Review of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.7

A game-changing episode 1.7 of The Man Who Fell to Earth on many fronts on Showtime this past Sunday night.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

The biggest reveal is Faraday's realization that Newton's ultimate plan is not to get help to the inhabitants of Anthea back home, but rather to bring the Antheans here to Earth. This sounds like the makings of an interstellar invasion, which would completely change the contours of this story.

We also learned a lot more about who Spencer is. He's the son of a Russian terrorist -- his mother -- here in the United States, and he was brought up and raised under the wing of Finch, whom Spencer now turns on in a crucial scene. Suddenly, Spencer seems and indeed has become much more powerful. He's more than the CIA. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere down the line he's had more to do with the Antheans than we already know.

Meanwhile, Josiah is in the process of becoming an Anthean. And this provides a significant counterweight to Faraday, who in effect is becoming human. He's now come to believe that his best defence against the CIA is to become famous. In a vivid moment, he realizes that the CIA thrives in darkness, and the light of publicity is the best defense. That's a human insight, if ever there was one.

I really like the fact that, at this point in the story, the end of the seventh episode, I really have no idea how this story is going to turn out. That's an indication of a carefully crafted narrative, with complex characters and agendas, that is being unpacked with precision.

I'll see you back here next week, with my review of the next episode, and my sense of where we then stand in this fascinating story.