Not every turn of events is going to be your favorite.
Well, how easily Harry dispatched Mike and Liv’s memories after seeing him wasn’t my favorite of Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 3.
It’s understandable why they’ve been wiped, but that doesn’t mean we (I) have to like it.
There is so much promise to milk from Mike and Liv’s reaction to learning about Harry, and it was far too brief.
Mike’s deductive reasoning skills didn’t do him any better trying to suss out what the hell Harry is than they do on cases. He was all over the map, with vampires and werewolves at the top of his list.
Liv had no idea what was going on, but as soon as Asta said, “he’s an alien,” Liv looked happier than we’ve ever seen her.
Rewind to 24 years ago, and Miss Olivia Baker was the only kid in class to see an alien ship. She’d been waiting for validation ever since.
If she were allowed to keep her memories of that discovery, that early experience might keep her from going off the deep end, whatever that might be.
Of course, we don’t want everyone to know what’s what with Harry. Part of his appeal is that so few know about him.
But it wouldn’t be all that bad if Liv knew, was more curious than lawful, and had to keep the secret from Mike. They’re getting along well now, but Sheriff Mike still failed to give her a well-earned raise (more on that later).
So, it would be nice for Liv to have something Mike doesn’t have (other than intellect) to give her some satisfaction, dammit.
The episode does a great deal to give the girls of Patience their due, but before they got their moment (no thanks to the men in town), we got not-so-subtle reminders of how women are viewed in Patience (and in general). Yeah, maudlin.
Who didn’t want to slap that flashback teacher telling Liv she had to raise her hand to speak, but Ben didn’t because he was learning to be assertive? Try to imagine that same fellow allowing a woman to become assertive under his watch. Grrr. Aaargh.
I’ll give Harry a break since he’s an alien and still learning, but with the female empowerment flowing around, it was awful that he suckered Carlyn into, uh, just being into him, I guess, so he could use her body to get a device he needed to phone home.
Yeah, now that I read that back, I’m being a tad dramatic. How very Harry of me. And, phoning home, if he does it, is imperative at this point. So, whatever works.
But it leads me to a perfect place because if you’d said that Alex Borstein — wonderful, talented, and hilarious Alex Borstein — would be dead-on as Harry’s female side, I would have believed it, but only after a thunk on the head to even consider it.
Whoever had that lightning bolt of an idea to cast her and allow Harry to use her body was absolutely brilliant.
They have similar styles, and you could tell that she studied Alan Tudyk’s alienisms, so she had them down pat.
Kate’s cousin arrived just in time to potentially save the day (without knowing it). Like every other woman before her who fell for Harry’s charms, D’Arcy included, she was gaga over Harry. But while D’Arcy was doing the pursuing, it was Harry’s turn to pursue.
Harry: I would like to go by your work. Maybe you could give me a tour of your lab.
Carlyn: I love that you’re interested. It’s very flattering, but I can’t. The security is so tight, not dissimilar to my vagina.
Harry: Your vagina is like a lab.
Carlyn: Yeah. It’s tough to get in, and there’s lots of neat stuff once you’re there.
Harry: Are there monkeys in cages?
His romantic gestures haven’t grown at all since arriving on this planet. Harry had a little game of his own when real Harry’s wife was in town, and that must be what he mustered to turn on Carlyn.
Of course, we learned later that she’s stuck with brutish types at the office, so someone like Harry would seem like a catch no matter how strange he is otherwise.
Harry learned a little something about being a female in this society, and he didn’t like it. He’s learning a thing or two from Asta, and after stepping into Carlyn’s shoes, he might be the most sympathetic male in town to their plights.
Harry: You can thank me if you want.
Asta: For what?
Harry: I killed the men who killed your friend, Sam. You are welcome.
Asta: Hey, Harry? You’re still a murderer.
Harry: No. I am a murderer murderer. It’s very different.
Asta: You can rationalize your murderer murder all damn day, but guess what? Abigail Hodges is still accused of a murder she didn’t commit.
Harry: So what? You do not even like her.
Asta: What is wrong with you? Do you really have no empathy whatsoever?
Harry [internally]: That is not what is wrong with me. That is what is right with me.
Asta: Maybe you should try putting yourself in other people’s shoes.
Harry: Ugch. Other people’s shoes smell like other people’s feet.
And really, it was about time all of the girls got together to have a little fun.
They even had that very special moment that so many men imagine when they all got drunk and danced together around an open fire. What IS that, anyway? It’s by far not the first time it’s been featured as a common girls’ night staple, but this girl has never experienced it.
Eh, it was still fun. This is a crowd who likes to get their buzz on, after all.
Revisiting the school and alien hotspot got everyone thinking about Liv and how little she’s paid. That’s been a running theme, and there’s nothing like a bunch of drunk and sassy women empowering each other to light a spark where it’s needed most.
Until they were all in Ben’s office looking over city records, it didn’t even dawn on me how many people in Patience make their money keeping the town running. But that’s normal in a small tourist town like that.
What it came down to was Ben holding the key to everything. With budget approval, he will have a hard time not forcing the issue of raises for everyone, especially Liv and including D’Arcy.
During Resident Alien Season 1, many of you were confident that something would happen between Ben and D’Arcy. Well, something did, but it wasn’t significant. But the more Ben thinks about it, the more significant it gets.
When D’Arcy had her MASH moment pamphleting the city with “Women of Patience have patience no more, we demand equal pay” fliers, both Ben AND Kate were in awe of her.
Wouldn’t it be something if there was something a little less traditional in store for all three of them? If anyone in town were to explore that kind of thing, the three of them would be the ones to do it.
Other than female empowerment, “Girls’ Night” was all about the aforementioned fun. Ben’s attempts at making a commercial selling Patience were highly amusing, and Sahar and Max dialed up the laughs, too.
What’s BDSM kinkplay? Did we get a new game?
Max
Can you imagine how sorry everyone would be if they had Sahar to answer to regarding women’s salaries (and God knows what else)? That daunting little girl is going to grow into an even more formidable woman.
Resident Alien is rarely hurting for a good time, and the up with women theme worked well within that goofy structure. Still, while there weren’t a lot of places to stick some of the Resident Alien quotes I captured, they’re still worth checking out.
Would you be up for Carlyn checking into Patience more often?
What do you think of Ben and Kate admiring D’Arcy equally?
Does anyone else think that if the next generation of Patience women are like Sahar, they won’t let the men get away with as much as they do not?
And do you think Liv and Mike will ever remember what they know or find themselves in the same position again to discover Harry’s true identity? Do you want them to be?
After you watch Resident Alien online, please drop below and tell me what you enjoyed about “Girls’ Night.”
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
