DISCLAIMER: This recap of Resident Alien episode “Secrets” is riddled with spoilers. You’ve been warned, humans. Proceed at your own peril.
Welcome back, residents of Patience, Colorado! Resident Alien continued to peel back the layers of Harry’s story with another fun episode. “Secrets” was all about, well, secrets. Harry discovered the body of the real Harry Vanderspeigle and strove to keep it under wraps from prying humans. Asta and Darcy crashed a high school party. Max made a new friend. While Alan Tudyk is still a scene stealer on Resident Alien, the supporting cast is coming into their own. They perfectly play off Harry’s intrinsic strangeness. It’s all kooky and fun. I appreciate the gradual build up and the writers laying the groundwork for an inevitable plot explosion.
Ready to delve into “Secrets”? Let’s get to it.
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Now, we open with another Harry (Tudyk) voiceover. We see a man on a fishing boat from afar. The audience is led to believe this is Harry. He talks about his extensive search regarding the real Harry Vanderspeigle’s body. As it turns out, Boat Man is a complete stranger who reels in a detached foot. A very dead, detached foot. Probably belonging to the real Harry.
Later, Harry is tossing and turning in bed. He doesn’t sleep because, duh, alien. Harry ponders why humans need to shut down for eight hours a day. Additionally, he mentally mulls over his mission checklist. Find his ship. Find the body. Destroy the world. Buy milk. In that order, of course. Harry decides to utilize this downtime to do more medical research. Become a better doctor. However, he looks up circumcisions and that proves to be too graphic for a highly intelligent being such as himself.
Next, Harry is at his usual search zone digging around for his vessel. Just when he thinks he’s found something, a massive avalanche submerges the spot with snow. So, there goes that. Kate Hawthorne (Meredith Garretson), Max’s mom, pops in to pay Harry a visit at the latter’s cabin. Naturally, she’s worried about her son. Kate reveals that Max has accused Harry of trying to murder him. That and the whole “being an alien” thing. Harry surreptitiously conceals a kitchen knife behind him. He’s pretty certain he’ll have to murder his way out of this scenario. But Kate believes her son is simply … going through something. Harry suggests they spend more time together, which she accepts as sound advisement. Phew! No murdering today!
Then, Harry runs into Max (Judah Prehn) in town. The young boy taunts Harry and his lack of knowledge regarding structural layouts. They go toe-to-toe for a bit, but in the end, Max has the last jab. This is one of my favorite aspects of Resident Alien — the fact that a small child gets the upper-hand over an immensely capable extraterrestrial being.
Later, Harry and Asta (Sara Tomko) join everyone else at a town meeting with Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) at the helm. Mayor Ben (Levi Fiehler), Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) and Darcy (Alice Wetterlund) are also present. Surprise! Someone found a foot in the lake! Harry internally panics because the possibility that said foot belongs to the real Harry is quite high. If only he spent more time searching and less time binging Law & Order. The good sheriff calls on Harry to impart, presumably, some words of comfort. But Harry proceeds to project anxiety all over the townsfolk. Sam’s death and now this? Sheriff Mike believes a serial killer may be afoot. Because there’s a foot.
Meanwhile, Max encounters some bullies at school. A young girl named Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke) is also fodder for the nasty little squirts. Max picks up a binder that a boy smacked out of Sahar’s hands. Methinks a friendship is about to take bloom.
Next, Harry steals the lake foot. He compares it with his own. Damn, he’s quite good at mimicking human biology, that’s for sure. Sheriff Mike wants to know why Harry is storing the foot in Liv’s favorite bucket for her soda pop. He reveals that the evidence will be shipped to Denver for further inspection and to get a DNA match. Of course, Harry cannot let the truth walk free. He vows to the sheriff that he’ll get the DNA sample they need. Harry’s a renowned pathologist, after all.
Then, Harry is supposed to be examining an infant that’s fallen ill. However, his mind has been overtaken with thoughts of … circumcision. He nonchalantly asks the mother if her baby has been circumcised. It’s a funny scene that simultaneously makes you laugh and squirm with secondhand embarrassment. So, he circumcises this infant and gives what he removed to the good sheriff as a “DNA sample” from the foot. Everyone wins!
Meanwhile, Kate tries to spend time with Max while he’s eating lunch at school. She’s a teacher there. Max shies away from her though. It’s not cool to hang out with your mom. The bullies continue to pick on him. Sahar sits down across from Max and reveals that she believes him. She believes that Max saw an alien in town. Bonding!
Now, Harry drives home to find law enforcement camped outside his cabin. They need to dredge the lake while searching for the body. Harry’s body. Mayor Ben is there but not of his own volition. Asta and Darcy decide to have a lake dredging party. They’re sitting on the shore, drinks in hand and reminiscing. The scenery here is breathtaking. I’m moving to a sleepy Colorado town pronto. Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv are on separate boats amid the hunt. Ben is vomiting profusely because he inadvertently ate a dog treat with bison meat. A normal day at the office.
Next, Harry is succumbing to nostalgia. He’s thinking back to when he first landed on Earth four months ago. He was wandering through New Mexico. He encountered a lone cowboy on a horse. Harry frightened said cowboy because, duh, alien. He scooped up the cowboy’s Stetson and swiped his horse. Back in the present, Harry notices that Cletus, the resident dog, has located the real Harry’s corpse. It’s … a corpse. Bloated and moist. The canine is a-barking. Harry drags the body into his cabin. Asta and Darcy pop into Harry’s abode just as he’s trying to hide said body. Harry’s peculiarities get Darcy all hot and bothered. I can see the appeal. Aliens are hot.
Later, Asta and Darcy hit up a party. They reunite with a friend there as well. However, something’s fishy. Everyone around them looks much, much younger. That’s when they discover they’ve crashed a high school party. One that’s thrown by the son of Darcy’s ex-boyfriend. Both father and son share the same name, hence the confusion. Narcissism is alive and well. Asta finds Jay (Kaylayla Raine) is also there. She’s inebriated. Darcy and Asta drive the young girl home.
As they watch Jay walk to her front door, Asta is struck with a memory. We see she’s a teenager. Asta is sobbing over her newborn infant. Sam gently takes the baby away from her and gives the child to a new family. Strangely enough, the house from Asta’s memory looks exactly like Jay’s house. Hmm.
Meanwhile, the sheriff and deputy waltz inside Harry’s home. Luck hasn’t been on their side, but they’ll keep dredging the lake until they pinpoint a corpse. Of course, we know Harry has concealed the body in question. Suddenly, Cletus starts yapping. The dog leads them into the garage wherein Harry keeps his freezer. But the pup merely smells the plethora of meats that Harry has on hand. When Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv depart, we see that Harry stashed the corpse underneath the meats. Bingpot!
Later, Asta arrives home to find her father Dan (Gary Farmer) with breakfast at the ready. It is the following morning, after all. Asta tearfully reveals that she left a daughter behind all those years ago. Dan comforts her and reassures her that she’ll reconnect with her child again someday. The bond between a mother and daughter is strong. It’s a touching scene.
Then, Harry is having lunch at the diner. Max and Sahar are observing from afar. She can see Harry in his true form like Max. Sahar discreetly sits in the booth in front of Harry. She proceeds to breeze past him and spill a glass of water into his lap. Harry spots Max and Sahar, but only as they’re fleeing the scene. Next, we see the cowboy from New Mexico regaling Lisa Casper (Mandell Maughan) and her partner (Alex Barima) with his tale of extraterrestrial horror. If you’ll recall, the pair were present at the ending of last week’s episode when we saw that unfortunate hiker was still suspended in the air by Harry’s elusive device.
Now, Lisa and her partner ask the cowboy questions. Where was the alien going? What does he want? After their conversation, Lisa promptly kills Cowboy Man. Her partner asserts that murder wasn’t part of their orders. But Lisa responds that perhaps they were both given a different agenda regarding their mission.
RELATED: Catch up on Harry’s extraterrestrial shenanigans with our Resident Alien recaps!
“Secrets” boasted a series of close calls with Harry’s identity perpetually on the brink of reveal. It doesn’t help that his behavior isn’t even normal by human standards. But damn, does it make for great comedy. Tudyk never fails to make me giggle as Harry. Tomko’s performance is beautifully vulnerable. From the get-go, Asta’s story has been one of survival, and her innate sweetness is endearing. So far, Resident Alien is doing a decent job of establishing these characters. Although I’m hoping we get more from Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv soon. I appreciate the comedic relief they provide, but I’d love to learn more about them so they don’t quickly become one-note.
Do you think Lisa is on the hunt for Harry? Is Jay’s mother really Asta? Did Harry finally buy milk? Join me next week as I recap Resident Alien, here on Geek Girl Authority.
Resident Alien airs Wednesdays at 10 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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