There’s something primal about a mother’s love for their child. This parental instinct spreads to other species. Perhaps even extraterrestrial beings. This is the core theme of “Alpha 8,” yet at least a third of the story is about first contact with an alien. That’s not to mention the 80s-90s children’s plot a la “Sandlot” or more appropriately “E.T.” from Steven Spielberg.

The Goonies, Directed by Chris Columbus

This eight-part audio drama tries to do it all, and like a soccer mom, barely scrapes by with a cohesive story. That doesn’t mean there’s no enjoyment here. The tone of at least the latter half of the podcast is basically, what if Chris Columbus directed the “The Goonies.” The story starts, however, in Area 51 as scientists and the military have an alien in custody. This being can mimic appearances and is called Alpha Eight. The first three maybe four episodes are all about these two characters studying Alpha Eight. Little do they (Michael and Samantha) know, Alpha is studying them even harder.

I can’t remember if Alpha 8 escapes or whether Michael or Samantha let the alien out. What I do know is the story shifts to a family comedy with a predictable, but still entertaining plot. A lot of the fun factor are the characters. Those who listened to all episodes back-to-back, this probably won’t be an issue. For someone who waited a bit longer for the last three episodes to drop, you might forget who these characters are in relation to each other.

Confusing Family Tree

The kids—Dan, Jackson and Taryn—all live in the same house. From what I gather Dan’s parent re-married Taryn and Jackson’s parent. I’m using parent, because I’m not sure if the mother, Larson, is the biological mother of Dan or Jackson and Taryn. I may also be getting the combination mixed up. Jackson and Dan may be blood relatives. I’m sure there are clues to figure out the family tree, but they’re too subtle. For example, Jackson and Taryn call Larson by her actual name not mom. After finishing the last episode, I got that there was a step-parent situation going on. Again, time more than likely affected my knowledge of events. For the last two or three episodes, I was wondering why Taryn was constantly calling Larson by her first name. It felt odd. Now I know the reason.

While the winding branches of this family tree were baffling, the overall effect story as a whole had on me was positive. Writer, Stephanie Elie and her production company Bizzie Media Group shot for a combination of “science fiction like ‘Starman’, fish-out-of-water stories like ‘The Princess Diaries’ and body-swap comedies like ‘Freaky Friday.'” While I can see elements of these, a stronger choice I feel is “Mrs. DoubtFire” meets “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” as it captures the heart of those films and describes the audio drama as well. At least to a point.

Because Alpha 8 9: More Coming Soon?

The ending of the final episode feels like “Dune: Part One.” A lot of threads remain unresolved. It feels that way because the entire first third of the story deals with the Area 51 storyline. Mild spoilers, but at end, it and the family comedy are just beginning to come together. The feeling it gives isn’t just one of closure, but also unconnectedness.

I really hope there’s more to this story and it continues to a satisfying conclusion. It sounds like there is going to be, but you can never be sure. “Alpha 8” thus far is for those who enjoy the journey more than the destination. I’m somewhere in between where I can enjoy what the show does, but also recognize its structural issues. Since the writer set out to basically make an homage to 30-40 year old movies, they succeed. I just wish the time spent on each plot line wasn’t so imbalanced and they felt more connected to each other. For a season finale, it works. As a screenplay, it doesn’t have that sense of stories need to have to feel satisfying.

Since the screenplay won a few awards, I’m going to guess the version we got in the podcast is different from the draft submitted to those awards. At the very least, two of the awards were announced before the first episode launched in April and about 3 years passed between them. That’s a lot of time to rework some of the story. If there is in fact more story, I hope it’s as good if not better than what came before.

8.5-/10 Stars