Resident Alien Season 3 Ending Explained: What Happened To Harry?

Resident Alien season 3, episode 8, “Homecoming,” ends even more dramatically than the ending of Resident Alien season 2, with the Syfy show presenting as many answers as it does questions about the fate of its characters. Much of Resident Alien season 3 focuses on the Greys’ plot to transform the Earth’s atmosphere, and “Homecoming” doesn’t shy away from bringing that storyline to a dramatic halt. With Joseph switching sides at the last second, Harry Vanderspeigle finds himself with an unexpected ally on his mission to save the planet he now calls home.

Planet-saving themes aside, “Homecoming” also brings back an enhanced version of the alien tracker and shows D’arcy saving Kate’s baby. The episode’s biggest blow comes when it reveals Resident Alien‘s main character is somehow trapped aboard the Greys’ ship with Bridget – a ship that turns out to have been disguised as Earth’s moon the whole time. With Sheriff Mike now also being brought into the fold due to his new extraterrestrial revelation, it looks as though the entire cast of Resident Alien is on the same page, which could be vital to Harry’s rescue

What Harry Being Imprisoned By The Greys In Resident Alien Season 3’s Ending Means

Harry Will Likely Need Help To Escape The Greys’ Ship

Resident Alien brilliantly deceives its audience in “Homecoming” by making it seem as though Harry made it home safely with Asta and the others. His eccentric nature makes it difficult to tell when he’s acting unusually – because acting unusually is simply who he is. However, there were clues such as his unfeeling reaction to Bridget’s “death,” and refusing free pie should have been a dead giveaway.

Eventually, Harry and Bridget are shown imprisoned aboard the Greys’ ship. Unusually, it probably wasn’t even the Greys who put them there. When Robert re-enters the fray, he explains to the others that the shapeshifting Mantid in the other cell has a way of getting into the heads of others. Therefore, it’s likely that Harry got too close to the Mantid, and Resident Alien‘s last-minute villain used this ability to convince Harry to free him and take his place.

The Mantid’s ability to transform his outward appearance may fool many of Patience’s residents, but the show proves that Max can see through the Mantid’s disguise just as he can with Harry’s. The Mantid is also established earlier in the episode to have murderous tendencies, and his race has a fearsome reputation. So, the fact that the Mantid now knows about Max’s ability puts him in grave danger.

The Moon Has Been The Greys’ Ship All Along

The Reveal Has Huge Implications For Resident Alien Lore

One of the biggest reveals in Resident Alien season 3’s finale is the fact that the Greys’ ship has been disguised as the moon for an indeterminate amount of time. It’s unclear whether the Greys destroyed the original moon and took its place at some point or if the ship has been there for all of human history. Either option is a terrifying scenario, as both prove the power, longevity, and commitment of the Grey Aliens.

Harry’s main goal throughout Resident Alien season 3 has been to blow up the Grey’s ship. Now that he and the others know that the ship is Earth’s moon, it makes that option much less favorable. In addition, the Greys are also harboring a great many human babies, just like how they held Kate’s baby captive for so long. D’arcy is the only character who sees this alien nursery and remembers it, but she will more than likely pass the information on to her accomplices, making the original plan moot until the babies can be saved.

Sheriff Mike Finally Gets Hard Proof That Aliens Exist In The Resident Alien Season 3 Finale

Arguably, Mike has grown the most out of any Resident Alien character since the show began. However, one of his biggest beliefs throughout Resident Alien is that aliens belong strictly in the realm of fiction. Near the end of “Homecoming,” Mike gets his first glance at one of the Greys when he takes it down with a single punch in an abandoned building.

Now that Mike has seen an alien as of the Resident Alien season 3 ending, his endless berating of others for believing in UFOs should cease. Instead, Mike will have some apologies to make to Liv and the others he’s ridiculed. However, Mike is a clever man and a capable detective. As such, having him aware of what’s going on means he’ll be able to step in and help rather than shaking his head from the sidelines.

D’arcy Saves The Hawthorne Baby From The Greys

D’arcy’s Destructive Plan Took A Different Path In The Resident Alien Season 3 Ending

The Greys took Ben and Kate’s baby at the end of Resident Alien season 2. Since then, no one but the Greys was aware the child even existed until Harry helped Kate to remember at the end of Resident Alien season 3, episode 7, “Here Comes My Baby.” When D’arcy steals Harry’s bomb, it’s clear her original plan is to blow up the Greys’ ship herself, but this quickly goes awry when she’s captured soon after stepping through the portal.

It’s lucky that D’arcy didn’t make her planned sacrifice, as it would have taken many young lives with her – including Baby Hawthorne. Thankfully, although Kate is restrained while trying to save her child, D’Arcy’s destructive plan turns to one of salvation as she scoops up the baby and makes her escape. D’arcy’s feelings of being unaccomplished reared their head several times throughout Resident Alien season 3. Now, she can stand tall, knowing she made a huge difference to the Hawthorne family by rescuing their youngest member.

Resident Alien Season 3’s Finale Changes Who The Villain Is

The Mantid Appears To Be A Fearsome Antagonist

The Greys have been Resident Alien‘s main bad guys for a while now, with Joseph being the “human” face of the extraterrestrial group of villains. “Homecoming” has Joseph realize his superiors were going to let him die once they succeeded in changing Earth’s atmosphere to accommodate the Greys’ physiology. As a human/Grey hybrid, Joseph would have been just as unable to process Earth’s new air as pure-blooded humans. Discovering this, Joseph pledges to help Harry and does so by foiling the Greys’ Yellowstone caldera plot.

The other Greys remain as the main antagonists after Joseph’s switch, but “Homecoming” also quietly establishes the Mantid as Resident Alien‘s new villain. The alien insectoid is a violent individual who is scarily adept at shapeshifting and mental manipulation. However, it’s unclear if the Mantid is acting alone or as part of a larger group. Either way, now that the caldera is inert, the Mantid presents Resident Alien‘s biggest threat.

The Real Meaning Of Resident Alien Season 3’s Finale

“Homecoming” Reinforces Resident Alien Season 3’s Themes Of Parenthood

Sci-fi tropes aside, “Homecoming“ cements the themes of family that have been running throughout Resident Alien season 3. Specifically, the subject of parenthood has been thrust into the spotlight many times during season 3’s eight-episode run. One of the most prominent examples that appears in the finale is Kate and Ben trying to save their baby from the Greys, as well as Harry and Bridget finally working side by side instead of always being at odds with one another.

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Other characters have also struggled with the concept of parenthood throughout Resident Alien season 3, including Asta, D’arcy, and even Liv’s arc with her grandmother could arguably fall under this category. However, one of the more subtle references to the act of being a parent is Robert’s return in “Homecoming.” As the son of Peter Bach, the recently returned and upgraded Alien Tracker, Harry once attempted to parent Robert when Peter was believed to be dead. It didn’t end particularly well, but Robert’s return to help Harry in Resident Alien season 3 is too big of a coincidence to ignore.

How Resident Alien Season 3’s Ending Was Received

Fans And Critics Adored The Nailbiting Finale

Resident Alien has been an incredible hit for Syfy since it first hit the air in 2021, and this didn’t change for the season 3 finale, which was met with new-universal praise from fans and critics alike. Season 3 of Resident Alien sits with a 92% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, with “Homecoming” specifically having an 8.2/10 rating on IMDb. Resident Alien season 3 was well received from the very first episode, and the neat and well-rounded ending ensured the ratings remained high even after the finale hit the air in April 2024.

As well as the many twists, turns, and plot development (all of which were also received well), many viewers and professional reviews praised the high-intensity action of the Resident Alien season 3 ending. It was also regularly noted how much of an achievement for Syfy Resident Alien remains, and that the creative team had done an astoundingly good job of keeping the story riveting even three seasons in. For example, Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic writes:

“Syfy hasn’t had a hit this big in years, and it’s not easy to build a show of this magnitude or keep up its momentum. They have done that excellently here.”

Pavlica then went on to echo the views of many die-hard Resident Alien fans who were celebrating that, after the season 3 finale had come and gone, the show was at its most interesting point so far:

We must keep our fingers crossed for a quick renewal and an even faster production schedule. We’re on the moon! Aliens are all around! Harry and Bridget need to be saved! The Hawthornes have a daughter! And there are a bunch of pissed-off Grays who probably want the sweet taste of revenge.

All in all, it’s safe to say that the Resident Evil season 3 ending was a fitting sending off for the third chapter of the story. It was solid, captivating entertainment in its own right, and contained plenty of important plot developments too – a fine balancing-act that many shows aren’t able to pull off.

How The Resident Alien Season 3 Ending Sets Up Season 4

The Foundations Have Been Clearly Laid For Next Chapter Of The Story

As jaw-dropping and nailbiting as the Resident Alien season 3 ending was, a key source of excitement for fans was also how it set up season 4. While there’s no release date for season 4 of Resident Alien just yet, it has been confirmed that the show will move from Syfy to the USA Network when it returns (which could be as early as 2025). There’s also been no confirmation yet on what the Resident Alien season 4 storyline will entail, though the season 3 finale did drop many hints.

The most obvious clue about the story of Resident Alien season 4 is that the moon is secretly the base of the Greys. It’s not an overstatement to say that this was the biggest reveal in “Homecoming”, and the ramifications for the show (and maybe even humanity itself) are huge. Whatever awaits in Resident Alien season 4, the moon being the Greys ship will need to be addressed as one of its most important plot points – especially since Harry and Bridget were still there at the end of “Homecoming”.

However, it’s not only the ramifications for the lore of the show that were set up by the Resident Alien season 3 ending. There were also plenty of more character centric arcs for season 4 that “Homecoming” hinted at too. Harry and Bridget being in space aside, there are also developments like Sheriff Mike finally having concrete proof that aliens exist. This will definitely have an impact on his character when Resident Alien returns, though exactly how remains to be seen. This and many more developments are why “Homecoming” and the Resident Alien season 3 ending were so well received, as there was almost no moment that didn’t clearly set a narrative trajectory for season 4.

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Resident Alien

Release Date

January 27, 2021

Network

USA Network

Showrunner

Chris Sheridan

Writers

Chris Sheridan, Biniam Bizuneh, Sarah Beckett, Emily Eslami, Jeffrey Nieves, Tommy Pico