Observation

So i was already enjoying this show a lot but it wasn't quite there yet. But this episode made things feel more real and terrifying. All the several threats were very well done, great great job from the actors specially the lady and the redhead girl, and the sheep. Was more scared of this sheep than some xenomorphs from other movies. Hope things keep escalating with the quality this episode showed. Noah Hawley knows what he is doing. Only down side is this show is making me miss Raised By Wolves for some reason.

For a show that has seemed to have covered a lot, when I take a step back and try to take stock of what I've seen, I'm not sure where we are?

The action sequences are top notch; it's so hard to do Alien without just a rehash of what we've seen in the movies, and in general it's been well done. The introduction of the new species (especially the eyeball alien) has been a needed freshness the franchise has been looking for.

The characters are a bit all over the place. Marrow is the strongest and most interesting, followed by Kitch. But after that, it's a bit of a drop off - Marcy/wendy is ok, but she and the entire "kid" cast are hampered by exactly who they are - children in robotic bodies. The thing that makes characters interesting is the baggage they bring with them, and the children just don't have that baggage to make them relatable to the viewer. Kid cavalier is a bit too stereotyped in the show and the character so far lacks any depth or true examples of narassism that may make him more interesting.

Which leaves the last and most important part of this review - the story. What is this story, exactly? Is it the rushed technology of the hybrids? Is it the invasion of alien lifeforms on earth? Is it the relationship of the 5 corporations (which we meet only 2 and even their interaction seems strange)? It's hard to know where this is going ... and maybe that is the point? To quote a famous line from a silly movie "and we are all dumber for having listened to that."

That's how I feel- not any smarter about what this show is half way in.

Still, the ride so far has been mostly a fun one. I'm not nearly as frustrated with alien earth as I have felt with other shows (for example, house of the dragon). I'm excited to see how the second half of this season goes... but like most viewers, patience wears thin unless I really like characters, and alien earth hasn't done enough with its characters to make me want to hang out with them doing nothing for another 4 hours.

I Care Less and Less About All This, Impressions After Episode 4 of Alien: Earth. I have to admit that after the overly enthusiastic reception (which, in hindsight, I must admit was perhaps a bit exaggerated) of the first two episodes, and the much weaker third episode, the fourth one is yet another step actually several steps further down in terms of meeting my expectations. I'm finding myself increasingly tired of and irritated by a certain mannerism in Noah Hawley's series. Honestly, I'm simply losing interest in all of it... The fourth episode, titled Observation, truly lives up to its name: it's an hour of watching and rehashing the same things over and over. The concept of moving the Alien story to Earth still intrigues me, and I do like the idea of kids trapped in super-advanced synthetic bodies. I'm sold on the acting too, especially the group of young actors playing the kids, as well as Kirsh, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. Most of all, though, I like the direction taken with the cyborg Morrow (Babou Ceesay), who is shaping up to be the most interesting character in the series. On top of that, Alien: Earth continues to deliver very high production values, impressing with some of its cinematography, music, and set design. All of that still works... The problem is that with every passing minute and each dialogue scene, what stands out more and more is the infantilism of it all wrapped up in cardboard metaphors and philosophical clichés about growing up, delivered with painfully obvious references to Peter Pan (and calling it "painfully obvious" is putting it mildly). I can't shake the feeling that the series is desperately trying to be more than what its let's be honest fairly mediocre script will allow.

I will certainly keep watching, hoping the show finds its footing again, but now with far more caution and restraint than before.

Actually, this episode has less nonsensical parts than the previous episodes (which are full of them), but there are still some issues.

A 13-year old girl feels she's gonna have a baby. Really? And when being reminded of how babies are actually conceived she mentions Jesus. Yeah...

Apparently, Xenomorphs have chosen Wendy (Marcy) to be their medium. Why her? It's the first encounter of Eathlings with Xenomorphs.

How come that she of all the hybrids has more abilities? And why does Boy Kavalier think that she is a challenge to his genius? She's the first prototype, wouldn't it be more logical that the later models are more sophisticated and advanced?

Oh, and that "genius" Boy Kavalier does not show any signs of being a genius. Ever. He looks more like a spoiled rich man's kid.

The scenes involving Wendy are the most interesting, particularly concerning her recently discovered ability. I find this quite compelling, and hope it leads somewhere that fits with events depicted in the classic movies. Bringing Joe back into the fold works well and adds more tension to the dynamic between the hybrids and Prodigy.

This episode offers more exposition on the social/political order of Earth. The exposition comes in a fairly unsubtle information dump, but scenes, such as the dialogue between Joe and Atom Eins, demonstrate more about the type of world Earth has become. You cannot help but hope the Ocellus scene foreshadows a gruesome demise for the character Boy Kavalier.

The other plot thread of note involves Morrow, who, along with the aliens, is the most sinister lifeform depicted on Alien Earth. You feel a sense of dread for Slightly and family, but you want to see Weyland-Yutani doing terrible things to obtain a xenomorph, as so much of Alien and Aliens is underpinned by this.

Is the pace too slow? Arguably, it feels so currently, but if it is laying foundations that make future events good, I will not complain. At this point, though, the jury is out for me. The next episode needs a major event or significant plot movement.