Resident Alien
Over five years ago it was announced that Syfy was adapting the Resident Alien comic by Peter Hogan. Me being me, I read the first volume and liked the nostalgic vibe of classic television it exuded. It was part Quincy, part Andy Griffith, part X-Files, I was definitely going to be a viewer. Fast forward to now and this adaptation got it just right for my generation, making it a new Northern Exposure wherein Dr. Joel Fleischman is an alien with a Law and Order/Jerry Orbach obsession played brilliantly by the comic genius that is Alan Tudyk. I also love how self-aware they are even including the most wonderful Easter Egg for lovers of Cicely in the season finale; Iris DeMent's "Our Town." But most important to me is that Alan Tudyk FINALLY has a staring vehicle! I have been literally waiting twenty years for this to happen. Of course he's created so many memorable characters over the years from Steve the Pirate to Wash to Noah Werner to Wray Nerely, the list goes on and on and this doesn't even touch the vastness of his voice work! And yet never a starring role. I mean I love Alan so much that I went to see Spamalot a second time on Broadway when he replaced Hank Azaria. He was better than Hank because he threw himself fully into the role. And that's what he does here with Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle. He's an alien who has assumed Dr. Vanderspeigle's life when he crash-landed on Earth. The childlike behavior and potty mouth of an alien trying to blend in among the townsfolk is something only Tudyk could have pulled off. He is Peter Sellers-esque and deserves just as many awards as that great man. Though it's only due to the genius of the ensemble that makes this the best show of the year. Hands down. They bring the human element that is so foreign to Tudyk's amazing performance. The revelation is Judah Prehn as Max, a young kid who can see Harry for who he is. Their interactions are some of the best comedy on television right now. Thankfully this show was renewed for another season because I don't know what I would have done if it was cancelled. I NEED to know what happens next. For like six seasons and a movie.
Of course I'd heard of The Sandman. Anyone with a passing interest in comics or who had visited a comic book shop knew what he looked like from comic covers to posters to statues. So I was obviously familiar with the iconography if not the story. Because, strange as it seems, at the time my story takes place I wasn't really into graphic novels. Nowadays I read a lot of them but am very particular as to what makes it into my permanent collection. But thanks to a well stocked public library I'm able to have a wide range of options, The Sandman included. At the time being fairly recently introduced to Neil's writing I hadn't yet made the leap from his prose when this story takes place. The year was 2005 and I had beyond all logic secured four tickets to a special sneak peek of Serenity in Chicago. The movie wasn't even done! Just a temporary score lifted straight off The Fifth Element. But that didn't matter, because Firefly lived again! The question was, which of my friends to take? Matt was my best friend and fellow Joss Whedon aficionado, so one ticket went to him. Another went to my friend Ann who tried to get one for her husband Bill but the show was already sold out.
