DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Resident Alien episode “Harry, a Parent” has spoilers. Microwave that day-old pizza, cue up the Law & Order reruns and proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, residents of Patience! “Harry, a Parent” addresses the numerous forms of parenting beyond the scope of parent-child relationships. I love this episode for that alone. We seldom address how we “parent” our friends and coworkers — any loved one that doesn’t fit in the aforementioned parent-child slot. It’s fitting, given we meet Asta’s biological mother in this outing, and Harry acknowledges that he’s now a parent, too.
Ready to delve into “Harry, a Parent”? Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E12) The Alien Within
“How Does That Make You Feel?”
We open with one man arriving home to find his wife cheating on him with another man. Naturally, all hell breaks loose as the former tries to cut down the latter with an ax while the woman pleads with them to stop. They all freeze onscreen as the ax blade almost makes contact with the younger man’s skin.
Later, Alien Harry (Alan Tudyk) sits on the couch in Human Harry’s office, delivering a monologue regarding his time in the Ice Wind Desert — abandoned and left to die. He devoured his siblings, of course. Human Harry asks how that made him feel, but we see our god doc’s having a therapy session with Ben (Levi Fiehler), who’s talking about growing up without his father. Ben accuses Harry of not listening to him.
Meanwhile, Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) gifts Mike (Corey Reynolds) with a snow globe featuring Patience. She slips in the not-so-subtle reference to Mike and Detective Lena Torres’s hot and heavy flirting. Perhaps he should ask her out on a date. Unfortunately, Mike is dead set on leaving Patience. He plants the sheriff bug in Liv’s ear. Maybe she can pursue a much-deserved promotion after Mike’s departure.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E11) The Weight
Next, D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) and Elliott (Justin Rain) go for a run through the woods. D’Arcy is in full-on preparation mode for the upcoming ski competition. Elliott urges her to take it easy. If you recall, D’Arcy paid Harry a visit regarding her injured knee last week, and he prescribed her painkillers for it.
D’Arcy shoots down Elliott’s suggestions, believing he’s attempting to “parent” her. Elliott leaves in a hurry while D’Arcy blurts out an apology to him. He was trying to help!
Harry Is Goliath
Later, Asta (Sara Tomko) informs Harry that Ben doesn’t plan on paying for the day’s therapy session because of how Harry brushed him off. Hey, the mayor was dull. What can ya do? Asta wonders aloud if Harry has insight into which alien race is on the planet currently. She also checks in on her friend after discovering he’s Goliath. So, the Alien Baby (AB) is his kid, and Harry traveled back in time to warn himself of the imminent alien threat to Earth. Harry claims he doesn’t feel a connection with his child.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E10) The Ghost of Bobby Smallwood
Harry arrived on Earth via portal 33 years ago, but his race hasn’t harnessed portal technology yet. As far as he understands, only two races boast the appropriate tech. The Grays, even though they remain uninterested in human doings. Harry suspects the Alpha Draconians are lurking on Earth. They can disguise themselves as humans as Harry can. And, apparently, the nostril is an erogenous zone for them. Let me file that under “Things I Learned Against My Will.”
Marital Stalemate
Meanwhile, Kate (Meredith Garretson) tries to dissuade Ben from building the resort in Patience. Ben refuses to cater to anyone’s will but his own, so the couple is now locked in a marital stalemate. These scenes with Ben and Kate are so funny — Fiehler and Garretson harbor excellent onscreen chemistry.
Then, we see Ellen (Diana Bang) tending to Judy’s (Jenna Lamia) numerous hand wounds in the clinic. She tried to bathe her hairless cat, and it didn’t end well. D’Arcy asks Ellen if the clinic can get her a new prescription of painkillers. Ellen remarks that said painkillers were supposed to last her one month. Asta runs into her BFF, and the pair talk about the upcoming ski competition. D’Arcy and Asta rope Harry into attending the match.
RELATED: Resident Alien Mid-Season Premiere Recap: (S02E09) Autopsy
D’Arcy pulls our extraterrestrial doctor aside and begs him for more painkillers or a cortisone shot. Harry advises against doling out more pills, citing the risk of addiction.
Finding Mary-Ellen
Later, Asta rummages through some boxes for old D’Arcy merch to don at the competition. She finds a letter to her mother, Mary-Ellen, written by Dan, concealed underneath a box. It harbors a photo of nine-year-old Asta. Unfortunately, the letter didn’t make it, as the address was old. Well, that’s what Dan (Gary Farmer) tells her. Dan apologizes for withholding this from Asta, explaining that he didn’t want to get her hopes up.
Next, Asta, D’Arcy and Harry embark on a road trip to the competition. Harry has to pee (a lot); he’s hungry and bored. Harry is the alien equivalent of a five-year-old.
RELATED: Resident Alien Mid-Season Finale Recap: (S02E08) Alien Dinner Party
While D’Arcy’s driving, Harry notices a sign for a “UFO Highway.” He urges D’Arcy to pull over so he can urinate in the nearby field. Asta gets D’Arcy up to speed regarding the letter she found addressed to her mom while Harry makes crop circles in the field, as one does when one’s in, well, a field.
As our gang recommences their road trip, we see the crop circles Harry created. He claims they’re alien emojis, and one of them is a middle finger to the Alpha Draconians. So, take that!
Harry vs. D’Arcy
Then, our crew arrives at their destination. D’Arcy partakes in the warmups before the competition. She asks Harry for relief from her immense knee pain. Harry realizes a cortisone shot essentially masks the problem, not solves it, but he does as he’s bid. He senses D’Arcy might kick his ass if he doesn’t give her the shot.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E07) Escape From New York
Meanwhile, Mike is with his father, Lewis (Alvin Sanders), while the latter receives treatment at the clinic. Liv pops in with flowers for Lewis. Lewis learns of his son’s plan to leave Patience. He objects to that decision, especially since he must accompany Mike.
“Drink my tinkle, Draconian douchebags!”
Harry tells Asta about the crop circles he constructed earlier. One of them said, “Drink my tinkle, Draconian douchebags!” God, I love this show.
Next, Harry accompanies Asta to visit her biological mother, Mary-Ellen (Karina Logue), who still resides at the “old” address Dan had. Asta is in for a rude awakening when she discovers her mom didn’t give her up because she was too young or because she couldn’t care for Asta. Mary-Ellen didn’t want kids, and she doesn’t want them now. Ouch.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E06) An Alien in New York
Mary-Ellen inserts her foot further in her mouth when she claims Jay isn’t Asta’s daughter if the latter gave her up. Double ouch. Then, while on the phone with a friend, Mary-Ellen reveals she only needs a few minutes before heading on the road to a prior commitment. Triple ouch.
Asta’s Mom Is Poop
In short, Asta’s bio mom is 50 shades of awful. As someone with an absentee, abusive mother, this plot hit me where it hurts. It’s resonant on a deep, visceral level. I want to hug Asta.
As they depart, Harry tries to cheer up his friend by calling her mom “poop.” The pair proceeds to rattle off different names for feces, and admittedly, this scene made me giggle. After that devastating interaction between Asta and Mary-Ellen, it’s a cathartic palate cleanser.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E05) Family Day
Later, D’Arcy kicks ass at the competition, coming in first place. She also qualifies for the next round. Elliott’s there to cheer her on despite their earlier spat. Asta, Harry, Judy, Kayla (Sarah Podemski), Ben and Kate are there to support D’Arcy’s massive win. Aw!
Let’s Get Litigious
After the event, everyone hangs out for booze and munchies at a resort with gorgeous outside views. Um, spiked cider, anyone? Kate mentions the exorbitant prices for the drinks and food, noting that resorts are expensive. Ben, unperturbed and unswayed, stands his ground. Kayla pulls Kate aside and encourages her to utilize her lawyer prowess to get Ben to cast the resort idea aside. Nothing says “don’t build a resort” like litigation.
Meanwhile, D’Arcy introduces Elliott to Asta, Kayla, Harry and Judy. And guess what? The whole crew loves him! D’Arcy even refers to Elliott as her boyfriend. That’s progress.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E04) Radio Harry
Then, our trio drives back to Patience after a long day. Suddenly, the jeep stops, and D’Arcy and Asta freeze momentarily, à la the folks at the beginning of the episode.
Looking for Aliens
Mike and Liv are out in the woods, and Liv shows Mike the spot where she saw the UFO. Mike muses whether Liv’s young mind might’ve imagined the sight, but Liv asserts she saw one. The dynamic duo sits together on tree stumps, gazing at the night sky together.
While at the diner, D’Arcy notices a shift in Asta’s demeanor. Asta starts sobbing upon mention of meeting her biological mother, so D’Arcy embraces her friend.
RELATED: Resident Alien Recap: (S02E03) Girls’ Night
OH, MY!
Next, we see what happened during that brief time Asta and D’Arcy were frozen. Harry exited the jeep, spotting a bright light hovering in the sky. A beam of white-hot light appears as an alien exits a spacecraft. It’s one of The Grays, voiced by none other than George Takei. He even says, “Oh, my!” It’s perfect.
The Gray reveals his race has taken an interest in humans, not the Alpha Draconians. He threatens Harry, ordering him to steer clear of The Grays’ takeover of Earth lest his loved ones suffer for his actions. After the vessel departs, Harry returns to the jeep. Asta and D’Arcy unfreeze, and as they’re about to continue down the road, the cheater dude from earlier appears in front of the vehicle. We see the husband is hot on his heels, ax still in hand, as the wife implores him to stop.
Oh, my!
RELATED: Catch up on all the extraterrestrial goodness with our Resident Alien recaps!
I can’t believe the show got the George Takei on board! I hope we hear more from him in the next couple of episodes. “Harry, a Parent” finally gives us answers regarding the mysterious alien race on Earth. So, does this mean Joseph, Enver Gjokaj‘s character, is one of The Grays? I still have approximately one thousand questions and only a handful of answers, folks.
This latest Resident Alien installment elicited a few giggles from me with its signature quirky, cheeky humor. Performance-wise, everyone steps up to the plate, but Tudyk and Tomko are perpetual standouts to me. Tomko injects so much heart and empathy into this series, while Tudyk is a comedic genius who should be showered with accolades by now.
Do you think Harry will rescue Alien Baby from the government? What is The Grays’ master plan, and can our heroes stop them? Will Harry’s alien emojis inadvertently summon the Alpha Draconians, bringing them into this hot mess express? Join me while I continue recapping Resident Alien, only on Geek Girl Authority.
Resident Alien drops new episodes every Wednesday at 10/9c on your Syfy affiliate.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/asta-resident-alien/
[email protected]
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.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
- YELLOWJACKETS Recap: (S03E06) Thanksgiving (Canada) - March 14, 2025
- TED LASSO Season 4 Is Officially a Go at Apple TV+ - March 14, 2025
- HARLEY QUINN Recap: (S05E09) Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’) - March 13, 2025
