Alien: Earth’s ending was about Wendy and the “Lost Boys” taking control of Kavalier’s estate with the help of the Xenomorph. Wendy, Slightly, Nibs, Smee, Curly, Hermit, and Morrow were confined to a jail cell after the events of the previous episode. But then Wendy decided that she had had enough, and she used her powers to bring the Xenomorph into the Prodigy building they were in, while also manipulating the electronics of the system to free herself. Wendy instructed Nibs to go get Dame; Smee and Slightly were tasked with seeing what Kirsh and Morrow were up to; and Curly had to take care of the soldiers. Meanwhile, Wendy herself went off to save Hermit, who was about to be sacrificed to the T. Ocellus, or the Octopus Eye, as per Kavalier’s instructions. So, allow me to talk about these plot threads and their underlying meanings and predict how they can be explored in a potential Season 2 of Alien: Earth.
Spoiler Alert
Dame Is Arrested
Capturing Dame was no big deal for Nibs, because she is just a regular human being with no tricks up her sleeve. Did she deserve to be captured and thrown into a jail cell, though? Yes, absolutely, because at the end of the day, she is an employee of a fascist, capitalist overlord who sees these kids whose minds have been downloaded into synthetic bodies as “floor models.” People like Dame and Arthur can say all they want that they empathize with these kids’ plight, but they are ultimately facilitating a project that’s inherently inhumane. Dame can make that sad face, put flowers on the graves of the children, and perform “therapy speak” on the Lost Boys, but she is a cog in this system that wants to exploit mortality in order to create slaves. I’m sure Dame and even Arthur must have had their reasons for becoming a part of Prodigy—something that we will probably come to learn more about if Alien: Earth gets a second season—but I don’t think anything will justify her and her deceased partner’s actions. If we take a page from real-life history, Nazi doctors at Auschwitz and the Japanese scientists over at Unit 731 were only “conducting experiments.” Does that make them any less diabolical than their masters? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Kirsh and Morrow Are Captured
Kirsh and Morrow’s fight had been brewing for a long time, and, although it was a little jump-cut-y, I enjoyed it because of how visceral it felt. But since they ended up incapacitating each other, they made themselves vulnerable to the Lost Boys, which allowed them to capture both Kirsh and Morrow and throw him into the prison cell. Did both of them deserve that fate? To be fair, Kirsh and Morrow are highly complex and mysterious characters. To date, I don’t know what Kirsh’s endgame is. He’s fascinated by the extraterrestrial creatures. He liked the Lost Boys and wanted to train them to be his successors. There were moments where it seemed like he yearned for freedom. And then he just quietly did Kavalier’s bidding because that’s what he was programmed to do. The same can be said about Morrow. He’s dedicated to serving Yutani, but underneath the surface, there’s so much more going on underneath that guy. He’s an educated man who has read about John Henry, and it’s possible that he sees himself as someone doing the grunt work now in the hopes of building a better future for his people. However, regardless of his intent, holding an old mother hostage to make her kid do your bidding is unacceptable. So, yeah, he totally deserved to be lumped together with Kirsh.
Atom Is A Synth
The biggest surprise of the Alien: Earth finale was probably the revelation that Atom was a Synth, or probably a Hybrid, who had helped liberate Kavalier from the clutches of his alcoholic father. It’s apparent that Kavalier comes from a wealthy family, but wealth doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with love and care. Hence, when he was just 6 years old (take all this with a grain of salt because Kavalier is a pathological liar and a creep), he built himself a Synth to replace his father. Now, I think that Synth is Atom and not Kirsh, because Atom seems like a guy who has been made in the image of Kavalier’s father. Kirsh just doesn’t give off any “fatherly” vibes. Moreover, why would you give your Synth a “dad bod” if you don’t want it to resemble your father, right? So, yeah, I think the Synth that Kavalier was talking about was Atom, and Kavalier’s final order to him was to take Hermit to Octopus Eye so that he could become the creature’s new host. I guess, after that, Atom would have captured the possessed Hermit and taken him to Kavalier so that he could train Octopus Eye to do his bidding. That didn’t come to pass, because Wendy came to Hermit’s rescue. While doing so, she revealed that she could control Synths, much like she could control electrical and electronic items. Strength-wise, Atom was somehow more powerful than the Hybrids. Hence, Wendy had to figure out that workaround and then throw Atom into the jail cell.
Kavalier Is Jailed
By far, the most satisfying moment in all of Alien: Earth was watching Hermit knock Kavalier unconscious with one kick to the face. This character has been consistently getting on my nerves for the past month—which isn’t a criticism; that’s the purpose of the character—and it was incredibly pleasing to watch Wendy, Hermit, and the Xenomorph corner Kavalier, scare the living hell out of him, and then incapacitate him. No, he wasn’t killed, unfortunately; he was also thrown into the jail cell, along with Dame, Atom, Kirsh, and Morrow. Meanwhile, Wendy announced that she, the Lost Boys, and the two Xenomorphs are going to begin their reign. Sadly, I don’t know how long their reign will last because, at the end of episode 8, we can see multiple Weyland-Yutani ships landing on Neverland. Yutani has clearly sent them there to reacquire her company’s property, which is strewn all over the island, and if she can get her hands on some Hybrids, why wouldn’t she take them? I mean, are we really supposed to expect Yutani to empathize with the Lost Boys because of all the horrors they have witnessed under Kavalier’s tyranny and let them live life the way they want to? No, absolutely not; she’s as much of a fascist and capitalist as Kavalier—maybe even worse—and she’ll do everything in her power to make up for the money and resources she has lost over the course of this season.
Yutani’s Takeover
Is Prodigy done for, though? Well, creator Noah Hawley has stated that it’ll be a mistake to assume that the villains are on the back foot. If the Lost Boys killed everyone in that jail cell by letting the Xenomorph and the baby Xeno have their way with them, then I could have confidently said that Prodigy’s chapter had been closed. However, since they are still alive, they will undoubtedly try to find a way to regain control of this whole situation. How? Maybe they’ll try to get into the good books of Yutani, and when she lets her guard down, the villains will try to wrestle power away from her. I know that Weyland-Yutani ends up being the corporation to essentially rule over the whole galaxy. So, no matter how much conflict the showrunners create between Lynch, Dynamic, Threshold, and whatever remains of Prodigy, it’s Weyland-Yutani that’s going to reign supreme. But that doesn’t mean that the regime has to be directly associated with Weyland or Yutani. Maybe the name of the company will stay, but somebody like Kavalier can take the reins and help Weyland-Yutani reach new depths of depravity whilst exploring every nook and cranny of the galaxy, maybe even the universe. So, unless the Lost Boys can beat such capitalists in this game of thrones, they have to function like outlaws until they are strong enough to overthrow this system that’s turning people into slaves.
The Creatures Are Out
In Alien: Earth’s ending, we did get to see the Orchid in action as it consumed Siberian; Rashidi is still alive, but I don’t know for how long. The Octopus Eye possessed Arthur’s body, so, technically, Arthur is back. In addition to that, those blood-sucking ticks and the acid-spewing flies are out there as well. So, what’s in store for these guys? Well, I don’t know about them specifically, but if the Orchid and Octopus Eye are as dangerous as they look, Yutani will have a really hard time recapturing them. To be honest, the ticks and the flies look tame in comparison to the Orchid and Octopus Eye. I won’t be surprised if the entirety of the yet-to-be-announced Season 2 of the show is centered around Weyland-Yutani trying to capture all the rogue creatures, probably with the help of the Lost Boys. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even rope in Morrow, Kirsh, and Atom because they can take on those creatures without sustaining too much damage. It can be very Predator-esque in nature, and it will be a welcome change of pace from the mystery-thriller approach of the first season. I am sure the hunt for the creatures will create plenty of avenues for the characters to dig deep into their respective pasts and explore what they are from a philosophical and moral point of view.
Honest Season 2 Thoughts
Let’s answer the big question now: will Alien: Earth be a profitable enough venture for it to ever connect to the main timeline of the Alien movies? I know that we have speculated how there are traces of Prometheus and Covenant in there, but after watching the finale, it’s apparent that Hawley and his team have done a great job of not connecting the show to anything that has come before it or anything that’ll come after. That’s because, in this economy, getting a second season off the ground is a tough proposition. As per the reports, this was a very expensive show to make. If you have read the news, Disney is struggling (totally their fault). So, even though I absolutely loved the show, I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t get the green light for a second season. I know that that sounds really disappointing, but I am just preparing everybody for the worst. It seems like the show has been watched by a lot of people, and it has gotten the love and appreciation it deserves. It definitely should be nominated for a bunch of awards, which’ll undoubtedly increase its viewer base. After all that, will it be enough to compel Disney to throw $250-$300 million in Hawley’s lap and let him create another amazing season of the show? I doubt it. Maybe that’s just the pessimist in me talking. What are your thoughts on the ending of Alien: Earth and a potential second season in this series? Let me know in the comments section below.
