And just like that, Resident Alien has come to an end. While there wasn’t any warning ahead of time, Chris Sheridan had a feeling that the fourth season would be the last, and that’s the way he wrote it to make sure there was closure for all.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from the Resident Alien season 4 finale.
I love it when showrunners have the foresight to see that the end is nigh. This allows them the time to craft a beautiful ending, fitting for their series. Sheridan absolutely made the right move, and it felt like a final season from the beginning of season 4.
Would I love some more of this series? Absolutely. Am I mad with the way it ended? Definitely not. I’ve been through plenty of final seasons, even shows that have known they’re on their final season, and not quite felt the closure that Resident Alien was able to offer. Now let’s get into the recap.
A new alien threat in Paitence in the Resident Alien season 4 finale
Did we really think that there wouldn’t be more aliens to end a show about aliens? Of course not! Well, while Hot Doctor is driving down the road talking to his mom about wanting revenge on Harry, an alien spaceship lands on top of him. Ethan Stone is no more.
However, the spaceship is a major problem for Patience, as an alien hand emerges.
Meanwhile, as Harry asks for 100 of each of Dan’s pies for his trip to Heather’s homeland, he learns that someone else has been recruited to be the town doctor. He’s not too happy about his job and his home being given to someone else. Will this be enough to stay?
Is everyone leaving Patience?
Asta reveals that she had a weird dream the night before. An alien spaceship landed from Harry’s planet, Judy had a wagon full of books, and Jay was angry with her. Nothing seems to make sense, but it’s all about to connect to things that happen in the episode.
As Jay arrives with exciting news that she’s been accepted into college, Asta shares that she’s going to Amsterdam with the hope to move there. This is where Jay gets angry with Asta, not happy that her biological mother is leaving her.
And then, Judy turns up with a wagon full of encyclopedias, making it clear that she’s going to use Asta’s closet for them. Well, that means two out of three things have happened, so the alien spaceship landing must have also happened.
Sure enough, this is a side effect of the poison from the Mantid. It will eventually wear off, but for now, Asta can see the future and potentially multiple timelines, and now they know that an alien from Harry’s planet is here. It’s time for Asta, D’Arcy, and Harry to save Earth again.
Max can use his powers to save Patience again in Resident Alien
While Kate and Ben discuss Kate’s parents visiting and telling them about Bella, Kate then decides to take Ben for a stroll through the town square. They come across Ethan, who Max warns Kate is actually an alien in disguise. Is it that surprising that the alien took on Ethan’s identity in the way Harry did with the real Harry in the series premiere?
Of course not! Ethan goes to see Harry, sharing that he has Harry’s job and that he needs the Tellurium. Naturally, Alien Ethan is here to destroy Earth, but Harry doesn’t want that to happen. He advocates for humanity.
When Harry gets to the Hawthorns, he finds the entire crew there. They want to protect the planet, but Harry believes he doesn’t need help. He’s the one with the alien abilities to take on Ethan. Harry now reveals that he’s planted fake memories, including one of Mike fly fishing with his dad. Naturally, everyone is angry at Harry for this, and Harry leaves.
Well, we can’t have the group sitting out on protecting their town. They decide they can take care of the alien themselves, but they end up turning on each other. Liv is angry that Harry killed the real Harry, and Mike is angry about the memory manipulation, and Ben is angry Harry tried to kill Max. However, D’Arcy points out that Asta has a relationship with Jay because of Harry, and Kate points out that they have Bella because of him.
A crossroad for everyone
Things aren’t as simple for everyone else, though. After Harry makes it clear that he wants to kill Mike, Asta encourages him to find a better plan. That means sending Mike to his dad, who is fly fishing. It’s time to make that memory real.
Meanwhile, Asta finds herself with a choice. She wants to go to Amsterdam, but she’s also been offered an opportunity to work as a nurse in New Orleans. She doesn’t know which one to chose, and while Kate has a good note about the world being so big, we do have to make choices sometimes.
D’Arcy becomes the one to offer support to a fellow skier, who is in AA and on the verge of giving up. “Stop making excuses for your life,” is one of the most poignant things that D’Arcy can say, and I love that we’ve come to this growth for her.
Harry finds himself at his own crossroads when it comes to Ethan. After getting Ethan drunk at The 59 and a moment that mimicked the series premiere, we see Ethan realizing that humanity can grow and change. As Harry sees that Ethan will come around, he decides not to kill him.
As for the Hawthorns, Kate decides that she wants to go back into law. She’s done living in survival mode, and while Ben supports it, he feels like alien abductions all his life have made him weird. There’s a beautiful moment between the couple that I feel has been missing this whole series, so I’m glad we saw them actually love each other.
Mike gets an offer to join a secret alien task force, but he’ll only join if Liv works with him. Sure enough, the two will continue to work in Patience, but they will also help to protect Earth from aliens.
Resident Alien series finale ending explained: Time to say goodbye
And with that, it’s time for Harry to say goodbye. Fences have been mended, and Harry has been given Ethan’s ship to get to Heather. However, Harry notes that while Ethan is good, there may be other threats. Max and Sahar need to protect Earth.
Meanwhile, Asta is on her way, taking a bracelet from D’Arcy’s childhood. It’s a sweet moment, as the two hug out everything that’s happened and go their separate ways.
Resident Alien ends with Harry’s voiceover, as we watch him fly to Heather’s planet. He tells us that the love you leave behind will always last longer than you, and it’s so true. It’s something we all need to remember, especially when we’re having a bad day.
Thank you, Resident Alien. Now, who was cutting up all the onions?
Resident Alien’s series finale will stream on Peacock from Friday, Aug. 15.