S02.E12: The Alien Within

[jewel21]

Quote

Halloween comes to Patience and Harry sheds his human mask.

Airdate: 08/31/2022

[AnimeMania]

I can see what the show was trying to do by humanizing the residents of Patience, we were supposing to be feeling what Harry was feeling, except it had the opposite effect, and made us hate the townsfolk. I think the Sheriff and the other Sheriff's interaction went on for way too long. Harry's talking as a human is too silly and he should talk the way he narrated this episode. This episode was not to bad, it gave us a lot to think about, but I really hate time-travel, it makes it way too easy to do whatever you want and the stories tend to lack logic. I guess I can just turn my brain off because FutureHarryAlien already knows what is going to happen and somehow can "change the timeline"?

[nokat]

My favorite bits are between the Sheriff and Deputy. Deputy: I feel like Erin Brokovich.  Later: You're a true champion for women everywhere.

Sheriff: Your brilliance allowed my super brilliance to shine through. Deputy: once again, you're the hero of your story.

Edited September 1, 2022 by nokat

[cardigirl]

Not sure what to make of this turn of events. Like @AnimeMania, I'm not sure I want the time traveler aspect, if that's what it is, to come in. 

I did like Sahar's turning the "kidnapping" to a "adultnapping." Poor Harry just can't handle her. 

I love the sheriff and deputy, but it seems that they take great leaps forward in their friendship (i.e., the conversation they had one evening on a bench somewhere) and then revert back to their old relationship. I don't like it.  

But overall, still love the show. 👽

[nokat]

11 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

I did like Sahar's turning the "kidnapping" to a "adultnapping."

Sahar is awesome dealing with Harry. I did like Harry cringing at the hug and then accepting it. 

[Zaffy]

Time traveling, MIB, conspiracies, bad aliens, bad corporate, Erin Brokovich, juvenile philosophy about humanity   mixed with some of the most boring side characters in TV history.
It is so hard to find decent TV writing anymore.
You can't have a first season with undeveloped side characters and a town both basically being  just the distant scenery for your lead and suddenly next season put all this in the spotlight. 
You never developed your story well to make us care about Patience and its residents.
I say let all Patience become a resort and next season the writers will add to the mix a "white lotus" touch with all the rich, shallow and annoying tourists driving Harry mad and us to stop watching this show for good. 

[possibilities]

I wonder if people who think the town and its people are boring are from big cities? I live in a small town (smaller than Patience) and I don't think it's as undeveloped as all that. 

I do think they are struggling to find their throughline, and scattering focus too much. It feels like they are throwing plot points at the wall to see if anything sticks. But I don't think it's because the setting or its people are boring. I think it's because the plot is too diffuse.

[Zaffy]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I wonder if people who think the town and its people are boring are from big cities? I live in a small town (smaller than Patience) and I don't think it's as undeveloped as all that. 

I do think they are struggling to find their throughline, and scattering focus too much. It feels like they are throwing plot points at the wall to see if anything sticks. But I don't think it's because the setting or its people are boring. I think it's because the plot is too diffuse.

I do not have problem with small towns and their stories as long as they are written well. 
Small town is Rutherford Falls of the same titled comedy series, a small town that is a bazillion of times more interesting than Patience because  the writing is much better.
Not to mention Reservation Dogs.

The writing is what it makes a character interesting. And RA's side characters  are not interesting. Most of them anyway. Maybe because there is not so much writing and they just improvise. Anyway, 2nd seasons are always tough. If there is a 3rd, writers might manage to find their way.

 

[nokat]

3 hours ago, Zaffy said:

RA's side characters  are not interesting

I can't agree with this.  There are side characters I find snooze worthy (mayor and wife) But I love the scenes with the sheriff and deputy.  Sahar is great. I agree about the writing though.  You ARE correct though because what the hell with Goliath and time travel. Nope, nopity nope.

[Zaffy]

6 hours ago, nokat said:

I can't agree with this.  There are side characters I find snooze worthy (mayor and wife) But I love the scenes with the sheriff and deputy.  Sahar is great. I agree about the writing though.  You ARE correct though because what the hell with Goliath and time travel. Nope, nopity nope.

Sheriff and deputy used to be my fav side characters (along with Asta's dad) but in small doses. Maybe this is the problem, they keep writing them like if they have the limited screen time they used to in season 1.  

[nokat]

I do like the intros that show how to be human. The alien squatting over a bird, lol. 

[nokat]

2 minutes ago, Zaffy said:

Sheriff and deputy used to be my fav side characters (along with Asta's dad) but in small doses. Maybe this is the problem, they keep writing them like if they have the limited screen time they used to in season 1.  

I forgot about Asta's dad, yes, probably in smaller doses.  The whole skiing thing, not that interesting. I do love Alan though. He does so well in this role, and particularly with Sahar. Him calling for baby, I was laughing.

[seacliffsal]

Possibly among my most favorite quotes ever: Max "I can save the world through my butt," and Harry "I am starting to care for all humans, what kind of monster am I turning in to?"  

So, carving one's name into a piece of wood on a small bridge is enough to want to cancel plans for the resort?  Winning the mayoral election with 49 votes?  The writers obviously don't watch their own show or they would realize that Patience visually is not as small as they are writing it.  We see neighborhoods, they have a high school, we see various businesses, etc.  They are writing for a town that has about 400 adults in it, yet are showing us something much larger.  It's as if they think the 59ers represent the whole of the current population.  Oh well.

Still enjoy Harry.  

[dwmarch]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

So, carving one's name into a piece of wood on a small bridge is enough to want to cancel plans for the resort?  Winning the mayoral election with 49 votes?  The writers obviously don't watch their own show or they would realize that Patience visually is not as small as they are writing it.  We see neighborhoods, they have a high school, we see various businesses, etc.  They are writing for a town that has about 400 adults in it, yet are showing us something much larger.  It's as if they think the 59ers represent the whole of the current population.  Oh well.

Yeah, I'm wondering if perhaps the small town storyline is meant to be a metaphor for alien invasion or something because when I think about the issues the townsfolk raised in this epsiode I can tell you they certainly weren't a concern in Ladysmith which is a "small town" of about 10,000 people. Ladysmith has been trying to get a big waterfront development going for years on some beautiful land that is covered in rusted out railroad infrastructure debris and old logging equipment (some of which has been restored and put on display at the beach). The idea is similar, give people a reason to visit. But will big box stores follow? No, they won't because first, there is no place to put them and second, these stores already exist in cities about thirty miles north and south of town. A freeway through town? You'd have to move a bunch of houses or go through a mountain or two. Old crumbling infrastructure that needs to be replaced with earthquake proof structures? That is happening whether the residents like it or not no matter how many times they may have gotten drunk there and vandalized it.

In any case, I liked the episode. I think Harry being Goliath was a good twist and I like how his narrating voice became more human in the future.

A little nitpicking: audio surveillance in a middle school? And only one person is watching? That would be an absurdly painful job. I guess the General may have told her guy who to take a closer look at but still.

[smartymarty]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:03 PM, dwmarch said:

But will big box stores follow? No, they won't because first, there is no place to put them and second, these stores already exist in cities about thirty miles north and south of town.

In any case, I liked the episode. I think Harry being Goliath was a good twist and I like how his narrating voice became more human in the future.

A little nitpicking: audio surveillance in a middle school? And only one person is watching? That would be an absurdly painful job. I guess the General may have told her guy who to take a closer look at but still.

Where I live, there is a Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's within 4 miles of a Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's. Thirty miles is so far away in the mind of the big box execs.

I missed that his voice became more human in the future. I do find it ridiculous that people don't seem to recognize how odd it is in the present.

The amount of video/audio surveillance is ridiculous. I understand the kids think that what's-his-name has a tracker in his stomach, but that is different from AV. With a mic right above where the kids are sitting in the lunchroom? I guess we have to hand-wave this stuff.

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, smartymarty said:

The amount of video/audio surveillance is ridiculous. I understand the kids think that what's-his-name has a tracker in his stomach, but that is different from AV. With a mic right above where the kids are sitting in the lunchroom? I guess we have to hand-wave this stuff.

Maybe, maybe not. Since the government lady knew she was targeting Max, it wouldn't be impossible to set up audio and video surveillance if Max and Sahar always sat at the same table for lunch.

[lucindabelle]

I love Halloween and j love that Harry loves it.

i hope he can change the future because it’s lonely and sad.

i feel like there’s such a nostalgia for “small town” in tv writers- a stars hollow ghost whisperer town that’s totally self enclosed, nobody works or shops a town away, there’s a university and a museum in that same town, nobody goes to big box stores on the highway… I don’t know if such towns  exist  but I’ve never seen them. Oh wellZ

 

i loce the way Harry  loves pizza and the disconnect between how he says he feels and what we see- the anguish in his voice! Works every time.

[Anela]

I’m confused as to how he’s Goliath. Unless he was somehow reincarnated, and then sent back to earth.  I’m so confused.  
 

[Affogato]

On 4/26/2024 at 11:19 PM, Anela said:

I’m confused as to how he’s Goliath. Unless he was somehow reincarnated, and then sent back to earth.  I’m so confused.  
 

There are a lot of hints that Harry has no artistic talent as well. So a lot of time is involved.

[Orbert]

That ending threw me.  When I saw the painting of Harry and Asta from behind, my thought was that Goliath was there somehow.  I didn't jump to "Harry is Goliath" because that doesn't make any sense.  I know, they're obviously going to explain it, but for right now, I'm not on board with Harry actually being Goliath.