Alien Earth Episode 6: The Fly – Review

Flies have always been horrid, but this week Alien: Earth takes things to a new extreme. Next time one lands on your burger, take a moment's silence for our boy Tootles (Kit Young).

Dropped back into the present, we rejoin our disbanded heroes as they begin to unravel the corporation's true intentions. The tension simmers subtly in the background, evoking a constant sense of foreboding. The child synthetics are scared, Morrow (Ceesay) is doubling down harder than ever, and the Eyeball… might just be masterminding it all.

Hawley and his team have handled this brilliantly so far - the pacing, the unease, the sense that nothing good is coming. Alien (1979) is still the frontrunner for tension in the franchise, but this comes surprisingly close, and it leaves me hungry for more.

Wendy (Chandler) and Hermit (Lawther) find themselves at odds, and we all know what happens when siblings fall out. Unfortunately, their chemistry feels off - the affection between them often reads as romantic, and I genuinely cringed in places. For a moment I thought I'd stumbled into Game of Thrones. That aside, Wendy's scenes with the Xenomorph are excellent; the chittering and hissing are skin-crawlingly creepy and a welcome, unique addition to the series.

Nibs (Newmark), altered to erase her trauma, only becomes more unsettling - especially since the other kids weren't warned. Slightly (Gourav), meanwhile, pulls the unthinkable stunt of leading one of the kindest people in the facility straight into a French kiss with a Face Hugger. Not number one on my kiss list, but each to their own, I guess.

Albert Wesker — sorry, Kirsh (Olyphant) -is back, creepier than ever and still refusing to get that much-needed haircut. Olyphant continues to give Kirsh an ominous edge, making him feel destined either for a wicked downfall or a main-villain setup in future projects. His tense interaction with Morrow (Ceesay) was a standout, as both bring an authoritarian, hard-headed energy that sparks brilliantly off each other.

And then there's the Eyeball - back, and better than ever. This time it traps Tootles (Young) in a containment unit with a fly-like creature that spits acid like a malevolent alpaca. The scene is harrowing and lingers uncomfortably on Tootles' demise - the first child synthetic death of the series. Despite all the Peter Pan references hinting at tragedy, it still hit harder than expected. Much like The Suicide Squad (2021), it builds a genuine sense of "no one is safe."

The cinematography again shines as a highlight. Some shots feel almost Greg Fraser-esque - The Batman (2022), Dune: Part Two (2024) levels of polish. It's a testament to how much love Hawley and his team have poured into Alien: Earth. From the moody title sequence to the set design and performances, everything clicks. (Yes, I still turn to my partner every week and say, "Man, I love that title sequence.")

Despite a few rough edges, this was another strong entry. Creepy, tense, and often paranoid in tone, it keeps the dread alive while pushing the story forward. Goofy at times? Sure. But still nightmare fuel. The Xenomorphs are back, more are coming, and the Eyeball seems to be pulling the strings.

Blake Reilly

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