Despite having an almost perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, Resident Alien fell a bit short at the final hurdle. The Season 4 finale closed out the show with a lack of detailed answers. This follows a larger pattern of long-running shows being unable to address every loose end and even adding in subtle cliffhangers. The show stars Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle, an alien disguised as the town doctor planning on destroying humanity. He soon finds out that not all humans are bad when he meets Asta, played by Sara Tomoko.

Over four seasons, Resident Alien developed a strong relationship between the lead characters that kept fans coming back for more. However, the finale sees these well-established themes fizzle out for good. Resident Alien Season 4, Episode 10, “The End Is Here,” even reintroduces a character instead of focusing on the evolution of the leads. This contradicts the overall story that brought in fans to begin with and gives more questions than answers. Ending the show like this can leave fans slightly disappointed and still hoping for Resident Alien to get picked up somewhere else or earn a spin-off.

Asta and Harry’s Goodbyes Show Emotional Growth But Create Unanswered Questions

Resident Alien‘s finale starts strong with everyone figuring out how to move on with life after destroying the Mantid. Asta finds an exciting opportunity to leave Patience behind for humanitarian work as a nurse in Louisiana. However, only a few episodes earlier (Episode 8, “Mine Town”), Asta had decided that her life was in Patience and reassured D’arcy that she wasn’t going anywhere. This made sense because she had spent her whole life here and finally established a relationship with her daughter, Jay, whom she had given up as a baby. It can feel like whiplash to go from one extreme decision to the next.

Jay is not happy about Asta leaving, for good reason. However, she forgives her after receiving a box of letters that Asta had written throughout her life. They don’t really talk this through, and it ends in a big hug. This makes both characters feel less emotionally complex, especially after not seeing them together for the last few episodes. The two of them have a complicated history of arguments, and Jay’s almost immediate forgiveness without having a conversation feels like an oversimplification of the relationship.

It also opens a lot of questions about how Asta will continue the important relationships she has in Patience while traveling all around the world. She has always been extremely close to the Native American Ute tribe and her lifelong friend, D’arcy. While the humanitarian work suits her, it takes away from her well-established community that has defined her personality and drew Harry to her from the start of the show.

Oddly, Resident Alien‘s ending doesn’t give enough space for Harry’s relationship with Asta, with the finale showing him putting plans in place to go be with Heather. Throughout the series, Harry has never been able to give up his relationship with her. In Season 4, Episode 5, “The Human Condition,” Harry goes as far as proposing to Asta in front of a room of people. He even said in a previous episode that he would go with Asta wherever she wanted to travel. In all four seasons of the show, there is a co-dependency between the two characters (even when Heather and their babies live in Patience). Harry and Asta do get an emotional goodbye before he goes to find Heather, but this feels like a last-minute addition while trying to wrap up every story at once.

If I am a superhero, Asta is my kryptonite. — Harry

Heather does not seem like enough for Harry to leave Asta behind forever. The last time Harry and Heather were together, she repulsed him because of his newfound humanity. Her father also rejected him from the family by violently attacking him when they first met. Even though his alien energy has returned, he is still more human than he ever was before. It stands to reason he might not have the same feelings for Heather when he arrives on her planet. The biggest problem is the finale does not show Harry and Heather reuniting after he takes Dr. Ethan’s ship. This feels like a cop-out for Harry and Heather based on their last interaction.

Patience Has A New Resident Alien In Doctor Ethan Stone

The end of Episode 9, “Tunnel Vision,” reveals that there is another threat to humanity. Asta has a nightmare about an alien arriving on Earth. This turns out to be an alien from Harry’s planet disguised as Dr. Ethan. He quickly warms up to life on Earth with humans, but it still leaves a subtle cliffhanger that takes away from the overall ending. This character essentially replaces Harry and shows that aliens will continue to come to destroy humans, only to become attached to them. This takes away from the uniqueness of Harry’s story and the bond that he has made with the people in Patience.

Instead of giving more closure to Harry and Asta, the show puts energy into developing a new character. Ethan’s evolution is entertaining and gives a hilarious full-circle moment when he gets drunk and dances to “Starships” by Nicki Minaj like Harry once did, but it feels unnecessary when there is already so much going on. Introducing Dr. Ethan at the last minute puts more emphasis on creating a new storyline rather than addressing plot holes.

The Greys are Still On Earth?

Another small cliffhanger has to do with the Greys. In the finale, Kate and Ben threaten to kill a little girl who appeared earlier as a Grey Alien. This is a satisfying and hilarious conclusion for the couple, with Ben threatening to murder what looks like a Girl Scout to protect his family. Dr. Ethan says the Greys lost control of the planet in a one-off line, but this scene suggests a few could still be living on Earth. It is left unclear since Max isn’t with them to see. The aliens might even make another run at destroying the planet in a different form. This is shown in Season 2’s flashforward, where the Greys destroy Earth for their own gain. In this time skip, the entire world is consumed by flames, and humanity is all but extinct.

The Season 4 finale ends up leaving loose ends where viewers will only get answers with a revival or a spin-off. It also does not address the struggles that Kate and Ben’s baby might face growing up after being kidnapped by the Greys. While viewers have seen a Grey hybrid like Joseph and a human kidnapped like Robert, the show never gave any concrete details as to how this has changed them overall.

All of these details might feel small, but they add up to what some call an unsatisfying ending. It causes Asta and Harry’s story to feel a little incomplete after a four-season run. Resident Alien‘s cancellation surprised fans, but the creators had anticipated this coming. They tried to deliver a complete and emotional ending, but fell short when it came to some factors of the series. However, there are a few strong character conclusions in the finale.

D’arcy becomes a well-rounded character by helping a young AA member continue to follow her dreams of skiing. She takes on the role of a supportive caretaker for the town to fill the hole that Asta’s departure creates. Kate also learns more about herself and decides to practice law again in order to feel like she is truly living life instead of just surviving. Mike and Liv go on to become secret agents for the government, finally getting the weaponry and information they need to be authority figures. It also gives Mike an opportunity to reconnect with his father in a touching fishing scene. These bright spots still can’t make up for the missing details and subtle cliffhangers. Now, the audience has to say “See you sometime” in hopes the show returns in one form or another (however unlikely that might be).