Can we say something about
the opening titles of the series which gradually form the words Alien Earth
over artfully collaged clips from the previous episodes and suggestions as to
the tone of the series. It solves that problem of having to front load an
episode with a Last Week on… bit and also with the eerie music draws us
straight into the dark heart of the show. Right from the start it shows how
this is a series determined to be different.
Spoilers after the
break
In that tradition
episode 7, Emergence, shows scenes where the Xenomorph is running amok,
zipping about and slicing up people in the background. So on one occasion we
view a rampage in the labs on screens, the monochrome with a hint of blue
adding a strange perspective. Later when a group of soldiers are similarly dispatched,
we see it from behind the characters watching the massacre; Wendy, Nibs and
Joe. What’s equally important about this scene is the latter two’s reactions to
the fact that Wendy- now on chatty terms with the big X – has engineered this
to happen. Nibs is lapping it up with glee, Joe is horrified probably more over
what his sister can do than what is actually happening. Yet this sets all three
on a course leading to the final scene of the episode.
The trio are trying to
escape and their odyssey provides one of two main strands in the episode as
they have their alien friend following them not to hunt but to protect. This
bond between synth and Xenomorph has been one of the surprise developments of
the show and it is still quite eerie to see Wendy uttering those archetypal
alien sounds.
The other strand is also
mostly outdoors as Slightly gets Smee to help move Arthur’s body to his planned
rendezvous, something it seems Kirsh is aware of. Implacable enough to make Mr Spock
look overly emotional, it still remains unclear whose side he is really on as
he ends up imprisoning Morrow when the latter brings his troops onto the island
even though he seemed ready to help them. Yet he remains subservient (for now) to
Kavalier who after inspecting the mess in the lab orders him to do “something
useful”.
Both plots enable the episode
to make the best use of the exotic location surrounding the base which is different
after so many week spent mainly indoors. Not that the episode abandons the same
sorts of tensions. We see soldiers suddenly rise up silently from long grass or underwater while the alien attacks prove that Xenomorphs can still be frightening in broad
daylight. We even get one busting out of Arthur’s chest on a beach. What impresses
the most though is the acting of both Adarsh Gourav and Jonathan Ajayi who
manage to convey the frightened child within them both in their speech patterns
and body language. It never feels like an impression of a child, it seems
genuine. The characters wrestle with guilt and behave as children would and you
do wonder why Morrow pinned his hopes on such unlikely agents.
Meanwhile that scary
sheep has not been forgotten as Kavalier attempts to communicate with it thorough
maths though his ultimate answer is not what he expected. I like the way this
character remains oblivious to the multiple risks around him and still seems
fascinated by each development. Samuel Blenkin’s wide eyed portrayal makes a
character who could be insufferable actually quite entertaining until you realise
how dangerous Kavalier actually is. While he is undoubtedly a character drawn
from familiar tech high fliers of today thankfully both script and the actor
make him more interesting. I suppose it
harks back to his line in an earlier episode where he expresses a wish to talk
to someone cleverer than he is. Maybe he thinks the sheep could be the answer
and judging from what Kavalier says he may be intending to splice it with Joe.
That is if the latter survives the wrath of his sister after he shoots Nibs to
stop her ripping soldiers apart.
Yet surely that was the
right thing to do? The accusatory shouts from Wendy who repeats “what did you
do?” twice and it’s the last line of episode is interesting because she has
shown little concern for all the other people her pet Xenomorph (she could call
it Xenny) has torn to pieces. Yet when Nibs is felled, it is different. Is that
understanding between synth and Xenomorph more than just communication? Maybe
it is slowly taking her over?
The episode is less brooding
than others have been as we get to the sharp end. Thus a few smaller details
are overlooked; a scene where they find their graves is sort of rushed through
and it’s unclear how Slightly moved Arthur’s body from the lab to his room. I
did also spot an obvious backdrop though the needs of the scene probably meant
it could not have been realised outside. Nonetheless the gears are accelerating
as this fascinating series heads for the climax and you wonder just how few of
these characters seem likely to survive.
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