[Warning: The following post contains major spoilers about the series finale of Resident Alien, Season 4 Episode 10, “The End is Here.”]
The end is here, alright. And we’re not OK with it.
One of the best sci-fi shows of the past decade has left our orbit in a series finale that was as full of heart, hope, and humor as it has been since Patience, Colorado’s Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle was first taken over by a Law & Order-loving alien with an unpronounceable name (the Emmy-robbed Alan Tudyk).
Thankfully, it was full of resolved storylines and wonderfully set-up futures for our favorite humans, as well. That’s due in large part to creator and showrunner Chris Sheridan‘s suspicion that the series wasn’t long for this world after its move from SYFY to USA for the fourth season.
“I knew going into it that this was likely going to be our final season,” he told us back in July when news of the cancellation was confirmed. “Creatively, that was exciting because I knew we could spend the time wrapping up some storylines and driving toward an ending. I’m so proud of how good Season 4 is and especially proud that we were able to finish as strongly as we did, with a finale that is probably my favorite episode of the series.”
James Dittiger/USA Network
And one that came right in under the wire. Talking with us again this week ahead of the finale, Sheridan revealed that the episode wasn’t officially locked until after he and the cast took the stage for their tear-soaked farewell panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
“We wrapped recently enough that post was a scramble to try to get it out by June,” he admits. “We finished beginning of April, I think, and I just finished post last week. Editing is always the biggest part.” Adding to the extended effort was the fact that the finale features something Resident Alien has never had before.
“One of the things we did for the final episode was it was the first and only time we recorded the score with a full orchestra, which I think people probably don’t notice consciously, but I think subconsciously there’s just a little more emotion in the music,” Sheridan points out, adding that he picked up the idea from his time working with Seth MacFarlane. “We used to do it on Family Guy. Seth is such a huge music guy, he did it on The Orville and on Ted and everything. And so I started thinking about that and I’m like, for the final episode, we should try to do that.”
Maarten de Boer
As for sticking the landing, Sheridan was well aware that he had some heavy lifting ahead of him. Not only did he need to tie up four seasons of story complete with goodbyes, he also had to plant a few seeds for a possible fifth season should the show have been picked up.
Hence, the return of Michael Cassidy‘s Dr. Ethan, who was killed and taken over by a new alien from Harry’s planet in the episode’s opening minutes. As Asta (Sara Tomko) finally decided to leave Patience to help hurricane victims in Louisiana, Kate (Meredith Garretson) eyed a return to lawyering, D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) connected with a fellow recovering alcoholic with dreams of skiing professionally, and Harry readied for his return home to be with lady-bird love, Heather (Edi Patterson), Sheridan made sure that there was enough story to set up what could come next by having Dr. Ethan share the same kind of humanizing, hip-shaking night at the The 59 that Harry did in the pilot.
“If we could show him dancing, then the audience would know, ‘Oh, this is the path that he’s on. He also is going to be more human than an alien and everything is going to be fine,’” he explains.
Maarten de Boer
After the crying, that is. Without an ounce of forced maudlin, Alien gave us a deeply moving ending that still managed to sneak in the subversive humor and even a surprise twist we are 100% into.
“The first cut came in like 15 minutes long,” Sheridan says. “That’s the challenge with this show because we do have a lot to say…but even in those moments where we have a lot to say about humanity and stuff, I never wanted to feel like you’re standing on a soapbox. You really have to try to cut it when possible so it doesn’t feel like you’re preachy.”
James Dittiger/USA Network
Eventually, he was able to get the final edit down to an episode that was four minutes longer than usual. “I tried to make it as efficient as possible with the goodbyes but I didn’t want to lose a lot of that emotion. And because this was the finale, I don’t think it felt long and we were able to get most of it in. There’s a lot of goodbyes in there. You didn’t really have to see all of them. I didn’t have to see an Asta-Dan goodbye,” he continues. “That was sort of handled in that scene where they sort of say, ‘We don’t say goodbye. We say see you sometime.’ But I knew we had to see an Asta-D’Arcy goodbye.
“I also knew I wanted to do something with Liv [Elizabeth Bowen] and Mike [Corey Reynolds] that was totally well-earned, especially for Mike,” he says of the inspired move to have the verbose sheriff and his sweetly sardonic deputy be recruited by the Men in Black. “Immediately I’m already expecting people are going to be like, ‘Oh, we want to watch that show!’”
Even if we never get to see Liv and Mike chasing down more aliens, we at least got to spend four fantastic seasons with these small-town weirdos with the huge hearts. For the cast and crew, it’s been even longer. Which is why everyone seemed so genuinely emotional in that last group goodbye to Harry as he and his alien son Bridget took off.
“It’s all on the screen,” confirms Sheridan, who made sure that the family they had all created up in Vancouver would have a moment they could take with them wherever they go after this. “I worked out the production schedule so that could be the last thing we shot. The very last day of shooting was that scene and we were all together…it was incredible.”
Resident Alien, Streaming Now, Peacock