Headscratchers / ALF

• There are several episodes where Willie complains about ALF's laziness, not having a job, and not contributing any kind of money for the Tanner household. But, then there's the occasional episode where ALF actively tries to get a job to earn more money for the Tanners (such as the one where ALF takes up being a make-up salesperson), and Willie gripes about ALF doing something that could get him caught and taken away by the government. So, what the heck does Willie even expect from ALF?
  • Willie can come off as very indecisive and hypocritical at times. He cares more about his family (including Alf) making budget cuts rather than finding a better-paying job. His current job doesn't really pay much, yet Willie's adamant about keeping it instead of expanding his income which of course would definitely benefit his family more so than keeping his current job. In a Season 2 episode, he deliberately turned down a job promotion that would get him a salary raise just because he couldn't handle the additional responsibilities.
  • It might just be Willie venting his frustrations about the strain ALF's clumsiness and gluttony put on the family's finances. There also weren't many options for working from home back in the 1980s the way there are today. While ALF might be able to get away with anything from a podcast to a being Patreon-based writer or artist without revealing his face today, that would've been nigh impossible in The '80s. Willie's negative reactions to ALF potentially exposing himself are likely Anger Born of Worry. And as for that job promotion Willie was offered? It forced him to take a three hour commute, or six hours of road travel every day, and it was implied to involve a lot of administration and ego-massaging. It wasn't just that Willie couldn't handle the extra responsibilities, it's that the job made him absolutely miserable, and probably would have even if ALF never came along.

• Why does the family call him ALF instead of his actual name, Gordon (presumably he would have told them)?
  • ALF wishes to be called that way. Probably because he's an alien, and Gordon is too common of a human name on earth as that he'd take it

• In the episode where someone is attempting to extort ALF for being an alien, it turns out that the would-be extortionist means an illegal alien, and the whole thing is treated as a comic misunderstanding, with ALF appalled that he freaked out over "semantics". Except, semantics or no, ALF really was in danger. Face it, when the shakedown attempt failed, the would-be extortionist caused federal agents to be sent to the Tanners' to search their house. True, they were from the INS (the predecessor to ICE) and not the fictional Alien Task Force; nonetheless, had ALF not run away, he — and the Tanners — would have been in deep trouble. Had the INS found him, they would not have said, "Oh, he's an extra-terrestrial, not an illegal alien. Not our business. Sorry to bother you folks." Instead, they would have locked down the house while calling in the proper authorities to come and collect ALF.