Resident Alien Season 4’s Great Missing Character Is Even More Noticeable After Episode 4’s Jay Scene

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Resident Alien season 4, episode 4, “Truth Hurts.”Resident Alien season 4, episode 4, “Truth Hurts,” briefly recalled Jay (Kaylayla Rain) to the cast for the first time in a while, but she isn’t the only character whose presence has been severely reduced in the current run of episodes. Raine has been part of the Resident Alien cast since the show began, and the arc between her and Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko) has been incredibly prominent at various points. However, Jay has been surplus to requirements for most of the first four episodes of season 4, but “Truth Hurts” manages to squeeze her in.

Jay’s return doesn’t directly reference the other missing character I’m talking about, but her presence does highlight their absence so far. Her missing co-star has also been a notable part of the cast since the first season, but Resident Alien season 4 hasn’t even acknowledged them yet. There’s no question that they’re still in the fictitious town of Patience, Colorado, but the show is either refusing or unable to show them onscreen. While there are still six episodes of season 4 left by the end of “Truth Hurts,” I’d be surprised if the missing character showed up in them.

Gary Farmer’s Dan Twelvetrees Still Hasn’t Appeared In Resident Alien Season 4 By The End Of “Truth Hurts”

Asta’s adoptive father has presumably been busy offscreen

Gary Farmer debuted as Dan Twelvetrees in Resident Alien as early as season 1, episode 2, “Homesick,” and went on to appear in almost every episode that followed, including the season 3 finale. However, the first four episodes of season 4 have lacked Dan’s calming presence and sage wisdom. What’s more surprising is that none of the characters have even mentioned him, but they continue to convene at his diner to discuss various goings-on.

So, I can only assume that Dan has been working hard in the kitchen and has been unable to come out and mingle as he usually does. This is admittedly a fairly generous theory, as Dan’s role as a father figure to pretty much the entire town is important to him, and everyone values his advice and balanced perspective on what are often complex matters. He takes the unofficial role seriously, so it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t make himself unavailable during such a testing time for the Patience townsfolk.

Jay almost learns about aliens by accident

One of the biggest twists in Resident Alien season 4 has been Asta’s cousin Kayla (Sarah Podemski) being told that aliens are real, and that Harry is one. While Podemski’s character initially feels special for this revelation being shared with her, it becomes less of an honor as she discovers that so much of Asta’s inner circle already knows about Harry’s extraterrestrial origin. So, Kayla makes the very understandable mistake of mentioning aliens around Jay, who still hasn’t been looped in.

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Kayla manages to save face by saying she was discussing immigration, and the moment is played for laughs. On the other hand, the exchange actually sets up a pretty tense arc between Jay and Asta, her birth mother. Their relationship has come through several rough patches in Resident Alien, but an element of trust has finally been established between them. When Jay inevitably finds out Asta kept the existence of aliens from her, it will become an even bigger betrayal when she also discovers that her adoptive grandfather, Dan, also knows about extraterrestrial life.

Why Dan Twelvetrees Hasn’t Been In Resident Alien Season 4 So Far

Resident Alien’s budget cuts meant bigger characters had to be prioritized

Resident Alien has made no statement about Gary Farmer’s absence from the first four episodes of season 4, so he may appear at some point, even if just for a cameo. That said, the show’s current intention appears to be to omit him altogether. While there’s no official explanation for why Dan hasn’t yet been seen, there has been a big behind-the-scenes change to the show that could explain things.

Resident Alien season 4 almost didn’t happen, and it probably wouldn’t have if not for a switch from Syfy to USA Network and a drop in production budget. So, the current run was made with less money to play with, which meant things had to change. Although Dan is a great character, he’s not really an essential one anymore. There are plenty of other characters who believe in aliens now who can contribute to the story in more significant ways. I’m hoping Dan returns to Resident Alien at some point, but I doubt he will in any notable fashion.

Resident Alien

Release Date

January 27, 2021

Network

USA Network

Showrunner

Chris Sheridan