Who is Faraday?

It’s the central mystery behind The Man Who Fell to Earth, a new series on Showtime that is a sequel to the 1976 British film, directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring David Bowie. Bowie played Thomas Jerome Newton, and alien who came to Earth to find water to save his home planet of Anthea.

In the series, Faraday (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is also from Anthea, newly come to Earth, and on the same mission. Like Newton, who appears in the sequel now played by Bill Nighy, Faraday is subject to Earthly distractions, but in the first few episodes, his story is told from two different points in time, but we know almost nothing that explains how he got from where he started to where he ends up.

Faraday isn’t even is real name – he takes it from the badge of the deputy (Martha Plimpton) who processes him after he is picked up while deep-throating someone’s garden hose (he’s always thirsty!), wearing no clothing and unable to do more than repeat what he hears.

While at the police station, though, Faraday picks up more than just a moniker: he learns enough English to start to be able to converse, he gets some clothing (from the morgue) and nicks a cell phone off a desk, which he uses to create a tracking device. He also makes contact with the one person who can help him – Justin Falls (Naomie Harris).

Falls is a scientist, but she’s also a single mom, supporting her daughter and her ailing father, for whom she must score black market drugs. Faraday seeks her out, because she came close to a discovery that will help his planet and ours from devastation, from something that looks a lot like global warming.

Harris plays Falls as a tightly wound thread, always about to snap from the stress of her life, and Ejiofor’s Faraday only adds to that stress, with his strange behavior and inability to just blend in. (Ejiofor is delightful in this role, trying to acclimate to human society but never getting it quite right – like not knowing how loud should he shout the ‘F’ word to get what he wants.) Still, Falls is intrigued and wonders if Faraday might hold the secret to getting her work back on track, and teams up with him despite her better judgement.

Harris is perfect as the serious scientist who is torn between caring for her work and her family, going from quiet determination to exasperation in a heartbeat. And in the few scenes he’s in, Nighy looks to be the perfect successor to the character created by Bowie.

There’s another mystery here, though, because the show cuts to a future where Faraday is not a crazy alien but a “high-tech Willy Wonka,” presiding over a stage in front of an audience of tech geeks who gaze at him with rapt adoration, like he’s the second coming of Steve Jobs. How does he get here, and what does it have to do with saving the planet?

The show is beautifully shot, especially the scenes from Faraday’s home world, and together with the engaging performances and intriguing story, The Man Who Fell to Earth is a show worth watching.