Contains spoilers for “Alien: Earth” Season 1, Episode 4 — “Observation”

The “Alien” series has never been one for the faint-hearted. Known for its disturbing, visceral nature, the franchise consistently showcases gruesome violence against unsuspecting victims. This is exemplified in the “Observation” segment of “Alien: Earth,” where a sheep meets a grim fate for scientific purposes. Viewers who are sensitive to animal harm might want to avoid this part, as Prodigy Corporation’s synthetic, Kirsh (played by Timothy Olyphant), subjects the sheep to an experiment with his superior, Boy Kavalier (portrayed by Samuel Blenkin), watching intently.

The sheep serves as an unwilling substitute for a conventional lab rat, exposed to an alien entity resembling an octopus with multiple eyes. This creature invades the sheep’s body, forcing its way in and taking over by dislodging an eyeball and occupying its place. It’s a grotesque image, among the series’ most unsettling. Once the alien has taken control, the reanimated sheep presents an eerie figure, now under the influence of this intelligent being that gazes at its captors from behind secure glass barriers.

Consistent with the chaotic fusion of alien and human life forms in the “Alien” saga, the consequences are rarely benign, suggesting the sheep’s transformation could lead to further chaos. By the conclusion of “Observation,” tensions are high. Boy Kavalier is transfixed by the extraterrestrial specimen he stumbled upon from a crashed Weyland-Yutani spacecraft, refusing to relinquish it to his competitors. Complicating matters is the ship’s sole survivor, Morrow (played by Babou Ceesay), whose allegiance to returning the alien samples to his company overrides any consideration for human life, following corporate directives to the letter.

The sheep’s role in future developments seems plausible, but why a sheep, specifically? On a surface level, the choice might be for visual impact, yet given the blend of horror and deeper themes in “Alien: Earth,” it’s likely deliberate. Sheep often symbolize compliance and lack of initiative. Kavalier’s ambition to upload human consciousness into superior synthetic bodies stems from a desire to spur intellectual advancement, eschewing followers. Thus, selecting a sheep becomes symbolic—though Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and her fellow hybrids are starting to illustrate the unintended repercussions of Kavalier’s daring experiments.