Alien: Earth Season 2 – 5 Crucial Mistakes To Avoid For Improved Storytelling

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FX has confirmed a second season of Alien: Earth, but the first season wasn’t perfect and had some issues the new season needs to fix. Between the renewal of Alien: Earth and the significant role of Weyland-Yutani in Dan Trachtenberg’s excellent Predator: Badlands, it’s a great time to be a fan of the Alien franchise.

I’m happy the Alien franchise is still going strong, but I have complicated feelings about the new season of Alien: Earth. The first season had a lot of good things – Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant were great, and it was exciting to finally see xenomorphs on Earth – but it also had some problems that the second season really needs to fix.

Mischaracterizing The Xenomorph

Beyond Sigourney Weaver, the true star of the Alien movies is the xenomorph creature itself. This terrifying alien race is central to the entire story. It’s what first captivated audiences in 1979, and it’s remained the main reason people keep coming back. That’s why it’s so important that the xenomorphs look and behave as they should.

The first season of Alien: Earth stumbled with its portrayal of the xenomorphs. This issue worsened throughout the season, culminating in a friendly, almost pet-like xenomorph nicknamed Hooch becoming a companion to the character Wendy, similar to a dog with its owner. However, the problem was apparent from the start, and the show’s second season needs to correct this inaccurate depiction.

The aliens in the Alien movies are known for being clever and stealthy, finding alternative routes like air vents when a door is blocked. However, in Alien: Earth, the aliens are much more direct – if they can’t get through a door, they simply pound on it. Instead of sneaking up on victims, these aliens loudly screech and rush at them from a distance.

Okay, so for season two of Alien: Earth, I really want to see them lean into what makes the Xenomorphs truly terrifying. Forget those almost-cute, domesticated versions we’ve seen – I want full-on, sleek, and genuinely scary killing machines. It’s Alien, right? These creatures are supposed to be utterly other, not just a scary ape or a weird puppy. They need to feel truly alien, like a dark reflection of humanity, something completely outside our understanding of life. They should be unsettling and cosmic, not just big scary animals.

Tonal Dissonance

The movie Alien: Earth had trouble finding a consistent style. Sometimes it successfully recreated the scary, suspenseful feel of the first Alien film. But at other times, it went too far and felt almost silly – particularly with the exaggerated, slow-motion scenes of the creatures, which made them look cartoonish.

The show sometimes delved into the darker aspects of people, especially in conversations between Boy Kavalier and Wendy. However, it also included lighthearted, comedic moments, like the playful back-and-forth between Smee and Slightly. For season 2, Alien: Earth needs to decide on a consistent feel. Should it be funny and knowingly silly, or should it aim for a genuinely creepy and frightening atmosphere?

Very Un-Giger-Like Monster Designs

The look and feel of the Alien movies began with the work of H.R. Giger, the famous artist who created the terrifying alien creature, its eggs, the massive “Space Jockey,” and all the other unsettling visuals in Ridley Scott’s original Alien film. Every movie and series that followed has tried to recreate Giger’s distinctive style, with mixed results.

The visual style of Alien: Earth doesn’t attempt to capture the feel of H.R. Giger’s original designs. Giger’s work was known for its disturbing, sexual themes – using suggestive shapes and imagery that evoked a sense of violation – and Alien: Earth simply doesn’t share that quality.

The creature designs in season one of Alien: Earth don’t really capture the style of H.R. Giger, the original Alien designer. One creature feels too similar to the goats in Severance, and another looks a lot like the Gargantos monster from Marvel comics. The show’s visuals in season two should aim for a design approach much more inspired by Giger’s work.

Giving The Main Characters Too Much Plot Armor

After shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead popularized the practice, it’s now common for TV series to unexpectedly kill off important characters. While keeping characters alive allows for more in-depth development, and death shouldn’t be used simply to create drama, it’s essential for a story set in the Alien universe.

The core idea of this series is that aliens hunt and eliminate groups of people (including robots). If the characters consistently survive these attacks, the aliens don’t feel very threatening anymore. It damages the alien’s image as a truly terrifying predator if ordinary humans and robots keep surviving encounters with them, especially within a single episode.

As Alien: Earth starts its second season, the show needs to take more risks with its characters. While the complex relationship between Wendy and Joe is central to the story and they’re likely safe, other characters should be vulnerable and face real danger.

No Closure Or Payoff In The Season Finale

It’s frustrating how many TV shows now end their seasons without resolving key storylines. Traditionally, season finales were big, impactful moments. But with streaming, they often feel like regular episodes. This is especially problematic because seasons now have longer gaps between them, making it harder to keep viewers engaged until the next season.

The season finales for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, House of the Dragon, and Peacemaker all left something to be desired. Daryl Dixon‘s finale felt unremarkable, House of the Dragon delayed the major war it had been building towards, and Peacemaker focused more on teasing future DC projects than finishing its own story in a satisfying way.

I have to admit, the finale of Alien: Earth‘s first season left me a little unsatisfied. While it was definitely full of exciting action – that xenomorph running amok during Boy Kavalier’s operation was intense! – it just didn’t feel like a proper ending. It was like so much was still hanging, and I kept expecting another episode or two to tie everything up and give the characters the resolution they deserved. It felt incomplete, honestly.

The first season may have deliberately ended on a cliffhanger to build anticipation. However, now that the show is a hit, season 2 of Alien: Earth needs to wrap up its stories and character developments properly in the final episode.

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2025-11-15 15:00