley and Ridley Scott) | FX on HULU

[Elayis]

Yeah, so far this has been typical bloated streaming nonsense. The story that Hawley is trying to tell with these characters is just not compelling. There's more creatures and more gore, but it's still following the same beats of previous installments without any genuine innovation.

I'm sticking with it for Olyphant and the Alien aesthetic, but I have to actively force myself to not reach for my phone when watching.

 

[HKpowerup]

I haven't watched the show yet & without going into spoilers, does the show do a lot of world-building? And do we get to see daily life of this futuristic society? It would be fascinating to see how advanced humanity has become and what day-to-day life is like.

 

[Teelie]

Some of it, yes. There is a broad overworld and some detail into the poorest and richest people but not a lot of time spent on either so you don't get a full picture of what it is like in their world.

 

[Weather Witch]

Feels like the first three episodes were a 6.5 or 7/10 movie that ended on a cliffhanger. I expected a Noah Hawley show to be much scarier and have a lot more world-building. Will watch episode 4 and then decide whether to continue.

 

[Sithborg]

Thank god its a chestburster, and not that stupid looking translucent mini xeno.

End of the episode:

Spoiler

Loved the episode. Granted, I assumed the more quiet episodes were going to be better than the action/horror focused ones.

I honestly thought the sheep was going to have three horns, based on the trailers. How did I not see they were actually sensors, I don't know. Still, the whole bit with the eyeball creature was gross and creepy. Curious to see what else they do with it.

Well, Nibs has gone cuckoo for coco puffs. That should be fun when all hell breaks loose. And honestly, it is fun to see the way the different hybrids are developing from the process. Smee and Curly clearly trying to be mature and grow into potential. Toodles and Slightly remaining very childlike. And Wendy sort of a blend of the two groups.

The chestburster scene was amazing. I loved watching it burst from the lung in water. And breathed a sigh of relief that it was an actual chestburster, even if CGI. And they somehow made it so cute, the way it interacted with Wendy. Maybe seeing chestbursters covered in gore painted a mean picutre...

So many threads of where the chaos is going to start, looking forward to it.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

There’s more character and world-building in episodes 3 & 4 after the rush that was the first couple of episodes.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

After Alien Romulus frankly pissed me off, I'm more than happy with what we're getting here. The thing is as far as the Xenomorph itself is concerned, there's nothing else to really explore there so the show is going full on with the Blade Runner transhumanism/corporate intrigue stuff. Its honestly what I expected. We are getting something new with the idea that

Spoiler

we're potentially going to have a character that can communicate with the Xenos

so that's kinda neat unless it goes nowhere. The Boy Cavalier/Peter Pan stuff is pretentious, but that seems to be deliberate. We're supposed to think the guy is up his own ass.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

This was definitely slower paced than the previous episodes but man I still loved it and I'm pretty much fully invested in this world now.

So much great tension and character development throughout this episode between the stuff with Morrow and Slightly and Nibs and Wendy really getting some shine this week as well.

Spoiler

The idea of a synthetic hybrid communicating with Xenos is really out there and pretty bold IMO but I'm digging it because atleast it's something that we haven't seen in this franchise before.

Also, the sheep testing sequence was so well done and creepy ASF man.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Spoiler

She's an advanced synthetic and nearly lost her life fighting it. Not seeing the issue.

Synths in the Alien universe, especially the games and comics, are far stronger and durable than humans.

She also has a "warrior mode" she activates before embarking on the mission.

Spoiler

Never enough to challenge the perfect organism. Has there ever been a synth that has been able to fight a Xeno?

Spoiler

We've seen Wendy leap down several hundred feet and land just fine. And is very fast. And I think the tug of war with her hooking the inner mouth is a good example that her body is on comparable strength to the Xeno. Sure, budget means we don't see how the fight played out. And we don't get a full idea of the damage she took, as it would seem to be all inner damage.

Given what the nature of the hybrid project is, it does make sense to me that Boy Elon would spend extra money to have the lost boys have premium synthetic bodies. Also, ego too probably, as he doesn't want his hybrids to have common synthetic bodies. Ash, Bishop, and Andy are all more common, more mass produced synths.

Spoiler

Did they show that? No. She moves like a normal human, even as a synth. Confronted the beast like a normal human. Which results in the Xeno having to be inactive and outright dumb to lose.

A good comparison is Prey, where to beat the Predator, Naru actually has to outsmart it, not just out physical the superior creature.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

After Alien Romulus frankly pissed me off, I'm more than happy with what we're getting here. The thing is as far as the Xenomorph itself is concerned, there's nothing else to really explore there so the show is going full on with the Blade Runner transhumanism/corporate intrigue stuff. Its honestly what I expected. We are getting something new with the idea that

Spoiler

we're potentially going to have a character that can communicate with the Xenos

so that's kinda neat unless it goes nowhere. The Boy Cavalier/Peter Pan stuff is pretentious, but that seems to be deliberate. We're supposed to think the guy is up his own ass.

There is an actual Blade Runner show coming. Also feel like there is plenty to explore with the Xenos, as we still have no idea where they come from.

 

[Michael Frost]

I have been quietly enjoying the show and I'm now at the point where I'm actually looking forward to the next week's episode. The existential question at the heart of the hybrids is really interesting although I do agree that it's something that serves as a sort of sci-fi padding to a franchise that isn't used to asking such deep questions (unless we're counting the Prometheus bs as "deep"). I don't really mind it and actually welcome it - while unusual, it's good sci-fi content/lore and world building so far.

I also like that they aren't all total incompetent scientists and are actually treating the creatures with a certain amount of care and respect an unknown series of space animals should receive. Specially from Olyphants synth character, we've been getting actual logical procedure and he seems to be very competent. I like how even Morrow's plan is being closely monitored and he seems to be on-top of things - a lesser script might easily make the Slightly-Morrow backdoor subplot the cause of the chaos in the facility but they're actually following through on the established technology and level of security those headquarters should have. I'm sure mr. Kavalier's ego is bound to get in the way and will will ultimately be the real reason of their downfall instead of silly human error or a conveniently written sabotage plot.

I can't wait to see how the eye squid thingy will eventually infect an actual human and become a real live threat. Out of all the little pet shop of horrors in that lab, that one is the one that gives me the most creepy vibes because it feels like Carpenter's Thing parasite. It's simplicity is also a nice change of pace for a franchise about an alien that has 3 main forms and a whole process. Hoping it targets Boy Kavalier and gives him the gruesome end he deserves.

PS: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that sheep had 3 horns in the promos and now finally realize they're sensors.

About Wendy, plot-armor and her capabilities:
We were shown how resilient, super fast and above-human her reflexes are. I'm sure the Alien doesn't need to be dumb for her to give it the match it gave when a) it was already harmed (she stabbed him through the container) and b) even so, she sustained heavy damage from the encounter. It seems pretty fair and acceptable and you can even throw in some luck - plot and script-wise my suspension of disbelief is ok. Her brother, however, falls more into the plot armor bag since he was outright impaled and survived long enough for them to give him assistance but even that is an OK leap that I can accept for the story to progress the way it does.
If we consume every piece of fiction through a supposed realism lens (even from a scifi show about an alien body horror creature), we miss out on narrative opportunities and the enjoyment that the beats and happenings may give us as long as what happens is plausible enough as to not cause massive weight that threatens the stablished rules or makes people act out of character in order for something to happen. A good example of "out of character" can even come from characters we just met - like the supposed scientists in Prometheus deciding to pet the vagina-penis alien snake.

 

[Drizzle]

Spoiler

The end of the episode reminded me of that one moment in Covenant but done in a much better way.

 

[Kane52630]

Aside from Marrow and Wendy, that eye creature is lowkey the best thing about this show.

 

[Stringer]

I can't imagine Hawley intentionally would make the Xenomorph the worst, most disappointing part of the show. Cocooning the guy in a well-lit truck? It's like the alien wanted him to be found in 2 minutes.

 

[Drizzle]

Aside from Marrow and Wendy, that eye creature is lowkey the best thing about this show.

But the animals!

 

[Kane52630]

But the animals!

 

[Kane52630]

You know thinking about it, that scene did remind me of the cow/xeno scene in Alien 3.

 

[Drizzle]

*Remembers the "Good Boy" thread*

 

[BoredGuy]

I'd like to see some really different Xenos, like a Xeno that comes from a different alien species, see how that might look

Never watched AvP2, did they every give us a Yautja/Xeno hybrid??

 

[Kane52630]

Never watched AvP2, did they every give us a Yautja/Xeno hybrid??

They did but you wouldn't know because it was lit like sh**.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

There is an actual Blade Runner show coming. Also feel like there is plenty to explore with the Xenos, as we still have no idea where they come from.

And? What is there to gain from knowing this information?
Did you somehow miss the prequels? We know.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

I can't imagine Hawley intentionally would make the Xenomorph the worst, most disappointing part of the show. Cocooning the guy in a well-lit truck? It's like the alien wanted him to be found in 2 minutes.

He was being used as bait. Joe says this.

 

[Stringer]

He was being used as bait. Joe says this.

Bait in a place where the Xenomorph loses all of its inherent advantages? Nope.

 

[Sithborg]

Bait in a place where the Xenomorph loses all of its inherent advantages? Nope.

I mean, they were boxed in, and easy pickings. It backed off because it was unsure of Wendy.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Bait in a place where the Xenomorph loses all of its inherent advantages? Nope.

Literally addressed in dialogue my guy.