Alien: Earth Episode 5 Twist Reveals The Series’ Biggest Villains (And It’s Not the Xenomorphs)

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The 1979 science fiction/horror film “Alien,” directed by Ridley Scott, is well-known for its title, but showrunner Noah Hawley, who has a history of pushing boundaries in shows like “Fargo” and “Legion,” doesn’t stick to the traditional interpretation. In his take on “Alien,” he expands upon the original elements of humans fighting terrifying alien creatures, corporate corruption, and synthetic life: He introduces more monstrous entities, delves deeper into advanced science fiction concepts involving mechanical life, and provides identities for the powerful corporations that finance this chaos.

In Alien: Earth Episode 5, we delve into the past events leading to the tragic crash of the USCSS Maginot, a crucial incident connected to Weyland-Yutani, before it struck Earth. Filling this significant void in the series’ history, Hawley introduces an unexpected twist: the primary antagonists aren’t the terrifying xenomorphs that have been relentlessly hunting their prey, but rather another group yet to be fully unveiled.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Alien: Earth’s True Villain(s) Revealed

The narrative of “In Space, No One…” predominantly revolves around Babou Ceesay’s character, Morrow, who is a cyborg security officer, as he grapples with the aftermath of the Maginot’s crash. Upon being roused from cryosleep, Morrow discovers that Captain Dinsdale and another crew member have been assaulted by alien creatures called facehuggers due to deliberate sabotage actions such as arson, damaging navigation systems, and opening the cargo hold containing the facehugger eggs. Tragically, the captain succumbs during an operation to extract the parasite, while the infected crew member is returned to cryosleep until a remedy can be found on Earth. In the meantime, Morrow takes control, hunts for the traitor hiding among them.

The pivotal moment in the episode occurs when Morrow questions Mr. Teng (Andy Yu), a rather unsettling crew member, who reveals that one of the non-essential crew members, Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti), has not been in cryosleep as everyone thought. Upon reviewing communication logs between the crew and those on Earth, Morrow uncovers that Petrovich was awake before scheduled, and had been corrupted and manipulated by none other than Prodigy Corp’s CEO, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). It is later found out that Boy had known about the valuable bio-research potential of the specimens Weyland-Yutani had collected for months, if not years, and had always intended to seize the discovery for himself.

The deliberate crash-landing of Maginot into New Siam’s Pordigy city, orchestrated by Boy, was a calculated move aimed at outmaneuvering the megacorporation council’s power structure. By doing so, he could seize control of the ship and its assets, instigating a lengthy legal battle that provided him an opportunity to study the alien lifeforms and pilfer any valuable samples and information for his own gain. While we have seen signs of Boy’s callous personality leading up to this point, his willingness to risk the lives of an entire crew, city inhabitants, and even the Earth itself to obtain these extraterrestrial beings suggests he might possess less human empathy than a synthetic entity.

In Alien: Earth Episode 5, it’s not just Boy Kavalier who emerges as a significant adversary. As the scenario on the Maginot worsens, the crew becomes increasingly agitated. This tension, in turn, leads to minor errors, mistakes that prove fatal for the alien creatures they are keeping captive. Science officer Chibuzo (played by Karen Aldrige) makes two critical blunders: she fails to securely seal the container housing the ‘blood bug’ specimens known as “Ticks,” accidentally releasing a tick into an open water container. Medical officer Rahim (Amir Boutrous) manages to recapture the bug, but the crew misses the contaminated water. When they discover a xenomorph infestation, Chibuzo rushes out of the lab without properly securing the container housing the dreaded ‘Eye Octopus,’ allowing it to eventually escape.

In the lab scene and during a crucial fight later on, the fifth episode of Alien: Earth conclusely demonstrates that the Eye Octopus is far more clever and deceitful than one might suppose. The creature deliberately diverts Chibuzo’s attention when it spots one of the ticks escaping; it also displays remarkable intelligence by realizing that its confinement device isn’t working, and then employs its tentacles as a makeshift catapult to fling its container off the shelf, shattering it. The Eye Octopus even waits tactically for an opportune moment, striking when senior engineering officer Shmuel (Michael Smiley) is alone, taking over his body in a terrifying manner, replacing his eye with itself. This transformation was equally unsettling, as the creature seemed to amplify Shmuel’s strength, speed, and resilience beyond normal human levels. The Eye Octopus, controlling Shmuel, engaged a xenomorph drone competently in battle, and remained a danger to the xenomorph even after leaving Shmuel’s body and attacking the drone directly.

It’s noteworthy that the revelations concerning the true antagonists of “Alien: Earth” occur following Episode 4, during which Boy Kavalier and the Eye Octopus (disguised as a sheep) first met and may have formed a connection. Boy’s explicit intention in creating synthetics and hybrids is to foster an intellect worthy of his interaction; it seems plausible that he may have found such a counterpart in biological form.

Given that Wendy and her hybrid associates appear to be domesticating xenomorphs, while Episode 5 concludes with Morrow and Yuntani planning an assault, it might be necessary for Boy Kavalier and the Eye Octopus to join forces. Fingers crossed for Boy, this cooperation ensures he doesn’t lose any of his own eyes in the process.

Alien: Earth is streaming on FX-Hulu.

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2025-09-03 04:13