I have to give credit Alien Earth just for the way the xenomorph is eroticized in the first two episodes. Not only in how she moves but her behavior, Maggie is deliberately performative and sensual in how she stalks the characters and plays to the camera.
In terms of pure efficiency, there have been multiple moments where Maggie is close enough to grab or kill someone without even being noticed, but instead she gets their attention and takes her time to make sure they see her. She's constantly sitting in frame, right next to the cast but just not striking until the mood is right. She drools on Hermit's shoulder and waits for him to turn around and see her, and gives him time to run before lunging. The soldier she kills in front of Hermit, she practically walks over and leans in to kiss him, only actually biting when he reaches for his gun, and then she ignores Hermit to run down all the terrified party guests. She perches on a balcony and watches him survey the carnage she's wrought, waiting for him to look up and see her before pouncing, then taking her time to knock him around a bit before climbing on top of him.
And the second scene with Morrow?? How she goes from tazed and helpless after he "captures" her to fully in control when the Prodigy soldiers stop him, effortlessly escaping and shredding all the panicking fearful humans before sidling up next to Morrow, resting her head on his shoulder, daring him to make a move, to run like the others, letting him live because he didn't panic and preferring to tear up another group of hapless soldiers?
Even her very first on screen kill, the lady on the Maginot (I missed her name sorry), we watch through Maggie's perspective as she slowly saunters up and doesn't go for the kill until the lady tries to run, then pinning her down and biting into her chest rather than making it clean.
If violence is sex, then fear is her aphrodisiac. She can't get into it if she doesn't know you're terrified, she needs to smell the terror, know your focus is all on her and how scared you are of what she can do before she can start. Ash didn't know shit, there's nothing pure about this alien, she's having fun.
All that to say I'm feeling very seen and represented by this depiction.
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
tangentwithtanner
