Children have to learn how to lie, and you two are still learning.
Children need to learn how to lie, and you two are still learning.
7. Emergence
Unknowingly, Dream Island has gradually approached the edge of losing control. The Indian boy Slightly releases the Facehugger, causing researcher Arthur to be parasitized by an alien. Being the one to initially undertake this significant task, Slightly later finds himself at a loss, dragging Arthur back to his room from the ventilation duct of the laboratory and secretly hiding him under the bed. Despite this, his conscience seems intact as he tries to pry open the Facehugger and feed Arthur with a feeding device, seeing the tail of the Facehugger tightening more and more. At this moment, outside the door, our closest buddy Smee urgently knocks and calls out, disregarding Slightly's warnings as he rushes to the bedside… uh, only to be terrified half to death by Arthur hiding underneath. As the saying goes, 'friends in need should stand by each other.' Unable to resist Slightly's pitiful pleading, Smee agrees to help move Arthur to the beach previously agreed upon with the biohuman Morrow (so how exactly did he manage to drag him back alone?).
Temporarily leaving the busy duo, let's look back at the equally chaotic laboratory where the white-haired Kirsh has hurried back to clean up the mess. Watching Tootles, who has fallen to the ground, corroded by the Fly Monster’s saliva (not many knew he had changed his name to Isaac after his death), Kirsh appears not too perturbed. He works the tablet alone, closing the hatch that Slightly released the Facehugger from, which suddenly makes one realize that remote operation was indeed possible. Perhaps when Isaac was locked in, Kirsh could have helped him escape, and this seemingly accidental event might actually have been a premeditated experiment. Once the two Fly Monsters are also electrocuted and recovered, CEO Kavalier enters the temporarily safe laboratory and asks about the incident in a frivolous manner, lamenting the loss of hundreds of millions. At the same time, Wendy also comes to the laboratory to chat with the alien and unexpectedly sees Isaac's tragic death (finally, someone remembers his name change). She intends to inform the other hybrids about this bad news, but recalling Nibs' previous deleted memory incident, Kavalier and Kirsh quickly intervene to stop her, instead making Wendy realize that Dream Island is not safe. Awakened, Wendy begins to conjure spoken commands, urging the alien locked away to crash into the glass, threatening everyone. The hybrid beings created by humans have long since broken free from the bonds of humanity, ready to overturn the existing order. With a slight awakening of crisis awareness, Kavalier urgently orders a preemptive control of the other hybrids and Wendy, only to realize at this point that the tracking device had already been shut off by Arthur.
Speaking of which, brother Hermit, after receiving secret support from Arthur, is preparing to take Wendy to escape amidst the chaos. Feeling that the island is no longer safe, Wendy shows no attachment and proposes to find other Lost Boys members to escape together, leaving the corpse duo who have gone missing behind. However, Curly insists on staying in this beautiful home, and Wendy's persuasion yields no results. Only Nibs, who has regained his pregnant memories, is willing to follow. Just as the three are about to leave, Wendy performs a shocking act: she remotely changes the program on the surveillance screen, thereby releasing the alien from the laboratory... dumbfounded cat! It feels like watching Jurassic World fall into chaos—little girl releases all dinosaurs, bringing an uproar to the world; realizing the island is unsafe, Wendy, you are the one who triggered a series of chaotic killings! However, this also means that the three will unintentionally pass by the grave where their past bodies are buried during their subsequent escape. Wendy explicitly states that 'that was not us.' Indeed, consciousness transferring to another artificial shell does not mean the continuation of eternal life. Hermit solemnly stares at the gravestone bearing his sister's name, pondering whether the Wendy before him is still his deceased sister Marcy?
Turning our gaze back to the duo, these two novice criminals are floundering about the base like headless flies. Unable to watch any longer, Kirsh finally comes directly to them, guiding them to a quicker escape route. The two little ones can hardly believe it; however, Kirsh’s appearance from behind the scenes seems to imply larger calculations hidden behind. Under Kirsh's guidance, the two quickly enter the island's forest, but along the way, they encounter security teams dispatched by Kavalier searching for their whereabouts. They must temporarily abandon Arthur, hiding in the bushes to avoid detection. Unexpectedly, soon Arthur disappears without a trace. Just as the two are hesitating, a Facehugger drops from above, causing Smee to be frightened half to death again. It turns out the Facehugger has completed its lifelong mission, and Arthur has subsequently awakened, albeit with partial memory loss. Seeing that Slightly's efforts might be fruitless, he hurriedly continues to coax Arthur towards the beach.
As memories gradually return, Arthur begins to realize the situation is not as it seems. Despite the two children before him spouting poor lies, Arthur does not blame them; instead, he lovingly persuades them to return to the base to clarify the issues and solve them together. This evokes empathy, as audiences are aware of the impending tragic fate awaiting Arthur. Have you ever lied to a loved one and felt that overwhelming guilt when discovered? In the drama, though Arthur is physically incapable of having descendants, he still treats these hybrid children as his own. So when the three take a few steps back, Arthur's complexion suddenly changes, experiencing the brutal and bloody pain at the moment of being chest-bursted. Although Slightly's initial intention was to save a loved one, he inadvertently ends up causing the death of the one who cares for him the most. As the small alien vanishes into the bushes, Smee's helpless cries echo, and a despairing Slightly carries the empty shell of a body along the beach, leaving drag marks behind; emotions lay heavy and complex: a contradiction of human choice, so weighty it feels hard to breathe.
Following the stream, the two transport Arthur on a bamboo raft toward their destination. At this moment, the biohuman Morrow and the Weyland-Tangy Special Operations Team, who have been lying in wait for a long time, spring up from the water. Seeing the bamboo raft occupied by the empty shell that has been chest-burst, Morrow realizes the mission has failed and immediately takes both kids hostage, advancing toward the Dream Island base, while the seemingly useless Arthur is tossed off the raft by the team member, falling into the clear water... shifting back to the perspective of the sheep's left eye, Kavalier shows indifference to the alien's escape from the laboratory. His focus is entirely on the intelligent sheep, even leaning forward to write the number pi 3.14 in his palm, attempting to get the sheep to respond with the last three digits. Unexpectedly, our clever sheep answers 1 and 5 by stomping its hoof in order, and finally even drops a pile of sheep droppings and bleats eight times in response to the standard answer of 9 (but aren’t sheep droppings usually like tapioca balls, one by one?). It seems Kavalier has finally encountered a kindred spirit with whom he can communicate as a genius, extremely eager to converse with this high-intelligence alien being, and seeks a living person for it to parasitize. Initially, Kavalier's choice might hint at Arthur's wife, Sylvia, but he soon changes his mind, figuring he needs to select someone with lower intelligence to highlight the difference, leading one to speculate that his focus is directed at the only normal person within the current main cast—brother Hermit.
The scene cuts back to Hermit and his two companions in the jungle, who have not yet found the dock to leave the island when another ambush from Weyland-Tangy Special Operations Team surrounds them. However, the composed Wendy flips open a trap card: Summon the Alien! In an instant, electric sparks fly, limbs and body parts scatter everywhere, and Wendy even lowers herself, seemingly rewarding a bloodied alien like a well-trained dog. No matter how much Hermit loves his sister, he must question who he is truly trying to save at this moment. The Special Operations Team led by Morrow is not faring any better, having just stormed the base, they find themselves surrounded by Kirsh's security team. Indeed, a shrewd plan! Not only do they retrieve the small alien that burst from Arthur’s chest, but they also capture Morrow's forces altogether—does Morrow have any countermeasures to reverse the situation at this point? Likewise, Hermit and his companions are in a precarious situation. Just when the three have arduously reached the dock and are ready to board and flee, the company had already arranged a bunch of security to wait in ambush for them to walk right into their trap. However, the hybrids are no pushovers: one fearless child laughs mockingly as he snatches Nibs' plush toy and tosses it into the sea, activating Nibs' previously dormant killing instinct from threatening Sylvia. Without hesitation, Nibs retaliates by ripping off the enemy's chin, blood and flesh flying. Naturally, this triggers another chaotic brawl. Unexpectedly, when Hermit sees his former teammate about to perish at Nibs' hands, he ultimately uses the electric gun to shoot Nibs. Wendy, initially filled with confusion, gradually turns to rage and screams at her brother: What did you do!
The next episode is set to bring the season finale, aside from being curious about how Prodigy Corporation will ultimately fall, among the five types of aliens featured in this series, there remains a blooming flower bud, with the kill count still at zero. Anticipation grows for how the story will conclude next week or whether it will lay down more foreshadowing for a second season—you never know, unexpected turns may come with no injuries.
Series artwork source: Alien: Earth, Chestburster Death