Twisting the Opposites Attract Trope: Science Fiction Series Resident Alien

A character duo bring a dynamic storyline with humor and tension

Before I get to the awesomeness of Resident Alien (now available on Netflix), here’s a quick writing life update. I’m so happy to be back to regular life after an illness; it makes me appreciate routine. The more uneventful my life is, the more I can focus on writing world things. My Kickstarter campaign for Trope Thesaurus Fantasy and Science Fiction has been fulfilled since early spring. Big relief! That book is now up for pre-order on Amazon for an August 5th release in digital (and paperback will be available, too). I’ve started on the Trope Thesaurus Mystery and Thriller book for a fall Kickstarter. And I’m teaching a Write Your Christmas Romance in July this summer on Teachable. More information will be available soon on my website! Now, on with the show….

I'm going to fangirl here about the Opposites Attract trope in the science fiction series Resident Alien, which is currently airing on Netflix. But before I do that, let's take a closer look at this trope.

What's so great when two characters significantly differ in attitudes or lifestyles? It means character conflict. And that is what fuels our stories.  

The conflict in this trope comes from a power imbalance in their relationship. Each character seeks to change the other character to be more like them, and that unwillingness to bend creates conflict in the story. If characters are too similar, their situation remains static. As in life, story characters need challenges to grow.

We often see the opposites attract trope in romance, from classics like  Bringing Up Baby (1938) to  When Harry Met Sally (1989) to Bridgerton. But the opposites attract trope also brings that same dynamic to non-romantic relationships— look at Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.

When we think about Kirk and Spock, we think of their ongoing struggle between Kirk, who is a hot head, and Spock, who is logical. Most often, the opposites attract trope applies to adult relationships.

Resident Alien twists the opposites attract trope to show a relationship between 1) Harry, the adult, and Max, the child, and  2) Alien and Human.

But before we get too far ahead, here's a quick synopsis of Resident Alien.

An Alien crash lands on Earth (ticking time bomb) before he can complete his mission to destroy human life on Earth (MacGuffin). Stuck in a Colorado mountain town (forced proximity) while he searches for his missing spaceship (quest), he kills a reclusive vacationing doctor (profession, violence). He assumes his hidden identity (fish out of water). At the same time, the beloved town doctor is killed, kicking off a murder investigation and the need for a replacement physician. The story unfolds as the secrets of various townspeople are discovered. Asta, the nurse who becomes Harry’s best friend (found family), is initially unaware he is an alien. The bumbling sheriff tries to solve the murder with his long-suffering lieutenant, Liz. Harry tries impersonating a human physician (the con), navigating small-town life, and finding his ship. The only person who can see Harry's alien form is an eight-year-old boy, Max (opposites attract, protagonist in peril). Max has problems because his mom works in his school (loner, politics), and no one believes him about Harry (mistaken identity).

Tropes:  best friends, the con, family, fish out of water, forced proximity, found family, hidden identity, McGuffin, mistaken identity, opposites attract, politics, profession, quest, ticking time bomb, violence, protagonist in peril.

Harry and Max’s relationship engages us because it plays with genre expectations. We expect a hidden alien to have problems keeping his secret in a science fiction story, but having a child be the only one who sees the alien's true nature is a novel twist, especially when paired with a small-town setting. That imbalance creates great scenes; let's see how they are set up.

The Trope Thesaurus Science Fiction and Fantasy Six Steps to Outlining using tropes in an Alien Invasion Story:

1)     Give each main character at least three person tropes as a base to build their character.

Harry: fish out of water, profession, hidden identity

Max: family, loner, protagonist in peril

2)     Give each significant relationship in your story three change tropes to describe challenges in their relationship.

 Opposites attract, forced proximity, found family

3)     Give each main character (including the antagonist, if applicable) a meaningful and measurable goal.

Harry, the Alien

Goal: Complete his mission to kill all humans on Earth.

Max

Goal: Reveal Harry is an alien so that he can save the planet.

4)     Make sure each main character has a motivation that describes why they are pursuing their goal. See if it alludes to a larger theme in your story. Examples: duty, revenge, power.

Harry the Alien

Goal: Complete his mission to kill all humans on Earth.

Motivation: Survival

Max

Goal: Reveal Harry is an alien so that he can save the planet.

Motivation: Survival

5)     Choose a conflict that will make it impossible for the main characters to achieve their goal. Examples include: bet/wager, blackmail, kidnapped, MacGuffin, secrets.

Harry the Alien

Goal: Complete his mission to kill all humans on Earth.

Motivation: Survival

Conflict: He has lost crucial equipment needed to complete his mission. He's running out of time before another alien is sent to complete the job.

Max

Goal: Reveal Harry is an alien so that he can save the planet.

Motivation: Survival

Conflict: He is the only one who can see through Harry's disguise, and as a child, no one believes him but another child.

See how Harry and Max's goals are in opposition to each other? That means only one can 'win', which means conflict because the story threads are pulled together tightly.

6)     Develop your characters and setting with world-building details (descriptions, dialogue, and secrets).

Small-town Western life details based in the various community settings (local bar, doctor's office, diner) provide gathering places for the community. Additional cultural elements such as Asta’s First Nation heritage and Harry's fish-out-of-water quirks give this setting a fresh and specific appeal as aspects of Harry’s alien culture are gradually revealed. Everyone has a secret and a scar, which gives us complex characters.

The Trope Thesaurus Five Points to Scene Creation with an Opposites Attract Trope in Science Fiction:

1)     Set Up: This is where you introduce the trope to your audience in character thought, action, or dialogue. You are planting the seed in your audience’s mind that this trope matters in the story.

The first time Harry is in town, Max spots him seeing through his alien disguise immediately, and he runs away screaming.

2)    Showtime: Right here, we see the trope in action. This will be at least one scene, but in practice, it's usually multiple scenes that increase conflict. It will be the meaty part of the story for a solid story-wide trope. It's the heavy lifting of the chosen trope.

Harry tries to kill Max multiple times. This provides comic foil because Harry's fish-out-of-water knowledge causes continual failure. Max starts to jeer at Harry's ineptitude. Finally, Harry convinces Max’s parents to send him away to a special school for his delusions.

3)    Reveal: The trope is revealed to the character(s) so that a significant decision/action is required by the protagonist.

Before Max is sent away, Harry realizes Max can help him find this missing ship and be on the lookout for future bad aliens that show up.

4)    Fallout: This is the result of the decision.

Harry tells Max’s parents he doesn’t need to go away to school.

5)    Resolution: This is how the decision plays out in their long-term lives.

Harry and Max call a truce and begin working together.

I really enjoyed both seasons of Resident Alien. It’s a great mix of small-town characters, mystery, and science fiction—as the poster calls out in the marketing. Have you seen the show? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Jen