**Warning: Spoilers ahead for Alien: Earth episode 7.**

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With Alien: Earth episode 7 has come a huge betrayal from Alex Lawther's Joe, with the actor revealing the troubling reason why it happened.

The latest episode sees Joe, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and Nibs (Lily Newmark) attempt to escape from the Neverland facility after Tootles's (Kit Young) death, with the hybrids finally realising they will never be safe there.

However, while they make it to the docking pier, they're met by a squadron of Prodigy Corporation soldiers. Nibs faces up to the soldiers, with one of them throwing her teddy bear into the water (RIP Mr Strawberry!).

Immediately enraged, Nibs reaches out and brutally rips off the soldier's entire jaw, before attacking Siberian (Diêm Camille), Joe's fellow soldier. Joe takes action, stunning Nibs with an electric gun, leaving Wendy distraught at his betrayal.

In that moment, Wendy sees a side to her brother that she's never seen – and now must contend with the idea that he sees hybrids (including her) as lesser than humans.

Sydney Chandler as Wendy in Alien: Earth, looking through a window.
Sydney Chandler as Wendy in Alien: Earth. FX

Speaking of the devastating moment, Lawther told Variety: “In that scene, Joe reveals that he does have a hierarchy of care at which biological humans for him take precedence over anything else in that moment.

"It poses a contradiction, because Joe has been saying he’s the only one that knows how to probably look after the hybrid who is his sister, but perhaps that’s not the truth.

"If he’s so willing to shoot Nibs, he makes it very clear that there’s an order in which he values certain lives over others. He’s lacking in a way that Wendy needs him not to be, and she needs him to not shoot her friends with an electric machine gun.”

Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Kit Young as Tootles, Erana James as Curly and Lily Newmark as Nibs in Alien: Earth. There is a green RT Exclusive banner in the bottom right corner.
Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Kit Young as Tootles, Erana James as Curly and Lily Newmark as Nibs in Alien: Earth FX

There's just one episode of the Noah Hawley-penned season left, with Wendy sure to confront her brother about his actions. But can she ever trust him again?

Episode 7 perfectly exemplifies what Chandler previously told RadioTimes.com about why the childhood innocence of the hybrids is so important to the story, saying: "Kids are, like, the most human, the most innocent, the most raw and real entity of humanity.

"And so to throw that into the world of Alien, where you're dealing with not only aliens, but questions of morality, questions of consciousness, especially in this one, innocence lost, 'Who are you?', identity – to bring children into that, it adds a very eerie and powerful factor to it, and it's really, really fun to play."

New episodes of Alien: Earth are released on Disney+ on Wednesdays. You can sign up to Disney+ for £4.99 a month or £89.90 a year now.

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Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.

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