Warning: Spoilers ahead forResident Alienseason 4, episode 8, “Mine Town.“Resident Alienseason 4 has now been confirmed as the sci-fi dramedy’s final run of episodes, but the show is making sure it goes out with a bang. While disappointing, the announcement thatResident Alienseason 5 isn’t happeningmakes perfect sense. TheResident Aliencastand crew have already struggled to achieve renewal before.
However,Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigleand company are being given a proper send-off. With all ofResident Alien’s best charactersnow aware that extraterrestrial life exists, a town-wide team-up to take on one of the show’s most terrifying bad guys is on the way. The ending ofResident Alienseason 4, episode 8,“Mine Town,” promises a real nail-biter is on the way.
The Mantid Changing Form Again In Resident Alien Hints The Villain Could Become Anyone In Season 4’s Final 2 Episodes
The Mantid Looks Like Liv (For Now)
The Mantid has already been physically portrayed inResident Alienseason 4 by both Alan Tudyk and his formerFireflyco-star, Jewel Staite. The closing moments of “Mine Town” come with the shocking twist that a third actor has now taken on the role - Elizabeth Bowen, who typically plays Deputy Liv Baker.
While Harry can also change his form, he can’t do so as freely and easily as the Mantid. So,the nefarious insectoid is especially difficult to trackfor those who can’t see through an alien’s human disguise - like Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn) and Peter Bach (Terry O’Quinn) can.
It took a while for the show to reveal that Jewel Staite’s Agent Gardner had been replaced by the Mantid, but the profile of the actress playing her made her seem like a flagship casting.
The initial reveal at theend ofResident Alienseason 3that showed the Mantid had taken Harry’s place was great, but the twist wasn’t kept secret for very long. Inversely, it took a while for the show to reveal thatJewel Staite’s Agent Gardner had been replaced by the Mantid, but the profile of the actress playing her made her seem like a flagship casting.
Now thatthe Mantid has transformed again, this time into Liv, it not only makes it especially difficult to know or predict who the Mantid will disguise himself as next, but it also brings into question the safety of Patience’s beloved deputy sheriff. Unless Max and/or Peter are constantly monitoring the Mantid, the bloodthirsty alien will surely kill and slip away again.
I Hope The Mantid’s Original Actor Gets An On-Screen Debut Before The Villain Makes His Exit
Clancy Brown Originated The Role In Resident Alien Season 3’s Finale
The Mantid debuted in the season 3 finale and was initially voiced by Clancy Brown. Perhaps most known for his voice work, including his role as Mr. Krabs inSpongeBob SquarePants,Brown is also an accomplished live-action actor. However, beyond a handful of episodes where Brown has voiced the Mantid and later his inner-monologue, the actor’sResident Alienrole has been limited.
For an actor of Brown’s talent and reputation, it would be a shame if his time involved with the sci-fi project was only ever limited to the occasional voice role. Hopefully, the show’s final two episodes find a way of allowing the actor to play the Mantid on-screen. It would be very easy to do.
All that would need to happen would be for Clancy Brown to be cast as a human character, who doesn’t even need to be named or fleshed out. That way, the Mantid can run into this unnamed human, kill him, and shapeshift into him so that he has Clancy Brown’s physical appearance beforeResident Alien’s inevitable showdown with the villain.
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Clancy Brown voiced him on his debut at the end of season 3, and has done it a bit this season, but he’s not appeared on-screen.
