141 Seconds is the twenty-ninth episode of the science fiction comedy television series Resident Alien and the third episode of the third season. It premiered on February 28, 2024.
Synopsis[]
Harry tags along on Ben, Kate and Max's family trip, hoping the mayor will lead him to answers.
Plot[]
A family trip[]
Kate Hawthorne is in a nursery with her baby, the one abducted by the Greys. The baby coos as a music box plays. As Kate cuddles the infant, calling her her sweet girl, an alarm blares and a couple of Greys appear to take the baby. The baby cries and Kate pleads for ten more minutes. The scene angles to show that the nursery is actually a very small space inside a highly-advanced looking Grey installation. As one of the Greys restrains Kate, she cries, begging for them to at least let her remember this time.
At a closed Joe's Diner, Dan, sitting next to D'arcy chides Harry, telling him that he had no business dragging Asta into his mess and could have gotten her killed. He asks him what the hell he was thinking. Harry, sitting next to Asta, tells him that he can't remember what he was thinking on an empty stomach. He suggests someone should turn on the griddle. Dan tells him that his problem is that he doesn't think of anyone but himself. Asta tells Dan that it was scary, but it was her choice and D'arcy agrees that she had Asta's back. "We were saved by a 12-year-old boy" comments Harry and D'arcy says they weren't if she tells the story first. Harry thinks to himself that he doesn't understand why they're so upset, that every being must fight to survive. He tells them that he needs to go and do therapy with Mayor Ben. Asta tells him that Ben canceled because he and his family are going on a trip to Yellowstone. "Yellowstone!" thinks Harry, recalling that Ben mentioned Yellowstone under hypnotism. He leaves.
In the sheriff's office, Sheriff Mike Thompson tells Deputy Liv Baker that with no match on the fingerprint, they have to go back to what they have. He shows her a photograph of the Alien tracker Peter Bach in his van, asking what she sees. She tells him that she sees Peter Bach and a mystery man in a plaid shirt next to him. He asks her what the mystery man sitting upright and prepared suggests to her, that it begins with the letter "M." "Military" suggests Liv, but Mike says "mime," telling her that a mime is an undervalued physical discipline, that they might be looking at a killer mime. She suggests that the man may be military, but have served a long time ago, which would explain why they didn't get a hit because of a backlog of the military archives. Mike says that there's one problem, that there's no mimes in the military. She suggests that they take a chance and try anyway, that he use his military connections, but he says he doesn't want to leave a trail. He says that they could have used Joseph, but for the fact that he didn't come in. Liv tells him they should talk to Detective Lena Torres, but Mike objects, saying she's trying to trick them into getting back together. She calls anyway and it goes to voicemail. She leaves a message asking her to look into the fingerprints, following Mike's writing on a paper that she is the one requesting this and not Mike. Outside, Mike is accosted by Judy Cooper and her mother, April. She comments that she broke a few laws the night before and Liv is disgusted. She invites Mike to a party on Saturday. After she is gone, Mike asks Liv if she wants to come. "No, I do not," she tells him.
Made of plaid[]
At the Hawthorne family home, the Hawthornes are finishing getting ready for their trip. Max complains, asking why they're going to Yellowstone in the winter, that it's freezing. Ben argues that winter is the best time to anywhere, that fewer people are traveling and they'll have the whole park to themselves. "A fresh start," he comments, opening the door to find Harry there. Harry comments that he heard they're taking a trip to Yellowstone and will be joining them. Ben tells him that it's actually a family trip. Harry barges in, saying that he had a family once with two loving parents who once promised to take him to Yellowstone. He says he dreamed of being there, but they died the day they were supposed to leave. "Maybe we should bring a doctor with us, just in case," says Max. Ben says there are doctors in Yellowstone, but Harry asks what would happen if they got into a car crash and both died, leaving Max alone. Kate says that it's fine, that Harry can come with. Harry thinks to himself that Ben's abductions are leading him to something in Yellowstone, and he will be there to discover what it is. "Shotgun!" he calls, barging out the door.
The group arrives at Yellowstone Hotel. Kate calls it charming and Ben agrees that it was better than the ride there, with Harry reciting Law and Order from memory. Max asks Harry to tell him why they're there. Harry continues with his Law and Order recital and Max tells him that he owes him, that he convinced him to let him come. Harry plays dumb again, saying that he's there to enjoy the cartoon raccoon they're standing in front of. He pushes a button, causing the raccoon to recite a factoid regarding geysers. "That was worth the drive," he comments. At the reception desk, Ben and Kate try to book a massage for Kate, only to learn that the massage therapist has been snowed in. Kate considers a manicure, but decides against that too upon learning that the receptionist she's talking to is also the manicurist. That evening, Kate is troubled by the sound of a baby crying. She wakes up in the middle of the night in her hotel bed. When Ben asks if she's okay, she tells him a crying baby next door woke up, but he says he didn't hear anything.
At the 59, Judy Cooper is giving an awful karaoke performance. Mike and Liv enter and Liv tells D'arcy that she needs her help ID-ing a suspect. She shows her the picture of Peter Bach and the man in the plaid shirt. D'arcy looks troubled, but then claims that she's never seen the person in the photo before. Liv asks if the shirt is familiar and D'arcy tells her that it's Colorado and people are practically made of plaid. She makes up an excuse and walks off. Judy greets Liv, saying that she hopes that the case isn't dangerous, that she worries about Mike, being a "cop's old lady." She tells her to give Mike a message pressing a napkin to her breasts and handing it to her.
At the Patience Health Clinic, Jay greets Asta, asking about her date the other night, that it didn't look like it was going well. Asta agrees, saying that the guy was "barely human." Jay tells her that she's glad, that she might be free on Saturday to go to the movies. Asta tells her that she would love it, except that she has to work. "Another time," agrees Jay. D'arcy then arrives, greets Jay, and then closes the door, telling Asta that Mike and Liv have a picture of Harry and are onto him for Peter Bach's murder. She says that they at least have the shirt, and knowing Liv, she'll go closet to closet till she finds it. Asta says that they need to warn Harry, but that he's out of town. She pulls out her phone to call him, but D'arcy grabs her phone and starts stomping on it. When Asta protests, D'arcy tells her that she's covering because if Harry's in the crosshairs, then they'll subpoena his phone and then trace it back to Asta. Asta points out that the police don't actually need the phone itself to retrieve digital records.
Old Faithful[]
At their hotel in Yellowstone, Harry disgusts the Hawthornes by appearing only a robe and underwear. They lament the lack of fresh coffee in their room due to the recent snowstorm. Harry asks what they're doing for the day. "We?" asks Ben and Harry again trots out the dead parents story. Max asks just how they died, but Kate tells him to be nice, saying that Harry can come and they all try snowshoeing. "Ben needs to decide," insists Harry, holding up some brochures and telling him to let his intuition be his guide. Max suggests a snowcat tour, but Harry says it didn't sound like Ben. Kate suggests they just go see Old Faithful and Ben gives in. He tells Harry he likes it when Kate is happy. Harry tells him it's an awful way to live, telling him to close his eyes and tell him what he sees. He describes a noose, telling Harry he already said Old Faithful.
Dan, Asta and D'arcy arrive at Harry's cabin. Asta tells Dan he didn't have to come, that it's safe, but Dan points out that they don't know that. He continues that Harry had a Grey hybrid after him and anything could be coming for him today. "Plus, he nicked my fishing pole. I want it back," he comments. D'arcy asks how Harry even affords the cabin and Asta tells her to focus. They find a whole cabinet full of plaid shirts. Asta asks her what color the photo was, but D'arcy tells her it was a black-and-white. Asta says they'll have to burn them all.
Harry thinks to himself that things like volcanoes and tornadoes are all natural part of Earth's survival, even if they sometimes take out a few million people. He and the Hawthornes witness the geyser Old Faithful's eruption and applaud. A tour guide explains how the water becomes pressured enough to vaporize, triggering the massive explosion. Just then, Ben shows up. Kate tells him that he missed it and he tells her it's okay, that he saw it on TV once. Harry thinks to himself that Ben does not care about this, that it's not what drew him there. Max asks Ben where he got the hat he's wearing and Ben tells him he bought it off a guy. He says that it's from the Sullivan Gravel Company, that gravel is one of the most important building materials in the whole world. Harry expresses his boredom with the conversation, grabbing Ben's map and asking him if there's anywhere on there he feels like going next. "How about a shower?" asks Kate, noting Ben scratching his head. Harry, however, notices several logos on the map like that on the hat. He thinks to himself that it's why Ben was compelled to come there, Sullivan Gravel.
At the sheriff's office, Mike and Liv keep an eye out for someone in a plaid shirt with no joy. Mike tells Liv that he saw her grandma. "Where?" asks Liv, ducking down, but Mike assures her she's already gone, that she moves fast for an old lady. Liv then takes a call from Lena Torres. She tells Mike that Lena has a contact who can run the print through a more comprehensive military database. Mike agrees that it's good. Just then, an old woman appears, putting down a newspaper and telling Liv that she's in. "To Protect and Serve?" reads Mike from the headline, saying it's the question mark that's the killer. Liv reads the story, which is an unflattering piece about Liv appearing in the documentary about UFOs and chiding her for bringing her obsession into her work life. The story continues "Olivia is a liar and has been a liar her whole life says source close to Baker." Mike says that if he's taught Liv one thing, the job is all about control. He tells her he's a Jedi of control. "Guess who this is from, Jedi?" she comments, holding up Judy's napkin. He tells her that he was drunk and Judy caught him off guard. He says that he likes Judy, that she's sweet in her own weird way, but he shouldn't have done what he did. He tells her he's going to write Judy back, then says he'll talk to her in-person.
Life without crisis[]
Outside, Asta and D'arcy hold a bonfire of Harry's plaid shirts. D'arcy tells Asta that she's glad she knows about Harry, that she doesn't want her to have to do this alone anymore. Asta smiles and hugs her. She suggests they take turns, that it's cold. D'arcy tells her that she has it. "That one wasn't plaid," points out Asta and D'arcy tells her she really hated it. Asta goes inside and Dan shows her various things that Harry has nicked from Joe's Diner, including plates and coffee pots. She tells him that she used to think Harry knew how the world works and now she just thinks he's klepto. Dan tells her to relax, or go enjoy the fire. She tells him that she has to get rid of any sign of the alien tracker, starting to wash dishes. He tells her to sit and just relax. He tells her that when he got back from Vietnam, he always felt like there was some emergency he had to get to, existing in a world of chaos and dread. He tells her the strangest thing is that he was comfortable. Asta tells him that sounds awful. He tells her that Jimmy is gone from her life and she has people around her to support her. He tells her to breathe easy, asking what life looks like for Asta when she's not in crisis mode.
At Yellowstone, Harry visits one of the gravel company sites. He thinks to himself that the workers are all very attractive and one thing he knows about attractive humans is that they do not work the night shift, but rather the light, so everyone can enjoy them. He thinks to himself that they are not humans, when suddenly Max arrives, startling him and causing them both to scream repeatedly. Harry asks how he got there and Max reminds him about him being the Alien Tracker. He tells him that he owes him and should tell him what's going on. "I owe you?" asks Harry, saying that he would be dead in a zoo on his planet if he hadn't brought him back. Max points out that Harry would be dead in a Grey alien trap if not for him. Harry tells him that he plays well, saying that he's made a discovery. He tells him that the workers are all Grey hybrids. He says that they're gravitating to the trailer and he needs to find out why. He tells Max to stay, but Max says he wants to help. "Fine," Harry agrees, telling him to peel an orange, that he'll eat it when he gets back.
At the 59, Judy tells a man who sits down next to her to move along, that she's spoken for. Mike arrives and she tells him she saved him a seat. Mike, however, asks for a word. He takes her to the back and sighs. He tells her that he can't make it to her birthday dinner. He says that the other night was fun, but he's not looking to get involved with anyone. "Me neither," agrees Judy, asking if he thought they were going to buy a house together. "So dumb," she comments, even as D'arcy reads a sketch on a napkin, a heart with an arrow and the phrase "Mr. & Mrs. Sheriff." Mike tells her he's glad she understands, shaking her hand and wishing her a happy birthday. After Mike is gone, D'arcy asks if she wants to talk about it. "Talk about what?" asks Judy and D'arcy shows her the napkin. She calls the party a stupid idea, saying she's going to call her mom and have her cancel it, that she doesn't care. D'arcy stares and she tells her she feels stupid. She asks when it's going to be her turn. D'arcy hugs her.
The Greys' plan discovered[]
At Yellowstone, Harry sneaks into the Grey facility. He discovers a secret entrance and a portal. He hides from the man who emerges. The man sneaks up on him, only to fall to the ground, shocked. "Someone here ask for an orange?" asks Max, holding Peter's shock prod and the peeled orange. Harry asks him if it's supposed to be catchphrase. Harry tells him to enjoy the moment, agreeing that he did his job. He tells him to go back to the car. Max walks away and he climbs down the secret entrance hole. He finds himself in a large underground passage. He thinks to himself the the gravel company is the Greys' cover to hide what they're really doing, that it's a massive operation, in progress for decades. He stands at the edge of a pier, looking out at a vast cavern and an underground lake.
In the hotel room, Ben takes some hot stones out of the microwave. Kate comes in, asking what it is. He tells her that the spa may be closed, but he can still give her a hot-stone massage. She asks what the smell is and he tells her he's not sure if they're all rocks, asking if Yellowstone has turtles. Incredulous, she asked if he microwaved a turtle and he says that he didn't, that he microwaved a rock that looks like one. He takes the stones and pops them back in the microwave. He tells her he's sorry about the trip, that it's been a disaster. He says that he wanted to give her a chance to reset, but he blew it. She tells him she's glad he did, that a trip does not have to be perfect to be special. She says the important thing is that they were all there together. They kiss and Ben asks just where Max is. "Arcade?" suggests Kate. As she closes a luggage bag, she again hears the sound of a baby crying. "Now you hear that, right?" she asks Ben. "Hear what?" she asks and she leaves the hotel room, following the sound of the crying in a seemingly dream-like state. "At least let me remember this time!" echoes in her head. Ben finds her knocking on a seemingly random hotel room door. He asks what she's doing. A woman holding a baby opens the door. Kate asks if it's her baby and the woman, confused and annoyed, replies that it is. "Can I hold her?" asks Kate, but Ben pulls her away, apologizing to the woman.
Harry thinks to himself that entropy is the greatest force in the universe, that things fall apart, but that causing things to fall apart outside the natural order is wrong. He thinks that the Greys are destroyers, as short-sighted as humans but worse because they are smarter. He thinks that he has to figure out why they want to study so much water underground. He studies pamphlets from Yellowstone and then his attention is distracted by a kettle boiling. He realizes that if they filled the cavern with water, then connected it by a tunnel to the magma chamber, millions of gallons of water would suddenly heat up, turning the 2,000 miles of Yellowstone National Park into the most destructive natural bomb in the history of the world.
Served[]
In Patience, Mike and Liv are out walking, Liv telling that she found a store in Braddock selling the exact plaid shirt from the photo. She tells him they gave her a list of everyone who bought it and that six of them live in Patience. She says that it was on sale, so she bought one for John. Mike tells her that it's excellent work, but that now he has to put John's name on the suspect list. Just then, Liv's Nana arrives. She asks Mike if her tie is straight. "Picture in the paper, just like Princess Margaret," comments Nana. Liv asks if she read the article. She tells her that she of course did, that she was interviewed for it. "So you're the unnamed source?" asks Liv, saying that she called her a liar. Nana protests that she didn't, that she called her a fantasist and that her relationship with reality was tenuous at best. She leaves. "She's so funny," comments Liv sadly, walking back to the car. Mike joins her and she pulls out her phone, telling him that she got a text from Detective Torres and that her contact got a match on the print from the van: Dr. Wendy Beasley, a retired military chemist. "We did it!" smiles Mike. Liv sobs that she tries so hard. Mike strokes her hair, telling her that it's okay.
At Joe's Diner, Harry tells Asta that the Greys want to kill them all to take the planet for themselves, but he does not know why they are doing it. D'arcy asks how long they have and he tells her that based on the amount of water it would take to fill the cavern, maybe a year. Asta says that a year is plenty of time to stop them. Harry agrees that he will stop the Greys from destroying the planet. Dan comes over dessert, saying that he can't talk about the end of the world without it. D'arcy tells him that Harry is going to stop Yellowstone from blowing up. Harry tells her that he did not say that, that he will stop the Greys from doing it, but he can't stop it from happening on its own. "I'm sorry, what?" D'arcy asks and he says that the Yellowstone Caldera erupts every 600,000 years and last erupted 634,000 years ago. "So yes, that baby is crowning" he says, saying it would be funny if he stopped the Greys, only for it to blow up right after. He says that comedy is all about timing. Asta says that without the Greys it wouldn't be as bad and Harry agrees, that the Earth wouldn't be destroyed, but that millions of people will still be killed, including all of them. He tells them to not be worried, that in a few thousand years the Earth will return to normal, reborn. Dan agrees that he's right, that volcanoes are part of the natural cycle. Asta asks what they're supposed to do with this information and Dan asks what they would have done before. He says you just have to live the best life you can.
Harry thinks that compared to the Earth, a human life is only 141 seconds long and this is why it's important to be their best. D'arcy is shown bringing Judy a piece of birthday cake and a present. Mike and Liv rock out together in the police car. Asta attends Jay's horror movie night. Harry thinks that luckily for humans, they will get a little more time, that only he can stop the Greys and he will not give up until he does. Inside his cabin, a portal appears. From it, a Blue Avian emerges. She chirps and opens a large case. She pulls a folder from it and holds it out to Harry. She tells him she is from the Galactic Federation and is there to inform him that he is being served. "For what?" he asks and she tells him that among the charges is that he broke galactic law by not honoring his contract with the Greys to vacate the planet. She tells him he is hereby ordered to leave Earth immediately. She says that he should just go to the back and sign the last page, that he is in big trouble. Harry curses.
Cast and characters[]
Starring:
- Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle
- Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees
- Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson
- Alice Wetterlund as D'arcy Bloom
- Levi Fiehler as Mayor Ben Hawthorne
- Elizabeth Bowen as Deputy Liv Baker
- Judah Prehn as Max Hawthorne
Special guest star:
- Edi Patterson as Heather
Guest starring:
- Meredith Garretson as Kate Hawthorne
- Gary Farmer as Dan Twelvetrees
- Mary Walsh as Alice "Nana" Baker
- Kaylayla Raine as Jay
- Jenna Lamia as Judy Cooper
Co-starring:
- Heather Doersken as April Cooper
- Merry Lou Proudfoot as Hotel Room Mom
- Georgia Bradner as Cheryl
- Xiomara Lopez as Grey Nurse Double
- Mitchell Saddleback as Tom
- Christopher Wardrop as Man At The Bar
- Fraser Corbett as Trailer Hybrid Worker
- Ethel Pitchford as Debra
- Christly Charles as Spaceship Nursery Mom
- Mia Carr as Grey Assistant Double
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Still images[]
