Why Harry Doesn’t Like Milk Anymore In Resident Alien Season 4, Episode 2

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Resident Alien season 4, episode 2, “The Lonely Man.”Resident Alien‘s main character has long had an obsession with a certain white beverage, but season 4, episode 2, “The Lonely Man,” reveals not-so-subtly that he can no longer stand it. I’m talking, of course, about the obsession that Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigle has with cow’s milk. During Tudyk’s time as the leader of Resident Alien‘s cast, Harry has had several scenes that hilariously reaffirm just how obsessed he is with what comes out of bovine udders. In “The Lonely Man,” the show somehow manages to flip this trait on its head while maintaining its comical upside.

A character drinking milk in movies and TV shows can often have a cryptic significance. The beverage is commonly associated with the themes of childhood and innocence. So, when an adult character is shown drinking milk, the implication is that there is something a little off with them, and they’re usually villains. Harry certainly began Resident Alien as a villain, but even now he’s a hero, there’s still a huge quirky side to him that fulfills the other criteria for a TV milk fan. That said, Harry’s penchant for dairy goes beyond conventional storytelling standards.

Harry’s New Fully-Human Form Has Changed How Milk Tastes To Him

Alan Tudyk’s character’s new genetic makeup means he can’t tolerate his once-favorite drink

From the show’s first season, Resident Alien has made no secret of how much Harry loves milk, showing him in various scenarios that reaffirm this fact. It’s even gone as far as showing him drinking directly from the source. His love for cow’s milk borders on addiction, as he guzzles it down with unsettling passion. I had always assumed that something in Harry’s alien physiology was responsible for this intense desire for milk, and “The Lonely Man” has finally proven me right.

One of the biggest takeaways from Resident Alien season 4’s opener, “Prisoners,” is that Harry is stuck in human form. “The Lonely Man” initially operates under the possibility that Resident Alien‘s Grey Aliens had implanted an inhibitor chip in Harry to stop him from returning to his natural form. However, before the death of Bruce (Jinkx Monsoon), the runaway Grey reveals to Harry that his alien form isn’t being blocked, but that all alien DNA has been stripped from his body.

Before this discovery, Harry tries to prove to Asta (Sara Tomko) and D’arcy (Alice Wetterlund) that he’s still very alien, and does so by attempting to drink milk. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he detests the experience, gradually spitting out the entire mouthful in short bursts. So, I was right about Harry’s alien DNA being responsible for his affinity for milk. As a human, he’s repulsed by it. Drinking milk on its own is pretty divisive among humans in the real world, so it would seem Harry’s new body is on the team that avoids it.

Resident Alien Season 4 May Have Waited 1 Episode Too Long For Harry’s Milk Gag

Harry didn’t have a problem with the dairy on his pizza in “Prisoners”

I’m happy to believe that Harry hates milk as a human, especially after undergoing such a drastic transformation. It’s not inconceivable that his tastes would change after transitioning from one species to another. That said, the milk scene in question only happens in Resident Alien season 4’s second episode, and there is a scene in “Prisoners” that doesn’t make much sense as a result. When Harry manages to escape his incarceration aboard the Greys’ moon ship, he quickly returns to his cabin in an attempt to reclaim his old life from the Mantid.

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His confrontation with the nefarious shapeshifter is quickly derailed when Harry spots a pepperoni pizza on the table, which he promptly starts to devour. Milk is obviously the primary ingredient in cheese, which is prominent on any good pizza, and yet Harry isn’t affected and enjoys the reunion with his favorite foodstuff. Granted, milk and cheese don’t taste the same, but it still raises the question of how one now repulses Harry while the other remains untainted. Then again, Resident Alien is so intentionally absurdist, I’m willing to let this one slide.

Resident Alien

Release Date

January 27, 2021

Network

USA Network

Showrunner

Chris Sheridan

Directors

Robert Duncan McNeill, Kabir Akhtar, Shannon Kohli

Writers

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