‘Resident Alien’ Recap: ‘The Upper Hand’

2/22/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

RESIDENT ALIEN -- "The Upper Hand" Episode 302 -- Pictured: (l-r) Alice Wetterlund as D'Arcy Bloom, Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 302 of ‘Resident Alien’. To revisit the Season Three Premiere, click here.

When we last settled into the world of Resident Alien, on SYFY, something wonderful occurred. In that, Harry had his bestie at his side regarding his quest to stop the Greys. For Asta Twelvetrees understood that Joseph was a great big lie of a man, or alien, and wanted to do whatever was necessary to help Harry stop Joseph, and the Greys, and save humanity. Giving rise to the birth of a coalition of heroes in this town, one that only continued to grow in the next episode of this magnificent series. For ‘The Upper Hand’ saw Harry make use of Asta’s promise to help, and that allowed for others to get involved in the good fight against evil.

Which could not have come at a moment too soon. Simply because Joseph was making a point to flex up on Harry every chance that he could, and the threats were large and scary. Which prompted Harry to arrange another date between Asta and Joseph, all so he and D’Arcy could break into Joseph’s humble abode and see what they could learn about the plans of the Greys in the hopes of foiling them and of course… to get any dirt on Joseph to put a stop to him and well… this went about as well as one might expect. Simply because, it wasn’t long before a pizza related trap that Joseph set up for Harry, ensnared he and D’Arcy in a dangerous energy cell and of course… Joseph received an alert about this and knew exactly what was going on.

In that, Asta was in on it, and was having dinner to keep him out of the house. So… that prompted him to offer more threats and posturing, in the hopes of having the upper hand in this situation. But alas, things did not go well for Joseph. In part because, Max made his way into Joseph’s apartment as part of his efforts to be the new tracker and impress his friends by showcasing a true alien before them. Which went differently than he expected since Harry didn’t show his true identity but did take the time to showcase the alien tech that trapped him and the home of an alien, which was enough to satisfy, and free he and D’Arcy. Which was a huge loss for Joseph, one that was further exacerbated by the fact that Asta had everyone backing her up and when the time was right… Joseph was put in his place, and she was safe.

RESIDENT ALIEN -- "The Upper Hand" Episode 302 -- Pictured: (l-r) Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson, Levi Fiehler as Mayor Ben Hawthorne -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)

Which in turn, allowed for a final showdown between Harry and Joseph to take place at Harry’s place. Wherein the great physical fight between two powerhouse aliens was handled in imagination. So as to not destroy Harry’s fine home, and to avoid having either man to listen to a repair tech that would just talk… way too much. Because then everyone would lose. Instead, Harry was able to broker surrender and a promise that Joseph would leave Patience, and while that didn’t get him the answers he wanted, and neither did his reconnaissance… what mattered most about this push to stand tall against a Grey, is that Harry and his friends did. They proved they could fight back and stop a nasty foe and that’s a huge deal that signaled growth and hinted at what these good people (and alien) are truly capable of, and this fight wasn’t a total loss regarding intelligence.

But more on that in a moment. Because there was still so much more for us to enjoy in this tale. Such as the fact Ben and Kate had some hard decisions to make about where to live. Because the house didn’t quite fit them anymore, because of the fact that strange things were hanging over them and it no longer felt right. So, they debated selling it, and moving on, which prompted Ben to search for new ways to raise capital to keep the house since he wasn’t keen on leaving just yet and thought adding a pool would help with that. Something Mike helped him out with, through a foot photo shoot, which made for one of the funniest and most philosophical moments of the night. But in the end, Kate came to realize leaving wasn’t a great idea, and that whatever was bothering them about the house could be resolved.

Giving rise to peace, and oddly enough, that photo shoot, is what brought about the biggest win of all. Because Ben noticed a bump on his foot when going over the proofs for his Spicy Feet Pics. Which prompted him to see Harry for a quick exam and well, Harry came to realize… that was nothing short of a tracking device implanted under the skin. Which meant, with a little hypnotherapy and a deeper look at that device… Harry might have some answers at last. Giving him a foot up (or the upper hand if that pun is too much) over the Greys at last, which may satisfy the General… who is also making moves in the darkness. All of which made, for an amazing episode. One that was filled with action, adventure, big laughs, and progress for the plot and well… you can’t ask for much more than that from this delightful tale, because that’s everything we love about this show, and it will be fascinating to learn what Harry learns about the plan, come next week. Until then.

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