The team returns home with unexpected cargo. An unsettling experiment occurs, and a new talent is discovered.
Wendy slays the xenomorph. The episode then strives to further develop the ensemble of characters surrounding her. That moment is extremely intense. It builds upon her desire to rescue her brother. Joe has some plenty blatant plot armor. He survives multiple encounters with the xenomorph. He theoretically could have become the next human host for the eggs. However, it largely comes across as the alien toying with him. He is drawn into the unknown. Repeatedly, he faces off with this creature by himself. As a hybrid, Wendy has heightened abilities to protect him. She has enhancements that the other hybrids do not. She also has this connection to her past. It drives her regardless of everything else happening. Kirsh ordered her to protect the eggs with Slightly. Instead, she goes off on her own mission. She's successful once more. Joe warns her that she's walking into a trap. That produces another moment of Joe going up against the xenomorph. For a moment, he doesn't know what has happened to his sister. He panics when she is trapped in a room with the alien. She emerges victorious and significantly injured. He is as well. That allows Prodigy to dictate the terms of what comes next.
The hybrids praise Boy Kavalier because he saved their lives. They faced terminal illnesses. Now, they've been granted eternal life. In fact, Prodigy was just weeks away from announcing this technological marvel. This company would have overtaken the others that control the planet. And then, a spaceship crashed in New Siam. The team responded and the mission changed. Boy needed them to secure the specimen. They would all return to the Neverland research island for further testing. With Wendy and Joe incapacitated, they couldn't spoil the plans Boy has suddenly concocted. He believes they will be safe. This facility is the most secure location on the planet. Nothing will harm them. That's false hope given the overall tone and expectations of this entire franchise. People are confident in their abilities only to face off with creatures that are more lethal than they ever could have imagined. Boy thrives on imagination. That's why he recruited children for this project. He needed to harness that ability that adults eventually grow out of. He marvels at his creations while also getting easily distracted by new possibilities.
Kirsh comments on all of this too. He's the one always calm under pressure. That's how he operates as a synth. The other characters are dictated by emotions. That's true of the hybrids too despite their bodies no longer producing the endorphins. It's just their natural state of being. They knew what it meant to exist as human. Now, they are something else entirely. They still fear their limitations. They argue. They act foolishly. They are caught up in this high-stakes mission. It's one where corporations battle to dictate the terms of the next stage of human evolution. Boy had a solid stake for controlling that narrative. He's not afraid to say Wendy is his favorite because she was first. Everyone knows that. Curly aims to impress him. She shows the initiative that he wants. Wendy may have the natural abilities. She has the skills no one could have programmed. Curly has the drive. It's a competition for attention. They want to be the favorite. Boy uses that to keep all of them in line. He knows how to manipulate these children. It's easy to do so. He isn't the only one either.
Morrow refuses to report back to Weyland-Yutani empty handed. He will complete his mission. He was given instructions to protect the specimen at the expense of the crew. He ensured their survival when they landed on Earth. Prodigy stormed in and took control of the scene. As a cyborg, he weighs the emotions of this decision with the practical realities of following through. He ponders with synths about what's possible. He's amazed by his run-in with Slightly and Smee. He recognizes that they are children. They still hold onto human interests despite their synthetic bodies. Slightly fears this mercenary will return to kill him. He's told that's foolish. Then, Morrow starts speaking to him. He established a connection. He will exploit it to obtain his objective. All of this is still centered around Wendy's personal story though. And so, the narrative concludes with her recovering and making her way down to the lab. She can't stop Kirsh's experiment. Joe's lung is removed to serve as host tissue for the xenomorph. Wendy clearly has an unexplained connection. She feels the pain of these creatures immensely. That goes unremarked upon. That can't be true forever. Right now, she's powerless to stop what the whims of a trillionaire dictate.
