The time has arrived. In just a few days, the second season of Resident Alien premieres, which makes this a perfect time to do a quick look back at some of the great “Harry” moments of season 1.
Based on the comic of the same title by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, the series follows an alien who crash lands on Earth while trying to complete his mission of setting up a device that will destroy the human population. After the crash, the alien finds a cabin on the outskirts of Patience, Colorado, where a pathology doctor is at his vacation home. He takes over this doctor’s form and identity and becomes the quirky Harry viewers are introduced to. The longer “Harry” spends on Earth, and with the people living in Patience, the more he risks not only being found out but becoming more human. Luckily his peculiarities and lack of social skills provide numerous laughs throughout each episode, including those below.
Law & Order
What is an alien to do after crashing on Earth and killing the real Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) to take over his life and identity? Well, in this case, turn on the television and learn how to be human by watching Law & Order episodes. He begins to learn how to walk and speak English through those episodes, mimicking Jerry Orbach’s character Detective Briscoe. “Dun Dun.”
Childish Fights
Quite literally. This character’s number one nemesis is a 9-year-old child named Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn). When they meet, Harry is shocked to discover that Max can see his proper alien form. The reason is because of a genetic mutation; Max is one out of a million humans who can see his true identity through the molecular reconstruction process used to appear human. It is multiple hilarious moments of them trying to get rid of each other from then on out. “There’s an alien under the bed!”
The Truth About Harry
Because of Harry’s apparent lack of people skills, it takes a little bit before he makes a friend. He finds that in Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko). Even before she knew his alien identity, they shared a bond, where Asta felt like an outsider; she also saw that in Harry. Even after learning he is an alien, she still accepts him as he is and fights to save him, not to mention it helps explain some of his idiosyncrasies. “It’s good to see you’re still such a huge weirdo. And your talent for unleashing chaos in my life is strong as ever. But I think I’m better having known you.”
Party Time!
When Harry makes his way to the local watering hole, The 59, it is there that he has his first introduction to alcohol and even hits the dance floor. On a different occasion, after Harry experiences losing his job and having his human wife leave him, Asta and D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) take him for noodles, drinks, and getting high, where he has a telepathic conversation with a cousin who is an octopus who then gets mad at him for being high.
Resident Alien season 2 returns on January 26 at 9 p.m. ET on SYFY. Check out our other Resident Alien coverage here.