Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Family Day
Carissa Pavlica
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Can someone please get Ben some classes in mayoral decisions?
On Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 5, the poor guy made a laughing stock of their most sacred community memory, the tragedy of The 59.
Or, maybe he just poured water over a horrific moment in their time that made no sense and should be forgotten or remembered as a cautionary tale.
But it wasn't all about a good time.
Liv keeps diving deeper into the alien theory of losing information due to abduction. Of course, she's almost right on the money.
But Mike doesn't want to be a part of her silly conspiracy theories. If she can't remember that day, Mike counters that he can't remember most things, so what's the big deal?
One thing that has been uncovered as Liv looks at the past with clearer vision is that something is going on with Mike.
As it turns out, Mike knows something is going on with him, too. We finally saw what happened to his partner and how hard Mike took his partner's death.
But when he had lunch with his dad and discovered he had forgotten that he had a biopsy to rule out cancer, Mike got scared.
He knows how precious life is. He's suffered loss. He doesn't want to miss a single moment of time with his dad. Unfortunately, that prompted him to visit Harry for medical advice connecting to his memory issues.
Harry cannot have Liv or Mike remembering anything. But it was surprising that Harry implanted such a sweet, fabricated memory for Mike. Number 42 is right. Harry is becoming more human every day.
Harry is becoming so human that he's a good father. Although he is a good friend to Asta and being a good father to Liza wasn't difficult. She's a pretty cool chick who had incredibly low expectations of the man who ghosted her.
Is this how humans feel when they have a child? Angry and resentful for having to care for a tiny thing? If she were a pet bird, I would leave the cage door open and the ceiling fan on.
Harry [internal]
Liza's antagonistic feelings for her father helped her accept the new, improved Harry. Common sense says that the changes should have been alarming to her. But the man he was is who ghosted her. Why would she complain if the changes helped their relationship?
Having a dad with childlike behavior isn't too bad. And once he got the hang of her being there, Harry went all out on important father-daughter bonding rituals.
Asta: Every baby grows into a Liza.
Harry: Then why do you feed them?
Who didn't laugh when Harry dragged out the nail polish, set up a tea party, and got a banana, a donut, and a condom ready for some sex ed?
He even got her a dog, which he stole from Sahar's client, likely to rile up Sahar into returning his alien ball, but also to ensure that Liza had a pet.
Harry's first taste of a teenage tantrum came after he allowed her to drive long enough that he wanted to pull his hair out. His attempts to steer Liza on the straight and narrow before demanding she stop the truck felt like every parent's experience.
Liza: Hey. Win me a prize?
Harry: I'll win myself a prize and consider giving it to you.
Liza: Fair enough.
They had been through enough by the time they got to family day that when they started an angry water balloon fight, it cascaded into genuine fun. Harry even called the delinquent camp to tell them Liza wouldn't be returning.
From that moment on, they shared a bond that only increases Harry's humanity.
Liza: You're a better father than I remember. I'm glad we got to spend time together. I might even miss you a little.
Harry: I'm glad.
It will be interesting to see how he navigates his humanity as he and Asta search for the alien in New York.
The feelings are striking him so often that he's worried a fellow alien will spot his human weakness and refuse to help him. But if Harry is suffering from a dose of human behavior, who is to say the New York alien won't be feeling the same pressure?
When Asta wasn't helping Harry with Liza, she was trying to reconnect with D'Arcy. D'Arcy really tied one on after dinner with her parents. She needed a vitamin drip to get her through the hangover.
Something tipped the scales between Asta and D'Arcy when D'Arcy slammed Asta for staying at Jimmy's, and Asta shot back with her distaste for D'Arcy's drinking.
For a minute, it looked like their friendship would be in tatters. But these women have been through life together and have hung in there.
Asta's attempt to get into D'Arcy's good graces involved a hot pepper eating contest, which ultimately found them back on solid ground.
The big shindig for Ben's Family Day celebration was a play he wrote about The 59, for which he roped the kids in town to play out the tragedy on stage.
Seeing a disaster of blockbuster potential, Ben's adaptation of the story was hilarious.
It wasn't meant to be funny, but the song about dead daddies, new uncle daddies, and drinking mommies was everything.
That doesn't even count the kids dressed as boulders who took down the miners, leaving them with bloody stumps and all kinds of good stuff.
Most stifled their laughter, but Harry and Liza let it all hang out. It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Drop Dead Gorgeous. There are two women watching a beauty pageant with a groanworthy talent program, and they were laughing their arses off.
Laughing at people on stage is an age-old tradition and one I'm proud to say I have partaken in, as well. If we're not alone, I'd love to hear your stories. Why not have some extra fun?
The end of the hour teed up what's to come next week. Asta and Harry are heading to NY, and Ben will be spending some time alone.
Just how much Ben needs that family break was apparent as he stood, waving at his family and breaking an enormous fart. Have fun, Ben!
If you missed this one, you can watch Resident Alien online. Once you're set, please let me know your thoughts on the play, Harry and Liza's interactions, and how Mike and Liv are weathering their lost time.
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 X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
