Drama
Alien: Earth
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
Stick or twist?
That’s a question often on the mind of Conrad Harrigan, aka “The Governor.” He’s the head of a London crime family. Their specialty? Heroin and arms.
But lately, Conrad’s been thinking about dealing “Fire” (that is, fentanyl), too. Of course, fentanyl is the domain of the Stevenson family. And Conrad isn’t sure he’s ready to go to the mattresses with the equally well-established, equally powerful Stevensons just yet.
Then again, Conrad may not have a choice.
The Governor’s grandson, Eddie, may or may not be involved in the disappearance of Tommy Stevenson, heir to the Stevenson empire. And Tommy’s old man, Richie, isn’t exactly going to wait patiently for proof of Eddie’s innocence.
So Conrad has sent his fixer, Harry Da Souza, to locate Tommy—and, if necessary, to give Richie the twist (read: kill him) if he won’t grant them time to do so. But time is wearing thin.
Harry’s been ordered to “stick” for now. But he can’t fix things between his boss and Richie, he’ll be twisting his way through London in an all-out mob war.
It’s perhaps ironic that most mobsters portrayed in TV shows and movies tend to value family so highly, since most of those same shows and movies aren’t so family friendly.
The Harrigans and Stevensons of Paramount+’s MobLand certainly place their families above all else—and that even includes loyal friends, such as Harry. But let’s face it, these clans aren’t here to roast marshmallows and make memories. They’re ruthless killers out to make as much money as their bank accounts can hold. And they profit off the misery of families impacted by the drugs and guns they deal—not to mention those who become collateral damage in their gang wars.
What we see here are countless murders accompanied by bucketsful of blood. Sex and nudity are sometimes present, too. And foul language, including multiple uses of the f-word and c-word, permeate every minute of this TV-MA rated series.
At one point, Harry tells a man, “If you look after the Harrigans, they will look after you. If you don’t, heaven help you.” But I’d modify it just slightly: If you watch the Harrigans’ story here, heaven help you.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Conrad Harrigan’s plans to start dealing fentanyl are waylaid after his grandson, Eddie, becomes implicated in the disappearance of Tommy Stevenson, son of the current fentanyl-dealing mobster.
Conrad tells a friend named Archie that the latter’s uncle tried to sexually abuse him as a child. The two make jokes about this encounter, downplaying the seriousness of the attack.
Harry Da Souza tries to broker a deal between two mob families to prevent a turf war. When they refuse, Harry and two others kill them all on Conrad’s orders. As one man lies on the ground, choking on his own blood, Conrad crushes the guy’s windpipe with his foot. Elsewhere, Conrad shoots a man.
Eddie stabs someone with a switchblade. The guy survives, but Harry visits him in the hospital, threatening further harm if he doesn’t lie to the cops about Eddie’s identity. Security guards chase Eddie through a club. Many violent threats are exchanged throughout the episode.
Eddie leads Tommy and some other guys into a sex club. We see people having public sex, some nudity (and revealing, scandalous outfits) and grinding-type dancing. The passcode for a guy’s phone involves sexual innuendo. Some women wear cleavage-baring tops. Conrad’s wife, Maeve, is upset when his daughter from an extramarital affair comes to their house.
People drink alcohol at several venues. Eddie and his friends all snort cocaine. A guy admits he was high on ketamine. We hear all about the illegal drug trade that the Harrigans and Stevensons are involved in.
The Harrigans have many people in their pocket, including members of law enforcement. Harry uses his contact at a funeral home to bury evidence of a crime with a recently deceased man. Someone betrays the Harrigan family.
Two women discuss different types of therapy they’ve tried, including a sort of “energy healing.” A few mobsters wear cross necklaces. People lie. A man scratches his groin. Conrad spits several times.
We hear about 50 uses of the f-word, three of the s-word and nearly 10 of the c-word. We also hear “c–k,” “d–n,” “h—” and “p-ss,” as well as British profanities “arse,” “bloody” and “bollocks.” God and Jesus’ names are each abused once. People use crude terms for male anatomy as insults.
A man is hesitant to attend couples’ therapy with his wife. However, he agrees to go, since he wants to save his marriage.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
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