DISCLAIMER: This recap of Resident Alien Season 3 Episode 4, “Avian Flu,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Things are heating up romantically and narratively on this week’s Resident Alien. Alan Tudyk and Edi Patterson are dynamite together in “Avian Flu.” Their scenes are hilarious and heartwarming. Both are at the top of their comedic game. I hope Patterson sticks around.
“Avian Flu” revives one key player in the alien game—Peter Bach—and brings poor David Logan back into the fold. My guy just wants to live in peace, but General McCallister can’t have that. Additionally, Mike and Liv learn Joseph is not who they thought he was.
This is a solid outing that maintains the momentum established in last week’s cliffhanger. It’s an amalgam of everything we love from Resident Alien: clever, biting humor, heart, action, killer owls and alien fluids.
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Five Years Ago
We open with Dr. Wendy Beasley from five years ago. She witnesses her husband die in a horrific lab “accident.” Well, aliens killed him, so it was certainly no accident.
Fast-forward to the present, wherein Asta (Sara Tomko) and D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) visit with Harry (Tudyk) after he learns the Housing Council of the Galactic Federation is giving him the boot. He must vacate Earth. Asta believes they can work around this. He can’t leave without saving the planet. Suddenly, Heather (Patterson) returns. She asks if Harry has signed the papers yet. Of course, he’s all hot and bothered because Blue Avians are one of the most attractive species in the galaxy. Every teen boy had a holographic Blue Avian poster above his bed (Harry included).
It’s Always a Banana
Next, D’Arcy saves the day by tossing a banana through the portal, effectively stranding Heather on Earth. She groans, realizing she must stay in Patience while repairs are made to the portal. After she uses Harry’s bathroom to change, we see her emerge in her human form. Hey, that human form looks an awful lot like Edi Patterson.
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Then, Ben (Levi Fiehler) finds Kate (Meredith Garretson) sitting at the kitchen table. She’s decided to write a children’s book. She has insomnia and is inexplicably afraid of sleeping. Ben asks to see what she’s written so far, but Kate refuses to let him take a peek until she’s finished.
Meanwhile, Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) walk through the woods toward Wendy Beasley’s cabin. We learn Joseph is now MIA. Liv drove past his house, and, unsurprisingly, it looked like nobody was there. My guess is The Greys got to him. I hope we see him again, though. Every sci-fi series needs Enver Gjokaj. Anyway, after Mike reveals his plan to figure out how to arrest people for their thoughts, we return to Patience proper. Harry, Asta and D’Arcy are at the diner, brainstorming ways Harry can give the Housing Council the bird (sorry, Heather).
Countersue the Housing Council
Kayla (Sarah Podemski) stops by their booth to chat. She has a pie for her paralegal, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Harry. Hey, he needs a snack for the ride home. Asta and D’Arcy ask Kayla for legal advice regarding Harry’s eviction without explicitly naming him. Kayla reveals she’d countersue. Hmm…
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Later, Harry meets with Heather in his office at the clinic. He tells her of his plans to countersue the Housing Council into oblivion. Why? Because Harry is a bad boy! He killed a human once for hurting a seagull and stealing its French fry. After briefly flirting, Harry offers to give Heather a checkup. It’s not often she gets to be a human. Harry asks Asta to spit in a blanket for Heather. This sounds like some alien foreplay.
Harry starts feeling weak in the knees while giving Heather a checkup. Asta walks in on him sniffing Heather’s hair. Totally normal. Asta pulls him aside, where he reveals he has feelings for Heather. He’s in love. That’s why they call it “love” — because you feel it in your pants. Tudyk is hysterical in this scene (and the whole episode).
Bird Boner
Next, Wendy lets Mike and Liv inside her cabin because Liv mentions Peter Bach. They know he was murdered. Meanwhile, Harry writes poetry for Heather. He aptly titles it “Bird Boner.” Make him our poet laureate, STAT. Asta tries to dissuade him from this newfound obsession. They must stay the course to save Earth from The Greys.
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Wendy explains she knows that aliens killed her husband. However, she’s afraid to open up because they probably have tabs on her. Liv reassures her that she’s safe with them. She discloses her experience with a UFO as a child and how Peter Bach was the only person who believed her. When Wendy learns about Peter’s van, she asks where it is and if they have the key. Mike shows Wendy the vehicle key, thinking that’s what she means. However, she’s referring to something else. Wendy kicks them out because Peter would’ve given them the actual key if he trusted them.
Then, Asta and Dan (Gary Farmer) chat with Jay (Kaylayla Raine), who’s working on her college entrance essay. It’s about her heritage. Since she and Asta were adopted, Jay doesn’t know her family roots. However, Dan tells Jay she has a whole family on the reservation. With a wedding coming up, Asta and Dan vow to take Jay there to meet her kin.
Weak in the Knees
Next, we see Harry creating a papier-mâché Yellowstone caldera model to show to General McCallister and the other generals. He must present his findings to them. Unfortunately, he still doesn’t know why The Greys want to make a supervolcano erupt. Unable to think of anything except Heather, Harry calls her. She asks him about her belly button, not knowing what it is. His knees give out again.
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Later, D’Arcy runs into Elliot (Justin Rain) while doing laundry. Then, she meets his girlfriend, Natalie (Taylor Kinequon). D’Arcy launches into an awkward monologue about how she saved the world with a banana. She’s doing important sh*t, y’all. Natalie blurts out that they need to leave, so the couple breaks away from the awkwardness, leaving D’Arcy to scream into her laundry bag in frustration. Girl, I feel you.
Then, Harry delivers his presentation to General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) and the other generals. It’s a mixture of pining for Heather and an informative speech on The Greys’ master plan. Well, it’s mostly pining for Heather. One of McCallister’s generals (Aaron Douglas from Battlestar Galactica!) suggests they go in guns blazing to The Greys’ headquarters in Yellowstone. You know, with ‘splosions ‘n stuff. Strike them when they least expect it. Harry claims he doesn’t know why The Greys want to blow up the caldera. McCallister offers him one week to figure that out.
The Reservation
Next, Asta and Dan take Jay to the reservation for a wedding. Jay finally meets her family. Her grandmother pulls Jay aside for buffalo stew. The happy couple and Kayla poke fun at Asta regarding her relationship with Harry, calling him her “little boyfriend.” Aw. Asta overhears some relatives talking about Mike and Liv rooting through Peter Bach’s van. Uh-oh. They’re one step closer to linking Harry to Peter’s death.
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Speaking of, Mike and Liv find (well, Liv) a keyhole on the van floor. Hmm. What could this unlock? Meanwhile, Harry sits in the diner with Max (Judah Prehn). He urges the boy to give Heather a note. It’s legit something from middle school (I was on the receiving end of one of these notes in seventh grade). Max, who can see Heather in her Blue Avian form, hands her Harry’s note. It asks if she potentially likes a certain doctor as more than a friend. “Circle: Yes, Maybe or No.”
As Heather approaches the booth, Harry shoos Max away. Heather reveals she’s flattered, but they can’t date. Harry’s species isn’t supposed to have feelings. Harry states he can now experience emotions courtesy of the real Dr. Vanderspeigle. Heather doesn’t waver in her position. She asserts they’d be better off as friends, but it’s abundantly clear she likes him, too. Harry feels like dying. Aw, baby’s first rejection!
Love Is in the Air
Asta leaves another voicemail for Harry, begging him to call her back. They need to discuss the Mike/Liv thing. Kayla pulls Asta onto the dancefloor as Dan sings (and plays a mean harmonica) with his band. He’s the coolest. Harry walks through the streets of Patience, past all the lovey-dovey couples. He spies Heather through the window of her hotel room. He sees her in her Blue Avian form.
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Meanwhile, during the night, Ben sneaks a peek at Kate’s book. He’s bewildered by what he sees. Bloodthirsty owls are swooping over poor mice. Some pull out mice entrails. It’s macabre. It’s haunting. Max catches a glimpse of one illustration and screams. Kate can’t grasp why her drawings are terrifying. It’s a children’s book!
Next, General McCallister learns of one employee backing out of The Darling Project. She decides to pull out of the big guns. She tracks down David Logan (Alex Barima), who is now retired from the military and enjoying a yoga class. Sorry, bud. Duty calls.
The Magnet
Then, Liv brings Mike a box of magnets she ordered from Amazon Prime (Optimus Prime’s wife, of course). One of the magnets on the board proves to be particularly strong. She reveals she found it on the leg of her desk. They watch footage of Joseph rummaging through Robert Hutchins’ bag. They see him read Robert’s diary. The magnet from that bag makes its way to the desk leg … and Joseph pockets Robert’s phone. Uh-oh. Liv realizes the therapist from that diary was killed the day after Joseph found that bag.
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Liv and Mike race to Wendy’s cabin, but they’re too late. She’s dead. RIP. Meanwhile, a little green alien dude stands in Harry’s living room, where he’s trying to fix the portal. D’Arcy pops in for a visit. She helps Harry with his caldera display. Then, she vents to Harry about running into Elliot and his girlfriend. D’Arcy reveals she’s happy for Elliot, meaning she loves him and ruined their real relationship. Aw.
Ben and Max gently confront Kate at dinner about her scary kids’ book illustrations. She doesn’t understand why they’re so frightened of them until Ben shows her a page. Max informs his parents that seeing owls is usually a sign that someone was abducted by aliens. Ben dismisses this as hogwash, but this tidbit unlocks something for Kate.
Asta and Jay
Later, Asta tells Dan that she may or may not be slightly envious of Harry’s newfound obsession with Heather. Not romantically, but she’s so used to having his attention. Now, he’s making room for someone else. Harry’s in love. Jay enters the diner, thanking them for inviting her to the reservation. She reveals that she and her mom got into a fight. Jay asks Asta if she can crash at her place for a few days. It could be fun.
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Kate researches the owls and aliens connection, realizing that maybe she was abducted. Mike and Liv use the magnet from Robert’s bag to activate the keyhole. A secret compartment pops open, revealing a small, leather-bound book. Bingo!
We see a flashback to Peter Bach’s (Terry O’Quinn) death. Before passing away, he hands Robert (Paul Piaskowski) the magnet. Elsewhere, in the present, D’Arcy looks at photos of her and Elliot on her phone. Heather returns to her hotel room to find a sweet note from Harry on her nest. He just wants her to be happy.
Aliens Get It On, Too
So, Heather visits Harry in her Blue Avian form. He ventures onto his deck in his alien form, and the two make sweet, out-of-this-world LURVE (or “love” … I’m mature). Meanwhile, General McCallister asks David about his involvement with the DARPA robotics program. David reveals they would experiment on comatose people. That’s when McCallister reveals that Peter Bach is alive. Well, in a coma, but alive nonetheless. She believes there’s no one better to train to fight The Greys than someone who can see them. Plot twist!
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Will Mike and Liv ever discover that Peter is alive? Will Harry and Heather stay together after their night of interspecies passion? Where did Joseph go? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Resident Alien airs new episodes every Wednesday at 10 PM on SYFY, with next-day streaming on Peacock.
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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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