ORBzine - Alien Nation TV Review
Season 1
1. 1- 1 18 Sep 89 Alien Nation: The TV Movie (1) 2. 1- 2 18 Sep 89 Alien Nation: The TV Movie (2) 3. 1- 3 6W03 25 Sep 89 Fountain of Youth 4. 1- 4 6W02 2 Oct 89 Little Lost Lamb 5. 1- 5 6W04 9 Oct 89 Fifteen with Wanda 6. 1- 6 6W05 16 Oct 89 The Takeover 7. 1- 7 6W01 23 Oct 89 The First Cigar 8. 1- 8 6W06 30 Oct 89 Night of the Screams
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 9]
Contact
Shown 6 Nov 89
Shown 30th December 2005 [Friday]
An astronomer makes an amazing discovery, but is murdered before he can make his findings public. George and Sykes investigate,and discover that Human Purists are involved.
George feels homesick, even though he never knew his homeworld. He and his wife consider having another child.
Sykes gets a mysterious trunk from his deceased uncle. He also attends a soiree held by his gorgeous Alien neighbour.
The villains' plot is open-ended, implying they will continue the arc later ...
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 10]
Three to Tango
Shown 6th January 2006 [Friday]
The Newcomers have 3 genders. Since George and his wife have decided to breed again, they need the help of one of the other Gender.
We get a look at the aliens' culture, and it looks like everything was well thought out. The token black cop also appears to have bonded with the Newcomer office-boy, Albert.
The eeevil purists rear their head again. A skinhead with a shotgun is killing members of the third gender ...
Sykes' faith in human religion is strengthened by his encounter with the aliens.
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 11]
The Game
Shown 13th January 2006 [Friday]
It's Descent Day, the anniversary of the Newcomers' arrival on Earth. They celebrate it with a party, and by being decent to one earth creature for a month.
George has flashbacks to the day of the arrival. He was an unwilling participant in a game of Russian Roulette.
The Overseers have re-started the lethal roulette games. Andreas Katsulas [ Babylon 5 ] is in charge!
12. 1-12 6W10 27 Nov 89 Chains of Love 13. 1-13 6W11 18 Dec 89 The Red Room
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 14]
The Spirit of '95
Shown 3rd February 2006 [Friday]
The Purists blow up a voluntary organisation where George's pregnant wife has started working.
The Aliens are going to get to vote in the new election. The show's set 5 years after the date it was made, so it's not that unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Matthew has to decide whether to participate in his apartment block's committee.
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 15]
Generation to Generation
Shown 10th February 2006 [Friday]
George's uncle is staying with his family. He promises to move out, but he has business to do first.
A Newcomer skeleton is discovered. Turns out he was a priest, blown clear of the ship in an explosion before it landed. The artefact he was guarding, a mysterious wooden box, is missing.
The McGuffin, like the original box in Kiss Me Deadly, kills whoever opens it. Yes, this is a bit cliched - but it works. This is one of the best eps of the series.
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 16]
Eyewitness News
Shown 17th February 2006 [Friday]
TV news reporter Angela Bassett and her camera crew follow George about for a week.
George and Sykes investigate a murder case involving an Alien/Human interspecies sexploitation company. Actors who perform for video-phone customers are targetted by a masked murderer.
The sex industry is implied by Sykes to be exploitative. However, it allows people to have a pleasurable career - a fine alternativce to the exploitative marriage system that fascists often promote.
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 17]
Partners
Shown 24th February 2006 [Friday]
This is the ep with the alien birth ceremony. It's beautifully filmed, well thought-out and realistic. And the music is excellent.
Since the Newcomers are pseudo-marsupials, the newborns are kept in pouches. Since this is PC-TV, it's the MALE who has the pouch.
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 18]
Real Men
Shown 3rd March 2006 [Friday]
George is carrying the child, pseudo-marsupial style. However, he insists on continuing his highly dangerous job.
19. 1-19 6W17 26 Feb 90 Crossing the Line 20. 1-20 6W18 12 Mar 90 Rebirth
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 21]
Gimmee, Gimmee
Shown 24th March 2006 [Friday]
George invests in a new manufacturing company, where fellow alien Armin Shimmerman [ DS9 ] is the accountant. Unfortunately it seems to be a sweatshop that pollutes the environment.
This is the environmental ep. Sykes gets an expensive car, thanks to Albert [the local Zoidberg] but crappy gas-mileage is the least of his worries. George's son becomes an OTT environmentalist,
Alien Nation [Season 1, Episode 22]
The Touch
Shown 31st March 2006 [Friday]
On the slave-ship, the overseers forced a young boy [Jonathan Brandis - SeaQuest DSV ] to perform sacrifices. Cathy discovers him in a hospital in LA, where he is a traumatised patient.
George brings the baby to work, but the cop-shop doesn't have a creche. Sykes meets a gorgeous blonde who shares his interest in junk food.
23. 1-23 6W21 7 May 90 Green Eyes
TV Movie
M- 1 25 Oct 94 Dark Horizon
M- 2 10 Oct 95 Body and Soul
M- 3 2 Jan 96 Millennium
M- 4 12 Nov 96 The Enemy Within
M- 5 29 Jul 97 The Udara Legacy
Return to the TV Reviews
Return to the ORBzine Homepage.
© Speculator 2002-7