TV Recap: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episodes 1 & 2 – A Bold, Bloody Start to Noah Hawley’s Sci-Fi Saga

August 12, 2025

FX’s Alien: Earth wastes no time plunging viewers into its nightmarish vision of the future—complete with a crashed spaceship, grotesque creatures, and corporate intrigue. The first two episodes, “Neverland” and “Mr. October,” deliver a gripping blend of horror and high-concept sci-fi, even if they occasionally stumble under the weight of their own ambition.

A Familiar Yet Fresh Entry into the Franchise

Set two years before the events of Alien, the series opens aboard the Maginot, a Weyland-Yutani science vessel eerily reminiscent of the Nostromo. The crew, awakened from cryosleep, navigates tensions among themselves—particularly with Tang, a synthetic human whose unsettling behavior hints at darker secrets. But when the ship crashes on the colony world of New Siam, the real terror begins.

Originally, showrunner Noah Hawley planned to withhold details about the Maginot’s fate, but wisely restructured the premiere to ground viewers in the chaos. The decision pays off: when a blood-drinking parasite infiltrates a soldier’s helmet or a grotesque eyeball-creature bursts from a cat’s skull, the horror hits harder because we understand the stakes.

Corporate Warfare and the Quest for Immortality

Beyond the visceral thrills, Alien: Earth dives deep into its futuristic dystopia, where megacorporations battle for dominance. At the center is Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), the arrogant genius behind Prodigy Corporation, who has pioneered a radical procedure: transferring human consciousness into synthetic bodies. His first test subjects? A group of terminally ill children, now reborn as superhuman “Lost Boys,” led by Wendy (Sydney Chandler).

Wendy’s childlike wonder and fierce loyalty to her brother, Hermit, drive much of the emotional core. When Hermit’s rescue team investigates the Maginot wreckage, Wendy—now enhanced with synth strength—rushes to protect him, setting the stage for a brutal clash with the Xenomorph.

Spectacle and Shortcomings

Hawley’s direction delivers stunning visuals, from the Maginot’s wreckage to the eerie corridors of Kavalier’s lab. Yet some moments feel constrained by TV budgets—most Xenomorph kills happen off-screen, and a few CGI shots falter. More puzzling is Hermit’s unnerving calm after encountering the creature, as well as Morrow’s (Babou Ceesay) ability to briefly stun it with a taser rifle—a tactic that raises questions about later franchise events.

Still, when the horror works, it works. A Xenomorph massacre at a decadent, French-themed party is both gruesome and darkly satirical, leaning into the franchise’s tradition of blending social commentary with gore.

A Promising Start

By the end of “Mr. October,” Wendy and Hermit reunite—only for the Xenomorph to snatch him away, prompting her to leap into the abyss after him. While her survival seems inevitable (she is the protagonist), the tension remains gripping.

Alien: Earth may not yet match the lean terror of the original films, but it’s off to a thrilling, thought-provoking start. With its mix of body horror, corporate intrigue, and existential questions about humanity, Hawley’s series is shaping up to be a worthy addition to the Alien universe.

Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu.