‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 5 Review - A Look Into The Past

Episode five is all about getting into the flashback mode to show us what actually happened onboard the USCSS Maginot that led to its tragic crash on Earth. This episode is also crucial because, until now, we have only seen the crash, but we haven’t been told why the crash occurred or what actually caused it. The plot takes place 17 days before the crash, when crew member Morrow wakes up from his cryosleep in response to the emergency that is starting to unfold on the spaceship.  We also learn that the chief engineer of the ship, Petrovich, has secretly joined hands with Boy Kavalier. He plans to take the ship towards the earth so that he can become a hybrid as promised to him by Boy.

Moreover, if you remember the first episode, then it's time to join the dots now. We saw how the containment fails, and alien creatures, including but not limited to xenomorphs, are let out. Now I will admit, this can be a bit gross to watch. These creatures are blood sucking ticks, parasites that implant themselves on the eyes and whatnot. As far as the imagination could go, these creatures have been formed accordingly. Things go from bad to worse when these creatures start attacking the crew members on board because, obviously, they aren’t herbivores. So their meal will be for those who are on board. And in all this, even Petrovich dies, ultimately killed by Morrow, who is the lone survivor. It is quite commendable how Morrow survives in spite of all the virtual creatures and human killing. But what is also surprising is that a crew member who is controlled by Eye bites a xenomorph. I don’t know why the makers showed us that. Maybe in the future, this xenomorph will also become a more powerful creature that is equally dangerous on its own. Even now, we are left with many questions, such as how or who started the fire? Why were the egg crates left open, etc? But one thing is for sure: with the specimens being out in the open, things are about to go out of control. These creatures are dangerous and a big threat to everyone.

Towards the end of the episode, we are taken back to the present-day Earth post the crash. A legal battle is soon to take place over these alien specimens as to who will be the ultimate owner. This, for sure, will make things more interesting to watch.

Clearly, this prequel adds to the overall intrigue of the show. We didn’t know how much we needed a prequel episode before we were shown this. This episode also helps us to understand Morrow’s character in great detail and his overall role in the show. And who knows, the depths of this episode will also set the plot for something else in the future. I personally love prequels as they give us a great insight into the past. Hence, I enjoyed watching this episode a lot. As I mentioned earlier, with each episode, this show becomes very intriguing. It would be exciting to see what the next episode holds.

Final Score- [8/10]