The Upper Hand is the twenty-eighth episode of the science fiction comedy television series Resident Alien and the second episode of the third season. It premiered on February 21, 2024.
Synopsis[]
D'arcy inserts herself into Harry's mission, while Kate grows more uncomfortable in her own home.
Plot[]
A suicide mission[]
70 years ago, a young girl is out camping with her family. As she swirls a snowglobe, her father tells her it's dark and to not wander too far. She finds a sign leading to a hot spring. Upon reaching it, the water bubbles and from it, a Grey alien emerges. She screams, dropping both the snowglobe and her flashlight. The alien picks up the globe, studying it curiously.
In the present day, Max bicycles up to Harry Vanderspeigle's cabin with the "conspiracy kids" from the comic book store that Sahar wanted him to become friends with. One of them comments that he can't believe Max is friends with an alien. Max knocks on the cabin door, telling them to get ready to meet a real-life extraterrestrial. The door opens, and the kids are naturally nonplussed, as they see only the human form of Harry, whose face and neck are covered in shaving cream. He tells Max that he doesn't want visitors and that he hates bike lines in his driveway dirt. Max comments that aliens are always making jokes, inviting the other kids in. Harry asks where Sahar is, then laughs when Max tells him she moved away. Max tells him that he started an alien club, introducing the other kids as Mari and Leo. Max demands that Harry turn into an alien so that they can see what he looks like, but he plays dumb. Max pulls out the taser, telling him he leaves him no choice. Harry thinks to himself that he wants it back, that it heats his coffee in seconds, but if he does, the other kids will think he's alien. The kids comment they should go, but Max turns to Harry, telling him he's the new Alien Tracker. Outside, Max zaps himself, and Harry laughs, seeing Mari and Leo dragging him away from the window.
Heading into town, Harry thinks to himself that most humans are not special. He discovers a parking ticket on his truck and finds himself confronted by Joseph Rainier, the Grey-human hybrid. He crumples the ticket and moves to toss it, but Joseph warns him that there's a fine for littering. He tosses it in his truck, then empties his coffee on the ground, laughing that it's not littering if it's liquid. He then thinks that he needs to get another coffee. Meanwhile, at the clinic, D'arcy confronts Asta, telling her that she can't go on another date with Joseph with him being a Grey alien and all. Asta tells her it's not a date, that she just has to keep him interested while Harry starts his apartment. D'arcy points out that Harry's plans often fail, but Asta insists she doesn't have to worry. D'arcy tells her she's coming with, but Asta tells her that Joseph will be suspicious and she didn't even tell her dad. She says she can take care of herself, just as Harry comes up asking her what kind of cake she likes. When she asks why, he tells her there's a ritual on his planet, that when they send a volunteer on a suicide mission, they prepare a last meal. "You're not going," insists D'arcy, but Asta again tells her it'll be fine.
A dancer's arch[]
Judy Cooper is inside the Hawthorne family home talking with Kate. Ben asks what's going on and she tells him she mentioned to Judy they were putting it on the market and that Judy is a realtor. Judy clarifies that she keeps failing the test, but that her aunt lets her work with the clients she doesn't care about. Ben asks if Kate is really serious about this and she tells him she is. Judy asks how they feel about animal print. She posits a series of increasingly ridiculous suggestions and Ben tells Kate he's not sure it's the right time to sell. Judy replies that the market is always strong for a murder house. "I'm sorry?" asks Kate and Ben says that he's not sure about murder that the previous owner slipped and fell. Judy agrees that she did - on her own blood after being shot in the gut. Ben claims it isn't ringing a bell. Max comes in, asking who got shot, and Kate tells him to go upstairs. Ben tells Kate that they ought to at least talk about it. She says that they did, just now, and she can't live there. Judy agrees to do the listing, but suggests that maybe they don't pull up the floorboards. "Maybe we could just burn the house down with me inside it," mutters Ben.
At the sheriff's office, Sheriff Mike arrives to find Deputy Liv with baked goods. She explains that they're for a lady from the lab to expedite the prints from the Bach van and chocolate chip cookies for Maureen at the post office to hurry the prints to the lab. She tells him that Detective Torres called twice looking for him, but he dismisses it, saying they should get to work. "You're not talking," realizes Liv, and Mike tells her that Lena planned a trip for the two of them the next month, all expenses paid by her. He says that it was first her paying for dinners and now this. "Not this again," complains Liv and he tells her the conversation is over. He leaves, taking baked goods with him, bringing some to Ben. He sees Ben studying a brochure about pools and Ben explains about Kate wanting to sell the house. He says that he though if he put in a pool, Kate might want to stay. Mike then tells Ben to take off his shoe and sock, then does so himself when Ben won't. He tells him that he has a dancer's arch and that he has the answer to his problems, to come see him after work.
Harry thinks to himself that his people should not have given up the Earth to the Greys, that they've beaten them every time they've faced each other. He thinks that he can do it himself, only for D'arcy to enter his truck. "Let's do this," she tells him, donning a ski mask. As they arrive at Joseph's place, D'arcy complains that she can't believe a Grey alien got in when she applied and got turned down. Harry tells her to stay outside and be the lookout, but she insists she has to see which unit he got. "Okay," he tells her, climbing up to a window. She points out that the can't, tossing him a rope and telling him to pull her up. "Oh no, I missed," he comments, tossing the rope back down. She tells him that if he doesn't, she'll put a sign in the bar saying that he kicks dogs. She says that people will believe her because she has a dog-kicking face. She warns him to pull her up or she'll make up worse. As Harry toys with D'arcy, jerking the rope about, Asta and Joseph sit down for a meal at Joe's Diner.
Trapped[]
At the sheriff's office, Deputy Liv discovers a strong magnet that fell out of the bag that came from Peter Bach's son, Robert Hutchins. Meanwhile, Mayor Ben poses for a foot photo with Sheriff Mike. He expresses his discomfort with the whole thing, but Mike tells him that there's no shame in making money. He grumbles about Lena having planned an impromptu vacation, saying that he's supposed to be one initiating that. Ben tells him that everyone has a role in a relationship and it works, so long as one of them doesn't suddenly switch up the roles. Mike comments that he feels like it's no longer about him and Ben tells him that "fear" is his thing, ever since he was a child, but now Kate is afraid of birds. Mike tells him that a man's job is take care of his woman. He says that he's old-school and likes holding doors open. Ben tells him he's not married and that if he doesn't like Lena to break him off. He tells him that he does like Lena, that she's smart and beautiful. He says that he finds her independence sexy, but asks if it's too much to have an independent woman who only does what he wants. He then notices a lump in Ben's foot, which Ben tells him has been there since he was a kid. Mike tells him he might want to get it to get it looked at, that it could derail his foot-modeling career before it even starts. Just then, Liv comes in, then ducks out upon seeing what they're doing. "She don't know art," comments Mike.
D'arcy and Ben arrive inside Joseph's apartment, D'arcy commenting that she's pissed about all the new appliances. He tells her to focus. He asks her to look for anything out of the ordinary, and she says that out of the ordinary is a $600 microwave. She calls aliens "bougie" and he tells her that his species and the Greys are not the same, that his people are protectors and the Greys are just cruel. He points out that their bodies only even allow them to live in Earth's atmosphere for a short amount of time. "That's why they created hybrids," realizes D'arcy. Harry says that his people belong there and the Greys do not. He spots a pizza box, calling it the jackpot. He tells her he's hungry. He goes over to inspect it, but she suggests it might be a trap. He opens it anyway and nothing happens. He tells her it was worth the risk. At Joe's Diner, Joseph tells Asta that he was upset about their last date being interrupted so quickly. They chat for a bit about family. Back at the apartment, D'arcy asks Harry what if the pizza is poisoned. He goes for some pepper flakes and the two are trapped in a sort of blue force-field box. "Oh no, the pizza's outside the trap," comments Harry.
Joseph's phone dings and he sees an alert telling him that his Reticulan Photon Net has been engaged. "Good, that's done," he comments and he tells Asta that they can drop the act, that he knows she knows what he is. She asks what that is and he replies that she knows. She suggests they say it at the same time. "Grey alien" he says and she says "asshole." He tells her that she will tell him everything she knows about Harry because he has him trapped. Inside the trap, D'arcy complains about her cell phone being shut off for not paying the bill. Harry, however, tells her it's not the phone, but the trap. She asks why he can't just override it if his people are so superior. He says it's very advanced and you can't just override it. He suggests they could unplug it, that humans can pass right through it. She asks why he didn't just tell her. She tries and and is zapped. He tells her it was 50/50. At the Diner, Dan walks by and Joseph tells Asta to act normal, that he'd hate for something to happen to her father. She kicks him, saying that it's normal for her to kick her dates when they lie to her. She tells him that she knows he can't kill Harry because it's against the Galactic Charter. He tells her that he has her, but that her friend is fair game. He shows her D'arcy inside the trap on his phone. She tells him that she will kill him if he hurts D'arcy. Jay arrives at the Diner. Joseph warns Asta not to do anything stupid and Asta tells Jay that she's busy. "Okay," Jay tells her and walks away. "Nice work," comments Joseph, and Jay goes to Dan, telling him that Joseph is trouble. He tells her to go, that he has it.
Failures and big goals[]
At the sheriff's office, Mike is looking at Ben's foot pictures when Lena arrives. He apologizes, saying he meant to call her back, but the day got away from him. She closes the door, saying that she's been thinking a lot about them and the way he's been acting. She tells him she's likes him a lot and she wants him to be happy and not uncomfortable. He tells her he appreciates it and she says she thinks they should end it. "I see," he tells her and she asks if he really does. She says he is who he is, but she is who she is also and when she cares about someone, she shows it. She says that she has to set an example for her son. He tells her that he'd been hoping to meet him and she tells him that this why he hasn't. She tells him to take care and leaves. Mike sighs.
At the Hawthorne home, Ben tells Kate that he thinks they should sell the house if she does. She tells him that she doesn't. "Oh, thank God," he sighs and she tells him that she loves the house and never wants to leave. She says she doesn't care that somebody died in it and she wants to die there. He asks her what the deal is and she tells him she doesn't know, that she just doesn't feel right. She says she thought it was just that she didn't feel right there, but now she thinks that it's her, that a part of her is missing. He suggests that maybe she just needs to get out of the house for a bit, that they could go on a vacation. She agrees she hasn't been on a trip in a while. He suggests they go somewhere fun, suggesting Yellowstone. She says that she was going to say Paris, but agrees to Yellowstone. They hug, her thanking him.
At Joseph's apartment, D'arcy rants at Harry. Harry calls himself worthless, saying that he first failed in his attempt to destroy all humanity and now he's failing in his attempt to save it. He sobs and D'arcy agrees, telling him "Welcome to the club." She says she's the biggest failure in Olympic history, that he had to eradicate a species and all she had to do was ski down a hill. "Millions of people saw you fail on television," agreed Harry. She says he made his point. "That we are both failures," agrees Harry. She asks if the Grey technology is making them bigger. "No," he tells her and she says that means that the trap is closing in on them. "Oh, he got the new kind," comments Harry.
Back at the restaurant, Joseph warns Asta to tell him what she knows, that time is running out. "Okay," she says, spinning a nonsensical story combining elements of the show Mork & Mindy and Orson Welles. At the apartment, D'arcy pleads with Harry to do something, that surely has some other kind of special powers. She says that ET could levitate toys and he calls ET special. He asks her if she knows what it's like to be constantly compared to that sex doll. She points out that out of all the aliens on his planet, he was chosen to come kill everyone and that makes him special. He tells her that they did not pick him, he volunteered, and he failed. She tells him he volunteered because he knew he could do it and that makes him special. He says she volunteered as well and that makes her special too. She tells him they had big goals. He agrees stopping the Greys is big too and she says that they're not failures, that they're in there because they're trying something no one else would even try. They hug as there's a power surge and the trap gets smaller again.
Who's the screw-up?[]
Just then, Max and his new friends Mari and Leo arrive. "See? I told you. Alien technology," he comments. Harry asks what they're doing there and Max tells him he tracked him because he's the alien tracker. Max asks how he got past Joseph's "fortress," that it's impenetrable. "Door was unlocked," notes Max. D'arcy tells him to unplug the trap. Max starts to reach for it, but then turns to Harry, saying he'll do it if Harry tells Mari and Leo that he's an alien. Harry replies that they're going to die because he's just a dumb human. D'arcy groans, telling Max to unplug it or she'll haunt him after she dies. He tells her that he doesn't care, that she likes ghosts, but Mari says that she doesn't, that D'arcy is scary even when alive. Leo comments that he knew Max was a liar. "Fine," says Harry, saying that he's human, but that this is obviously alien technology and Max was able to track it down is because he is the Alien Tracker. Max unplugs the device.
At the cafe, Joseph is asking Asta about Mindy of Mork & Mindy when he gets an alert that his Reticulan Photo Net has been disengaged. He curses and Asta asks him what the Grey word is for screw-up, or if it's just "Joseph." He replies that he still has her, telling her to smile and get up like nothing's wrong. Dan confronts him, telling him to get out, that Asta stays. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, " he tells him, doing a trick with his eyes. "Oh, no. You're an alien?" asks Dan in a mock-scared voice," as Asta gets up and starts to leave. Dan tells him that you can't swing a dead cat in the town without hitting an alien. Asta then punches him, knocking him out, and they lead him out, saying he had too much to drink. At The 59, Deputy Liv hands Sheriff Mike a file, telling him that there's bad news from the lab. There was no hit on the fingerprints. She says she really thought they had something. She asks if he's okay and he tells her that he and Lena have decided to be just friends. "Oh no," she says, but he tells her that he's fine. She suggests he comes to dinner, saying that she's making John's favorite, turkey meatloaf. "Hard pass," replies Mike. She leaves.
Joseph wakes up at Harry's cabin to find himself confronted by Harry, who mocks him for his snoring. Joseph notes that Harry didn't tie him up, and Harry replies that there was no point, that Joseph would likely have been very strong and just broken them and then the chair. He outlines a scenario in which they fought, ending with him breaking the refrigerator and calling in a repairman with a boring sideline in photography. Joseph suggests an alternate scenario in which he comes out on top and he kills Harry. The two argue back and forth for a while about how things would go. Harry demands to know what the Grey aliens are doing on Earth. Joseph tells him he wouldn't understand and Harry replies that he would understand better than him, that he's a hybrid. He says this makes him half-human and therefore half-stupid. Joseph points out that nevertheless, he knows the Grey's plans. Harry, however, concludes that Joseph knows nothing about their plans, that he's just a circus monkey. Joseph asks why he's so happy about this, saying that if he truly doesn't know anything, then Harry's mission is a failure. Harry tells him that his has too and he has to leave Patience now, that if he doesn't, he will tell the Greys how many people know he's an alien. Joseph replies that he will leave when he wants to leave, saying it's lucky for him that it's now. They argue for a bit about why he's leaving, then Joseph leaves, but not before smashing a small duck figurine of Harry's.
A new lead[]
Outside, Harry takes a phone call from General McCallister. She tells him she hasn't heard from him in a couple of days, asking how everything is going. He claims to have it under control. "Too much good to say in one phone call," he comments, hanging up. A female subordinate approaches her, asking if she isn't going to tell Harry about the Darling Project. McCallister replies that it's strictly need to know and that Harry doesn't. She pulls up an episode of Peter Bach's "Alien Tracker" podcast on her phone, staring at a photo of herself as a kid and her father. Harry thinks to himself that living as a human is making him weaker. He thinks that humans do stupid things all the time, as Sheriff Mike wakes up next to Judy Cooper. He stares, horrified, at what he has done, as Judy nuzzles in closer.
Harry thinks Joseph is right, that he has indeed failed his mission. As he pounds his head, Ben enters his office, asking if he's busy. He asks what he wants and Ben asks him to take a look at his foot. Harry's immediate reaction is to think it's some sort of kink thing, but Ben tells him "as a doctor," saying he has a bump. He shows Harry his foot and Harry is immediately interested in where he got it. Ben tells him he's had since he was a kid. Harry grabs his foot and stares, thinking to himself that this is a Grey tracking device. He's been trying to figure out what the Greys are doing and perhaps the answer has been in Ben's foot all along. He tells Ben he needs to hypnotize him to determine the origin of the disfiguration. So he does, telling Ben that when he wakes up, he will remember nothing, but still pay Harry for the hour. He tells him to tell him everything he remembers from his last abduction. Ben tells him he was floating down a hallway and he felt sick. Harry says he doesn't care, to tell him something he can use. He tells him he passed a doorway with a map. Harry demands to know what's on it, but Ben says he's scared, that he has to get out. Harry pleads to know what he sees. "There's all these children's shoes," Ben tells him and finally a snowglobe, which says "Yellowstone." Harry tells him that when he snaps his fingers, he will wake up and remember nothing.
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:
Guest starring:
- Terry O'Quinn as Peter Bach
- Meredith Garretson as Kate Hawthorne
- Gary Farmer as Dan Twelvetrees
- Kaylayla Raine as Jay
- Jenna Lamia as Judy Cooper
- Nicole Correia-Damude as Detective Lena Torres
- Hwaa Hawk as Leo
- Grace Sunar as Mari
and
Co-starring:
- Rachel Colwell as Lieutenant Hill
- Autumn West as Louise
- Kyle Jespersen as Camping Father
- Brendan Riggs as Repairman
- Jamie Paul O'Neill as Bartender
Gallery[]
Still images[]
Videos[]
