Read this review to see if the Resident Alien episode “The Lonely Man” is worth watching.
About Resident Alien
- Season 4, Episode 2: “The Lonely Man”
- Directed by Alan Tudyk
- Written by Kelechi Urama
- Synopsis: Harry and Asta work together to try and get something Harry desperately needs.
- Airdate: June 13, 2025
- Starring: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Elizabeth Bowen, Clancy Brown, Michael Cassidy, Angela Chu, Taijah Clough, Levi Fiehler, Meredith Garretson, Andrea Geones, Enver Gjokaj
If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode, skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Resident Alien Season 4 Episode 2 “The Lonely Man”
Recap Resident Alien (2025): S4E02 – “The Lonely Man”
In episode two of Resident Alien this season, Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) reunites with his friends during a horrific crisis, which has comic outcomes. In this hilarious comic series, Tudyk plays an alien whose only goal on Earth is to destroy it. But in season four, external threats are increasingly frequent.
Harry returns to Earth after months in a Gray alien prison, but struggles to transform into his true alien form. The supporting cast, including Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), follows their paths in the fourth season of Resident Alien. The symmetry between the characters working towards the same goals is clever and well-executed.
The episode feels like a step down from the season four premiere, with little development. Despite some funny scenes and fun interactions, it doesn’t feel as pivotal as the first episode. D’Arcy Bloom (Alice Wetterlund) shines with an emotionally complex narrative, and Wetterlund’s performance is impressive. The show follows different characters, allowing everyone to shine.
Since Harry is now human, everything about him has changed, and he will have to learn to be someone completely different for some time. He’s ticklish and no longer enjoys the flavour of milk (“I still love milk just as much as I always have”). Additionally, he becomes terrified of everything, which is understandable given that the Mantid alien is threatening to murder him.
Speaking of the Mantid (voiced by Clancy Brown), he has decided to change his form and get a snack. The poor guy at the motel doesn’t last long.
Harry seeks help from Joseph Rainier (Enver Gjokaj), despite being disgusted by Asta’s affair with a Grey extraterrestrial. After unsuccessfully trying to destroy the Mantid, Joseph informs Harry that he can’t help find the inhibitors or resolve his issues. Harry has to find a grey alien. Luckily, Earth is home to one of them. I take it that Bruce has arrived on Earth?
Unfortunately, Bruce is beginning to change into a liquid gel, so things don’t look good. He admits to Harry before he passes away that the Greys wouldn’t have limited his alien form. They left him a mere human after stealing him.
The Greys’ inability to survive on Earth explains their love of stealing babies, as well as the alien encounter with Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) in Resident Alien season 3.
Deputy Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen) tries to convince Mike to accept aliens, but he remains skeptical. As they hunt for Joseph, Liv sets up a reason to search the mountains alone. But Mike follows her, finds Peter Bach (Terry O’Quinn), and can potentially fix his legs. This opens up the conversation about aliens, and at the end, Mike returns to see the alien goo he saw. Now he knows aliens are real.
Kate Hawthorne (Meredith Garretson) and Mayor Ben Hawthorne (Levi Fiehler) are unaware of Joseph’s return to town, but she wants her baby back. They’re unaware of their baby Daisy’s current location on the Rez, a place D’Arcy visits due to her love for the baby. She’s ignoring warnings from Asta to stay away. Sadly, the Hawthornes seem to have forgotten about Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn), despite him being a child, and Kate is determined to find Joseph to find out about her stolen baby.
Joseph proposes to Asta, but is rejected. Fearful, he clings to her. After being badly beaten, missing an arm, and facing authorities, he bravely ventures out.
Overall: Skip Resident Alien (2025) “The Lonely Man”
Resident Alien’s lighter tone and well-executed nature make the series more palatable, making its graphic nature less jarring. The series also hits serious notes, with Joseph leaving with a kind gesture towards the Hawthornes and the closing minutes referencing the past. Characters return unexpectedly, playing a bigger role in the search and determining their side with multiple parties.
There is a lot more setup than action in Resident Alien Season 4, Episode 2. Resident Alien has always moved quickly and well, but this episode lacks distinction because it has to develop multiple storylines.
USA Network and SYFY broadcast new episodes of Resident Alien every Friday at 11/10c.
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Star Trek is known for beautiful and strong women. Some women have been so lovely that they’ve won awards in beauty pageants.
A turbulent year of pageant controversy ended with the crowning of the new Miss USA. After the shocking resignation of the 2023 winner, Alma Cooper from Michigan, was elected Miss USA on Sunday, August 5, 2024, making her the third winner of the title this year.
Let’s look back at the winners of Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss Universe who went on to shine in the Star Trek universe.
7. Mona Grudt in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Ensign Graham
Winner: Miss Universe (1990)
Grudt was raised in the nearby village of Hell after being born in Stjørdal, Norway. She was the first Norwegian winner of the Miss Universe pageant, having taken first place in 1990. She called herself, perhaps ironically, “The Beauty Queen from Hell,” considering her home village (though in Norwegian, “Hell” really means “luck”). Her role as co-host of the Miss Universe Pageant on television began in 1991. In addition to her Star Trek role, she appeared in the daily soap opera Santa Barbara when she was living in the United States.
In the episode “Identity Crisis” from Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, she portrayed Ensign Graham. She was the flight control officer during the mission to the planet Tarchannen III.
6. Lynda Carter in Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway
Winner: Miss World USA (1972)
Lynda Carter represented Arizona in the 1972 Miss World USA pageant, which brought her national prominence in the United States after she won a local beauty pageant in the state. She was among the top 15 in the international Miss World 1972 competition, representing the United States. But she’s best known for her role as Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV show.
She, along with several other actresses, auditioned for the part of Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. Lynda Carter was one of several women the producers looked at after Geneviève Bujold resigned, although she was never formally offered the role of Janeway. She was allowed to try out for the Janeway role, but Kate Mulgrew was chosen instead.
5. Vanessa Williams in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Arandis
Winner: Miss America (1984)
Williams, from the Bronx in New York City, was the first African-American woman to win the title of Miss America in 1984. However, she resigned from the position later that year after her unapproved nude images appeared in Penthouse magazine. In the same year, she appeared in her debut acting role in The Love Boat episode as “Miss America 1984”. Shortly after, guest appearances in episodes of TV shows including T.J. Hooker, The Redd Foxx Show, and Partners in Crime (starring Amy Hill) ensued.
In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fifth season episode “Let He Who Is Without Sin…” Williams plays Curzon Dax’s ex-lover. The Risan named Arandis.
Williams’ most well-known role is as Wilhelmina Slater in the 2006–2010 ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. For her performance, she is a nominee for a 2007 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
4. Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Discovery as Captain Philippa Georgiou
Winner: Miss Malaysia World (1983)
Yeoh was the 1983 Miss Malaysia World winner at twenty years old. She represented Malaysia in the Miss World 1983 pageant held in London, finishing in eighteenth place. She began her career starring in Hong Kong action movies but soon rose to international fame thanks to her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Her more recent roles include the Netflix-produced sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the series Marco Polo (both 2016). In 2017, she also cameoed as Aleta Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).
Yeoh plays Captain Philippa Georgiou, the commanding officer of the USS Shenzhou, in Star Trek: Discovery, as well as the mirror universe’s emperor of the Terran Empire. She’s appeared in five episodes of Discovery and several episodes of Short Trek. It’s been announced that she’ll be returning to the franchise in the Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Section 31. “I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” the Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar winner says in a statement. “Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched.”
3. Lee Meriwether in Star Trek: The Original Series as Losira
Winner: Miss America (1955)
Meriwether was born in Los Angeles, California, and won Miss San Francisco before Miss California in 1954. She was crowned Miss America in 1955 with her recital of a monologue by John Millington Synge. After that, she transitioned to acting and played in a few science fiction/fantasy cult productions between 1966 and 1969. Today, she’s best known for Land of the Giants (1968), The Time Tunnel (1966), and Batman: The Movie (1966).
She also appeared in the Star Trek episode “That Which Survives” (1969) as an evil alien. Losira, a female Kalandan, led a Kalandan outpost as its commander. She had set up the outpost’s computer to use her image for defense before she passed away. The USS Enterprise later found the outpost in 2268, along with a computer-generated duplicate of Losira.
While Meriwether went on to more famous roles, she called her appearance “wonderful” and her now famous line, “I… am for you” perfect.
2. Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1983) as Lieutenant Ilia
Winner: Femina Miss India (1965)
The first time Persis Khambatta was well-known was when a series of her photos appeared in a lucrative soap company advertisement. She later turned into a model and became the third Indian to compete in the Miss Universe contest as a result of this.
Khambatta later played the female Deltan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Ilia. She was a member of Captain James T. Kirk’s crew on board the USS Enterprise in the middle of the 2270s. Following Ilia’s absorption by the V’ger probe, V’ger constructed a near-identical artificial probe to gather data and serve as a communication link between V’ger and the “carbon units” that had “infested” the Enterprise. The Ilia unit was described as “no longer functioning” in the probe. After a medical examination, it was discovered that the duplicate Ilia probe had the same molecular structure as Ilia. Her personality and memories were probed; however, they were both repressed due to V’ger’s programming.
In 1980, Khambatta made history as the first citizen of India to present an Academy Award. Because of her work in Star Trek, she received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.
She became an internationally known actress for the part. But after this role, she appeared in several low-budget films and minor television roles. She was brought to the Marine Hospital in south Mumbai in 1998 after complaining of chest pains, and on August 18, 1998, at the age of 49, she passed away after a severe heart attack.
1. Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager as Seven of Nine
Winner: Miss Illinois (1989)
Ryan was crowned Miss Illinois in 1989. She placed third runner-up in the Miss America 1990 pageant during her participation. Actress Jeri Ryan gained notoriety for her role as Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager, which she began in “Scorpion, Part II” and continued through the fourth season. Later, she returned to the show Star Trek: Picard, appearing in the first season as a recurrent guest star before being elevated to the main cast for the second and third seasons.
Born Annika Hansen, Seven of Nine was a female Human who was assimilated by the Borg and renamed Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 at six years old. After twenty-four years, the crew of the USS Voyager freed Seven, as she was eventually named, from her life as a Borg drone, and she joined the crew under Captain Janeway’s guidance. In 2378, she played a crucial role in helping the crew return to the Alpha Quadrant.
While Ryan has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, she’ll always be remembered as the sexy Borg Seven of Nine.
