‘Resident Alien’ Season 2 Episode 4: General McCallister’s Evil Origins, Tied to Her Father, Are Revealed
When it comes to a TV show‘s antagonist, they need a riveting and dark backstory that pushes them to do all the evil deeds they commit. In Resident Alien, General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) is hellbent on finding an alien and will stop at nothing to make sure it happens. While fans know her history with aliens, they were unaware of why she became so sinister in her pursuit. Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 4 reveals what happened to McCallister that turned her into a villain when she speaks with a returning character.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Resident Alien.]
General McCallister saw aliens as a child in ‘Resident Alien’
Fans learn General McCallister’s encounter with aliens in the episode “Sexy Beast” in Resident Alien. As a child, her real name was Eleanor Wright. While she and her father were watching television in a lighthouse during a storm, the lights shut off. When Eleanor notices the rain stopped, they go up to the main lighthouse light for repairs. As she and her father look outside, they see a massive alien ship.
With quick thinking, she used her Polaroid camera to take pictures. As Resident Alien introduced McCallister, she is a high-ranking lieutenant in charge of a covert operation and facility to uncover the existence of aliens. In season 1, she stops at nothing to find evidence of an alien existence when she brings David Logan on board. His research leads them to Patience, Colorado.
McCallister is ruthless in her pursuit and even willing to kidnap Max Hawthorne, who claims to know an alien. While McCallister’s obsession with finding the same ship she saw as a child is understandable, her actions have evil tendencies.
Fans learn the truth about General McCallister’s father in ‘Resident Alien’ Season 2 Episode 4
The fourth episode of the second season brings back a character who McCallister’s agents kidnaped in the first season. Fans learn Dr. Ethan Stone has been held captive in a secret underground facility. Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 4 looks to flesh out McCallister’s motives.
Showrunner Chris Sheridan explains to Syfy Wire the episode is meant to help uncover her plans. The episode unveils why the character is hellbent on finding the alien when she speaks with Ethan. While trying to gain his confidence with a fancy meal, McCallister tells him her story.
McCallister begins by asking Ethan if he knows about lighthouses. He says yes, having done charity work as a doctor in another country and stationed in a lighthouse. She then goes into the aftermath of what occurred after she and her father saw the alien ship.
Like most extraterrestrial encounters, most people are skeptical to believe the story. McCallister explains no matter how much her father tried to convince people; they thought he was crazy. The inability to make people believe him led McCallister’s father to go off the rails. She then reveals her father took his own life because of it. While McCallister’s full plans are not yet revealed, fans now know her ambition comes from a sort of revenge.
What is next for General McCallister in the Syfy series?
In a behind-the-scenes video of episode 4, Sheridan revealed McCallister was not originally meant to return for the second season. She technically dies after Resident Alien Episode 10. After confirming Hamilton for a more permanent role, Sheridan explains, “you can’t kill off Linda Hamilton.”
The question is, what is in store for McCallister for the rest of Resident Alien Season 2? At the end of the fourth episode, Harry receives a transmission in his alien language. It is a New York phone number from what could be another alien. At the same time, McCallister is informed of a transmission that could be alien.
The rest of the season could have McCallister getting closer to uncovering the real alien in Patience and whether it leads to Harry. It could be that interrogating Ethan further might have him spill the beans that Harry is also a doctor in town. Fans will have to wait and see how things unfold.
Resident Alien airs new episodes every Wednesday at 9 P.M. EST on Syfy.
