Resident Alien Finally Gives A Real Explanation For Why Harry Vanderspeigle Is So Weird

There has long been a hole in the logic of why Resident Alien‘s main character is so unusual, but season 3, episode 7, “Daddy Issues,” has finally provided an ironclad explanation. While Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigle isn’t the only member of the Resident Alien cast to be so outlandish, he tops the list of the sci-fi dramedy’s list of bizarre characters for a fascinating reason.

Harry is one of Resident Alien‘s best characters, and a significant part of why he’s so great is due to Tudyk’s eccentric performance choices while playing the character. Obviously, Harry’s origin story as a being from beyond the stars accounts for many of the character’s irreverent quirks.

However, “Daddy Issues” has now given a more detailed and canonical explanation of why Harry’s mannerisms are so notably different from those of other aliens who have appeared in Resident Alien. While the show is often comically loose with its worldbuilding, that isn’t the case for its latest Harry-based revelation.

“Daddy Issues” Reveals That Harry’s People Have An Earth Simulator

Harry’s father seems (almost) perfectly human thanks to the technology in question

From a viewer’s perspective, Tudyk’s Resident Alien character is quite clearly different from the show’s other characters – even when he’s in human form. The bizarre way Harry speaks and acts has long been a brilliant way of constantly reminding the audience that he’s not from Earth.

The show’s zany sense of humor has always allowed me to see past the issue that no one in Patience seems to notice how odd Harry’s behavior is. In “Daddy Issues,” the arrival of Harry’s father, Ed (Stephen Root), brings with it the twist that his people have access to something that’s called an “Earth simulator.”

“You are so good at walking and talking. I am jealous. I did not get to use the simulator before my mission.”

– Harry to Ed in Resident Alien season 4, episode 7, “Daddy Issues.”

The Earth simulator immerses Harry’s people in human culture, helping them to understand concepts unknown to them before a visit. It also provides Harry’s race with a space to practice acting and speaking in a way that helps them to blend in on Earth without rousing suspicion.

That said, the gaps in Ed’s knowledge prove the simulator in question is not perfect, allowing for some humorous moments. This addition to Resident Alien lore perfectly explains why, even though he can physically appear human, Harry lacks the ability to convincingly act like a member of Earth’s native species.

Why Harry Never Used The Earth Simulator Before His Mission

Harry was never supposed to interact with humans

Harry is jealous of his father’s time in the Earth simulator, as it made Root’s character immediately seem far more at home in his human skin than his son. The fact that Harry knows what the Earth simulator is proves it’s not a new development for his people, and that the technology existed when he left his home planet.

Tudyk’s character originally had the simple (yet macabre) mission of destroying all of humanity from the comfort of his ship.

Ed replies to his son’s admission of jealousy by pointing out that using the Earth simulator shouldn’t have been required for Harry’s mission. Tudyk’s character originally had the simple (yet macabre) mission of destroying all of humanity from the comfort of his ship. He wasn’t supposed to stay on Earth or even interact with humans at all.

So, the Earth simulator would have been surplus to requirements for Harry’s mission and may even have been scheduled for disposal before he failed to kill all humans. As a result, Harry was forced to teach himself about human culture. He did so primarily by watching Law and Order marathons and eventually being forced to serve as Patience’s town doctor.

Do Other Races In Resident Alien Also Have An Earth Simulator?

Other aliens have also been able to blend in with humans

Resident Alien has introduced several other extraterrestrial lifeforms apart from Harry. Still, Tudyk’s character remains the only one to behave so strangely when compared to the show’s human characters. Other aliens like Heather (Edi Patterson) are a little larger-than-life, but their eccentricity pales by comparison when held up against Harry’s.

So, it stands to reason that an Earth simulator isn’t a concept that’s unique to Harry’s people. Other Resident Alien races, like the Blue Avians and the Mantids, likely make use of the same technology so that they know how to conduct themselves while on the human homeworld, therefore reducing the chances of being detected while in disguise.

Resident Alien’s Earth Simulator Reveal Further Vindicates Tudyk’s Performance Choices As Harry Vanderspeigle

Tudyk has already explained the techniques he uses to bring Harry to life

Alan Tudyk has made a career out of playing quirky characters, but Harry Vanderspeigle allows the actor to fully flex that particular muscle. Speaking with Syfy about how he plays Harry, Tudyk went into detail about the challenges the character would face when learning to essentially puppeteer a body so different from his own.

“The teeth are different, the tongue is different, and the jaw works in a different way he just has to figure it out on a physiological level.”

– Alan Tudyk to Syfy on playing Harry Vanderspeigle.

This results in Harry looking incredibly animated when he speaks and as he moves around in a scene. He lacks the nuances of his father’s knowledge of how to act human, as Tudyk’s character has had to improvise his own solutions to the problems he wasn’t trained to solve.

Thankfully for Harry, very few people have ever suspected he’s an alien. Because he looks physically human, almost everyone who meets Harry just assumes he’s eccentric, because that makes way more sense than jumping to the alternative. Now that most of Resident Alien‘s main characters know about aliens, Harry’s weirdness is about to make so much more sense to them.