I absolutely adore Xenomorphs in all their forms. I love facehuggers, chestbursters, not-yet-full-grown “teen-omorphs,” and of course, I love giant, double-mouthed, razor-tailed adult Xenomorphs in all their glory. But man, that weird little eyeball creature fromAlien: Earth, is totally stealing the show.
I’m normally a sucker for practical effects and sleek design — the Xenomorph truly is the “perfect organism” in my eyes. But somehow, the goofy-looking, tentacled, eyeball alien (akat. ocellus or Species 64) has stolen both my heart and my attention, even though it’s entirely CGI.
[Ed. note:Spoilers forAlien: Earth episode 6]
I was already pretty impressed by t. ocellus, whichI suspect may feed on intelligence rather than simple flesh and blood, butAlien: Earth episode 6 cemented my affection for the creepy (thoughadmittedly cute) little creature. Entitled “The Fly,” episode 6’s title refers to a different alien species: a small colony of bewinged, bug-like creatures which where also brought to Prodigy’s island research facility, Neverland, after CEO Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) had them seized from the wreckage of the USCSS Maginot.
The flies haven’t had much screentime until now, but they’re ostensibly the main focus of “The Fly.” And yet, despite the episode’s title and gruesome depiction of the damage these flies can do, it’s Species 64 (which is currently puppeteering the body of a sheep) that’s the real star of the show. Because if you think about it,t. ocellus is the real killer here.
In episode 6, Isaac (the human-robot Hybrid played by Kit Young) finds himself alone in Neverland’s underground lab where the various aliens are stored. He’s there to feed the creatures, but when the feeding slot on the flies’ cell breaks, he decides to unlock the door and place the food tray into their cage by hand. He wedges his foot in the doorway to keep the cell door from locking behind him, but when Species 64 — which has been eyeing him closely the entire time — rams its head against the glass, Isaac gets spooked, falling to the floor and getting locked inside the cell. It’s not long before he’s fly food.
Sure, Isaac was technically murdered by the flies themselves. But he never would have ended up trapped in a containment unit with them if it weren’t for Species 64, which provided a distraction by beating on the glass at just the right moment, causing poor Isaac to trip and fall. (I guess those superhuman Hybrid reflexes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.) What’s especially haunting here is that Isaac’s death provided no immediate, obvious benefit tot. ocellus. I don’t know what scares me more: the idea that it spooked Isaac because his death somehow fits into its sinister, long-term plans; or the thought that it killed him just to watch him die.
We’ve seen Species 64 do this before. In episode 5, it smacked its little tentacles against its glass containment unit to get the attention of Maginot medical officer Chibuzo (Karen Aldridge), somethingAlien: Earth creatorNoah Hawley told me it didon purpose to help its fellow captive creatures escape. Hawley has shown us twice now thatt. ocellus thinks ahead.
Alien: Earth may be a show about Xenomorphs, and this may have been an episode about creepy alien flies. But once again, the most chilling aspect of the episode — the part that sticks with me long after I’ve turned off the TV — is the implication of Species 64’s behavior. It’s not just intelligent. It’sangry.
