Alien Earth Episodes 3 & 4 Review: Deepening the Story.
Image Courtesy of Disney.
After the splash that episodes 1 and 2 made, episodes 3 and 4 had a lot to live up to if the show wanted to keep its momentum. While these episodes do slow things down a bit, the story is still heading in an interesting direction, expanding the Alien universe in cool ways. Episode 2 ended with Wendy’s brother being snatched by the Xenomorph—and Wendy diving in right after him to save him. Episode 3 picks up straight from that cliffhanger, so let’s dive right back in.
Episodes 3 and 4 dive deeper into the Alien Earth universe while giving viewers a breather from nonstop action. These episodes focus on character decisions and development, letting us understand what drives them. Wendy, motivated by her love for her brother, follows him and the xenomorph without hesitation—her blend of human and synthetic traits making fear almost irrelevant.
Other characters get their moments too. Curly shows ambition, trying to outthink Wendy and win Boy Kavalier’s attention. Nibs teeters on the edge of sanity, even believing she might be pregnant. Meanwhile, the show’s villain, Morrow, is fascinating—he quickly realizes that the synthetics are literally children in adult bodies and uses this to his advantage, especially with Slightly. Will he succeed in recovering the specimens for Yutani? Can he even trust the people that he works for? These questions keep the story compelling and make us eager for what comes next.
Image Courtesy of Disney.
I think where the show starts to wobble a bit is with the Xenomorph itself. The creature feels oddly confused and strangely selective in its choices, which takes away some of the fear factor we usually expect from the franchise. One minute it’s eviscerating everything in sight, and the next it’s gluing Joe to a wall inside a container… like, why not just finish him off? Even when Wendy shows up, it doesn’t attack head-on. Instead, it jumps on top of the container (makes zero sense) and gets stabbed by her. I get it—the main characters aren’t going anywhere—but still, the alien could’ve felt way scarier and more threatening.
Also, while I understand the slower, exposition-heavy episodes are important for world-building, I hope the show doesn’t fall into the same trap The Last of Us Season 2 did. There needs to be balance. With only four episodes left, I’m hoping for more action, suspense, and drama, especially with the bigger players like Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy moving behind the scenes.
The show continues to shine in nearly every area. The visual design is fantastic, and while the CGI isn’t perfect cause let’s be fair, it’s a tv series, the costumes, lighting, soundtrack, and acting are all top-notch. I’m genuinely excited to see where it goes. The series has also introduced a bunch of new creatures, including the… eye octopus? I have no idea what it’s officially called, but it’s delightfully weird, and I’m hoping it’s more than just a cheap jump scare. Used right, it could be a truly memorable addition to the story.
Alien Earth Episodes 3 & 4 are now available on Hulu and Disney Plus.
