Resident Alien showrunner breaks down an emotional season full of character development

When it comes to Resident Alien, Chris Sheridan does not disappoint. He and his writers capture the perfect balance between drama and comedy. That was certainly the case with the third season.

Caution: This post contains major spoilers for the Resident Alien Season 3 finale

Throughout the third season, we’ve had a lot going on for various characters. It wasn’t easy to fit all the questions into this exclusive interview with Sheridan. It meant focusing on the most important elements of the season.

And some of the most important elements involved characters who weren’t Harry and Asta. While they certainly had some big moments, there were some huge elements of character development for Kate, D’Arcy, and Mike.

Take a look at everything I spoke about with Chris Sheridan.

Kate and Ben learning the truth about their abductions

We started off with a look at Kate and Ben, who slowly realized throughout the course of the season that they had been abducted. While Kate’s had only been as an adult, it involved the taking of her daughter. And so, Kate spent the end of the season remembering the truth and trying to figure out what to do.

Why was Kate the one to remember and not Ben? That was the first big question of the interview.

"There was a big discussion about whether we should let one of them, in this case Kate, to remember what had happened. And it was a scary and exciting leap forward that we took advantage of it and made it happen."

Of course, Kate could have opted to have the implant out. The problem is she now remembers about her baby. That meant that she would always have to live with that. Could any parent go through that? As a mother, I definitely couldn’t. The moment I found out about my girls, they were my girls and I would sacrifice myself to protect them if I needed to. The Mama Bear nature really came out in Kate.

"We try to put ourselves as writers into these situations. It’s an “easy” out…to have the implant taken out…But as a parent, as scary as it is, knowing that you have a child somewhere…the parental instinct kicks in. And the only way she could do it and get away with it was to trick Ben and be in this the way she is. She wants to be able to protect him, to protect Max, but she also wants to save her child on the ship."

I do stand by that there hasn’t been as much development for Ben as I’d like. Sheridan talked about why Ben has been lacking in the development, especially compared to other characters. Maybe we can see that happen in Resident Alien Season 4.

"There has been a little bit lack of development with him because I didn’t want to reveal why he is the way he is…The theme this season has been who am I?...Ben was abducted from a young age…and he couldn’t purge in any way because he doesn’t remember, but it’s still in him, so he’s lived his whole life this way. Now that he has the truth and he knows what’s going on, if we’re lucky to get a fourth season, I think there’s more exploring to happen there."

D'Arcy becomes the hero in Resident Alien

D’Arcy has spent a long time trying to get her name known. This season, we got a real look at why she did that, but also that she realized that maybe that wasn’t what being a hero meant. It gave this huge moment where she stepped in and took the bomb.

Something that I loved was the end with Kate and D’Arcy. We haven’t seen a lot between these two characters, especially when it comes to helping each other. D’Arcy realized in this moment what she needed to do, and it was one of the most selfless things she’s ever done.

"She came into her life wanting to be a skier because she wanted to be known…it’s sort of dealing with that issue that we all have. The purest form of doing something good is doing it selflessly…Nobody will know but yourself, and the power that comes from not getting your self worth from people on the outside but getting it from yourself. So she makes a decision on the ship that she could get out of there…and she does change in that moment with Kate and realizes that not only is she doing this huge thing that the world will find out, but Kate won’t even remember it."

If you’ve had asked for D’Arcy to do this early in the series or even at the start of this season, it wouldn’t have made sense. D’Arcy needed to go through finding out about Harry as an alien, remember moments where Ben may have been abducted, and realized what being a hero really means to do something that nobody, including Kate, wouldn’t remember.

"I think that’s a huge step for her."

It’s now time to see a team-up between D’Arcy and Ben, right? They need to save Kate.

"At the end, we see Kate is back in the house. She doesn’t really remember what happened, but she’s back in the house."

But is it really Kate? I’m not fully convinced.

Sheriff Mike finally learns the truth about aliens, but will he believe it?

The very end of the season, Sheriff Mike learned that aliens really do exist. There was one left back at the base where the Grey Aliens were. The problem is I don’t even think this is enough to convince him. He has spent all series trying to explain the unusual stuff, even when some real things have been put in front of him.

"It’s a good point. What I always loved about Mike is that he doesn’t believe in aliens…but he clearly believes the moon is hollow…I wanted to give him definitive proof that this is real and see where it goes after that."

Mike also went through a shift in his personality. Corey Reynolds said that he’s a “likable a*****e,” and that’s certainly the case. He is my favorite male character on the series, and I’ve loved seeing him not change but change a little at the same time. It’s not easy to change, and you have to really want it.

"Part of that change…is recognizing why you are the way you are. For Mike, it’s that scene with Mike in the ice fishing house…Mike starts thinking about the way he looks at the world…and he also shares that knowledge to help Deputy Liv."

We go into more detail about Mike and why he changes. He looks at himself as a man in a relationship and as a potential stepfather. This isn’t just about who he is and where he came from, but who he wants to be moving forward. It opens up a world of possibilities as we see him fight with nurture.

Asta finds her place in Jay’s life in Resident Alien

We ended the talk by discussing Asta. Over the course of the three seasons of Resident Alien, she’s been focused on fixing elements of her past. She’s focused on finding out where she comes from and connect to family that isn’t necessarily blood family.

This season saw her learn more about being a mom. She wants to be there for Jay, but she also wants Jay to still like her.

"She’s going through a lot, and she’s trying to find a way to be a mom and learning the lessons of being a mom doesn’t mean being someone’s friend. There’s a parental strength in taking this child and turning them into a better person. The skillset she learned from that is through Harry."

I don’t think she could have stopped up to be a mother if it wasn’t for Jay’s mom, and that’s something Sheridan brought up. There is a sweet moment at Dan’s diner where Asta gets the blessing to take Jay in for a while. It’s clear that Jay’s mom thinks that Asta is ready for it.

"I always thought it was a sweet moment with Asta and Jay’s mom when Jay’s mom accepts her as someone who can handle the parental role a little bit…But then [Asta] has to go through the reality of it."

A lot of parents fall into a problem of trying to be friends with their children. As a Millennial parent, I grew up hating how strict my Boomer parents could be. However, as I got older, I realized that they did what as needed. I stayed out of trouble, and their parenting set me up for a good future.

While I want my children to like me, I also want to make sure they’re raised well. Sometimes that means telling them off. It can be harder when children have another house to return to or when they become teenagers, but it’s better for children in the future. That’s something Asta had to learn during Resident Alien Season 3.

"It’s in that she’s not being the best parent for Jay and not doing the best for Jay that she realizes she has to stop being selfish and guide Jay in the right direction, even if it isn’t the best decision for herself."

Take a look at the full interview:

We hope to see Syfy renew Resident Alien for a fourth season. There is so much to play with for each of the characters, and maybe we will see that Ben and D’Arcy team up that we need.

Resident Alien is now available to stream on Peacock.