Drama
Alien: Earth
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
Navigating love and life in modern New York isn’t easy, Camille tells us. Especially, she says, if you’re an educated Black woman living in Harlem.
The growing gentrification of the neighborhood is edging out 40-year-old mom-and-pop shops in favor of corporate businesses. White gay couples are claiming a monopoly over the historically African-American neighborhood’s real estate. And the pool of dateable guys is increasingly thin.
Camille once had a good guy, Ian. But he wanted to be a chef in Europe, and she wanted to seek tenure as a professor at Columbia. So Camille broke up with him the day they were supposed to move to Paris together.
Several years later, Camille still doesn’t have tenure. And even though she has a thing going with a new guy, Jameson, she still wants Ian (enough so that she causes his wedding to get cancelled by kissing him the night before his nuptials).
But even though life continues to get more complicated, Camille isn’t willing to give up on her professional or romantic aspirations. She relies on her friends: Tye, a proud lesbian and owner of what she says is the best LGBT dating app on the market; newly gay trust-fund baby and successful designer, Quinn; and man-hungry aspiring singer (who’s still couch-hopping into her thirties), Angie.
And that sisterhood is what keeps Camille sustained through all of life’s disappointments and love’s let-downs.
Harlem is, first and foremost, a tale of friendship and sisterhood. But the positive elements more or less end there.
The sexual content of this show stands out more than anything. In the first episode, audiences are subjected to a fully nude lesbian sex scene. These types of scenes (featuring both straight and same-sex couplings) are sprinkled throughout the rest of the series as well. The show’s main characters often talk graphically about sex and both male and female anatomy. And the camera tends to linger on the genitals (sometimes clothed) of both.
Language is also a problem. Any given episode will feature multiple uses of the f-word, s-word and n-word, not to mention a colorful accompaniment of other crudities.
Harlem wants to promote strong female friendships and successful women in their respective careers. Instead, it’s a deluge of sex-obsessed, foul-mouthed women who work hard but, sadly, party harder.
Camille attempts to take control of her love life by agreeing to date a student. Tye is upset when a new dalliance treats her poorly. Quinn and Angie argue about Angie’s freeloading.
Two women have sex with each other (and we see full nudity). Another couple starts to have sex (camera angles hide exposed genitals). We see flashbacks to Camille and her ex in bed (sometimes covered only by sheets). A woman takes pictures down her pants to “sext,” and her friend warns her that the pictures could get leaked online. People crudely talk about sex. People wear revealing outfits. A woman ogles a picture of a man wearing only a towel. A man’s genitals are visible through his pants, which he shows off to a woman. A woman is belittled for having a “stripper” name. Camille is encouraged to steal back her ex if the woman he’s dating isn’t Black. A real-estate poster features a gay couple. Camille teaches a class about sex and modern love. We hear about a tribe of women who dominate the men in their village by moving from one marriage to the next at a whim. We hear Tye owns a company that created an LGBT dating app.
People drink throughout the episode. A man spills his drink on a woman without apologizing. We hear a woman vomiting in a bathroom from drinking too much. A man mistakenly thinks a woman is a prostitute seeking money for cocaine.
Camille and her friends appear to be racially discriminated against at a restaurant. When Tye refuses an offer to buy her company, the buyer assumes that her assistant (a white man) is her equal and is shocked to learn the man has no power. Someone litters. The main characters are often rude to those outside their circle and judgmental to each other. Quinn’s purse gets stolen after her date ditches her for another woman.
We hear the f-word 25 times, the s-word 17 times and the n-word five times. God’s name is abused ten times (once paired with “d–mit”), and Christ’s name is abused once. We also hear multiple uses of “a–,” “b–ch,” “c–k,” “d–n,” “d–k” and “h—.” A woman flips her friend off.
Quinn owns a boutique that donates meals to the needy with every purchase. Friends apologize to each other after saying mean things.
Camille must account for a number of mistakes she made while drunk (including quitting her job and having an affair with her ex). Quinn goes on her first same-sex date. Tye tries to find deeper relational connections. Angie goes on a sex spree.
Two women have sex (covered by underwear). Another couple has sex and we see lots of movements under covers. Yet another couple has sex and we see the man’s bare rear end. A couple kisses. Several scenes feature anatomically-correct sex toys. A woman propositions several men for sex. People talk crudely about sex. Several people wear revealing outfits (and the camera lingers on a man wearing tight underwear). There are several references to masturbation. Someone says the only point of sex is to have fun. Someone mentions an emergency contraceptive. People joke about virginity.
Camille kisses her ex, Ian, the eve before his wedding, and his fiancé, Mira, spots them. Mira tries to ignore it but then confronts them and calls off the wedding. Camille then neglects to tell her current beau or to break things off with him (her friends encourage her to let things “fade” with him). Tye fears her soon-to-be-ex-husband is extorting her for money. A woman tries to substitute a pet and a plant for real emotional connection.
People drink throughout the episode. Several women take a (likely illegal) anti-anxiety medication. We hear references to Hinduism and Buddism. Characters are often rude.
The f-word is heard a dozen times, the s-word is heard 15 times and the n-word is heard twice. God’s name is abused five times. We also hear uses of “a–,” “b–ch” “d–n” and “h—.”
Camille apologizes to people she wronged. She gets a frank talking-to from her boss about her unacceptable drunken behavior from the previous evening.
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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