Resident Alien, Season 2 Premiere, Ep. 201 “Old Friend”
Air Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 9/8c on Syfy
Reviewer Rating: 4 Stars
“I had the coolest whip in town and now, I have a box of alien balls.” – Harry
Resident Alien became a favorite comedy in 2021, especially after the arduous year we all had in 2020. At the end of season one, the alien known as Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) finally gets his ship back and is returning to his planet but discovers a stowaway – young Max (Judah Prehn). As season two begins, the story picks up where we left off.
A quick refresher on the season one’s major plot points, see my Review – Resdient Alien- S01 Ep. 10 – Heroes of Patience
The writing in Resident Alien is superb. From season one, the way the writers’ developed the characters, even in the short amount of screen time for some, it allows the audience a chance to be more invested in these characters’ stories. There is a tremendous balance between the writing and the delivery of the dialogue as well. With the clever and witty scripts, there must be equally, if not more ambitious and outstanding performances to utter the words. The cast is phenomenal! They truly make me wish I could visit them in Patience, CO (if it existed).
Throughout “Old Friends,” Harry, who’s lost his memory due to the crash after discovering Max on his ship, must try to figure out a way to get back to his planet. Asta (Sara Tomko) finally finds him in a neighboring city’s hospital but must figure out how to get Harry to remember who he is (because he’s not Detective Lennie Briscoe from Law & Order).
Meanwhile, Max and his friend Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke) must try and protect Harry’s cloaked ship in the middle of a baseball field until Asta returns. Easier said that done. Kudos to Sahar for her quick thinking but when Ben’s dad, the mayor, pulls them off the field, and D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) and the local team come out to play, things take a turn.
One of the most entertaining aspects of “Old Friends” is Mayor Ben (Levi Fiehler) and his wife Kate (Meredith Garretson). In season one, they both seemed to be complacent in their marriage, having a lackluster to possibly non-existent sexlife. After their confrontation with Lt. David Logan (Alex Barima) and henchwoman Lisa (Mandell Maughan), these two can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. The variety of their role-playing had me cracking up but also kinda turned on. I mean, maybe not the horsetail, but I guess you just need to watch it to know what I’m talking about.
Asta decides to take Harry to the noodle restaurant to help jog his memory. Instead, a distant relative, the Octopus in the tank (voiced by Nathan Fillion), helps heal Harry’s amnesia. (S01, Ep. 7 “The Green Glow”). But the odd thing is Asta is able to hear Octopus #42. Hopefully we will get a bit more on how that’s possible.
Asta: “Harry. Thank God!”
Octopus #42: “God gets the credit? Great.”
Asta: “Is that…”
Octopus #42: “Hello there, human idiot.”
Asta: “Did that octopus just call me an idiot?”
Octopus #42: “I don’t usually talk to you guys, but my friend here needs a little help. [Harry leaves to find his ship] Whoa, whoa! Tell him to break me out! I’m Monday chef’s special!”
One of the relationships I adore is Harry and Max. Despite his groaning, Harry seems to like Max, at least that’s what his actions show. Only Harry got hurt in the crash; Max didn’t have a scratch. The banter between these two in “Old Friends” is hilarious. Max gets him with that “I know you are but what am I” joke. And Asta and D’Arcy’s friendship… that’s straight up BFF goals right there.
There is a lot going on in “Old Friends” and I’m looking forward to finding out more as the season progresses. Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) is mourning someone who died six years ago. Harry grapples with being stuck on Earth especially after he liquifies his ship. And Dr. Ethan Stone (Michael Cassidy) is missing. D’Arcy stops by Ethan’s place but it’s completely empty save for one person hiding in the shadows. What is Lt. David Logan doing in Ethan’s house? I had a theory about Ethan in S01, Ep. 9 “Welcome Aliens.” And what is going on with Max’s chest? Maybe Sahar needs to run more tests on her friend. Could the strange flowers growing in the spot where Harry’s ship used to be is a clue that whatever is happening to Max is a result of his short time in space?
Tune in to Resident Alien each week on Wednesdays at 9/8c on Syfy.
Catch up on season one on Peacock
Watch this episode on Syfywire.com
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Judy Manning
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