Review: Resident Alien season 1, episode 7 – “The Green Glow”

Resident Alien’s seventh episode of its first season is called “The Green Glow”, a wonderful episode that finally gives the fans more of what they want; an alien and kid team-up episode. Harry is pulled out of the proverbial fire by his wife, who ends up leaving him. The loss of his wife hits Harry a bit, but not as much as the fact the U.S. government now has his ship.

Harry’s A-plot follows along the proverbial alien resident as he tries to drown out his sorrows. He

uses alcohol, pills, and even marijuana to try and dull his pain. None of it works. Not until a brief conversation with Max reveals something noteworthy to Harry; Max can see a green glow that emanates from Harry’s alien technology. Without his ship and his human-killing device still lost, Harry makes a deal with Max. If Max helps Harry track down his device, he’ll keep his parents from sending him away. Harry does just that, and Max helps Harry find the device. It’s on a glacier, and Asta and D’Arcy end up following Harry out on the ice, worried for his safety. The three end up falling into a crevasse, however, and that’s how the episode ends.

The B-plot is probably Sherrif Mike and Deputy Liv finding out that the janitor was the drug supplier all along, and that it wasn’t Asta’s daughter Jay who was dealing drugs, but Jay’s no-good father; Jimmy. Live deduces that Jimmy’s not the murderer and even catches the high school janitor all while taking her sweet time. Yet, despite all this, the sheriff is upset with Liv for trying to read the suspect his Miranda Rights. This leads to a blowup from Liv, which results in her quitting.

Other minor notes of the episode include Ben and his wife Kate having marriage issues, much to Ben’s surprise. She’s upset about having thought about sending Max away to get the help that he doesn’t need and wants her husband to tell her she’s wrong. So he does, but he goes overboard and the two remain at each other’s proverbial throats.

The military also is able to deduce that the alien is on Earth to destroy all human life, and may have found out where he is after Harry found his doomsday device.

Thoughts on the episode

We got more Linda Hamilton, so there are no complaints there. I didn’t even mind Harry’s wife, and it’s a bit sad to see her go. The crux of the episode centers on Harry’s growing depression over being viewed as a failure, or human. It causes him to have a drug-addled nightmare where he’s talking to the dead body of the real human Harry.

It may have even led to a moment where he hallucinated a conversation with an octopus, voiced by his real-life good friend Nathan Fillion.

That one cameo alone made this episode worth it.

The deputy and sheriff drama felt like it had more legs than just seven episodes, and to see them get to the “explosion” so early in the series was a bit interesting.

Yet, the episode is highlighted by Max and Harry’s budding friendship. The way they interact is gold, and the thoughts that Harry has while talking to Max help deliver some of the show’s best lines. Yet, none topped the best of the episode.

After being approached by Asta and D’Arcy near the end of the episode, they ask Max where Harry was going. Max, worried about Harry, tells the truth and says that Harry’s going to the glacier. The girls ask Max why and Max breaks away from them in a sprint and shouts back;

"Ask my lawyer!"

D’arcy, ever the comedic genius, just mutters “He has a lawyer?”

Don’t ever change D’arcy.

This was a great episode, a solid 8/10.