DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Resident Alien mid-season premiere episode “Autopsy” has spoilers. Cue up the Law & Order reruns, microwave that day-old pizza and proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, residents of Patience! Resident Alien is back, folks, and the mid-season is off to a bangin’ start. “Autopsy” blesses us with Sara Tomko‘s show-best performance thus far. Tomko is always a powerhouse, but in “Autopsy,” she peels back the layers of Asta, delivering a visceral, raw performance. This episode might feature Asta at her most vulnerable, and Tomko depicts Asta’s vulnerability with grace, nuance and tenderness.
“Autopsy” sports a few significant reveals, including David Logan’s survival (I had a feeling he would live), the alien baby wreaking havoc on Patience and Harry wiping Asta’s memories, resulting in her standing up Jay for their hangout.
Ready to delve into “Autopsy”? Let’s get to it.
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“Rot into dirt, ham bag!”
We open after Asta (Tomko) shot The Galvan/Powell Group associate in defense of Harry (Alan Tudyk). D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) stumbles upon the scene in utter shock. Harry comes to Asta’s aid, informing D’Arcy that Asta had saved his life.
Then, Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) enters the fray, having heard the gunshots. Our trio conceals the body and conjures an excuse to explain why Mike heard said gunshots. It’s Harry’s birthday, and he and Asta are owl hunting. Duh!
Meanwhile, two Galvan/Powell Group associates observed the fatal incident while sitting on a boat on the lake. Suddenly, the alien baby launches out of the water, killing both men.
Later, Asta tends to Harry’s wound in his cabin. Harry contemplates death and how it resonates with humans. His race views death more positively, believing that each being becomes part of the planet from which they came. However, Harry mulls over his mortality now that he masquerades as a human and endeavors to shove his anxiety deep, deep down. That’s what we do! Poor Asta wonders aloud how she can live with herself after ending someone’s life, even though it was self-defense.
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A Bulletproof Plan
D’Arcy enters with a bulletproof (sorry, I had to) plan. Harry thinks she got it from his favorite show, Law & Order, but it’s all CSI up in here, baby. D’Arcy believes they should dump the corpse in a hot tub at The Copper Ridge Motel, which has no cameras and no customers. Bingo!
Harry feels they should plant the papers they found in The Galvan/Powell dude’s car to pin Sam Hodges’s murder on him.
Then, D’Arcy chats with Judy (Jenna Lamia), who’s working at the front desk at The Copper Ridge Motel. Judy’s recording an audiobook of Frankenstein, as one does. Thankfully, D’Arcy distracts her so that Harry and Asta can transport the body to the hot tub.
He’s alive!
Later, the following day, David Logan (Alex Barima) wakes after General McCallister shoots him. He’s alive! He finds the alien tech ball in his pocket, which saved his life. David stumbles to his feet after hearing a bevy of voices and footsteps increasing in loudness. General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) emerges from the trees in a “Come with me if you want to live” moment. Sure, she set him up, but what can ya do?
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Mayor Ben (Levi Fiehler) meets with Harry, who informs him that he accepts the offer to become the town doctor again. Well, he has some conditions. Ben can accommodate half of them, which is better than zero. Meanwhile, Mike and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) brainstorm over the list of names of The Galvan/Powell Group associates they found in Sam Hodges’s office. They must be directly involved in the late doctor’s murder. Mike and Liv quickly depart after learning about the corpse in the motel hot tub.
Next, Judy describes what she saw regarding the deceased to Mike and Liv. She gifts the sheriff a CD entitled “Malcolm X,” which is tone deaf. She thought the “X” was a Roman numeral! Harry and Ben arrive on the scene, and Ben insists that Jessup take over this case since the corpse was found on the town line. Harry emphatically states he wants to perform the autopsy, so this whole “Let’s hand it over to Jessup” thing doesn’t fly.
Living With It
Then, Asta watches in shock while the authorities wheel the body into the clinic. I want to give her a big hug. Asta meets with D’Arcy for a drink and confesses she doesn’t know if she can live with this burden on her shoulders. Asta contemplates a trip to the police station. D’Arcy reminds her bestie that going to the police could draw attention to herself and her loved ones. The Galvan/Powell Group might seek retribution.
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Meanwhile, a detective from Jessup, Lena Torres (Nicola Correia-Damude), swoops in to steal the murder case from Mike and Liv, much to their dismay. Mike butts heads with Lena instantly. As it turns out, Ben surreptitiously called the Jessup station to report the crime to them. Hey, let them be dubbed “Murder Town” for once.
“Please do not have sex in my office.”
Ben and Kate (Meredith Garretson) pop in for an unscheduled (and unwanted) therapy session with Harry. Our fave extraterrestrial doc is as transparent as he can be with them — he doesn’t want to be their therapist. He doesn’t care about their marital issues.
However, Ben interprets Harry’s nonchalance as a therapy technique, so the Hawthorne couple word vomits their feelings all over Harry. Harry does math problems in his head to pass the time. After the session, Harry notices the Jessup authorities carting the corpse away, meaning he can’t perform the autopsy. Asta might face prosecution if they find anything linking the murder to her.
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Mike catches Liv recording a video detailing her otherworldly experiences that she plans to send to the alien tracker. Mike reminds her to pursue her alien endeavors on her time, not his. Thankfully, she invokes an airtight loophole — The Employee Bathroom Break Rule.
Later, Ben arrives at Harry’s cabin unannounced with some brewskis and” ‘za.” Ugh, he would call it” ‘za.” Harry’s irritated because he already saw Ben once that day, but now it’s “boys’ night.” Therefore, he must abide by the bro code.
A Date With D’Arcy in a Diner
D’Arcy finally goes on a date with the charming Elliot (Justin Rain). Dan (Gary Farmer) informs D’Arcy that Elliot waited for three hours when she stood him up. D’Arcy confesses that she panicked before their initial date because she doesn’t feel she deserves nice things. They smooch and hold hands. It’s cute with a capital “C.”
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Meanwhile, Harry gets Ben intoxicated enough, so he passes out. Harry finds the shell from Asta shooting that man, so he tosses it into the lake. The alien baby emerges near the Patience town line and vomits a wallet from one of his victims. This Galvan/Powell Group associate resided in New Jersey.
“This is dead human soup.”
The following day, Harry and Judy demonstrate Harry’s theory to Mike, Liv and Detective Torres. Harry muses that someone shot the man with a rifle from the trees. Therefore the murder would fall under Patience’s jurisdiction. They even find a gun in that spot (that Harry undoubtedly planted). Lena, impressed with Harry’s deductive reasoning, invites Patience to work in tandem with Jessup on the case. Mike is thrilled (not). Judy whips off her clothes for a soak in the dead human soup.
Later, Asta meets with Liv in front of the station to turn herself in; however, upon spotting her father, Dan, Asta recalls what D’Arcy told her. So, she switches gears by complimenting Liv and Mike on their jobs.
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Next, we see David and General McCallister hiding out from unseen forces. McCallister knows David had the alien tech ball in his possession, which protected him from seemingly inevitable death. It’s his bargaining chip. McCallister fears there’s a mole in her operation, but she knows David isn’t one. Can she trust him? Can David rely on her since she’s constantly drugging his food?
An Autopsy She’ll Never Remember
Then, Harry and Asta start the autopsy on Mr. Galvan/Powell Man. As Harry walks through each step of the process, we see Asta begin to unravel. Finally, she storms out, unable to cope with her actions. Harry sits with his friend while she vents. Harry can feel her pain, and those uncomfortable feelings he had earlier regarding death bubble to the surface again.
Harry makes an executive decision that’ll surely come back to bite him in the ass later: he erases Asta’s memory. Now, she won’t remember anything from that party. Unfortunately, this also means she forgot to meet with her daughter Jay (Kaylayla Raine) for the latter’s birthday. We see Jay sitting alone on the steps of the diner, looking forlorn with a “Happy Birthday” balloon. Uh-oh.
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“Autopsy” delivers on the laughter front, boasting some top-tier one-liners (especially from Harry, although that Post-it line from Mike killed me), solid writing, terrific performances and high stakes. I’d venture to say the stakes are higher than ever. We know nothing about the other alien race on Earth and what McCallister and Logan plan to do. Possibly, the joint Patience/Jessup murder investigation could spell danger for Asta, even though Harry erased her memories.
Regardless, I’m on this wild, ‘za-fueled train until it pulls into the station. Bring on the rest of the season!
Will Harry ever reunite with the alien baby and learn more from Goliath? Will Jay forgive Asta for missing their birthday hangout? What’s next for McCallister and Logan, and will they target Harry? Did Mike get frisky with his Post-it notes? 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.
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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.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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