Now Showing TV Edition | Alien: Earth (Episodes 5 & 6)

This week on our special Now Showing TV Edition series we continue our deep dive into Alien: Earth with Episodes 5 and 6 and it’s a mixed bag.

Episode 5 – The Flashback We Didn’t Know We Needed

If you’ve been following along, you know we weren’t exactly clamoring for a flashback to the USCSS Maginot episode. But Episode 5 surprised us in the best possible way. The tension was sharp, the atmosphere chilling, and the unsettling presence of that eyeball, squid creature — now lovingly nicknamed by Butler as “Squiddly” — added a playful yet eerie edge. What could have been a filler episode instead became one of the most memorable hours of the season, if not oddly reminiscent of countless other times in the IP when a Xenomorph terrorizes a crew in space.

Episode 6 – When Characters Start Acting Dumb

Unfortunately, Episode 6 didn’t fare as well. We found ourselves frustrated with the writing choices. Characters suddenly started making head-scratching decisions, Kirsch and Boy Kavalier slid into tired clichés, and the episode’s big twists felt less like earned developments and more like narrative shortcuts designed to get us quickly to the finale.

Can Alien: Earth Stick the Landing?

With only a couple of episodes left, the Mikes debate whether Alien: Earth can recover from its missteps and deliver a satisfying conclusion. Will the finale redeem these choices or will it confirm their worst fears about the direction of the story?

Catch the full conversation, laughs, and speculation on the latest episode of Forgotten Cinema: Now Showing about Alien: Earth Episodes 5 and 6 on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.