Metamorphosis
- Episode aired Aug 19, 2025
- TV-MA
- 54m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6.1K
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
Metamorphosis is a strong episode that moves the plot from the crash site and lays the foundations for what might come in a promising way.
The filmmakers ended Mr October with a cliffhanger, and the follow-up xenomorph-related horror sequence must be accepted for you to move on. Some contrived aspects may not land well with fans who remember a single xenomorph wreaking so much havoc in previous movies. Still, you must remind yourself that certain characters are not human and be open to their abilities. Additionally, there is a degree of plot armour that might be difficult for some to swallow, but it depends on how seriously you take certain action spectacle.
A highlight for me is the sci-fi aspect that explores more of the mythology associated with the titular creature. In the original movies, there was always a fear associated with them reaching Earth and being in the clutches of Weyland-Yutani, so what is portrayed in the science labs is intriguing.
I also like the interactions between various characters. All conversations have an edge of threat thanks to the tension created by the actors' delivery, the unknown aspects of their histories and the dystopian setting. The writers have kept consistency with the depiction of children in adult bodies so far. Themes about the nature of humanity and artificial life forms continue to be good. Let's hope it leads to some memorable and eventful franchise moments.
It is nice to see Adrian Edmondson had more to do in this episode. Being a British child of the 80s (and teen of the 90s) this is naturally another highlight for me.
The visuals and creature designs are excellent. I have a reasonable level of anticipation around the other alien creatures and hope when we see their potential unleashed it will be worth the build up.
The filmmakers ended Mr October with a cliffhanger, and the follow-up xenomorph-related horror sequence must be accepted for you to move on. Some contrived aspects may not land well with fans who remember a single xenomorph wreaking so much havoc in previous movies. Still, you must remind yourself that certain characters are not human and be open to their abilities. Additionally, there is a degree of plot armour that might be difficult for some to swallow, but it depends on how seriously you take certain action spectacle.
A highlight for me is the sci-fi aspect that explores more of the mythology associated with the titular creature. In the original movies, there was always a fear associated with them reaching Earth and being in the clutches of Weyland-Yutani, so what is portrayed in the science labs is intriguing.
I also like the interactions between various characters. All conversations have an edge of threat thanks to the tension created by the actors' delivery, the unknown aspects of their histories and the dystopian setting. The writers have kept consistency with the depiction of children in adult bodies so far. Themes about the nature of humanity and artificial life forms continue to be good. Let's hope it leads to some memorable and eventful franchise moments.
It is nice to see Adrian Edmondson had more to do in this episode. Being a British child of the 80s (and teen of the 90s) this is naturally another highlight for me.
The visuals and creature designs are excellent. I have a reasonable level of anticipation around the other alien creatures and hope when we see their potential unleashed it will be worth the build up.
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.
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.
Another episode and I am glad to see that it won't be taking place entirely at the crash site. That is resolved and contained now (apparently) and we are moving on to studying and analyzing the specimens at the island. I am sure nothing will go wrong with that . I am not entirely sure though how I feel about the lore additions like the proto tadpole inside the facehugger, a lung being enough to gestate it or Wendi being able to communicate with them. What the show does well though is spark conversation in the fandom and I am glad to be engaging in theories and possibilities again. We'll see how the series develops, but as of now, I am entertained and eager to see the next episode.
Wow. Where to begin. I had high hopes for this show, but three episodes in it feels very underwhelming. My biggest complaint is the music/soundtrack. It is beyond bad and takes you out of the immersion if there ever was one to begin with. Rock/blues music in the Alien universe? Really?
And frankly this doesn´t feel like the Alien universe one bit. I really liked the Fargo series and I think that Hawley nailed the tone and story for that, but it´s clear that he doesn´t know how to create the Alien universe and the suspense and mood that said universe requires.
This show i too goofy and weird for it to really be convincing as an Alien installment. I´m getting more Legion vibes than Alien vibes on this and I´m not sure that Hawley is the right man for the job.
The Alien franchise as a whole is at a bad place and I don´t think it´ll ever recover.
And frankly this doesn´t feel like the Alien universe one bit. I really liked the Fargo series and I think that Hawley nailed the tone and story for that, but it´s clear that he doesn´t know how to create the Alien universe and the suspense and mood that said universe requires.
This show i too goofy and weird for it to really be convincing as an Alien installment. I´m getting more Legion vibes than Alien vibes on this and I´m not sure that Hawley is the right man for the job.
The Alien franchise as a whole is at a bad place and I don´t think it´ll ever recover.
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
- Color
- Sound mix
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