Alien: Earth

I had such high expectations after 4 episodes. There were a multitude of characters with different motivations. And then slowly this show degraded into one dimensional storyline.

This show is more about synths than aliens. And there is no logic in anything the synths do. They are the most unlikeable protagonists. Are we supposed to root for the synths? By the end of the season I was rooting for the synths to die because they are so loathsome.

First of all: the production is excellent. Great atmosphere and cinematogrophie. I give that 5 stars. BUT... the story is absolutely BS. What idiot came up with the children being the superheros?! I really wanted to like this... but i ended this series for me at episode 4 when the totally unlikeable character Wendy started talking in the "alien"-language. I laughed out loud and stopped watching.

I had expectations like the Aliens actually invading Earth. Roaming throu the streets of Manhattan and doing their Alien-thing. Something like a mix of "Cloverfield" and "Jurassic Park". Instead we got a mix of "Stand by me" and "The Goonies" in space.

Allen: Earth is finally here and I have to say I was hoping it would be a lot better than it is. It almost feels like a teen CW version of Alien and not the Alien franchise we all came to know and love. I was promised the show would be full of enough excitement and thrills that make the episodes feel like they fly by. It's not. The other thing I can't stand is that we have to wait to wait a week between episodes. I have come so used to binging series that that's how I like to watch my shows. I hate waiting a week when I enjoy a show. I admit I'm not the biggest or most knowledgeable Alien fan, the originals were made before I was born but I have watched them and enjoyed them. I am a big sci-fi fan though so that's why I was looking forward to this so much and why I'm disappointed.

The renewal of Alien Earth for a second season is perhaps the most surprising plot twist of all, given the massive disappointment that was its first outing. While the series started with a tantalizing glimpse of potential, Season 1 ultimately crashed and burned under the weight of incoherent storytelling and a truly dreadful roster of characters.

The journey began promisingly. The pilot episode was "okay," but Episode 2 truly sparked interest, introducing fascinating new ideas and broadening the scope of the established Xenomorph universe. The series touched on compelling philosophical themes-exploring the nature of humanity, the role of the creatures, and the hubris of those who "played God" with the scenario. For a brief moment, it felt like Alien Earth was poised to deliver the intellectual horror the franchise has often chased.

Unfortunately, that promise dissolved quickly. By the time we reached the Season 1 finale (Episode 8), the struggle to find positive elements became overwhelming. The central, unforgivable sin of the season was a plot that simply stopped making sense. Events unfolded illogically, narrative threads were either poorly executed or dropped entirely, leaving the viewer more confused than engaged.

However, the greatest source of viewer frustration lay in the characters. Simply put, the show featured zero likable characters. Every person on screen seemed determined to be irritating, incompetent, or morally bankrupt. The true failure of the season, and perhaps its most frustrating oversight, was the narrative's refusal to deliver satisfying consequences. The characters one desperately wanted to see killed in a suitably horrific manner were, bafflingly, spared, leaving the audience with an emotionally hollow and dissatisfying resolution.

Alien Earth Season 1 ultimately delivered a bad end product. Despite a few interesting concepts in the early episodes, the season failed on fundamental levels: coherent plotting and character investment. While the show has a second chance, it will need a radical overhaul to make anyone care about the world or the fate of its inhabitants.

Verdict: D- (Disappointing and Disingenuous)

Like many, I had really high hopes for a new take on the franchise. And elements of the show did live up to my expectations, albeit only to be deeply overshadowed by a mess of a plot, and characters that made no sense.

I enjoyed the glimpses we got into the world-building with the mega-corporations, I enjoyed the creativity put into the new alien species, and I even enjoyed the take on the immortality trope as presented in the show.

But despite my readiness to check my disbelief at the door, no amount of blind-eye turning could allow me to just accept the stupidity of the decisions made by characters, or the nonsense plot holes that achieved nothing that a little more thought and care in the writing could have.

All that being said, episode 5 was exceptional. That alone could've been rewritten as a standalone cinematic sequel to the original Alien and Aliens, and IMO would've been accepted as a worthy finale to the trilogy.