This isn’t exactly a new development for a series that has constantly used Harry’s exploration of specific human traits or foibles as a mirror for the various dilemmas that are also facing many of his neighbors. (The layers the show has given these seemingly secondary characters and the depth of the relationships between them is one of the reasons Resident Alien is so good to begin with.) But this episode balances these competing narratives brilliantly weaving at least five different subplots together into a rich, cohesive whole.
D’Arcy mends fences with Kate and makes a conscious decision to stop self-sabotaging her budding relationship with Elliot, allowing herself to stay the night at his house. Sheriff Mike opens up to Ben about his own firsthand experience with the ways that shoving your emotions under the rug for too long can be dangerous. And Ben tries to talk to Kate about their marital problems but fails utterly when his decision to do so in a public place (taking Mike’s admittedly sketchy advice about potential husband murder at home) causes her to realize he’s afraid of her.
Yet, rather than give up, Ben tries again, seeking to reconcile with his wife by recreating how they first connected. And while it’s unlikely that Sheriff Mike would approve of his methods, his unconventional idea of the two of them talking to one another over the phone, the way they used to when they first met, helps bring down some of the walls between them and pushes the pair closer together than we’ve possibly ever seen them on the show.
That, as the kids say these days, is growth.
And as for Asta, she learns the truth about her missing memories, but Resident Alien doesn’t use this moment as a chance to drive an unnecessary wedge between her and Harry (or keep her in the dark about the things she’s forgotten for longer than half the episode, thank goodness). She doesn’t rage at him for controlling behavior but instead tries to understand his decision in the context of the lingering trauma caused by his own near-death experience. The result is a surprisingly honest heart-to-heart between the two about death, grief, and pain, in which Asta not only explains the concept of comfort eating but how allowing ourselves to truly feel the scope of the things we experience—for both good and ill—is part of what makes us stronger (and better) people.
Grief and pain are important elements of what it means to be alive, and, yes, part of that journey is realizing our time here is finite. But it’s also about the realization that life is meant to be lived It’s a remarkably grounded, serious moment for an episode that also includes jokes about deep-frying pie, but because we’ve watched Harry’s struggle with his growing, distinctly human feelings for the better part of two seasons now, every emotional beat feels completely earned.
