Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Trauma, Secrets, and a Bowing Xenomorph

There’s no denying it: Alien: Earth is shaping up to be the best new show of the year.

This series is firing on all cylinders, upping the intrigue with each passing episode, and most importantly, leaving me desperate for the next hour. It’s rare to find a freshman sci-fi drama that balances heart, horror, and mystery this well, but Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 4 pulled it off beautifully.

At the halfway point of the season, the stakes feel higher than ever, and the secrets keep getting darker.

Let’s start with Wendy, because what on earth (or, uh, beyond earth) is going on with her? She’s a kid, thrust into this terrifying new reality, and suddenly she can communicate with aliens? That’s not exactly an ability Prodigy advertised on the brochure on the Alien: Earth series premiere.

Boy Kavalier clearly prides himself on building the most advanced synths money can buy, so it’s hard to believe he’s clueless about why Wendy can do this. He’s too meticulous, too obsessed with control. Which means either he’s hiding something… or Wendy really is breaking the rules of Prodigy’s science.

Her bond with her brother grounds her, but you can feel the danger hovering. Hermit’s interest in her screams of unfinished business, and the way he looms over Boy Kavalier’s empire is unsettling. If Kavalier thinks he’s the “big brother” to his synths, Hermit feels like the estranged uncle who knows where the bodies are buried.

What is Wendy’s Connection to the Xenomorphs on Alien: Earth?

And that final scene with the baby Xenomorph bowing to Wendy? Jaw. On. Floor. That was pure nightmare fuel, and also the clearest sign yet that Wendy might not just be “special.” She might be part alien. Whether it’s her vessel, her DNA, or something more mystical, Wendy is no ordinary experiment. And if Prodigy underestimates her, it’ll be their undoing.

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While Wendy ascends, poor Nibs is crumbling. She’s been struggling since day one, but her encounter with the alien that tried to nest in her eye has left scars deeper than anyone wants to admit.

This episode gave us one of the tensest scenes yet when she lashed out at Dame Silvia. That moment said everything: these kids are powerful, unpredictable, and traumatized. Prodigy can pretend they’re in control, but they’re sitting on a powder keg.

Boy Kavalier thought Silvia’s soft-spoken, maternal approach would be enough to calm the synths. But here’s the truth — trauma doesn’t vanish because someone whispers nicely. These children were ripped from their old lives and forced into new, inhuman bodies. That’s not nurturing. That’s psychological warfare dressed in corporate spin.

And you could see it in Silvia’s face: for the first time, she realized one of these kids could seriously hurt her. The bubble of control she’s clung to? It’s starting to burst.

Which brings us to Silvia and her husband, Arthur. Can we give Arthur’s facial expressions their own Emmy nomination? The man has perfected the art of silently screaming “what the hell are we doing?” with one raised eyebrow.

His confrontation with Sylvia was illuminating. He sees the horror in what Prodigy is doing, and he’s disgusted that his wife keeps justifying it. But here’s the thing: Sylvia isn’t just complicit. She’s in deep. She’s been with Prodigy for years, and it’s not hard to imagine they’ve modified her in some way. Even if she’s not a synth, Boy Kavalier isn’t stupid — he’d have fail-safes in place to keep her in line.

So while Arthur pleads with her conscience, Sylvia is stuck between love and loyalty. Will she ever truly turn on Prodigy? History says no. But if she starts seeing these synths as children instead of assets, maybe there’s hope. Maybe.

Slightly’s Storyline Will End in Heartbreak

Slightly’s storyline gutted me this week. He’s been manipulated from the start, tugged in every direction, and never given a choice. His sense of identity is fractured, and his resentment toward Wendy having her brother makes perfect sense.

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That scene where Morrow reached out to Slightly’s parents was brutal. It highlights how much these kids lost when they became Prodigy’s playthings. Slightly is spiraling, and the odds of him surviving Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 5 intact feel slim. But I hope he does, because his arc cuts to the core of what this show is exploring: humanity, identity, and who gets to decide what makes someone “worth saving.”

Alien: Earth is doing something few sci-fi shows manage — balancing spectacle with slow-burn character work. Every seed planted is sprouting in unexpected ways. Every choice has consequences. And the pacing? Flawless. Four episodes in, and the tension hasn’t dipped once.

This episode also cemented the idea that Prodigy isn’t just fighting for control of its creations. It’s fighting the inevitable: these kids are evolving in ways the company never planned for. Boy Kavalier can play god all he wants, but nature — or in this case, alien nature — always finds a way.

Alien: Earth Season 1 Episode 4 was a riveting, unsettling, deeply emotional hour of TV. Wendy’s powers raise more questions than answers, Nibs’ trauma is bubbling to the surface, Sylvia and Arthur are heading for a breaking point, and Slightly may be running out of time.

The halfway mark has set the stage for a back half that promises to be explosive. If the baby Xenomorph kneeling wasn’t enough to convince you that this show is fearless, I don’t know what will.

I want so much more of Alien: Earth, and if the second half delivers on this momentum, it could go down as one of the best first seasons of sci-fi in years.

So, what’s your take? Do you think Wendy’s alien connection is genetic, or something more sinister? Will Nibs’ trauma explode in violent ways? And can Sylvia ever break free from Boy Kavalier’s grip?

Hit the comments — I need to hear your theories.

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