42

An octopus named 42 is a character in the Syfy science fiction comedy series Resident Alien. He is voiced by Nathan Fillion.

Character overview[]

42 lives in a fishtank in a Japanese restaurant in the town of Patience, Colorado. He encounters Harry Vanderspeigle, an alien who has crashed on Earth and who is passing as human, and has a telepathic conversation with him. He is somewhat foul-mouthed and sarcastic, and is bitter about his situation. Harry eventually breaks 42 out of the restaurant, bringing him to live in a new aquarium in his cabin.

Appearance[]

Plot summary[]

At a low point in his life, Harry Vanderspeigle meets up with Asta Twelvetrees and D'arcy Bloom. Learning that he tried to drown his sorrows with alcohol and pills, they decide to try a different tack by getting him high instead. Afterwards, severely wasted, the group retires to a Japanese restaurant and eats noodles. While there, Harry gets up and wanders off to a fishtank in the restaurant. There, he encounters an octopus, who recognizes him as one of his alien relatives despite his human disguise. The two begin a telepathic conversation and the octopus asks why he looks like "them." Harry explains that he had to blend in and the octopus comments that he came at a good time, that things are getting bad for them. Harry tells him that he has good news and bad news: the bad news being that he crashed and failed his mission, the good news being that his friends didn't order the octopus. The octopus tells him he can't give up, that they need him, then realizes that he's high. It chastises him for getting baked and having a good time when its brother is swimming around in the ocean stuck in a six-pack ring. Harry shouts at him that panic-inducing pressure is not an effective tool on those who smoke marijuana. The octopus apologizes and tells him that he already knows what he needs to do. At this, Harry realizes that he can use the power of the boy Max Hawthorne to find the power emanations that can lead him to his device. He leaves, telling the octopus not to tell anyone that he crashed, and the octopus shoots back that it's stuck an aquarium and can't tell anyone else. It then shouts at him to break it out, only to realize it should have opened with that.

Harry suffers amnesia after crash-landing back on Earth following his attempt to return to his home planet after deciding not to kill everyone on Earth using his device. After reuniting with Asta, she takes him to the Japanese restaurant, hoping that the familiar scenery and food will spark his memory. It does not, however, during their meal, the octopus begins speaking with him. He wanders over to the fishtank, wandering who it is that is speaking with him. The octopus wonders just what's going on his brain and says he'll clean up for him, emitting some sort of signal which causes Harry's memory to return. Asta comes over, confused about what's happening, but is delighted when Harry addresses him by name. "Thank God," she comments, to which the octopus expresses disgust at God receiving the credit. "Hello there, human idiot," he greets her. When she is shocked at being called an idiot by an octopus, he explains that he doesn't normally speak to humans, but that Harry needs help.

Harry later returns to the octopus after learning of the human concept of family simply being people in your life that you love and would do anything for. He asks if the two of them are family and the octopus replies that they're not "I'll help you move family" but that they are "I'll see you at the reunion and say you got fat family." Harry tells him he needs family to remind him of who he is and the octopus suggests that he break him out. He tells him he has to do it quick, that his people will be there soon. Harry asks what he means and he explains that since he didn't complete his mission to kill of humanity, his people will just send someone else to do this. Harry asks if this includes even Asta and the octopus replies that she's a human, so they'll kill her too. He then busts out the octopus, running down the street away from the restaurant, with the octopus shouting at him "Run, you elegant bastard, run!"

Harry sets the octopus up in a new tank inside his cabin. He begins referring to the octopus as "42" based on the octopus's number on the restaurant's menu: "#42: Octopus in black bean sauce." 42 insults him for spending a week on digging out to install a bunker in his cabin, telling him he wouldn't have to do anything he'd just gone home like he was supposed to. Harry tells him that he never could have gone home with Max Hawthorne on board, but 42 replies that he should have just ejected him into space, that he's becoming too human and is even vulnerable to his own people's attack. In response, Harry threatens to wear him as a protective suit.

Harry creates a radio to contact his own people. After a failed attempt at contact, he brings the radio home where it detects an incoming signal. 42 reports this to Harry, complaining that it woke him up from a nice dream he was having about a three-way with a starfish and a littleneck clam. Harry brings over Asta, explaining that the contact from the radio was a phone number from his people, but that he hasn't dialed it yet. When Asta asks why, Harry tells her he thinks that it might be a trap, but 42 states that it isn't a trap. Harry retorts that if he were worried about traps, he would still be in the ocean. Asta asks if 42 has to keep popping into her head and he asks if she thinks he likes it there, that it's darker than the woods in a Tim Burton movie. Asta tells Harry to stop putting on the television in front of 42. In response, 42 says that Harry didn't call the number because he's afraid whoever sent the signal will reject him for being too human. Harry threatens to withhold food from 42, at which point he settles down. Afterwards, however, when Harry thinks to himself that he cannot go to New York because he has changed and the octopus is right, 42 tells him that he heard that. "Get out my head," complains Harry.

Harry picks out clothes, preparing to go to New York, though 42 tells him that it doesn't matter what clothes he wears because he'll still be wearing "that gross skin suit." Harry tells him that he's jealous because he's going to go meet real family, whereas he's just a distant cousin. 42 retorts that he's more family than "that dumb land seal," referring to Murphy, a dog that Harry kidnapped from the girl Sahar in the hopes of getting him to return his alien spaceship ball. Harry retorts that when he gives Murphy treats, the dog is grateful, as opposed to 42's complaining when he gives him shrimps. 42 says that he only asked him to serve them with a smile, then comments "Dark storm cloud is approaching" as Asta arrives. "Eat shit, bottom-feeder," she replies.

Later, Sahar arrives at Harry Vanderspeigle's cabin, hoping to get Murphy back. Over 42's protests, Harry hides Murphy inside the same him as him. He then discusses the alien ball with Sahar, ultimately telling her that he's not giving back the dog, until Sahar starts pointing at something behind him. When he just continues to rant at Sahar, 42 tells him "Turn around, you dummy." He does so and is horrified to discover the dog Murphy giving 42 a terrible thrashing. He runs over and extracts 42 from Murphy's mouth, at which point Murphy returns to Sahar. 42 tells Harry that he can't see and asks if it's really him. Harry tells him he's going to be okay, but he says that it's his time and he's lived a good life. Harry pleads that he cannot die, telling him he's sorry that he said he wasn't his real family, that he was just mad at him for demanding they watch home-improvement shows. 42 tells him to go, that he has a real family in New York, and that it was a honorable death. He tells him to honor his life by eating his dead body in butter sauce with a really nice Chardonnay. Harry attempts chest compressions and even mouth-to-mouth, watched on by Murphy and a disgusted and confused Sahar, who clearly was not included in any of 42's telepathic communications. Afterwards, Harry honors 42's request, consuming his body while thinking of the good times they had together.

Harry later reflects on 42's loss while in New York. He tells Asta that he did not think he would miss his octopus friend because he was going to New York to find real family. However, upon learning of Goliath's death on top of the octopus's, he feels very alone.

The theft of an octopus from a Japanese restaurant in Patience is later noted by the government agent David Logan as one of several signs of possible ongoing alien activity in the village. He reports this, along with the other signs, to his superior General McCallister, telling him that he believes that the man they captured, Ethan Stone, is not an alien.

When Harry shocks his child, Bridget, into blue goo using a taser, the various pieces use the DNA scattered upon his carpet to regenerate into other forms. 42 is among the many forms that Bridget takes to attack Harry. Harry is shocked when Bridget bites him with teeth in this form, as octopi normally do not have any teeth.

Behind the scenes[]

42 is voiced by Nathan Fillion, who appeared as Malcolm Reynolds on the series Firefly, which also starred Resident Alien lead Alan Tudyk as Hoban Washburne. Fillion received no credit for his role, but his voice was immediately recognized by fans and the role was acknowledged officially in an article posted on Syfy's website. Showrunner Chris Sheridan revealed that he had initially planned to have Tudyk voice the role, and Tudyk suggested trying to get Fillion, which Sheridan found to be an "amazing idea." He reached out to Fillion, who was happy to agree to the role, and recorded it at home and "ad-libbed some really funny things."^[1]

42 appears in the premiere of the second season of Resident Alien, "Old Friends." Nathan Fillion now receives a "With" credit as a guest star for his role as the voice of the octopus.

For its first appearance, 42 was created entirely using digital effects. In the second season, 42 is created using both digital effects and practical effects. The scene in "Old Friends" in which Harry Vanderspeigle races down the street with 42, having just broken it out, was entirely with the practical life-like octopus model.^[2]

Although Nathan Fillion was disappointed about being off the show due to 42's death, he was ultimately convinced that it was a good thing his character had moved on. Alan Tudyk stated that it reminded him of Firefly in that even beloved characters are killed and that he felt that there was no way Fillion could get a better death than the scene in "An Alien in New York." He also teased that there is a version of the death scene which is four times longer than what appears in the episode.^[3]

Quotes[]

"Are you high? You're baked. Look, my brother's been swimming around for six years with a plastic six-pack container wrapped around his ass, and you're here smoking bowls? Just so long as you're having a good time."
- 42 to Harry Vanderspeigle, "The Green Glow"

"The chef here is a sicko. Last night, I swear he fed me octopus."
- 42 to Harry Vanderspeigle, "Old Friends"

"Pretty obvious, you didn't complete your mission. They'll just send someone else to kill everyone for you."
- 42 to Harry Vanderspeigle, "Old Friends"

"You don't know anything about space. You are a Colorado octopus."
"Is that where we are? Shit. I thought this was India. That is an Indian rug. You are appropriating their culture. That's not a good look, man."
- Harry Vanderspeigle and 42, "The Wire"

"It doesn't matter what clothes you wear. You're still going to be covered in that gross skin suit when you meet this alien."
- 42 to Harry Vanderspeigle, "An Alien in New York"

"Close the shutters. Dark storm cloud is approaching!"
"Eat shit, bottom-feeder."
- 42 and Asta Twelvetrees, "An Alien in New York"

"It was an honorable death. Honor my life by... eating my dead body in a butter sauce with a... a nice... like, a really nice Chardonnay. - 42 to Harry Vanderspeigle, "An Alien in New York"