DISCLAIMER: This recap of Resident Alien Season 3 Episode 6, “Bye Bye Birdie,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Contrary to popular belief, “Bye Bye Birdie” is not about the 1960 musical. This Resident Alien outing packs on the heartbreak with its trademark biting wit and endearing humor. Alan Tudyk and Edi Patterson deliver masterful performances. Exploring human emotions through an alien experiencing them for the first time and at their full power is so fun. If Tudyk doesn’t get an Emmy nod for this season, there’s no justice in the acting world.
“Bye Bye Birdie” offers an emotional gut punch from Harry’s breakup, Asta and D’Arcy’s explosive argument and Kate’s moving revelation. On the lighter side, I loved Mike finally reckoning with his behavior and making a genuine effort to change, starting with his relationship with Liv. I’m so glad he supported her as she defended herself. Both characters took massive steps in the right direction in this episode.
Plus, Bridget is on the way, and The Greys have Harry’s DNA, so now they can expedite their “Let’s End the World” project. The stakes are through the roof.
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Guess Who’s Back?
We open with Bridget returning to Earth. I missed that little stinker! Meanwhile, Heather (Patterson) cleans Harry’s (Tudyk) gills per her agreement with Joseph. She must collect a sample of Harry’s DNA so The Greys can operate the metal alien ball. Then, Heather must return home without Harry. If she refuses to cut ties with him, Joseph will kill him (and her family).
Meanwhile, Ben (Levi Fiehler) finds D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) camped out in her vehicle outside his house … again. Of course, she’s racked with guilt from withholding Ben’s multiple alien abductions from him. D’Arcy heads home, where Asta (Sara Tomko) chats with her about keeping vigil outside the Hawthorne abode. Then, Jay’s girlfriend wanders into the kitchen to chug the milk in the fridge before crawling back into bed with Jay (Kaylayla Raine) for some morning snuggles.
Leaving for Cigarettes
Next, after Harry’s gill cleaning, he vows to finish building this bomb to take out The Greys. Then, they can travel to her homeworld. Heather tells Harry she’s taking out the trash; if she doesn’t return promptly, it’s because she left to buy cigarettes. It’s every estranged father’s excuse before he walks out on his family forever. She’s about to leave Harry. You can see Heather’s heart crumbling in real time as she moves toward the door.
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Later, Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) asks Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) if she ever feels like someone’s following her. The conversation turns to the ongoing Peter Bach case. Liv insists she’s washed her hands of it. Mike tries to persuade her to rejoin the effort. Ben informs the pair that anonymous citizens have voiced their concerns regarding their tax dollars going toward an alien investigation.
Liv’s grandmother pokes her head in to criticize Liv’s uniform before Ben asks Mike to meet him in his office. Mike refuses to do so. Ben demands to know what’s going on. What happened to Joseph? Why hasn’t Mike replaced him? Mike evades answering Ben’s persistent questions. Finally, Ben seemingly relents (Or does he?).
Severing Ties
Meanwhile, Harry notices that Heather has been gone for two hours. He finds a note from a pigeon, Arlo, stating that she’s left him. He and Heather pass notes back and forth like texts via Arlo. Poor Arlo. He’s probably pooped. Harry refuses to let Heather slip through his fingers. It’s true lurve. Finally, Heather enters Harry’s cabin through the fixed portal. She tries to push him away. However, Harry knows Heather loves him. She isn’t doing this because she wants to.
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Ugh, this scene tore my heart asunder. Tudyk and Patterson are so heartbreakingly vulnerable here. Harry tugs at the heartstrings, mainly since he’s not used to extreme emotions. He feels this pain at the maximum level.
Later, Mike discovers who’s following him—Lena’s teenage son. Her son claims that Lena isn’t taking the breakup well. He wonders how a grown man can make a woman cry. This seems to resonate with Mike, who’s so laser-focused on what’s considered “masculine.” Then, he orders Mike to stay away from his mom.
Rejecting Pizza
Then, Asta and D’Arcy pop into Harry’s cabin with a “feel better soon” pizza. However, Harry, for the first time, doesn’t want it. Not even cheese and tomato sauce can fill the Heather-sized hole in Harry’s heart. He proceeds to act like a defiant, moody teenager, giving Asta guff for trying to help him. She sends him to his room. This is hilarious. I’ve always thought of Asta and Harry as having a strange mother-son dynamic.
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Next, we see Mike and Dan (Gary Farmer) ice fishing. Mike mentions his interaction with Lena’s kid but claims he doesn’t want to discuss it. Dan leaves it until Mike opens up like a burst dam. Mike’s whole concept of masculinity has been thrown for a loop. Well, it’s more like he’s learning to examine his actions, especially regarding women.
At Harry’s cabin, tensions between Asta and D’Arcy erupt in a volatile, all-out argument. We’ve been building toward this for some time. D’Arcy urges Asta to be Jay’s parent instead of her friend. She also claims Asta considers herself to be morally superior. At the same time, Asta declares that D’Arcy is unreliable and unpredictable, often needing Asta to bail her out. Tomko and Wetterlund’s off-screen camaraderie translates onscreen, especially in this fight scene. I love Asta and D’Arcy’s friendship, and watching the chasm form between them hurts.
McCallister’s Gift
The following day, General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) arrives on Harry’s doorstep with a present—an ostrich. She hopes this will help heal Harry’s lovesick heart. Then, he’ll get back to business and work to destroy The Greys.
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Later, Kate (Meredith Garretson) attends an alien survivors group with Liv. Initially, Kate claims all is well until she starts to break down. She admits to Liv that she’s not okay. Aw. She expresses her feelings to the group, and everyone understands her. Garretson has been knocking it out of the acting park this season.
Then, Judy (Jenna Lamia) films Heather while she gives Harry’s DNA to Joseph (Enver Gjokaj). Meanwhile, after a heart-to-heart, Mike accompanies Liv to her grandmother’s house so she can stand up to the latter. Elsewhere, D’Arcy shows Asta the video Judy took of Heather meeting Joseph. Is she a spy for The Greys? D’Arcy can’t find Harry. Thankfully, Asta knows where he goes whenever he’s sad.
Liv’s in Defense Mode
While flying to the snowy mountain where Harry goes to decompress, Asta and D’Arcy argue in the helicopter. Next, we return to Mike and Liv, who visit Liv’s grandmother. Liv finally lets Granny have it. She defends herself, and it’s glorious. I love seeing Liv standing tall and confident. However, Mike notices an uncomfortable look wash over Liv’s grandmother. He gently urges Liv to retreat. Then, her grandma has a minor heart attack. She survives, though.
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At the station, Ben searches Mike’s office for clues. He sees the Peter Bach investigation board with a photo of Joseph as Mike and Liv’s prime murder suspect. Uh-oh. On the mountain, Asta and D’Arcy inform Harry about Judy’s video. Harry surmises that The Greys want his DNA to clone him so they can manipulate his alien ball. However, he gave that to Peter’s son, Robert. If The Greys kidnapped him, which they did, then they have said ball.
He calls Robert’s phone while poorly imitating Peter Bach. Of course, Joseph has Robert’s phone, so he, too, offers a below-par impression of Robert. Harry hangs up, knowing The Greys indeed have the ball. Harry tells Asta and D’Arcy that his people’s tech is hydrogen-based. This means The Greys can facilitate and speed up their plan to fill the cavern with water and blow up the Yellowstone caldera. They can destroy the world at any time now.
Bye Bye Birdie
Later, Kate handcuffs herself to her bed out of fear she’ll be abducted again. Harry sings a new song about wanting to rip Heather to shreds. It’s very graphic. There is no love!
Meanwhile, Bridget wreaks havoc. He kills a truck driver and transforms into said driver. Then, he heads into a diner, where he tells the friendly waitress his plan to kill his father, aka Harry Vanderspeigle. Uh-oh.
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How will Harry handle reuniting with his murderous son? What will Ben do with what he learned about Joseph? Will Kate tell Ben about her abduction? Will she find out about her stolen baby? Why does everyone insist on stomping on my heart? Just kiss and make up, everyone!
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.
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