Full spoilers follow for Alien: Earth season 1, including its eighth and final episode.
The final episode of Alien: Earth‘s first season has emerged from its ovomorph. And, with the FX TV Original dominating the entertainment news cycle since it premiered in late August, I’d expect what happens in its latest chapter, titled ‘The Real Monsters’, to spark plenty of fan debates for the foreseeable future.
Amid the conversations that are already raging online following its release, I suspect you’ve got questions about the Hulu and Disney+ show’s latest entry. Below, I’ll do my best to answer your biggest queries about ‘The Real Monsters’, and how it might set things up for a possible sequel season.
This is your final warning: major spoilers immediately follow for all of Alien: Earth season 1. Turn back now if you’ve still got episodes left to watch, including its finale.
Who dies in Alien: Earth season 1 episode 8?
Nobody important. In fact, in a rare move for a project set in the Alien universe, its major players survive the events of the show’s season 1 finale.
Indeed, all of the remaining Hybrids – Wendy/Marcy, Nibs, Smee, Slightly, and Curly – not only live to fight another day, but end up taking over Prodigy Corporation after they revolt against their creators and those who were in charge.
That includes Prodigy founder Boy Kavalier, his right-hand man Atom Eins, lead scientist Dame Sylvia, and the Hybrids’ synthetic surrogate father in Kirsh, who are all rounded up and imprisoned by Wendy and company in one of Prodigy’s multi-person jail cells.
That quartet are joined by Weyland-Yutani cyborg Morrow, too. Morrow was imprisoned following his capture in episode 7 and, despite breaking out of his cell in ‘The Real Monsters’, he’s recaptured and detained again.
So, who actually bites the dust? Only a couple of supporting characters in Siberian and Rashidi.
Siberian is killed by the carnivorous plant monster – it only took eight episodes for us to finally see it in action! – that escapes its research lab-based confinement cell in episode 8. As for Rashidi, we don’t see him die but, considering he isn’t part of the group that’s jailed at the end of this entry, I suspect he’s killed off-camera.
“But what about C.J.?”, I hear you cry. Don’t worry, he’s still alive. Midway through episode 8, Smee reminds Wendy/Marcy that, despite what C.J. did to Nibs at the end of episode 7, he’s still on the Hybrids’ side. He’s not imprisoned as the others are, then – although, judging by the worried expression on his face in the finale’s closing scene, it’s clear that C.J. doesn’t agree with Wendy and company taking charge of Prodigy.
Who becomes the eyeball monster’s new human host in Alien: Earth?
Nobody we expected it to be. Indeed, with Boy Kavalier heavily implying that he wanted to sacrifice a specific human to Trypanohyncha Ocellus (T. Ocellus) – it’s also affectionally known as ‘Eyeleen’ and ‘The Eye’ – fans were convinced they’d worked out who Alien: Earth‘s fan-favorite eyeball creature would take over next.
I even discussed the three most likely candidates to become T. Ocellus’ new human host, with C.J., Dame Sylvia, and Morrow being my picks for some non-consensual ocular and brain-based surgery courtesy of the eight-limbed monstrosity.
Well, it turns out we were all wrong. In a shocking turn of events, The Eye takes over the decomposing body of Arthur, Dame’s recently-deceased husband and fellow Prodigy scientist.
I’ll admit I found it strange that ‘The Real Monsters’ opens on a shot of Arthur’s corpse. Following his death at the hands of a chest-bursting xenomorph in episode 7, Arthur’s body was ungraciously tossed away by Morrow and Weyland-Yutani’s invading forces before that chapter ended. Since then, Arthur’s dead body has clearly washed up on one of Prodigy’s Neverland Island’s beaches and become a potential tasty meal for the enclave’s native crab population.
There’s a specific reason why we were shown Arthur’s corpse, though, because Ocellus not only finds it, but is also able to physically possess it and reanimate it for its own villainous reasons.
It didn’t always look (pun fully intended) like this scenario would play out. Midway through episode 8, it seemed like C.J. was going to become Ocellus’ new human host after he was set up Boy Kavalier and Atom Eins. Thanks to Wendy/Marcy’s intervention, though, Ocellus was prevented from taking C.J. for a spin as the lifeform’s new bipedal home.
Long story short: Ocellus flees the scene via a floor vent, escapes the facility, and eventually stumbles upon Arthur’s corpse on the shoreline. After inspecting the carcass, Ocellus supplants Arthur’s left eye and uses its other parasitic functions to effectively revive Arthur, albeit completely under its control.
Who is Steven DiMarco, the sixth dead kid whose grave we see in Alien: Earth’s season 1 finale?
The answer to this question is pretty obvious, but some viewers might be confused as to who Steven is, so it’s worth providing one here.
Steven is the real name of Tootles/Isaac, the Hybrid played by Kit Young. Before he was killed by those acid-spitting, artificial material-eating fly-like creatures in episode 6, Tootles/Isaac was the other Hybrid created by Prodigy alongside Wendy, Nibs, Smee, Slightly, and Curly. That means there were six terminally ill children whose consciousnesses were transferred into the artificial bodies they’ve occupied since Alien: Earth‘s premiere.
Considering that Tootles/Isaac died two chapters ago, some audience members might have forgotten about him. As such, when Dame Sylvia visits the children’s graveyard at the start of episode 8, some fans might be confused as to why there are six gravestones. Well, there’s your answer!
Does Alien: Earth season 1’s finale have a mid-credits or post-credits scene?
No. Once the end credits roll on ‘The Real Monsters’, there are no additional scenes to stick around for.
You should sit through the final credits crawl to appreciate the sheer amount of people who worked on the series. But, if you remain seated with the hope that there’ll be a Marvel-style tease at the end, you’ll be gravely disappointed.
Will there be an Alien: Earth season 2?
Possibly. Showrunner/creator Noah Hawley has said he sees Alien: Earth‘s story running for multiple seasons. Indeed, speaking to Variety ahead of season 1’s debut, he suggested the sci-fi horror series could last for up to five seasons.
More recently, Hawley told the Evolution of Horror YouTube channel that he already knows where the plot will go in season 2 if it’s greenlit. However, nothing’s officially been confirmed by FX Networks, aka the studio behind Alien: Earth, so we’ll have to see if the show was popular enough to warrant at least one more eight-part installment.
What will happen in Alien: Earth season 2?
Again, here’s nothing official to report, but that won’t stop me speculating on what could happen if Alien: Earth is renewed for another season.
For starters, there’s the immediate fallout of the Hybrids takeover of Prodigy. With a sizable number of Weyland-Yutani troops inbound, it’ll be fascinating to see how Prodigy’s main rival will react to its trillionaire founder – i.e., Boy Kavalier – being usurped by the very things he created. I imagine Wendy and company won’t be handing over any alien lifeforms to Weyland-Yutani, either. So, while Yutani, the megacorp’s own CEO, might find it amusing that Boy has been locked up by the Hybrids, she’ll likely be displeased by Wendy’s refusal to give them her xenomorphs, nor will she be happy that Morrow has been imprisoned by the gang.
Speaking of the dangerous extraterrestrials that Prodigy stole from Weyland-Yutani, the carnivorous plant creature and Ocellus are now loose on the island. I suspect the latter will continue to play a big role next season, especially if its ultimate goal is to bond with someone as intelligent as Boy. As for the flora-esque monster and other alien lifeforms, your guess is as good as mine as to how they’ll be used throughout season 2.
There’s bound to be more melodrama at play next time around, too. I’d be surprised if one or more of the other four Hybrids continue to follow Wendy’s lead as season 2’s plot progresses, and it’ll be intriguing to see if the level of trust between C.J. and Wendy continues on its downward trajectory. There’s also the prospect of the incarcerated humans, cyborgs, and other synthetics, such as Kirsh, forming an uneasy alliance to try and take back control of the facility. So, don’t be surprised if you find yourself rooting for characters you originally disliked and/or railing against individuals whose side you were previously on.
Lastly, would it be too much to ask to see the other megacorporations that run planet Earth – Threshold, Lynch, and Dynamic – show up and play an active role in proceedings? Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy can continue to be central to Alien: Earth‘s narrative, but it would be cool to see the other conglomerates wade into the fray and further complicate matters, especially if they want to take advantage of Prodigy’s current predicament. Make it so, Mister Hawley.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
