FX’s exploration into the Alien franchise came to a thrilling close as all our various players’ trails converged on the island. After Morrow and Weyland-Yutani forces failed to recapture the precious cargo, Wendy and the Lost Boys have a revelation about who should be feared.

With their plans thwarted, Wendy and the Lost Boys, and her brother and Morrow, are imprisoned in separate cells. Boy Kavalier’s fairy tale of keeping them safe unravels as Wendy realizes they have no autonomy. She takes their maker’s words to heart, how they are faster, stronger, the next stage of evolution. Realizing who has the upper hand, Wendy puts a sinister plan into motion.

Wendy discovers she’s capable of manipulating the entire base, as everything from the cameras to the elevators is connected on a single network. During a face-to-face meeting with Kavalier, she reveals her magic trick, unlocking their cell door and taunting the trillionaire to “run.” As the Lost Boys descend to “haunt” their captors, they reclaim their “ghost” names: Marcy, Aarush, Jane, Chris, and Rose.

Each ghost has a task. Rose gathers Dame Sylvia, while Jane, with help from the tentacle creature, handles the various Prodigy guards. Aarush and Chris arrest Marrow and Kirsh, who are both severely wounded after a hand-to-hand duel in the lab. Marcy saves her brother from becoming the Eye’s latest host. The intelligent creature escapes unscathed as Marcy is victorious over Atom Eins, who is revealed to be a synth.

Finally, Marcy has her xenomorph track down Kavalier, and all the adults are placed in the children’s former cell. Struck with disbelief, Kavalier questions what his creations possibly plan to do next. Marcy, with Joe, her siblings, and the two xenomorphs by her side, states, “We rule.”

Much like its predecessors, episode 8 shines with the cast’s performances, pitch-perfect production, and superb direction from Noah Hawley. It was exhilarating to witness the Lost Boys mount up like Power Rangers, turning the tables on all those who sought to use them for personal goals. While some may feel indifferent about the soft ending, it works as a perfect bookend to the limited series or a nod to a possible second season. We know Prodigy does not exist in the future timeline, and a second season could show how the corporation implodes.

Rating: 9/10