DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Resident Alien season premiere episode “Old Friends” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, residents of Patience! Resident Alien finally returns in a blaze of pizza-riddled glory. “Old Friends” provides more belly laughs than most sitcoms today. Alan Tudyk proves, once again, that he’s one of the best comedic actors out there.
“Old Friends” is humorous and heartfelt in equal measure, adhering to Resident Alien‘s modus operandi. You can’t help but feel lighter while watching it. This season premiere feels like the return of an old friend (See what I did there?). It’s the television version of comfort food.
Ready to dive into “Old Friends”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Harry (Tudyk) and Max (Judah Prehn), driving through the countryside. Harry orders Max to sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to himself because he’s an itsy, bitsy spider.
Then, we cut to Alien Harry and Max in the spaceship as it hurtles through the sky. Presumably, they crash.
Harry wakes up in the hospital while a doctor tends to his wounds. She asks him if he knows who he is, to which he responds, “I’m an alien.” He proceeds to nonchalantly unveil his plans to destroy the world, as one does.
Meanwhile, Asta (Sara Tomko) worries about Max to Dan (Gary Farmer), who sees no issue with being upfront with the Hawthornes regarding their son’s potential government capture.
Asta visits Ben (Levi Fiehler) and Kate (Meredith Garretson) at their home to break the news, only to find Max safe and making pancakes. Ben and Kate, from henceforth, shall be known as “The Horny Hawthornes” because laying the smackdown on Lisa Casper and David Logan upped the aphrodisia for these two.
Next, Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) are outside Harry’s cabin, piecing together clues. They believe Harry’s the town killer — the lake doorknob matches Harry’s cabin door, after all. Mike and Liv reenact Alien Harry murdering Human Harry, and it’s almost move-for-move.
On another note, someone, please get me a true-crime podcast featuring Mike and Liv, STAT.
Max meets with Asta in the town baseball field, wherein we see Harry’s crashed spaceship. Well, Max clambers atop the vessel even though it’s invisible.
When Asta notices blood splattered on a rock, she orders Max to make sure nobody goes near the ship.
Meanwhile, Professor Harry Vanderspeigle teaches a revolutionary astronomy lesson to the hospital staff. Did you know the Milky Way resembles a boob while the Sun is its nipple? Suddenly, Harry spots a little girl with a stuffed octopus. Thinking it’s one of his brethren, he snatches the stuffed animal.
While the child sobs, Harry’s doctor orders her staff to sedate our fave resident alien.
Later, Harry dreams about Jerry Orbach and Law & Order, something every human and non-human does. Thus, when he reunites with Asta in his hospital room, Harry believes he’s Lennie Briscoe, Orbach’s character on the long-running procedural drama.
Ben cruises down the sidewalk with the swagger of a man who “looked down the barrel of death and stared the Devil in the face.” Here’s a man who wears aviators. He might even don a pair of cowboy boots for good measure.
When Ben arrives at the police station, he finds the “Welcome to Patience” sign in fragments in his office. However, Ben’s resolve melts away upon confronting Sheriff Mike and falling prey to threats of dick-doodling on his cowboy boots.
No, not that — his sciatica strikes again!
Meanwhile, Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke), Queen of the Universe and First Person on Mars, helps Max stand guard in front of Harry’s cloaked ship. Unfortunately, Ben almost catches a glimpse of the vessel when a newspaper appears to float in midair.
Ben urges the kids to flee the field since a baseball game’s scheduled for that evening.
We see D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) practice for the big game, and she doles out fast-pitched comebacks like nobody’s business. That’s my girl!
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While Liv asks Ben and Kate for a physical description of Lisa Casper, our Horny Hawthornes© prepare to pounce right there in the police station. Who needs a room? Thankfully, Liv is quite adept at putting out fires.
Asta finds Harry dressed in a suit at the hospital. He’s wholeheartedly committing to the Lennie Briscoe bit, so Asta plays along. They eat at the restaurant wherein Harry’s octopus friend (Nathan Fillion) resides. Octopus calls Harry and Asta over to the aquarium. He needs someone to bust him out because he’s about to be Monday’s special.
Harry tries to wreak havoc at the baseball game, but Asta saves the day by tampering with the electrical system. Try playing baseball in the dark, you baseball players!
Meanwhile, Mike’s father, Lewis (Alvin Sanders), visits him at the station. Lewis brings food so that they can dine together. It’s a day of grieving for Mike — that’s why he bought himself two coffees earlier. Talk about a heavy-hitting scene.
Once the field clears, Harry boards his ship, intending to leave. However, it malfunctions. So, there’s that.
Harry condenses his ship into a disc-shaped device, revealing it’s a survival kit of sorts. He still plans to eradicate Earth, though.
At Joe’s Diner, Harry reminisces about that time a dog assisted him in New Mexico. He learned how to move on all fours. The canine even taught Harry how to hump vending machines, a necessary real-life skill!
Dan sits beside Harry and the pair bonds.
Later, Harry arrives home to find Max consuming his cereal, like a skin rat! Max thanks Harry for saving him while on the latter’s ship. He views Harry as a father figure now. Unfortunately, that means Harry must spank Max. You can’t do that! It’s 2022, Harry!
The Max/Harry scenes make Resident Alien for me. Tudyk and Prehn work so well together.
In a brief flashback, we see Harry saving Max after the spaceship crashes and ensuring the young boy’s survival. Harry cares!
Next, Asta and D’Arcy unite for a nature hangout session. Asta knows D’Arcy slept with Dr. Ethan Stone and that she and Jay exacted revenge on Jimmy. D’Arcy finally knows Jay is Asta’s daughter. So, the only secret hanging precariously in the balance is Harry’s extraterrestrial status.
Then, Asta finds Harry floating in the lake by his cabin. She quickly pulls him out; however, he’s not in imminent danger. He likes to swim facedown in the water to think! Harry sports gills so that he can breathe underwater.
Asta and Harry discuss the meaning of family and that family doesn’t always translate to DNA and the blood coursing through your veins. It’s a sweet, uplifting scene with a bit of pathos and poignancy.
Meanwhile, Max discovers what appears to be a massive bruise on his chest, presumably from when Harry’s ship crash-landed.
D’Arcy wanders into Ethan’s house, searching for him. Ethan skipped out on a few days of work at the health clinic. Of course, we know the government captured him, thinking he was an alien. We see David Logan (Alex Barima), hiding in the shadows with a weapon in hand. He’s on the run from Lisa Casper and General McCallister.
Harry returns to the restaurant to chat it up with Octopus. Harry fears he’s “too human” now.
Amid their conversation, Octopus reveals another being from Harry’s alien race will carry out the world-destroying mission since he failed.
Thus, in reaction to this news, Harry breaks out Octopus. We see him hastily running down the streets of Patience with Octopus draped in his arms.
RELATED: Catch up on all the extraterrestrial shenanigans with our Resident Alien recaps!
Resident Alien‘s strength lies with its ability to develop characters. It’s a rarity among comedies to have so many fully-fleshed characters you wholeheartedly support. Harry’s journey to humanity is simultaneously touching and hilarious, and in “Old Friends,” he discovers what it’s like to live with memories as a human. He also learns about the power of “found family.”
Will he pull the proverbial trigger with the alien reinforcements sent to obliterate Earth? Or will Harry muster enough humanity to prevent planetary destruction?
Thankfully, Harry “Lennie Briscoe” Vanderspeigle is on the case.
Resident Alien airs Wednesdays at 9 pm on your Syfy affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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