With Kirsh off-island assisting Boy Kavalier in his negotiations with the Yutani Corporation, the team at Neverland are encountering ever increasing problems with the hybrids’ downloaded consciousnesses, and lab security is not what it ought to be.

I have been thoroughly enjoying Alien: Earth which is excellent in almost every respect, but I’ve been hanging on to my 10 paddle, waiting for an episode that not only grips and frightens me, but which tears at my heartstrings as well. While Episode 6, The Fly, still may not have reached full emotional lift-off, it is as dramatically compelling, thought provoking and genuinely out-wigging as any TV show I can remember.

The Alien franchise – especially in the Ridley Scott prequels – has always dabbled in the world of artificial consciousness, a fictional topic that has perhaps become over familiar in recent years. What distinguishes Alien: Earth is that it has found fresh territory by exploring the consequences of digitally reconstructed human intelligence implanted into artificial bodies. But the icing on the cake – taking it beyond the first principles of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – is that the human consciousnesses in question are the immature ones of damaged children.

Without resorting to spoilers, The Fly asks a range of fascinating questions which it expresses through compelling narrative. How do you ‘treat’ the mental health of a pubescent teenager when their emotional state is stored as ones and zeros? What happens to family relationships when your kid sister is turning into a demi-god in front of your eyes? When is a child – with all their inexperience and emotional clumsiness – not a child?

Of course, aside from such lofty contemplations what we’re really interested in is the Alien monsters and their wicked, ruthless ways… which are played out not just with skillfully constructed dread, but a satisfying amount of horror gore – so skillfully that we actually find ourselves caring for the fate of something completely inorganic. Something… or someone? This is the question is at the heart of what makes this episode such an extraordinary watch.

As for the Aliens, once again Noah Hawley has the bravery to turn our preconceptions upside down. Are they the mindless killing machines we’ve come to expect, or as Wendy/Marcy starts to discover, now that she can speak their language, is there a more nuanced way to understand their behaviour?

Verdict: Alien: Earth was top-notch horror sci-fi from the off – but with episode 6 it has just gone up an impressive gear or two. 10/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com