Harry: If Asta wasn't there, I would be dead. Except now she knows the truth about me.
Max: You told her?! I thought this whole alien thing was just our secret.
Harry: It stopped being a secret when you told your little friend over there in the head covering.
Max: She must have followed me. Don't worry. She's not gonna tell anyone. She swore to Allah.
Harry: Allah knows?!
In this episode, the show widens the world of humans who have had experiences with aliens, opening with a baby who was taken in utero (decades ago). Later we meet more who have had close encounters.
Harry is still recovering from being down a crevasse and having his leg chopped off. Fortunately for him, his species – related to octopuses, as we already know – has the ability to regrow limbs. And, as the episode continues, we can appreciate how Resident Alien promotes Harry's alien perspective and challenges our own. He is not ashamed of how his legs really look, and he snaps at Asta for her reaction. Asta‘s initial revulsion is telling, though. I always thought all the humanoid aliens in all the sci fi I have watched mostly assumed human forms because, you know, on Earth it's hard to find non-human actors. Shows often use the excuse “to make the humans more comfortable” – but with this episode, that reasoning has more validity than I realized.
Harry gets a sweet visit from Max, who was genuinely worried about him (Max, by telling D'Arcy and Asta about Harry's trip to the glacier, probably saved Harry's life). Sahar, who followed Max, is really bright, telling Harry that the government probably took his spaceship. Max and Sahar also tell him where he might be able to locate spare parts, and that's what leads us to the alien convention.
Because Harry is still recovering, Asta insists on driving, and then the show has a lot of fun at the conference. The high-haired guy, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, plays himself, spouting the same idea he spouts in all his shows (aliens, at least in the past, taught us poor unevolved humans). Harry's commentary on various alien races is hilarious – well done, Alan Tudyk, the delivery is spot on – including where he admits that the Blue Avians are actually pretty nice. Most of the humans who talk about their alien encounters are pretty negative, but Asta then goes up on the stage and says she likes the alien she met. Later she get a warning from someone – another Native American, like herself – to be on her guard: what if the aliens are like Christopher Columbus?
At last, we encounter another human who has the genetic mutation that allows people to see aliens. Naturally this guy is the alien tracker, and it makes sense he would be at an alien conference. Harry gets the alien metal bit he needs from this guy, after an attempt to take it from a woman who was pretending the BB pellet in her arm was a bit of alien metal.
Back in Patience, D'Arcy is at her best when she's supporting other women. She feels neglected by Asta (who really should have contacted her) but she makes progress with Jay. Jay can relax around D'Arcy in a way she can't relax around Asta, because her feelings for her biological mother are too strong. Jay, however, can turn to D'Arcy as a surrogate.
Sheriff Mike gets good advice from his dad about Liv. The scene where he woos her back using karaoke is extremely far-fetched – how would he arrange that? – but it's really nice. This is especially as her (Elizabeth Bowen's) voice is good and his (Corey Reynolds') voice is very good. I hate it when they choose to have actors with good voices sing badly. It is such a waste. I mean, we're already suspending a lot of disbelief, why make the audience suffer through bad music?
But before Liv resumes her position as deputy, Sheriff Mike gets the toxicology results from Sam Hodges' death. There's confirmation of botulism poisoning, and he goes and arrests Abigail Hodges, as the poison is used in her salon to take care of wrinkles. This is ironic because Abigail Hodges wanted it to be murder because suicide would mean no life insurance. And perhaps it is more than ironic; perhaps it is wrong. Sheriff Mike's arrest is reasonable – as he says, he has found means, motive and opportunity – but Deputy Liv tends to display more brainpower.
When Resident Alien has scenes with Ben and Kate Hawthorne, it always pushes the boundary of the embarrassment that is funny to the embarrassment that is painful to watch. This is so with the visit from David (pretending to be Dick) and Lisa (pretending to be Sarah), the undercover couple sent by General Wright to find the alien pilot. They know Max knows something – a lot – but unluckily for them, Max is away at the movies. Lisa sneaks into Max's room and finds the alien thingy in his drawer and snatches it, which Max realizes later.
While Asta and Harry are gone, D'Arcy sneaks into Harry's house. The actor does falling really well. Anyway, D'Arcy discovers the real Harry's dead body in the freezer. Trouble is coming.
Title musings. “Welcome Aliens” is the title of the episode. It is also the name of the alien convention to which Harry and Asta drive. However, not everyone attending the convention really welcomes them. On the other hand, Asta, Max and even Sahar have all welcomed Harry. I like the title.
Bits and pieces
Supergirl, which I helped review, had an episode in which Kara sang badly. As Melissa Benoist was in Glee, we know she can sing well. Unnecessary punishment of the audience.
My husband enjoys Giorgio Tsoukalos' show, so I have watched him before.
Hope that the description of the various alien races means that we'll meet them in future episodes.
Asta really should have texted D'Arcy to thank her and to let her know she was helping Harry with something.
Liked how some of those at the Welcome Aliens convention were faking while others were not.
In "The Green Glow," Harry showed up in Max's bedroom and Max, annoyed at the intrusion, threatened to set up a camera. Apparently he did, which is why he sees that Lisa/Sarah stole the alien tech out of his room.
Quotes
Asta: Jesus, can you just put a sock on it?
Harry: It likes the fresh air. Also, it's not a thing. It is a leg. You are leg-shaming me.
Sahar: Why can't you just go home on your spaceship? They took it, didn't they?
Harry: How did you know that?
Sahar: Must be the government. That means they're after you. It could be any of the agencies. But it's probably “Men in Black.” It's a top-secret agency that monitors alien activity on Earth.
Max: But they don't always wear black, and they're not only men.
Harry: Then why do they call them “Men in Black”?
Sahar: Because it's cooler than calling them “People in Clothes.”
Asta: Kind of cool that I'm here with an actual alien. I feel special.
Harry: You're not special. You're common.
Asta: That's oddly less offensive now that I know you're from outer space.
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos: Our ancestors had teachers. The engineering knowledge came from the extraterrestrials.
Harry: Finally, a little credit. I like this high-haired gentleman.
Lewis (Sheriff Mike's dad): Your relationship with Liv reminds me of me and your mom before she up and left me.
Sheriff Mike: You mean when she died?
Lewis: I'll never forgive her for that.
Asta: Your leg grew back.
Harry: Just like I said it would. Now I have got to go.
Asta: Okay. Even as a pretend doctor, you have to know that the medication still stays in your system.
Harry: I just took more. I'll be fine. Which one is my truck?
Sheriff Mike: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You got the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, I'd be surprised because this salon is bangin'.
D'Arcy: Hello to you, Jay. What can I get for you? We have a happy hour special on IPAs.
Jay: Are you offering me a drink? I'm not even 18 yet.
D'Arcy: I meant to offer you a juice in an opaque mug.
D'Arcy: It's like everybody is talking about me like I'm some big hero – except for the two people whose lives I actually saved that incidentally are both completely ignoring me.
Welcome Aliens attendee: I recognize you. You were in that Experiencer Panel.
Asta: Mmm, yeah.
Welcome Aliens attendee: I heard what you said up there. It was very touching. But you should be careful.
Asta: What do you mean?
Welcome Aliens attendee: For all you know, your alien is a Christopher Columbus of the sky.
Overall rating
Very entertaining. Three and a half out of four BB pellets that are not alien metal.
Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.
I enjoyed everything with Harry and his leg. It was just weird and funny. And I loved the karaoke scene even more. It was -- I don't know, just the right amount of funny for their characters? I'm very fond of the Sheriff and Liz and it just worked for me.
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