Metamorphosis
- Episode aired Aug 19, 2025
- TV-MA
- 54m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
The team returns home with unexpected cargo. An unsettling experiment occurs, and a new talent is discovered.The team returns home with unexpected cargo. An unsettling experiment occurs, and a new talent is discovered.The team returns home with unexpected cargo. An unsettling experiment occurs, and a new talent is discovered.
Featured reviews
This is such a weird series for me, at the moment. It feels like a story for an Alien movie has been stretched to a miniseries length, and the things that I might not notice in a two-hour movie stand out more when you've got all this extra time to think about the small things.
I'm waiting for some kind of twist or development that'll justify why it's been told in this extended format, but I'm yet to fully understand the point, being miniseries being perhaps better financially, in terms of keeping subscribers subscribed week to week to week.
I'm waiting for some kind of twist or development that'll justify why it's been told in this extended format, but I'm yet to fully understand the point, being miniseries being perhaps better financially, in terms of keeping subscribers subscribed week to week to week.
Written by Noah Hawley with Bob DeLaurentis and directed by Dana Gonzales, "Metamorphosis" dazzles visually but falters in execution. Blade Runner vibes are ingrained throughout. The production values and FX are consistently first-rate, offering grotesque body horror and striking new creature work that deepen the mythology.
Sydney Chandler continues to bring layered intensity, while Babou Ceesay grounds the synth subplots with conviction. But it's Timothy Olyphant who stands out as the series' saving grace, his steady, humanizing presence anchoring an episode that often feels uneven.
New arrivals Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) and Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) add levity, but their jovial banter sometimes jars against the darker atmosphere, tipping tension into tonal whiplash. And once again, the editing proves a major stumbling block - jarring cuts and awkward transitions fracture immersion, while the misplaced score, musical cues undercut moments that should build suspense.
Still, beneath the flaws lies a compelling chapter: Chandler's hybrid transformation escalates, corporate intrigue deepens, and the alien threat continues to mutate in unexpected, terrifying ways. High-caliber visuals and creature design keep the world alive, even when the mechanics stumble.
"Metamorphosis" is messy, unsettling, and ambitious - a flawed but fascinating piece of the unfolding Alien tapestry.
Sydney Chandler continues to bring layered intensity, while Babou Ceesay grounds the synth subplots with conviction. But it's Timothy Olyphant who stands out as the series' saving grace, his steady, humanizing presence anchoring an episode that often feels uneven.
New arrivals Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) and Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) add levity, but their jovial banter sometimes jars against the darker atmosphere, tipping tension into tonal whiplash. And once again, the editing proves a major stumbling block - jarring cuts and awkward transitions fracture immersion, while the misplaced score, musical cues undercut moments that should build suspense.
Still, beneath the flaws lies a compelling chapter: Chandler's hybrid transformation escalates, corporate intrigue deepens, and the alien threat continues to mutate in unexpected, terrifying ways. High-caliber visuals and creature design keep the world alive, even when the mechanics stumble.
"Metamorphosis" is messy, unsettling, and ambitious - a flawed but fascinating piece of the unfolding Alien tapestry.
The first two episodes had me curious where this was heading. They were nothing special but showed some potential for the remainder of the show. But with this episode, I feel like I have a clearer view of where they are taking this and it's just not all that interesting. This episode was hard to finish. It was extremely slow. The plot surrounding Boy Kavalier has taken more of a prominent role than I was hoping. It is simply not interesting. The production value is still good...the writing leaves a lot to be desired though. Not sure if I'll tune in next week.
Metamorphosis, the third chapter of Alien: Earth, stumbles slightly but then picks itself up melding visceral horror with cerebral ambition.
Noah Hawley crafts a gripping resolution to Ep 2's cliffhanger, with Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a synthetic-human prodigy, battling a xenomorph in a sequence drenched in the franchise's primal terror. The Neverland set, a decayed dystopian marvel, enchants, while Chandler's nuanced performance lends heart to the once-muddled AI themes. Timothy Olyphant's Kirsh, with roguish menace, teases darker depths, and Samuel Blenkin's Boy Kavalier drips corporate venom.
The "Lost Boys" - Curly's guile, Nibs' angst - intrigue, but their childlike dialogue often grates, feeling contrived.
A facehugger dissection scene, both ghastly and cerebral, ties AI to horror with finesse. Yet, expository tangents and uneven pacing bog down the momentum, and the hybrid concept still wobbles, not fully coalescing.
Ep 3 elevates the series with its bloody brilliance and growing clarity, but minor missteps keep it from greatness. A promising, if imperfect, evolution.
Rating: 7.5/10.
Noah Hawley crafts a gripping resolution to Ep 2's cliffhanger, with Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a synthetic-human prodigy, battling a xenomorph in a sequence drenched in the franchise's primal terror. The Neverland set, a decayed dystopian marvel, enchants, while Chandler's nuanced performance lends heart to the once-muddled AI themes. Timothy Olyphant's Kirsh, with roguish menace, teases darker depths, and Samuel Blenkin's Boy Kavalier drips corporate venom.
The "Lost Boys" - Curly's guile, Nibs' angst - intrigue, but their childlike dialogue often grates, feeling contrived.
A facehugger dissection scene, both ghastly and cerebral, ties AI to horror with finesse. Yet, expository tangents and uneven pacing bog down the momentum, and the hybrid concept still wobbles, not fully coalescing.
Ep 3 elevates the series with its bloody brilliance and growing clarity, but minor missteps keep it from greatness. A promising, if imperfect, evolution.
Rating: 7.5/10.
I struggled with the first two episodes, in which I really didn't care for many of the cast and felt they treated the creature more as a slasher than as the monster creeping around the haunted house that I enjoyed in the earlier films.
However, this episode did a very good job of elevating the series as it started to explain some of the the characters' motivations and as some of the actors started to fill their roles
Some thoughts:
Unlike the first two episodes, I rarely felt the need to check the time--only, again, when the actors playing the Lost Boys struggled to make them believable as children in an adult body. (It's a tough thing to do, but the actress playing Wendy does perhaps the best job.)
I can't bring myself to give it more than an eight, mainly due to the actors playing the Lost Boys, but that's a strong positive review from me.
P. S. I read earlier reviews that nitpicked the idea that Yutani was the sole name of the corporation while Weyland-Yutani was on the Nostromo in Alien, which is set only two years hence. Per this episode, that's no longer a valid concern, as the corporation is indeed Weyland-Yutani and stated as such.
However, this episode did a very good job of elevating the series as it started to explain some of the the characters' motivations and as some of the actors started to fill their roles
Some thoughts:
- Boy Kavalier at last eplained why the children were chosen for the synthetic body transfer and it both made sense and was satisfying in the context of the company
- Kirsch went, to me, from being merely creepy to being an active protagonist with somewhat inscrutable motivations
- Morrow, as always, fascinates and is ramping up to be an excellent antagonist. Every scene he's in is eminently watchable
- Even the brother, who I felt was weak and weepy in the earlier episodes, has some agency. I'm hopeful the character continues to improve.
Unlike the first two episodes, I rarely felt the need to check the time--only, again, when the actors playing the Lost Boys struggled to make them believable as children in an adult body. (It's a tough thing to do, but the actress playing Wendy does perhaps the best job.)
I can't bring myself to give it more than an eight, mainly due to the actors playing the Lost Boys, but that's a strong positive review from me.
P. S. I read earlier reviews that nitpicked the idea that Yutani was the sole name of the corporation while Weyland-Yutani was on the Nostromo in Alien, which is set only two years hence. Per this episode, that's no longer a valid concern, as the corporation is indeed Weyland-Yutani and stated as such.
Did you know
- TriviaThe science officer's report on the alien plant: "A carnivorous plant not dissimilar to the Terran genus Drosera. Science officer has given tentative taxonomic classification of D. Plumbicare due to the use of mucilage to lure unsuspecting prey, a stamen to sense prey, and a pattern of "leaves" which form a mouth. Though generally confined to carnivory, D. Plumbicare has been seen eating nearby flora in dire situations. Animals given to D. Plumbicare have expired in one of three ways: asphyxiation, dissolved, or exhaustion. Enzymatic breakdown begins upon death, stamen also acts as a gauge of atmospheric pressure and temperature. When conditions become inhospitable or a threat to survival, D. Plumbicare closes completely. When attempting to open a closed D. Plumiocare, many kilograms of pressure were applied to no avail. Once back on Earth, further testing needed to confirm strength of leaves."
In real life Drosera is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species, and are a member of the family Droseraceae, which contains plants like the Venus Fly Trap. Members of Drosera lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which the plants grow. Plants in the Drosera genus are commonly called sundews, some well known species are the cape sundew and tropical sundew. They have a central stalk that acts much like a tentacle, and are able to move their tentacles in response to contact with edible prey. The tentacle is covered in small stalks covered with mucilage, a thick sweet smelling substance that is very sticky that acts as both bait and digestive fluid, the stalks are very sensitive to movement. The mucilage attracts an insect, then when the movement of an insect is detected, the tentacles will bend toward the center of the leaf and bring the insect into contact with as many stalks as possible, which then being dissolving the insect and absorbing its nutrients.
- GoofsA synthetic uses a camera to film the surgery carried out by Kirsh. However, everything seen through the eyes of a synthetic is recorded, so it makes no sense to use a camera.
- ConnectionsFeatures Epic (2013)
- SoundtracksWherever I May Roam
Performed by Metallica
Details
- Runtime
- 54m
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