Alien: Earth eps 5 and 6 reviews

 

High praise has been lauded on this episode by many online reviews, with some even describing it as the best the franchise has been since Aliens. As the title `In Space, No-One…` suggests episode five is basically Noah Hawley making his own mini Alien movie. I suppose this is what some people imagined the whole series would be like and some have been critical of the till now differently presented show producing a more standard concept. Yet it is important and I can see why it wasn’t shown first because it would have misled people as to what the series was really like. No wonder they built such a fantastic set; that in itself deserved an encore. The results are fantastically gripping.

Spoilers after the break 

Set almost entirely on the Maginot before the events of episode one it’s a grand flashback episode of the best kind. Not only does it put some aspects into a different context but it fleshes out the character of Morrow and introduces us in more detail to that crew whose demise happened fairly soon when the series started. It does draw from scenarios we may have seen similarly unfolding in the films but the presence of aliens other than the familiar ones and the speed with which matters have to proceed contribute to produce a superb episode though if you’re not partial to small, scuttling creatures (and who is?) you may feel a little itchy afterwards!

We join the action as the first breach has occurred and as the crew struggle to deal with it, Morrow is on the search for the cause. He is a very, very intimidating presence, still and poised like some kind of alien himself yet the episode does take time to show some of bis backstory and gives him depth. One implication of the first episode seemed t be that he had killed most of the crew himself and we didn’t know why. While he does have a mean, determined streak we see why he shoots some of them, as it is too late to save them from sundry infections and infestations. Babou Ceesay continues to impress with a performance that is gripping and in keeping with the tense, tight direction Hawley delivers. The scenes where he is scrutinising the crew’s explanations for behaviour shows the power of stillness as he just stares at them.

If some of it does look familiar (I’m not so au fait with the films that I’d spot every homage) there are always new twists though I was pleased to see that the series still uses those clunky old keyboards which of course was all people had when the original film was made. The tension is heightened as much by small details as by the broader action. For example we constantly see the picture cut back to a water bottle. Or a tank. Or a flask. We know something will happen…

Its good to find out some more about some of the other crew- one standout is Richa Moorjani as the ship’s executive officer who has to take over when the captain is one of the first victims. She does a really effective job of conveying the fear that would be running through the crew at such a moment. Science officer Chibuzo is also very well played by Karen Aldridge balancing her curiosity with concern yet barely hiding her exhaustion as well. The banter between the two engineers, the seasoned Schmuel and the rookie Malachite adds a much needed tension breaker at the right times. Michael Smiley and Jamie Bispong entertain; while their characters last of course. The fact we know they all die doesn’t stop the viewer becoming anxious that they don’t which is a tribute to how well this episode works.

During the tumultuous climax, we see that the `eye` alien one of whom will later take residence in a sheep is willing to fight the Xenomorph which may (or may not) be a hint as to  a method of dealing with them later on. The narrative also suggests that the errors which occur on the Maginot were noted and acted upon when it came to the Nostromo, apparently about two years after these events. No wonder Hawley called the ship the Maginot, a name associated with a significant failure during the second world war. We see several examples of poor or lax behaviour which contribute towards the mess they find themselves in. A cryo scientist leaving a loose lid on a jar? I suppose they are cranky and tired though quite why Teng behaves as he does isn't delved into. The episode doesn’t repeat a lot of the action from part one yet makes sense of interactions and hints we saw in part one, notably Petrovitch’s behaviour as he turns out to be the saboteur working for Kavalier.

The episode makes clear that the whole thing was engineered by Kavalier to get the specimens and that what we interpreted as Morrow’s evil actions when we first saw them were actually practical or in some cases unavoidable. He’s an interesting character; we see footage of him with his daughter then read that she died. Maybe grief has hardened him? While the first half of the series suggests that Wendy is the central character, perhaps its really Morrow who is at the heart of this show. He’ll not become a likeable hero I’d imagine- and Babou Ceesay’s performances have been uncompromising but we will perhaps cheer him on a little more.

 Episode six, `The Fly` is probably thus titled as an homage to the film of the same name, a horror movie with as much ectoplasm and gore as anything in the Alien franchise.  In some ways this is a holding episode reinforcing aspects of the series we’ve already covered yet it does so with such a brooding quality it is still eminently watchable narrated as it is by Kavalier reading from Peter Pan, even if he’s not always getting the right message from the story. It is also an exercise in doing tht thing so beloved of this franchise building up dread and foreboding even during conversation scenes.

After last week’s diversion it does make sense to underline points already made especially that the synths hold a child’s eye view of things exemplified in the conversation between Wendy and Doctor Sylvia. That also means of course that they are prone to rookie mistakes as Tootles subsequently is at the start of an extended sequence set in the lab where all the aliens are. And he looks so happy at the start of it…

The fly in question is the hitherto unseen- and naturally enormous – alien species living inside a huge dollop of black stuff that’s been hanging from the ceiling in one of the cages while the camera concentrates on that spooky sheep- who gets some chilling close ups in this episode- and the more familiar  Xenomorphs. Tootles’ error allows the fly and its mates access to the kind of food that’s not served on a tray and the subsequent scenario reminds you how close this kind of drama is in intent as comedy. Not that it’s funny but a series of things clash, one thing going wrong is compounded by another and so on till all hell breaks loose just as a comedic sequence would show.

It’s no laughing matter for Arthur, not having his best day after being sacked, who ends up in a deadly face hug, albeit only after he’s helped covertly helped Joe who is concerned for his sister. Arthur has been the conscience of the series, even more so than his wife who as earlier scenes with Wendy and seemingly allowing her husband to be sacked show is still putting the work first before everything else. Wendy challenges her over Nibs’ memories being wiped after her `malfunction` caused her to believe she was pregnant and simply believes this is wrong and this questions whether she and the other are viewed as people rather than experiments. If they can be `mended` in such a way are they even considered people anymore? In his wonderfully nuanced yet childishly presented argument with Yatani at the start of the episode, Kavalier has argued that living creatures don’t belong to anybody which throws up an interesting comparison with the work he is doing. Slightly is still under the thumb of Morrow and takes advantage of Arthur’s misfortune to let the latter die and then procure a specimen even if it is attached to someone’s face.

Kavalier and his entourage’s negotiation with Yatani (at either end of a very long table) is  a meeting the latter soon loses her grip on as the former uses his childish  manner to take control of. I love this scene which pits money versus ownership. Its impossible not to draw a parallel with the way Kavalier works and the unpredictable behaviour of a certain world leader. Meanwhile Kirsh remains an inscrutable yet cunning character whose ultimate motivations are still shrouded in some mystery. Does he give Tootles the job of feeding the creatures because he knows he’ll make an error?  The enigma of the character is enhanced by Timothy Ollyphant’s calm, otherworldly portrayal. Though he appears to be working against Kavalier he seems like the sort of person who would only truly work for himself.

Ulga Hauksdottir’s direction gets to the kernel of each scene emphasising things like small rooms (the lift, the cages) and when it comes to the lab scenes manages to come up with something fresh for a situation (aliens loose in a lab) we’ve seen in most versions of the franchise. And the camera keeps watching that scary sheep watching us!