Bronski and Zaveri thought their fling was just a secret, until Alien: Earth turned it into a weapon

Alien: Earth episode 5, titled, ‘’In Space, No One…,’’ took the fans 17 days earlier before the USCSS Maginot was crash-landed on Earth.

Multiple events were happening on the mothership that day, starting with Morrow waking up from cryosleep, which led to the next shocking twist: the captain of the ship died, and two alien specimens escaped.

One of them, 'the octopus with long fingers,' was attacking the crew. 

But the main event that took center stage in the episode was Bronski and Zoya Zaveri’s romance. However, their love story turned into a tragedy when every crew member on the ship started dying.

What was even more heartbreaking for Zoya Zaveri (Richa Moorjani) was seeing Bronski dying in front of her, as there was no chance of survival once the facehuggers were attached. 

The facehugger attacked the captain of the Maginot and Zoya’s lover, Bronski. Morrow was trying to figure out who the one person was who had sabotaged, who had started the fire on the cargo, and who had led the alien specimens out of the containment. 

Turns out, Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti), was the culprit who secretly worked for Boy Kavalier and had his own reasons from the past to betray Weyland-Yutani. 

Among these questions, the one interesting update he gets from Chibuzo (Karen Aldridge) is that Bronski and Zaveri were violating the protocols of Weyland-Yutani, and if informed, Morrow could take over Zaveri, making him the new leader.

Their love was no longer a secret, but before they could do anything about it, the Maginot became a fight for survival.

Zoya Zaveri becomes the emotional heart of Alien: Earth episode 5

Already mourning because her lover has been attacked by facehuggers, Zoya, being the acting captain, was still trying to find a way to ensure the safety of the entire crew. She told Decider,

“Unlike Morrow, she is someone who has not lost her humanity yet."

She believes that for Zaveri, protecting her crew and making sure everyone gets out alive means everything.

Meanwhile, in the final moments of the episode, the xenomorph suddenly appears behind Zaveri, stares at her, and then chases her.

She locks herself in a room with Schmuel, but that’s a mistake. Schmuel turns around, his eyes bulge, and it’s revealed that an alien eye creature now has full control over his body.

Morrow was shocked seeing the alien controlling Schmuel and ran away, leaving Schmuel to be killed by the xenomorph. The alien eye then jumps onto the xenomorph’s head.

This leads back to episode one, where Morrow locks himself in the control room and leaves Zaveri to die.

Moorjani told Decider that Morrow should have let Zaveri into the ship’s last safe room, instead of making her die at the hands of xenomorphs. 

Richa Moorjani and showrunner Noah believe that Zoya’s fling with Bronski was the ‘’heart of the episode’’

Moorjani, while speaking to Decider, said that, unlike Morrow, Zaveri has not lost her humanity. For Zaveri, protecting her crew means everything.

Talking about the romance between her and Science Officer Bronski, Moorjani gave an insight that she and Noah had already discussed the romantic angle and believed that it was the ''heart of the episode.''

She added,

‘’It’s what shows the contrast between the horror of what’s happening. And the horror feels even worse, because you see the love between these people. These are real human beings that love each other and they haven’t lost their humanity yet.’’

Richa even discussed a scene from the episode, where she explained the significance of Utah’s soil. Utah soil was brought by Zoya on her mission, and it was a reminder of home.

It was a reminder for her to keep hope that one day she will get back to Earth, leaving behind these life-threatening missions. 

There were two emotional moments in the episode when Zaveri brought the soil into the frame. One was when Bronski was kept in the cryotube with a facehugger on him.

She pours the soil on him by saying, “We’ll be home soon.’’

Zaveri and Bronski had dreamed of living a quiet life in Utah, planting and growing things instead of going to space.

Pouring the soil the second time shows that Zaveri realizes she has failed to protect her crew, and it’s likely the end for everyone. Speaking to Decider, she added,

 ‘’So I think that’s her way of having closure and saying goodbye, and feeling like, ‘I’m never going to see Earth again.”

The horrors in this episode were tied to emotional layers of love, loss, survival, and betrayal in this corporate-controlled universe, and there’s even more to look forward to when the new episode airs next week.