Alien: Earth reaches its season finale with “The Real Monsters,” a closing chapter that delivers on both spectacle and meaning. The finale shifts focus to the emotional and thematic arcs that have been building since the start.
The story picks up with the Hybrids imprisoned in the aftermath of Hermit’s betrayal, while Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) continues to revel in his own arrogance. The finale may not deliver the explosive climax some might anticipate, but watching Kavalier unravel and gradually lose control is still deeply satisfying. As the Lost Boys quarrel over who betrayed them, suspicion naturally falls on Curly (Erana James), though she insists she had no part in it. At the same time, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) grapples with her resentment toward her brother for injuring Nibs (Lily Newmark) during the confrontation at the docks.
In another holding cell, Hermit (Alex Lawther) and Morrow (Babou Ceesay) form an unexpected alliance. Although they have remained distant throughout much of the series, their brief time together reveals a shared resentment not only toward Prodigy but toward the corporate powers behind it all. With timely assistance from Wendy, whose command over the facility has grown stronger, the two manage to escape and go their separate ways to confront unfinished business. Hermit sets out to reunite with his sister and the Lost Boys, while Morrow tracks down Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), leading to the brutal one-on-one showdown the season has been building toward.
After Kirsh and Morrow clash, the Lost Boys watch the chaos unfold on security monitors with wide-eyed silence. Enter Boy Kavalier, who pauses to gloat and spin a melodramatic tale of his abusive past, granting a fleeting sense of what shaped the barefoot trillionaire. Yet his hold on the group evaporates the moment the Lost Boys discover that their artificial bodies have been weapons all along. These children, once framed as fragile victims, suddenly appear less like prey and more like predators themselves.
Hermit’s hunt for the Lost Boys eventually brings him face-to-face with Atom (Adrian Edmonson), Boy’s most loyal enforcer. Acting under Boy’s command, Atom nearly captures Hermit for the Ocellus, but Wendy arrives just in time to turn the tide. Armed with both her sharp wit and her expanding control over technology, she exposes Atom as more than just a corporate executive. Like Kirsh, he is another synthetic, hiding behind a human facade. As Wendy dismantles him, the Ocellus manages to slip away quietly, reemerging on the beach, latching itself onto Arthur’s corpse and bringing him back to life under its command.
Wendy and Hermit share a long-awaited conversation. Though their exchange doesn’t settle everything, it brings them closer to an uneasy but genuine understanding. Chandler delivers one of her strongest performances, cementing this as Wendy’s story more than anyone else.
After this, Wendy and the Lost Boys corral the surviving adults as the aliens thin out what’s left of Prodigy’s forces, dispatching Hermit’s allies brutally. By the final scene, the roles have reversed completely: the grown-ups sit trapped in the cage while the Lost Boys crown themselves the new rulers of Neverland. With two Xenomorphs at their side, they revel in their victory. Boy Kavalier’s faint smile in those final moments suggests something more complicated than defeat, as though pride in his creations outweighs any shame in losing control of them.
The season wraps to the raw, early ’90s edge of Pearl Jam’s “Animal,” a track that underscores the path Wendy has embraced. Unlike earlier moments when the Lost Boys seemed divided in their loyalties, this finale marks a shift. For the first time, they see themselves not as scattered individuals but as a family bound by shared struggles.
Closing out a season as ambitious as Alien: Earth was never going to be simple, and the finale embraces that challenge with style. The show has carved out a haunting new tone for the franchise, and “The Real Monsters” continues that approach with confidence. It pays homage to the legacy of Alien while daring to explore new territory. Season 2 can’t come fast enough. If it ever comes.
‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 8 Review: The Lost Boys Strike Back
Closing out a season as ambitious as Alien: Earth was never going to be simple, and the finale embraces that challenge with style. The show has carved out a haunting new tone for the franchise, and “The Real Monsters” continues that approach with confidence.
