"Alien: Earth" (Episode 5 Recap)

“Another victory for the enemy of reason…. It means this space bug is proof of how stupid smart people can be. Smart enough to build ships capable of space travel, of splitting the atom and decoding the genome, but too stupid to realize you don’t bring parasites home with you.”

In episode 5 of Alien: Earth, we learned the events that led to the USCSS Maginot to crash back into Earth. If you’re not caught up, then I suggest you do because this episode has a lot to unpack.

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The events take place 17 days before Earth; specifically before the space cargo Maginot crashes into the Prodigy building. Clem (Tom Moya) wakes up Morrow (Babou Ceesay) from cryosleep, informing him that a fire broke out in the containment room and two species were loose: two arthropods (more commonly known as the facehuggers), killing Captain Dinsdale (Tanapol Chuksrida) and injuring science officer, Bronski (Max Reinhart). Morrow and Clem walk to the med bay, joining fellow Maginot crew members Dr. Rahim, Chibuzo (Karen Aldridge), and Zaveri,  the acting officer (played by Richa Moorjani). Morrow observes two bodies, Captain Dinsdale and Bronski lying on opposites of the med bay, each attached with a facehugger. Rahim explains to Morrow that he tried removing the facehugger from Captain Dinsdale, but when he made an incision at the base of the tale, the facehugger bled acid, killing the captain. Morrow also learns that a fire broke out in the containment unit, which Captain Dinsdale and Bronksi were able to put out; however, two facehuggers escaped after the containment doors were seemingly left open. Morrow asks the important questions: what caused the fire and why were the egg crates opened? Zaveri, on the other hand, wants to figure out a way to remove the facehugger from Bronski. Chibuzo explains that the protocol for any crew members in contact with alien-life forms is to be placed in cryo-sleep for the remainder of the journey. In this case, it’s two weeks. 

Morrow instructs Chibuzo and Clem to ensure that the rest of the species are locked and secured. He runs into two engineers, Shmuel (Michael Smiley) and Malachite (Jamie Bisping). Shmuel discloses information that Zaveri neglected to say: the fire disrupted the navigational systems. Or, as he eloquently puts it, “Meaning we were a spaceship, and now we’re a missile, and we’re heading towards Earth.” Morrow suspects sabotage. Including Morrow, there are eight members awake from cryo sleep: Zaveri, Dr. Rahim, Chibuzo, Clem, Shmuel, Malachite, and Mr. Teng (Andy Yu). So who is the saboteur?

Zaveri does not want to create panic and suspicion among the crew. Zaveri was in an illicit relationship with Bronski, leaving Morrow to argue that she’s distracted and compromised. Zaveri needs to contact Mother and declare an emergency. As Zaveri informs Mother that she’s now in command, she also requests permission to destroy species should they threaten the crew. For Mother, the species are top priority and wants Zaveri to acknowledge, which she does so with reluctance. 

Morrow watches the surveillance video of the containment unit to understand how the facehuggers escaped. He sees the fire start and Captain Dinsdale rushing to put it out, while Bronski runs after him to help. They receive an alert about a containment breach and two facehuggers attack and attach themselves to the captain and Bronski. Morrow zooms in on the door of the containment holding the facehuggers. He rewinds the footage moments before the fire breaks out and notices an unidentified individual not only deliberately damaging the ship but also responsible for opening the containment door. 

Morrow learns that someone deleted the communication logs, but Clem is working to recover them. Later, Morrow, Zaveri, and Shmuel receive notification of a breach in the cryo pods. When they arrive, the crew discover that the foreign species attached to Bronski managed to escape and it is growing fast. Morrow realizes that the facehugger implanted an embryo, the embryo hatched, and it’s now loose on the ship. With the creature once again loose, Morrow intends to use an electric and nonlethal gun (the same gun he uses on Joe in episode 2) to capture the xenomorph. 

Zaveri gathers the crew and relays the news of Bronsky’s death and informs them about the saboteur. Malachite drinks from Chibuzo’s water bottle, unaware that the water contains larvae from Species 19. Malachite later vomits blood, and he’s immediately taken to the med bay.

Morrow finds the saboteur after Mr. Teng makes him aware that not everyone in cryo-sleep is asleep. The culprit is Petrovitch, the chief engineer (played by Enzo Cilenti). The communication logs are conveniently recovered and it is revealed that Petrovitch made a deal with Boy Kavalier. They conspire to sabotage the ship and ensure it crashes into Boy Kavalier’s building so he could claim the foreign species. In exchange, Petrovitch will receive a synthetic body. Morrow rushes to the cryo pods, only to find Petrovitch missing. One by one, the rest of the crew members are killed, leaving only Morrow. When he returns to Earth, Morrow visits Weyland-Yutani and promises to kill Boy Kavalier.

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Noah Hawley returns to the director’s chair and does a great job building suspense. One of the best scenes in the show is with Chibuzo in the laboratory studying Species 19. Chibuzo is unaware one of the alien leeches has escaped. With her back turned, the alien leech releases larvae into her water bottle. For the next few minutes, I sat at the edge of my seat expecting Chibuzo to take a drink. My eyes were glued to the screen anytime she got close to drinking the bottle. Hawley deliberately sets up a familiar scenario, focusing the audience’s attention on Chibuzo’s water bottle and zooming in briefly on the object as the character’s voices fade. Alas, Hawley played with my expectations because Chibuzo never takes a sip but Malachite does. The scene is memorable and leaves an impact. 

How Hawley tells the story is fascinating. He provides the audience with answers as to how the crew of USCSS Maginot met the tragic fate as a murder-mystery with Morrow playing the role of detective as he tries to identify the saboteur. 

The episode sheds light into Morrow’s past. Morrow left behind a daughter on Earth, sifting through letters and drawings sent by her. He recalls a memory of her where the two of them sit together on a beach, and he points to the sky. He tells her when she misses him and wants to talk to him, look up at the sky because he will always be there looking back at her. A letter, however, reveals that she died at the age of 19 in a fire that destroyed her home. His backstory humanizes Morrow: he’s a complex character not a villain. His mission to retrieve the species is motivated by his loyalty to Weyland-Yutani, but also with the death of his daughter, Morrow has nothing to lose. 

The episode also brings up discourse on power imbalance. When Clem asks why Weyland-Yutani want the species so badly, Dr. Rahim says, “It’s power. It’s always about power. You got five big corporations that control everything, right? But our guys want to be on top…so they can use it to take over.” These five corporations are significantly more powerful than the people working for them. Both Petrovitch and Zaveri lose people they love in trying to uphold Weyland-Yutani’s mission that the species are the corporation’s main priority. Petrovitch and Zaveri also begin affairs with members of their team, even though the corporation forbids workplace relationships. But 65 years is a long time. They are stripped of fundamental freedoms for the sake of the corporation. 

The wealthy depend on those less fortunate to retain their power. Weyland-Yutani places more emphasis on the foreign species’ survival than the people who risked their lives to attain them. Boy Kavalier is responsible for the crash, yet the blame is never placed on him. He’s able to wash his hands clean. Morrow wants retribution, and he wants to be the one who delivers justice.