RESIDENT ALIEN S3 E5 Review: Love Is Never Easy, Even for Humans

Romance is for the birds.

Resident Alien, S3 E5
The series airs on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. E.S.T. on SYFY and streams next day on Peacock.

If you haven't been watching Resident Alien, you're missing out on a smart and very funny comedy that freely plays around with familiar science-fiction tropes, bending them into fresh new shapes and sizes.

Take love, for example, which is the subject of tonight's episode -- titled Lovebird -- which finds Harry (Alan Tudyk), the titular visitor from outer space, falling big head over clumsy feet in love with newly-arrived avian alien Heather (Edi Patterson). Experiencing first love consumes Harry, in delightfully awkward ways, and to the embarrassment of every onlooker.

Especially best friends Asta (Sara Tomko) and D'arcy (Alice Wetterlund), who are among the select few who know Harry's true identity and are concerned that he is becoming distracted from his ultimate mission, which is to save the Earth from an attack by another alien race, the Grays.

The first four episodes set up what's about to happen in the second half of the season Rather than detail all that's happened for newcomers, I'll issue a blanket recommendation: add this to your watchlist. If you don't have SYFY on your cable system, you'll find this streaming on Peacock the next day. Seasons One and Two have only been available on cable or on Peacock until recently, when they became available on Netflix.

By whatever legal means you choose to watch the show, it's very much worth the watch. This is one of the shows that was recommended to me when I first subscribed to Peacock -- thanks, SXSW'S own Peter Hall! -- and it brought a measure of cheer to me during the pandemic and my recovery from a stroke in 2021.

For those reasons alone, it holds a special place in my heart, but now that we're into 2024, it's wonderful to see that it has maintained its quality. It's silly and self-aware, and very much aware of the heritage of aliens in science-fiction lore. Its choice of guest stars, including Terry O'Quinn and Linda Hamilton, reflects that, as well as Tudyk's remarkable flexible face and body, contorting himself into truly non-human form.

Principally, the show is about Harry and Asta, but the actors and the writers have deepened the personalities of the series regulars, which gives the series a broader canvas to paint on and has kept me laughing throughout every single episode. Even beyond the clever dialogue and nuance performances, the dramatic backbone that connects the characters in a small town feels real and vibrant.

I'm not quite ready to move to a cold, snow-filled locale, but as local temperatures heat up, I will be more and more tempted. First, let's see what the rest of Season 3 brings.