Alien: Earth Episode 6 Recap: “Fly”

The latest episode of Alien: Earth, titled “Fly,” wraps up in a rather predictable fashion. For weeks, we’ve watched the boy Cavalier (Samuel Brenkin) quietly manage his worries about five different, aggressive alien species contained in the Genius Lab. All chaos breaks loose as Mayhem takes center stage. Meanwhile, Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) finally manages to procure a face hugger for Morrow (Babou Ceesay).

**Spoilers: Episode 6 “The Fly” is available for streaming on Hulu**

This week’s episode brings tension to the forefront through a confrontation involving Boy Cavalier, a fraught elevator ride shared by Morrow and Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), and the rival Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver). However, the plot points that are likely to resonate most with viewers revolve around the attempt to gang up on Tootle (Kit Young) and leverage the ensuing chaos to acquire a face hugger that endangers poor Arthur Sylvia (David Lisdaal).

The death of Isaac hits hard. It serves as a stark reminder of the intelligence of the eye midge while revealing the Fly, a previously obscure background monster, as a significant threat to our synthetic and hybrid characters. Arthur Sylvia’s quick instincts to help Isaac, in turn, briefly provide Morrow with a chance to protect his family.

And let’s circle back to the unfortunate Isaac. What really happened? Which alien is accountable for the demise of this hybrid? What could this imply for the direction of Alien: Earth? Let’s have Noah Holy clarify what transpired in Episode 6 concerning the flies.

Isaac’s Tragic Fate: A Breakdown by Noah Holy

Isaac’s end is the result of a series of naive missteps. The science-focused hybrids are instructed by KIRSH to interact with the aliens. Wized Synthetic guides Isaac to collaborate with Curly (Erana James) among the top students. But, Isaac, um, doesn’t quite follow through on that. Instead, he deceives Curly about feeding his dangerous pet. This ultimately seals his fate.

“I sat down and wrote what is perhaps the most ominous scene viewers will see on TV this year,” said creator and showrunner Noah Holy. “I had sheep as a focal point, which, let’s admit, isn’t what you’d typically associate with evil creatures. I mean, goats have a spooky reputation, but sheep are kind of unsuspected.”

As Isaac is in the lab, he breaks open Fry’s nutritional drawers and thinks it’s fine to enter the pen and feed the unknown alien. After all, he’s a hybrid, right? Surely he can’t be hurt. Yet, the intelligent eyemidge observes all of this and takes action.

“I wanted to play with the idea that it’s watching and understands cause and effect. I thought it was fitting that Isaac meets his demise because the sheep saw an opportunity and acted on it,” Holy explained. “This is beyond just ‘animal cleverness.’ It hints that perhaps there’s a much deeper level of intelligence.”

Isaac’s surprise encounter with the eye/sheep leads him to unknowingly slip into the fly pen. The door locks behind him, exposing him to an alien who’s more than ready for a meal. The episode reaches its climax with Fry emerging, ready to feast on Isaac’s seemingly invulnerable exterior.

“We had to establish threat levels. We can’t make these hybrids invincible,” Holy stated. “Among these creatures, natural predators must exist.”

“Given that Xenomorph plays a central role and other creatures have intentions regarding biological life, it might not occur to viewers that one of these beasts could pose a significant danger to hybrids or androids,” he added.

Holy reiterated his intent to incorporate five different alien species, aiming to replicate that feeling of terrifying discovery reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Alien. With audiences familiar with the life cycle of the Xenomorph, he wanted to keep everyone, especially the characters in Alien: Earth, on alert.

“Alien is fundamentally about the terrifying discovery of these creatures’ life processes—their feeding habits, reproduction, and all of that. So, if you haven’t encountered or seen any of these creatures yet, there’s still plenty we can show you,” he concluded.

In the case of poor Isaac, Fry certainly had something, well, shocking in store for him.