Drama
Alien: Earth
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
Who says crime doesn’t pay? At Contra Security, crime is part of an honest day’s work.
The company, headed by one-time counterfeiter “Oz” Osbourne, is largely staffed with ex-cons, making Contra one of the few businesses where, during an interview, a criminal record looks good on the ol’ résumé. So many shady citizens work there, in fact, that you begin to wonder whether they might hold job fairs at halfway houses. Cameron, Contra’s resident hacker, was recruited out of college (where he’d given himself a lifetime scholarship). And Melanie picks locks. Cash is Contra’s resident “Q,” dabbling in all manner of gadgetry. And master of disguise Josh seems to just like playing dress-up.
To prove Contra’s collective worth to prospective clients, Oz and Co. rob ’em. OK, “rob” is perhaps too strong a term. They simply break into various businesses to demonstrate to those who might hire them just how weak their current systems are—and, of course, how much they’d benefit from Contra taking over their security operations. Contra would never actually rob anyone. They’re the good guys, remember?
Not that it’s always easy to tell. Because we see Contra’s “good guys” do all manner of bad things.
It’s like the entire business has been given a free pass by society to have all the fun that comes with a life of crime (minus the bags of ill-gotten booty) without any of the unfortunate legal drawbacks. And while Breaking In can be funny, it often mines its humor from the natural incongruities of this premise. In flashback, for instance, Melanie’s father gives her a special present for Christmas: a lock-picking kit. “The rest of your gifts are out there somewhere, sweetheart,” he says kindly. “Now go get ’em!” It’s a classic example of small-screen fantasy fulfillment—the equivalent of eating all the Twinkies you want and never getting fat.
And while the folks at Contra stay on the right side of the law (albeit barely), they run far afoul of moral boundaries. They engage in incessant sexual banter, lewd behavior and off-color humor. They blurt out profanities, too.
Clearly, Breaking In isn’t breaking any new ground. Beyond its questionable ethos, it’s not as foul as many of the comedies surrounding it. So far. But does that mean you want these guys to sneak into your living room? They might not nip your silverware or ruin your credit rating, but they will certainly steal your time and give, in return, only a few lame chuckles.
(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.)
Angling for a contract with a modern art gallery, the Contra crew tries to pilfer the museum’s most expensive “painting”—which appears to be a blank canvas. But as they’re making plans, Melanie’s father—a convicted con man—is released from prison and visits his darling daughter. Is he on the straight and narrow? Or is he hoping to steal the painting himself?
Melanie’s dad says he shared a prison cell with a “hacker.” “Killed his whole family with an ax,” he says. Oz makes threatening hand motions and mentions alien probes. Characters lie and shoot each other with Nerf bullets.
We see someone walk around in briefs. A woman sticks a marker between her breasts and tries to paint her lips with it. Another lays a sloppy-wet kiss on Cash. We see that Josh was raised by lesbian astronauts. Melanie’s boyfriend says he’s wearing underwear (for a change) and invites Melanie’s dad for a beer, which he declines. A woman urinates in her pants. Jokes are made about virginity, jailhouse rape, sexualized cable channels, bowel movements, grade-card forgery and burglary. We hear misuses of God’s name along with “b‑‑ch,” “b‑‑tard,” “a‑‑,” “h‑‑‑” and “d‑‑n.”
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
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