Alien: Planeta Tierra

The renewal of Alien Earth for a second season is perhaps the most surprising plot twist of all, given the massive disappointment that was its first outing. While the series started with a tantalizing glimpse of potential, Season 1 ultimately crashed and burned under the weight of incoherent storytelling and a truly dreadful roster of characters.

The journey began promisingly. The pilot episode was "okay," but Episode 2 truly sparked interest, introducing fascinating new ideas and broadening the scope of the established Xenomorph universe. The series touched on compelling philosophical themes-exploring the nature of humanity, the role of the creatures, and the hubris of those who "played God" with the scenario. For a brief moment, it felt like Alien Earth was poised to deliver the intellectual horror the franchise has often chased.

Unfortunately, that promise dissolved quickly. By the time we reached the Season 1 finale (Episode 8), the struggle to find positive elements became overwhelming. The central, unforgivable sin of the season was a plot that simply stopped making sense. Events unfolded illogically, narrative threads were either poorly executed or dropped entirely, leaving the viewer more confused than engaged.

However, the greatest source of viewer frustration lay in the characters. Simply put, the show featured zero likable characters. Every person on screen seemed determined to be irritating, incompetent, or morally bankrupt. The true failure of the season, and perhaps its most frustrating oversight, was the narrative's refusal to deliver satisfying consequences. The characters one desperately wanted to see killed in a suitably horrific manner were, bafflingly, spared, leaving the audience with an emotionally hollow and dissatisfying resolution.

Alien Earth Season 1 ultimately delivered a bad end product. Despite a few interesting concepts in the early episodes, the season failed on fundamental levels: coherent plotting and character investment. While the show has a second chance, it will need a radical overhaul to make anyone care about the world or the fate of its inhabitants.

Verdict: D- (Disappointing and Disingenuous)

I had such high expectations after 4 episodes. There were a multitude of characters with different motivations. And then slowly this show degraded into one dimensional storyline.

This show is more about synths than aliens. And there is no logic in anything the synths do. They are the most unlikeable protagonists. Are we supposed to root for the synths? By the end of the season I was rooting for the synths to die because they are so loathsome.

Despite exceptional cinematography and production design that authentically captures the original aesthetic, this series squanders its potential with a fundamentally flawed story. The writing suffers from poor character decision-making and contrived plot developments that prioritize convenience over logic.

While the first few episodes show promise through their visual faithfulness to the source material, the narrative gradually abandons what made the franchise compelling. By the finale, the show reveals itself as less interested in honoring the Alien legacy than in pursuing a generic empowerment narrative that feels disconnected from the series' core identity.

The technical craftsmanship deserves recognition, but it can't salvage a story that feels like a disservice to longtime fans. What could have been a worthy addition to the franchise instead becomes a frustrating reminder of squandered potential.

Rating: 4/10 - Elevated solely by its production values.

Pretty disappointing conclusion to a great set up. 8 episodes later, it seems that the only motive provided for any of the characters was to get to series two. Once the Alien rehash was out of the way to satisfy audiences in episode five the showrunners seemingly gave up on any of the threads they set up in the beginning of the series in favour of a directionless mess.

Not talking about the kids in your living room, the on-screen versions are the ones that botched the alien franchise. It COULD have been great, because scenes are well-built and the adult characters work, especially the on-board android, but somehow, someone decided to give the main lead to a 12-year old, that acts and think like a 12-year old, with 10 year old friends as the entourage to battle extremely violent and blood-thirsty monsters. It doesn't work. And the constant switching of timelines and pace deludes the storyline more than helping it. Sorry, my rating is generous. A 12 year old would probably rate it higher, but I am not 12.