In Space, No One...

Finally, a superb episode in Alien: Earth! We finally get to see what happened before the first episode, and honestly, this is the best installment of the new show so far.

Two things make it stand out: first, the events take place aboard a spaceship, and second, the episode is packed with non-stop references to earlier films in the franchise. There's a nod to almost every Alien movie, plus all the bizarre new creatures the show has introduced.

It's a formula similar to what Alien: Romulus (2024) used - and while some critics dismiss that as "picking the best parts from previous films and gluing them together," those proven elements undeniably hit home for fans. They certainly did for me.

Notably, while Romulus leaned more into Aliens (1986), this episode draws heavily from the original 1979 classic. For fans of the Alien saga, this episode is pure gold - it brings space back to space horror.

This is a strong horror-focused chapter that does a very good job portraying events on board the Maginot before those shown in the episode Neverland.

As we already know the outcome for the ship and most of the characters on board, there is only so much tension to be generated. However, the filmmakers use the space tics and ocellus well to keep the atmosphere suitably creepy and sustain the suspense. Additionally, the mystery of the saboteur and how it connects to the overarching narrative unfolds nicely.

For me, the development of the character Morrow is a highlight. The writers have drip-fed information about him so far, and here we are given a sufficient amount to keep the arc interesting. We needed to know more about his backstory and motivation, and this chapter explains it well.

There are likely to be eyebrows raised in relation to the xenomorph scenes. I anticipate words like inconsistency and phrases like plot armour being used to describe certain moments. That being said, their presence is still nightmare fuel, but maybe not as potent when it shares the chamber with a variety of other horrors.

What will frustrate most is the lack of caution shown by certain characters in key moments that stretches plausibility to the limit. It depends on how seriously you take fictional stories.

This series has excellent production values. The art department has replicated the signature "Alien" look to a "T". The Xenomorph looks amazing when it is either the guy in a suit or cgi. Top-notch effects! Episode five feels like it belongs in the canon of Alien. The sets, costumes, lighting and creatures successfully transport the viewer into a Ridley-esque claustrophobic space-ship full of doomed mission-specialists fleeing in terror from the menacing, Xenomorph. Just what we want and expect from the Alien franchise. Amazing work, providing motion-picture quality on a television-series budget. I don't know how they did it, but it really works well. The sets remind us of the Nostromo and other ships from previous Alien films while bringing their own style to the mix. Any Alien fan would enjoy this episode. It almost feels like the series should have started with Ep.5.

While this show does have a few problems, it's written by the guy who created Fargo and Legion, 2 masterpieces of TV (only including the first 2 seasons of Fargo, not the whole show). A problem a lot of studios have these days is they hire completely inept writers to take over massive franchises, people that have no business being anywhere near them. Examples: Kathleen Kennedy for Star Wars, the Witcher show was an abomination, Rings of Power was garbage, and so many others, Harry Potter is probably next. This is not one of those situations. Noah Hawley is a legit top showrunner in the business.

So far Alien Earth has been pretty slow and there are some deficiencies in terms of the characters but overall it's definitely better than a lot of the haters are making it out to be. I think it's mainly a question of patience. If the show started out with episode 5 first and it grabbed people's attention right away the show would have more momentum but the payoff wouldn't have hit as hard so I prefer the way they structured the show. I'm confident the last 3 episodes are building up to blow everyone's minds. People don't have patience any more and I swear if Breaking Bad came out today it would be cancelled after 1 season because everyone would think it's slow and boring. The setup for the last part of the story is complete and I think Alien fans are in for a treat in the coming weeks.

In an era of rehashing, redundant and repeatedly rebooting franchises this series has a new and refreshing feel reminiscent of the last predator film Prey. With relevant and current themes around tech and AI I really enjoyed the first few episodes as the characters are interesting and well cast.

The visuals and dialogue have been great and always on the edge of my seat on each episode and wanting the next one to come quicker to see where we are going next.

Franchise fan or new comer will enjoy and I look forward to seeing this become a series for many years to come with the richness of characters that could lead to intriguing sub plot stories.