Birds of a Feather is the fourth episode of the science fiction comedy television series Resident Alien.
Synopsis[]
Official episode synopsis: Harry travels to the Ute Reservation to help Asta's grandmother and learns what it means to belong.
Plot summary[]
Set to the familiar tune of the theme "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" of the hit sitcom Cheers, the alien Harry Vanderspeigle journeys through the town of Patience, warmly greeted by smiling faces everywhere he goes. He returns home to his wife and alien baby, where a friendly mailman hands him a package. When he opens the package, however, the Cheers theme distorts as the contents are the device from his ship that he's been searching for. The device activates, sending out a green wave that first explodes the head of the mailman before spreading out and killing the entire human race. Vanderspeigle then awakes and realizes that he not only now sleeps, but also dreams.
Vanderspeigle realizes that he has woken up because of the barking of the police dog Cletus. He goes out and confronts Sheriff Mike Thompson, telling him that his body needs at least ten hours of sleep in order to function properly. Deputy Liv Baker apologizes, telling him that they moved the search out to the shore, that they believe the body washed up on the beach. He asks how they know that and Thompson replies that he feels it in his balls, but Baker offers that she checked the currents. Vanderspeigle comments that the currents aren't always accurate and you shouldn't trust your balls because they're nuts, then realizes that he just made a joke and laughs at himself. That afternoon, he is having a lonely lunch at a cafe, when Mayor Hawthorne comes and sits down across from him. He tells him that he has good news, that he's making progress in finding a new town doctor. He asks what Vanderspeigle is doing that night, then tells him that they want to have him over for dinner because their son Max is still having a hard time with him, claiming that he's an alien. Vanderspeigle tries to refuse the invitation, but the mayor tells him they'll be expecting him over at 6:00.
Vanderspeigle tries to invite Asta to dinner so he won't be alone, but she refuses because she's busy. She offers D'arcy as a substitute and she agrees. The conversation turns to the prescription pad stolen from Sam Hodges's office and the party from before. Asta implies that Jay stole it and Vanderspeigle asks why she would ask her that. Jay thinks that Vanderspeigle is backing her up, but he then comments that she of course stole it, that statistically speaking it was her. Outraged, she leaves. Meanwhile, at the Hawthorne house, Ben and Kate present Max with cookies, telling him they need to talk. Seeing the cookies, he thinks it must be bad and tells them he knew the day was going to come and that he's prepared for it. He then reveals that he thinks they're getting a divorce. "It's okay. Love is fleeting." They then tell him that Vanderspeigle is coming over for dinner. Shocked, he asks why they can't just be getting a divorce, then races to his room and screams in frustration. He then radios Sahar on a walkie-talkie, telling her his life is over. She asks what he means and he explains about Vanderspeigle's upcoming visit. To his surprise, she thinks that it's great news. She explains that they've been wanting to get into his cabin and she has a plan.
Vanderspeigle and Bloom arrive for dinner, Vanderspeigle sure that it will be a total bust. To his surprise, he discovers Max dressed up in his Sunday best and treating him politely. Meanwhile, Ben and Kate are both surprised that he has brought a date. As the dinner proceeds, Sahar sneaks into Vanderspeigle's truck and manages to swipe his keys. As the dinner continues, the Hawthornes ask Vanderspeigle where he's from and he uses his knowledge of Earth culture, making references to Law and Order and Sex in the City. As they all continue talking, Bloom reveals that Ben was actually her first kiss. She also claims that she and Ben never actually officially broke up, making Kate highly uncomfortable. As this is happening, Sahar visits a shop and makes copies of Vanderspeigle's keys. When Max and Vanderspeigle have a moment alone at the table, Vanderspeigle asks what Max is doing, why he's being so nice to him, given how he's tried to kill him. Max simply replies that he would have done the same thing if he were an alien. Vanderspeigle and Bloom then make to leave, but Max repeatedly stalls them, trying to get them to stay longer and reading them a book report. Finally, the two leave and Max is worried, but Sahar reappears, giving him a thumbs-up and having completed her mission and returned Vanderspeigle's original keys. Vanderspeigle takes Bloom home and gives Bloom a goodbye kiss, which she calls not the worst she's ever had. He then thinks to himself that his penis is dying.
The next afternoon, Vanderspeigle is on call when Asta learns that her grandmother's back is hurting again. She needs a steroid shot of the type that used to be administered by Sam Hodges, so she volunteers Vanderspeigle to come with her to the Ute Reservation, despite Vanderspeigle's plea that he doesn't want to go. She also brings along her adoptive father Dan, disregarding his own plea that he doesn't want to go with Vanderspeigle, on the basis that she herself doesn't want men to act like children. At the sheriff's office, Thompson and Baker review various pieces of possible evidence that they've dredged up from the lake. Among the items that have caught Baker's interest is a doorknob, the one that the Vanderspeigle alien ripped off the door of the cabin of the human Harry Vanderspeigle. Thompson, however, discounts it, telling her that a houseboat would have a doorknob and that houseboats can sink, so it's completely normal to find a doorknob in a lake. He comments that "Cletus knows that," doting on the dog and calling him the "best deputy in the world" and the "cutest deputy." As he does so, Baker scrawls "I hate Cletus" on a notepad.
On the road, Vanderspeigle has Asta stop at the gas station so that he can use the restroom. As he heads in, Lisa Casper and David Logan are stationed in a motor home outside. Logan grills Casper on her killing of the man from the bar, but she tells him that it was simple robbery, that that's what was reported in the paper. He shouts at her that their orders were to find the alien that crashed, not to go around murdering people. She counters that their orders were to deliver the alien to the general without anyone knowing about it and therefore things are going to get messy, but he's acting like they can just sit there and the alien is going to come to them. As she's saying this, Vanderspeigle is outside the vehicle. She warns Logan that she's eliminating anything that could be an obstacle to the mission, which might include him if he doesn't shut up. He goes inside the station for a pee and meets Vanderspeigle, who asks him if he shivers when he pees.
The group finally arrives at the Ute Reservation. Seeing the camaraderie of everyone there, Vanderspeigle reflects to himself that it's not food that brings humans together, but rather each other, a basic need to feel like you belong and that it feels good. They enter Asta's grandmother's room for Vanderspeigle to give her the shot and she seems to like him. Back in Patience, Max and Sahar are pulled over by Sheriff Thompson for failing to use hand signals while riding their bikes. When he asks them what they're doing, they claim to be looking for Bigfoot, leading him to curse, then apologize for cursing around children. He lets them off with a warning and compliments them on being outside getting fresh air, instead of being glued to screens. Meanwhile, in Patience's bar, Deputy Baker unloads on Bloom, telling her that she's questioning why she even exists. The two have a heart-to-heart, Baker telling Bloom that she put Patience on the map by being in the Olympics. In return, Bloom calls Baker the best cop that Patience has ever had and the only one that people are ever actually excited to see. She tells Baker to go and stand up to Thompson.
At the reservation, Vanderspeigle gives Asta's grandmother her shot and the two bond over some shared abuse of Dan. Then, when Asta's grandmother comments that it's about time she had a child, Vanderspeigle thoughtlessly outs her by declaring that she already does - that she and Jay share the same facial structure and both eat like they're starving to death. At this, Asta runs out of the room. She is tracked down by her friend Kayla and asks her just how badly she messed things up. Kayla tells her that she gave up her kid only to stalk her until she was old enough to work for her and hasn't told her father that she's been serving pancakes to his granddaughter. Despite this, she tells her that she admires what she did, putting Jay's needs ahead of her own. While the two talk, Vanderspeigle discovers a group playing a game of basketball. When they toss the ball his way, he scores a basket from a great distance and they all immediately want him on their team, but soon discover that he has problems with the nuances of the game, such as dribbling and passing the ball.
Asta next chats with Dan, who asks how she possibly couldn't have told him that Jay was the girl she gave up for adoption. She protests that he wanted her out the second he knew she was pregnant, but he counters that she was the one who ran out. He tells her everyone there would have supported her, but she admits that she didn't want to put the burden of raising another child on him when he had already raised one who wasn't his own. She says that she didn't want it to be one more problem for him, asking if they're going to be okay. He tells her that even when they're not okay, they'll always be okay. Back on the outskirts of Patience, Max and Sahar break into Vanderspeigle's cabin and discover parts of his spaceship in the basement, and his locked freezer. They then see an apple floating on a plate via the power of tellurium, but when they reach for it, they are both knocked back and pass out on the basement floor. On the reservation, Vanderspeigle nearly passes out while playing basketball. He looks up on the stars of the night sky, reflecting that his home planet is 46 light years away. He is joined by Asta and apologizes for revealing her secret, but she tells him he did everyone a favor. He tells her that he misses home and she asks if he has family there. He admits to having had a wife and that she died, so he took a job that brought him there.
He, Asta and Dan return home, listening to the Native American song "Boujee Natives" on the radio. Back at the sheriff's station, Baker again tries to draw Thompson's attention to the doorknob, only for her to continue to brush him off. She, however, logs it as evidence against his wishes. Vanderspeigle returns home to his cabin where discovers Max and Sahar passed out on the floor of the basement. To his dismay, he checks their pulses and finds them very much alive. He bags them up and takes them upstairs, only to unexpectedly discover a woman standing in his living room. Shocked, he asks her how she got in, given that the door was locked. "I have a key," she replies. "I am still your wife."
Cast and characters[]
Starring:
- Alan Tudyk as Dr. 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
- Judah Prehn as Max Hawthorne
Guest Starring:
- Meredith Garretson as Kate Hawthorne
- Elizabeth Bowen as Liv Baker
- Gary Farmer as Dan Twelvetrees
- Mandell Maughan as Lisa Casper
- Alex Barima as David Logan
- Elvy as Isabelle
- Gracelyn Awad Rinke as Sahar
- Sarah Podemski as Kayla
- Diana Bang as Nurse Ellen
Co-Starring:
- Keith Arbruthnot as Alien Harry Double and Alien Wife
- Kaylayla Raine as Jay
- Eugene Brave Rock as Shane
- Roman Legend Jimmie as Sage
- Glenda Klassen as Val
- Edna Manitotowabi as Grandma Ruth
- Kaiel Barreiro as Neighborhood Kid
- Herbert Duncanson as Mailman
- Elijiah Noskey-Auger as Joe
- Ries Fowler as Dream Dad
- Carly Buhler as Dream Mom
- Ellexis Wejr as Dream Kid
- Samuel Francisco as Dream Bike Rider
- Maria Fernandes as Dream Dog Walker
Quotes[]
"Currents aren't always accurate and you shouldn't trust your balls. They're nuts."
- Harry Vanderspeigle
"You're still sitting with me.
"Yep."
"So I also wanted to ask you what you are doing tonight."
"(in his head) I was thinking of chopping up the body in my freezer. Spring cleaning."
- Mayor Hawthorne and Harry Vanderspeigle
"I will take your silence as a "yes" and see you at 6."
- Mayor Hawthorne to Harry regarding his dinner invitation
"Honey, we aren't getting a divorce."
"We just wanted to tell you that Dr. Vanderspeigle is coming to dinner tonight."
"What? No! Why can't you just be getting a divorce?!"
- Kate Hawthorne, Mayor Hawthorne and Ben Hawthorne
"What are you doing? Why are you being so nice to me? I've tried to kill you two times. Wait. Cut your head with a bone saw, tried to kill you in your sleep, cut your brakes so that you'd die in traffic. Three times. I've tried to kill you three times."
"You didn't mean it."
"Yes. Yeah-- no, I did. I looked forward to it. I was even planning on eating some of you to see what humans tasted like."
"You know what? I think I'd do the same thing if I were an alien. I'll bet we taste like pot roast. More potatoes?"
- Harry and Max
"I'm starting to think the kid actually likes me. And why wouldn't he? I'm a likable alien."
- Harry, regarding Max
"Oh, no. They're still alive."
- Harry, discovering Max and Sahar passed out on his basement floor
"How did you get in here? The door was locked?"
"I have a key. I am still your wife."
- Harry and the human Harry's wife
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
Still images[]
Videos[]
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External links[]
Birds of a Feather on the Internet Movie Database- Transcript @ TV Show Transcripts
- Transcript @ Scraps from the Loft
- Transcript @ Forever Dreaming
