Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Autopsy

If you’re like me, you probably wondered whether a months-long hiatus smack dab in the middle of the season would work with a show like Resident Alien.

As it turns out, Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 9 would have done much better if it had aired right after Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 8.

Go figure.

The cliffhanger from Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 8 was significant.

A baby alien was on the loose, and the man who had threatened Asta and Harry in New York caught up with them and was killed.

There was a lot of promise for what would come next, such as what the alien baby would get up to and whether D’Arcy stumbling onto the murder scene would find her on the inside of Harry’s secret or not.

Well, the alien baby was only spotted once, and despite her heroics playing the bag man and formulating a plan to get rid of the body, D’Arcy has not been invited to Harry’s inner circle.

Mike: I’m pretty sure I heard two distinct caliber gunshots.
Harry: That was me. I’m still celebrating. It’s my birthday! [releases a popper]
D’Arcy: Yay, Harry.
Asta: [whispery] Woo hoo.

She proved her ability to keep a secret and doubled down on how much she’d be willing to do for her best friend, no questions asked. I just wish Asta had as much faith in D’Arcy as D’Arcy has in Asta.

D’Arcy didn’t pull the trigger, so she’s doing quite well dealing with the body. She’s enjoying it. But Asta crumbles under the weight of what she’s done.

Of course, Harry doesn’t understand and is little help, especially after he leaps at the position of town doctor again so that he can “fix” the autopsy.

But once Asta got into the autopsy room with him, Harry finally felt her pain, and he knew his only option was to remove her memory of what had happened.

When we saw Jay sitting alone on the stoop of the diner and with Harry’s voiceover, it appeared he had made his decision, and in doing so, he might have ruined any chance that Asta had to connect more deeply with her daughter.

Assuming that Harry did wipe her memory, how will that play out with D’Arcy? Sure, Asta is devastated, but it would be incredibly odd for them to stop talking about it. Maybe I’m all wrong, and Harry didn’t wipe her memory. But it would sure open a massive can of worms.

The other possibility is that D’Arcy and Elliott will grow close enough that she’ll be focusing more of her attention elsewhere.

Her apologetic dessert array was very sweet (no pun intended). When she’s with Elliott, D’Arcy’s personality softens, and she allows herself to be vulnerable. It would take a very patient man to have a successful relationship with D’Arcy, and Elliott proved himself by waiting for D’Arcy for three hours when she stood him up.

I can’t wait to see how it progresses.

Harry continues to grow, as well, and he is feeling his humanity post gunshot wound. Coming close to death has shaken him more than he’d care to admit.

If a bullet hit this human heart, it would kill this body before I could turn back into an alien, then I would die, too.

Harry

His species doesn’t think much of death, and he’s taken to laughing at humans who give it too much thought. When the reality of your short existence courses through your brain, it’s pretty difficult to ignore.

Harry always had a good time reminding patients they were going to die, and he even did it again during this episode, but he had a moment at the same time. He seemed to realize that if someone nearer to death had it on their mind as often as it’s been on Harry’s after one event, it might not be such a funny topic after all.

I do not like this feeling of being almost dead. When I get a burnt potato in my hash browns, I put it to the side of my plate and ignore it. I will do the same with death. I feel better already.

Harry

By that same thought pattern, I wonder how acting as a marriage counselor to Ben and Kate will change as his own relationships change.

Another path for the Asta saga to take would be for Harry to tell her he wiped her memory. Maybe it’s impossible to imagine how it would work because it can’t work.

Ben and Kate are having trouble communicating. Specifically, Kate wants Ben to be comfortable telling her anything. But Ben can’t tell her everything because the one thing he can’t say is that he’s unhappy. He hasn’t figured out how to put himself first yet.

How do you ruin salmon? I mean, you basically just shine a flashlight on it, and it’s done.

Ben

Ben got so flustered during their session that he started circular speaking, much like our vice president tends to do when she loses her train of thought and has nothing else to offer to a discussion.

Dishonesty changes the dynamics of any relationship. So far, Harry (eventually) has been honest with Asta. I’d be interested to see how they’d fair if that wasn’t the case.

They need each other more than ever. They’re right in the middle of this real-Harry and Galvan/Powell Group mess, and now there is murder on their hands. Liv is still pressing her alien theory, and she and Mike are pushing on all the rest of it, too.

Harry: I have a working theory that I would like to share with you with the aid of my assistant, Judy Pooper.
Judy: It’s Cooper. Pooper’s my butt.
Harry: Judy Cooter.
Judy: Co-Cooper. Cooter’s my lady pocket.

Thankfully, they remain a bumbling duo for the most part. Judy was funny as hell when she spotted the body, casually wondering how he could breathe like that, but Mike’s icicle gun and bullet theory was coming from a law enforcement officer. He’s not much of a threat.

Liv is so tied up with finding corroboration for her alien experience and placating Mike with her silly need to be included that she might not have her head in the game enough to spot anything off, either.

Mike: Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they all killed ’em. Look at them rich people names. Troy Hendricks, Tanner Corrington. Sound like old money murderers who killed their way out of trouble. Their parents too busy buyin’ yachts and wearin’ visors to teach ’em right from wrong.
Liv: They probably wear belts that have whales and lobsters on them.
Mike: Ha! Just a bunch of generational wealth, privileged-as-hell, lacrosse-assed, pastel shorts, boat-shoe mothafuckas. Sorry about the swearin’.

There was a new gal in town, though. Jessup, while seeming superior in many areas, also runs rings around Patience when it comes to justice. Detective Torres is quite competant. Still, she was easily swindled by Harry into relinquishing the body back into Patience’s custody.

Torres could be fun in a way the general and David still are not.

Does anybody get a kick out of their inclusion in the narrative? It’s hard to understand what purpose they have. We already have Mike and Liv bumbling and Kate and Ben bumbling, so one more layer of bumbling is not only too much but pointless.

They have yet to add a single thing to the overarching story. With everything the real Harry was into, our Harry doesn’t need another layer of people coming after him.

Oh yeah, the Alien Hunter is also likely on his way, which will be even another bumbler, no doubt.

Overall, the characters in Patience do plenty to drive story, and with the addition of the baby alien, there is more than enough without creating yet more layers.

What do you think? Do we need more layers? Should the general and David take a flying leap off a short pier?

Hit me with your thoughts below, and don’t forget that you can watch Resident Alien online via TV Fanatic!

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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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