A while ago I wrote a few posts on a rather niche television series that had appeared from the much-known company SYFY, mostly entering the public eye from their incredibly cheap production quality in films and series that would make their way onto television screens in the 2010 era. The SYFY channel was mostly a joke to most, something that wasn't entirely enjoyed. Here and there still being home to the odd, albeit cheaper, science-fiction hits. I have odd memories from that era, sometimes I'd check out the channel out of curiosity and see home video tier production quality in science-fiction horrors that was just laughable. It was a surprise to me all these years later that SYFY still existed, and not just having a general presence in this chaotic era of streaming, but it seemed to actually be thriving alongside its competition. Resident Alien was a clear sign that SYFY had grown up, started throwing some capital at some more serious production budgets, while maintaining some of that cheaper, less serious charm. Resident Alien is a comedy series, for the most part. One that focuses on the difficulties of an alien reaching Earth, wanting to destroy it, but actually finding himself curious about humans and slowly integrating. Learning about what it means to be a human and be alive in the process. A lot of existential questions throughout each and every episode.
Though Resident Alien's two seasons seemed a bit weak. They struggled to really get by and tell a story, going a bit all over the place as it attempted to tell a story while introducing a large sum of characters that we are supposed to find reasons to care for. It was a huge challenge with how many episodes there were within each season; not that it was too long, but that it led to scattered storylines and forced narratives that just did not fit the broader point. For example, one episode completely went overboard with it being an hour of just the girls of the show having their little girl's night out. There was no real story to it aside from pushing narratives about progressive stances. Something that would keep making its way into the show as characters became more annoying than interesting. There were times in which when certain characters would appear, I almost wanted to stop watching. Wanting to skip their parts or just almost dump the show entirely. Knowing their presence had no actual weight to the story, and was more for talking points that correlated with the insanity of the pandemic era.
Resident Alien's third season took a while to come out, and it was a surprise that they'd then be cutting down on the number of episodes in this season. I felt it was a bit of a red flag at first, that perhaps this was the first sign of a bad thing to come: inevitable television series cancellation. A norm these days as a show loses some viewers or perhaps just can't find its footing as budgets inflate. But Resident Alien's third season has been a huge hit in my opinion.
I feel that less episodes in this season has been a strength, almost forcing the writers to do a better job, focusing more on a team of writers rather than splitting the season up between various writers that don't really know what they're doing with the characters. This was the case in prior seasons where instead of fixating on a specific theme, the episodes were almost thrown around to people that actually didn't have any influence on the show, nor much writing experience in prior productions. These tended to be the worst episodes, where it was clear a writer used this chance to promote agendas rather than contributing to the storyline. With less episodes, there just isn't enough room for that nonsense anymore, and the story picks up very quickly. Resident Alien starts with a new threat for Harry, now with other alien races appearing and trying to sabotage Harry's work as a more authentic human, while also threatening the world with destructive powers. Harry, now with some human friends, finding interest in stopping this and saving the planet.
It seems as if the story has taken a huge leap forward in actually giving the characters some participation in the broader story; it has moved beyond the awkward phase of trying to introduce them and make us feel for them, but really giving them their own actual stories within this space. No longer just used for the occasional awkward humour, these characters now have pasts and presents that interact with the whole broader alien narrative. Many of the characters in this small mountain town now having some connection to prior abductions or an investigation into a strange series of assumed abductions, going as far as introducing it as a police matter, in which the police are mocked and ridiculed for their belief in such events. This made the police characters more engaging as well, as they're seen as more serious people, going into the world of something so odd, but taking it seriously and slowly coming to terms with the fact that there may actually be some leads here.
Another major strength to this is that the show actually focuses more on Harry again, our resident alien. His presence is the whole show, and it's with him that we see the disconnect between this alien race and the human way of living. He learns by observing, adapting and finding ways to feel and think more human. Which serves as a contrast between him as a confused alien trying to fit in, and the actually awful people that are in the side characters. And there are plenty of them! Some of the main side characters are truly insufferable people, selfish and just void of direction. Yet they are a sign to Harry of what not to be like. Sometimes his dramatic side finds its way into the episodes, as things like romance and empathy come into play, seeing how others adapt to it, and trying to figure it out for himself. These dramatic moments are still met with great comedy, the awkward behaviour of an alien trying to figure out emotions, not quite getting it.
The show still contains a degree of cheapness to it. But it's rarely reflected in the cinematography and directing. It's more a use of special effects in which things fall a bit flat. But I feel there's some charm to it. Harry's alien form is a suit, and grey aliens are just completely special effects. For certain areas of alien equipment, these are also special effects, done quite cheaply. But the rest of the budget goes well into the interior and exteriors of the show. The lighting is particularly good. For the moments in which the humans are around and talking, you wouldn't expect there to be a lower budget or any special effects utilised later on. The production quality is definitely there, and I'm glad that SYFY continued to throw money at this side of things; the few cheaper special effects are used so rarely that it won' cause any bother. It's more a side of the show that can be enjoyed, a bit less serious and more lighthearted in the approach.
This season still did find a way to introduce some pointless characters and agenda pushing, but fortunately it was a few episodes in and it seemed brief. I skipped it knowing it had no actual weight on the story and these characters won't have another appearance. I'm hoping the rest of the season remains void of it all, and focused on the main story and development that does matter in the characters. So far, this is the strongest season yet. And I'm really digging it!
