Despite only consisting of one season, the original Cowboy Bebop anime are going back through the original series' 26 episodes to refresh their memories. In doing so, there's plenty of minute details, nuances, general themes, and even pop culture references to re-examine.
The series follows the crew of bounty hunters who live and travel through space aboard the titular Bebop spaceship. Cowboy Bebop is also true to the former portion of its title, as well; its tone is very much that of a noir-infused Western. Still, as anyone who's familiar with the franchise knows, it manages to have a simultaneously lighthearted and witty nature too. It's how those components are blended in with inherent darkness, violence, existentialism, and fun music that gives the show its unique, fan-amassing vibe.
The homage-paying is a clever episode framework, and it's certainly not lost on most fans of the Cowboy Bebop series, Alien, or sci-fi in general. Interestingly though, there seem to be two notable camps of viewers: one that praises "Toys in the Attic" and one that mainly sees it as a sub-par filler episode. However, the former school of thought seems to ring far truer. As Reddit Mescal_Caulchester says in a post about "Toys in the Attic," "There's so much to like in this episode, from the lessons, and Ed breaking the fourth wall ("What lesson?") to the Aliens reference's and general blending of horror and comedy tones seamlessly."
Episode 11 truly does encapsulate Cowboy Bebop's general themes and elements. It hits viewers with a fair share of sickness, seemingly near-death experiences, and almost palpable anxiety while also fitting in the goofy antics between Faye and Jet's relationship and ending the episode with Spike's quote about how not leaving things in the fridge is an important life lesson. Not only does Cowboy Bebop pay homage to Alien via "Toys in the Attic," it also enhances and further solidifies its own beloved place in media.