Can an episode of TV be a movie? The answer, pretty definitively, is "no, they’re two entirely different things." But it’s hard not to watch the hour-and-a-bit-long fifth episode of FX and Hulu’s Alien: Earth, titled 'In Space, No One…' and not think directly of the first 1979 Alien movie. And, even beyond that, it’s pretty clear that Alien: Earth episode 5 is the best Alien movie since 1986’s Aliens. Before you read any further, be warned: there are spoilers for Alien: Earth episode 5 ahead.
Over the course of the hour, we flash back in time to find out what caused the Weyland-Yutani spaceship, the Maginot, to crash on Earth. 17 days from returning home, cyborg security officer Morrow (Babou Ceesay) is woken from cryosleep only to encounter a series of escalating disasters. Two crew members, including the captain, have been downed by face-huggers. There’s a Xenomorph loose on the ship. And, even worse, it seems like someone is actively sabotaging the mission, turning the ship into a "missile".
