Showtime’s new sci-fi mystery series, The Man Who Fell To Earth, recently premiered and has already made a lasting impact on audiences. Besides having a lot of scientific and fantasy intrigue, the show has also had some truly funny moments that offset the more dramatic ones.
Not many shows or movies really show the reality of what would happen if an alien fell to Earth and had to make their way around, but TMWFTE does–including all of the awkward learning-curve moments that Faraday has. Unsurprisingly, these hijinks have resulted in some fantastic lines.
Faraday
“I had to rebuild everything I lost. I had to learn how to become a human being.”
Viewers still don’t know how Faraday gets from the desert to a tech conference in this new version of David Bowie’s best-ranked film, but they’re eager to find out. This quote is delivered by Faraday as a sea of audience members cheer for him. It’s the sci-fi equivalent to a TedTalk.
This quote is so meaningful and important because it uses a play on human colloquialisms. People talk about being a “human being” as learning how to feel normal again or acting with human decency, in some cases. However, Faraday means this both metaphorically and literally; He had to learn how to act like a human being in a real sense, as viewers saw.
Faraday
“F***! Water! Please.”
Humanoid aliens may be a sci-fi trope that fans are tired of, but Faraday is a horrible human to start, and him learning how to communicate while being actively questioned in a police station makes for some really entertaining moments. He doesn’t know how to communicate, but he’s getting a feel for it by mimicking others.
Then, when the real K. Faraday tells him that “shouting and saying ‘f**’ gets you what you want,” he can’t detect her sarcasm and thinks she’s giving earnest advice, which leads him to yell “F***! Water!” There’s another great interaction when she realizes what he’s doing and tells him to say please, so he augments his request to: “F***. Water. Please.”
Justin Falls
“Is there a nice doctor I can call who can tell me that you’re not a serial killer?”
Justin Falls is a strong female lead in this sci-fi adventure, and her attitude toward Faraday is completely relatable. Everything that Faraday tells her sounds like it’s straight out of a science fiction novel. But, there are enough shreds of intriguing information that he gives her that make her question whether or not he’s actually a danger to her.
After Justin saves Faraday from being mugged and he reveals that he knows about her scientific research, Justin poses this question to him, half-jokingly and half-seriously, because she’s not sure whether he has an angle or if he’s unwell.
Faraday
“Where is the fluid sac?”
This line is funny because of how genuinely caught off-guard Faraday is when he gets into Justin’s car. So far, he hasn’t made any assumptions that human life is similar to life on Anthea. He’s even pointed out specific human customs from what he already knows and is observing.
But, when he gets into the truck and quizzically asks Justin, “Where is the fluid sac?” it completely breaks the tension. He had assumed that humans, like Antheans, traveled around in fluid sacs and he was seriously puzzled for a moment.
Thomas Newton
“I got distracted.”
This quote comes off as entirely glib from Newton and leaves both Faraday and viewers confused. After much trouble and run-ins with the law, Faraday finally makes it to his meeting spot with Newton in the eye of a tornado.
Faraday asks for Newton’s instructions, but also questions where he’s been and what he’s been doing. It’s revealed that Newton is also Anthean and was sent to find a solution to their planet’s problem but never returned. When Faraday asks why Newton never came back, he simply replies, “I got distracted.”
Faraday
“When the clouds disappear, you all disappear.”
This quote is so jarring in that it’s very ominous and seems to be indicating that there is danger on the horizon for mankind on the show. Up until this piece of dialogue, Faraday has very much been the one in need. He needs help from Justin and Newton so that his people can be saved.
Perhaps it’s an indication of what happened on Anthea and a warning to Justin that humans could fall victim to the same fate, or it’s an implication that Faraday knows something about Earth’s future that humans don’t.
Faraday
“Do you do Google?”
The poor diner waitress was a secondary character who really stole the show with her genuine kindness. But, she had no idea what she got herself into when she agreed to help Faraday when he goes back to the diner alone and asks her if she knows how to “Google” since he saw Justin do it previously.
Not only did he start walking toward her very aggressively outside, but he uses his very strong sense of smell to determine that she is, in fact, pregnant. That alone is a shock, but it’s paired with him asking if she’s afraid her children won’t have enough resources to survive and she slaps him before running away.
Drew Finch
“Dessert first is saying ‘yes’ to life.”
Drew Finch is played by Kate Mulgrew, known for her performance as Red on one of the best LGBTQ+ shows with a female showrunner, Orange Is The New Black. Drew couldn’t be more different from Red, with her first line on the show being a giddy exclamation over cheesecake.
The entire scene between Finch and Spencer Clay is odd at best, with Clay repeatedly telling the waitress she’s incorrect when she’s not and Finch laughing about it into her napkin. This cheery, optimistic attitude is undoubtedly the first layer of a cutthroat government official.
Justin Falls
“I am talking to someone from another planet.”
Faraday: “So am I.”
Of all the alien invasion movies that fans watch over and over again, they sometimes fail to think about what the invasion or landing looks like from the alien’s perspective. This quote taps into that idea; that humans are aliens to other lifeforms just as much as they’re aliens to us.
Faraday is a prime example of a space or alien movie from the point of view of the alien. He crash-lands in a place where he knows no one and doesn’t speak the language, and he has to figure out how to provide for himself and follow his mission. This conversation between Faraday and Justin humanizes him.
Molly Falls
“Most times, it’s the Lord. But one time I saw him say it about Tina Turner.”
Molly and Josiah Falls are the reason that Justin works as hard as she does. They’re also the source of some terrific comedic relief on the show. From fighting with Faraday over the radio to harassing other senior citizens, Josiah is a handful–and Molly loves him.
Something that no one prepares for is explaining the concept of saying “grace” to an alien lifeform–even if they don’t know that he’s an alien yet. When Faraday asks who they’re talking to at “grace,” Molly jumps in with this funny one-liner that goes over Faraday’s head.
