Warning: Spoilers ahead forResident Alienseason 4, episode 10, “The End Is Here.“Resident Alien’s main character, Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk), has always had an interesting origin story, but the show’s final episode just completely recontextualized his journey. WithResident Alien’s endingbrilliantly tying up most of the show’s loose ends, showrunnerChris Sheridan has intentionally left a few plots unresolved.
One of the biggest last-minute reveals Sheridan includes concerns the leader of theResident Aliencast. Harry’s arrival on Earth in the show’s pilot episode has long been established as the story’s main starting point. However,Resident Alienseason 4, episode 10, “The End Is Here,” reveals Harry’s adventures in thefictitious town of Patiencearen’t all that original.
“The End Is Here” Essentially Proves That Harry Isn’t The First Alien To Go On His Journey
Resident Alien Season 4 Makes Several References To Previous Visitors Before Harry
The return of Michael Cassidy as Dr. Ethan Stone, and then his alien namesake, givesResident Alienone last villain before the show wraps up. That said,Alien Ethan’s bad guy status quickly becomes something else. Instead,Resident Alienmakes it very clear that Cassidy’s new character is about to embark on a journey very similar to that of Harry’s.
Just asHarry arrived on Earth with orders to kill all humans, Ethan has also been sent by his people to succeed where Tudyk’s character failed. Although “The End Is Here” isResident Alien’s finale, it’s also essentially a creative rehash of the pilot, placing Ethan in the role that Harry once held.
It becomes obvious that “The End Is Here” is setting up Ethan to go through the same form of redemption as Harry did, and that he, too, will eventually fall in love with his new home and refuse to carry out his orders. The episode also makes several references to the possibility that this pattern began long before Harry crash-landed in season 1.
Therefore,Harry’s story isn’t unique anymore, and it becomes retroactively likely that it never was. Ethan may only be the second alien to land in Patience, but it’s highly likely that he and Harry are not the first to be transformed from villains into allies by people across all of Earth.
Resident Alien’s Final Episode Makes Humanity The Real Heroes Of The Story
Asta & Other Humans Have Changed Villainous Aliens' Minds
Harry has been one of the biggest advantages for Earth in humanity’s ongoing fight with the Grey Aliens. His vast knowledge of extraterrestrial technology and how the interstellar community functions has saved the day more than once. His efforts definitely contributed to saving the human homeworld, but he didn’t act alone.
Despite lacking the advanced tech and fearsome weaponry boasted by the Greys and other races, humans always seem to come out on top. The implication in “The End Is Here” is that countless aliens, like Harry and Ethan, have come to Earth to either kill or dominate humanity, but have found themselves swept up in the unique love and quirks of the native species.
So, even though Harry’s role in saving Earth can’t be denied, he was only initially prevented from being a threat via the subconscious and non-violent method of humans winning him over to their side. Therefore,humanity continuously acts as its own biggest protectorin the most wholesome way imaginable.
Dr. Ethan’s Origin Story Being So Similar To Harry’s Removes The Need For Resident Alien Season 5
Harry’s Replacement Is Basically An Exact Copy
There is arguably still a lot of merit to the idea ofResident Alienseason 5happening someday, even if there are no immediate plans for the show to return. On the other hand, a continuation could be deemed as more than a little superfluous. With Ethan so perfectly replacing Harry, I don’t think there would be much point in making more episodes.
“The End Is Here” sets up Ethan to have exactly the same life as Harryis leaving behind. As Cassidy’s character becomes increasingly changed by the humans around him, he’ll be serving as the town doctor and presumably living in the vacant cabin that Harry has left behind. He’ll probably even save the world a time or two.
All of those storylines have already been thoroughly explored with Tudyk’s character in the show’s central role, so simply going through the same thing again with Ethan wouldn’t be a particularly worthwhile endeavor. Besides,Resident Alienseason 4 ended so beautifully, it would be a crime to resurrect the show just for the sake of it.
Resident Alien
Cast
A television adaptation of the comic book series, Resident Alien is a sci-fi comedy that stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who crashes on Earth with one mission - destroy humanity to save the planet. When Tudyk’s character takes the identity of a doctor, he arrives at a small town and begins to act the role preparing his plan. As time passes, he develops human emotions against his will - but his plans are further complicated when he meets the son of the mayor - who can see his actual appearance.
