Alien: Earth’s Eye Monster Is Much More Dangerous Than the Xenomorphs (And I Love It)

Alien: Earth introduces a new monster that poses even more terror and peril than the notorious xenomorph. In the Alien franchise’s first-ever TV series, a Weyland-Yutani ship carrying numerous extraterrestrial life forms — including the xenomorph — crash-lands on Earth. The monsters are taken into custody by Prodigy Corporation and its CEO Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), who has some interesting plans for the aliens and his human-synthetic hybrids. Officially known as Trypanohyncha Ocellus and also referred to as “the eye,” a tiny octopus-like creature is one of five new monster species featured in Alien: Earth. The show’s episodes have revealed just how dangerous the eye is, and viewers should expect it to appear a lot more going forward.

A singular eyeball attached to slimy tentacles, the organism aggressively implants itself in a human or animal’s eye socket. It acts as a parasite by controlling its host’s actions, turning them into growling and conniving creatures capable of murder and who knows what else. The eye emerges in Alien: Earth Episode 4 when it inhabits the body of a sheep during an experiment. Described as hyper-intelligent based on its heightened brain activity, the possessed sheep intensely and ominously watches humans.

In Episode 5’s flashback on the Weyland-Yutani ship, the eye can be seen escaping the lab and attacking a crew member before the vessel crashes. Episode 6 depicts the eye closely observing the hybrid Tootles (Kit Young) while he’s in a neighboring containment cell. The creature then distracts Tootles, causing the door to shut behind him and allowing the fly monster to kill him. Alien: Earth zeroes in on humanity’s encounters with the unknown, and the eye surprisingly appears a greater threat than the lethal xenomorph.

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The Eye Monster Adds a New Layer of Horror to Alien: Earth and the Franchise at Large

The eye monster’s entrance in Episode 4 has to be one of the most frightening sequences in an Alien project. Watching the creature overwhelm the sheep, rip its eye out, and burrow in the empty socket is excruciating and unnerving in a way that feels new to the franchise. Blood and gore aren’t unfamiliar to Alien properties, but this parasite’s disturbing manner of possessing another life form exceeds the horror of the xenomorph’s stabbing, slashing, and now-overused chestburster scenes. The tiny eye doesn’t look nearly as threatening as a towering adult xenomorph, but its superior intellect and willpower make it far more treacherous.

The eye is extremely observant, evidenced by the way it strategically breaks free from its container and sneaks around the ship in Episode 5. This likely suggests that the creature has a keen understanding of human behavior and can easily adapt to its surroundings. Its plot to trap Tootles in the flies’ cell also hints at its malicious intentions toward those around it. While under the eye’s control on the Weyland-Yutani ship, Schmuel (Michael Smiley) evolves into a vicious assailant, implying that the sheep could turn into the same if it desires. Xenomorphs are excellent hunters and have never been kind to humans, but the eye seems to harbor an intelligence well beyond its captors’ awareness. As a result, Boy Kavalier, the scientist Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), and Alien: Earth‘s other characters could be in for a terrible surprise.

There’s So Much the Alien Franchise Can Do With the Eye Monster in the Future

Alien: Earth‘s pivot away from the xenomorphs toward a more dangerous and intelligent threat is a superb decision by creator and showrunner Noah Hawley. Such a shrewd creature could inspire future seasons of the show and even take on a role in upcoming Alien movies. Alien: Earth was planned as a multi-season story arc, so there’s a lot of potential for a deeper exploration of the eye’s capabilities should Season 2 receive the green light. Furthermore, the sequel to Alien: Romulus could incorporate the eye in some fashion to keep the Alien formula fresh and prove that there’s more to the franchise than xenomorphs.

Audiences have already gotten a taste of the havoc the eye can inflict on people and animals, but one can assume that more unsettling details about the organism are yet to be revealed. This menacing little eyeball has made Alien: Earth scarier and more fascinating than the typical humans vs. xenomorphs fare, and it needs to feature in other projects. Through its first eight episodes, Alien: Earth has expertly expanded the franchise’s lore, paving a hopeful new path for what’s to come.

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