The Enemy Within
Sorry to ruin the anticipation (I know I built it up so much that you’ve probably been sitting on the edge of your seat, but you can lean back now.), but civilization on Earth doesn’t end at midnight on 1 January 2000, which means you get to enjoy the further adventures of Detectives Sikes and Francisco, complete with flying cars and laser guns. (Okay, that last part was just a joke; even the Alien Nation crew wasn’t ambitious enough to predict flying cars or laser guns for the new millennium.) In all seriousness, though, there is a new breed of Tenctonese mutants threatening to take over the city of Los Angeles. (I’m not kidding this time; that’s the actual plotline.)
Let me explain, though; it’s not as absurd as it might sound. (Well, maybe it is. But in the context of a series based upon the imagined landing and assimilation of an alien race, it’s not the most bizarre story possible.) In order to bolster the story, a little background about Tenctonese life on the slave-ship is revealed, primarily involving a seldom-mentioned Tenctonese caste system. Although the Tenctonese were bred as slaves, most were employed in ‘respectable’ positions, such as miners, while some were used for menial tasks on the ship, such as waste disposal. Members of the latter class are referred to as ‘Eenos’, and while there is nothing inherently different about Eenos, they are characterized by less clearly defined head-spots and are generally loathed by other Tenctonese, who view Eenos more as a separate, lowly species than as a class of their own race.
The primary source of this class-related revulsion is the disgrace of the Eenos’ inherited position on the ship, which not only charged them with the responsibility of disposing of waste but left them with no other food than the waste of which they had to dispose. Included in this waste were often the bodies of deceased Tenctonese, and, in instances when food was scarce, the Eenos were known to feed on the bodies of their fellow Tenctonese. For this reason, Eenos are viewed by other Tenctonese as cannibals and as generally disgraced and unclean.
Because of this lowly status, Eenos have remained separated from society even as other Tenctonese assimilated into American culture, with most Eenos living in the Los Angeles sewer system and fittingly finding jobs in waste management. Apparently, though, a breed of life-force-sucking Tenctonese mutants is being bred from Eeno fetuses, with a mutated queen-mother overseeing the operation. When an Eeno escapes the ‘hive’ and comes to Detectives Sikes and Francisco for help, George is forced overcome his own prejudice against Eenos and the two must work quickly to stop the army of Tenctonese mutants before they are unleashed upon the city.
This story stands well-enough on its own, but, like that of Millennium, the plot of The Enemy Within is not as intricate or exciting as those of Dark Horizon and Body and Soul. I suppose this is again due to an archetypal story with few plot twists that unfolds predictably and without much complexity. This certainly makes the fourth Alien Nation movie a poor one compared to the first two, but the creators are at least able to recover from the weaknesses of Millennium with more poignant social commentary in this movie.
I’m not sure that the commentary in The Enemy Within is necessarily more powerful or insightful than that of any of its predecessors, but the commentary does return to universally significant issues that still have relevance today. While the introduction of Eenos as a plot device is somewhat unnecessary, this lowly class does serve as an excellent starting point for the movie’s social commentary, which again revolves around a message of tolerance and equality. And although Newcomers generally maintain tolerant perspectives despite often being subject to discrimination, in this situation, ironically, it is the alien race of former slaves that harbor a strong prejudice against another group, and it’s further ironic that the target of this animosity is a group of their fellow Tenctonese.
Through this caste system the creators deliver another powerful message about tolerance for other groups. This time, though, it is humans and even some fellow Tenctonese, like Emily, who deliver the implied moral that appearance, social status, and group affiliation don’t determine the quality of an individual’s character. The commentary seems relevant not only regarding differing cultures in general but also regarding Mexican immigration to the United States specifically, considering the menial jobs and lowly status of the Eenos (although this parallel may not have been intended by the creators and may simply be the result of a perspective more than ten years removed from the movie’s creation). And although the impact of the Alien Nation commentary is sometimes diluted by the series’ outdated production quality, the message that the Eenos are not responsible for their situation but are rather simply the victims of circumstance is a truly powerful and certainly still-relevant moral.
As usual, though, the commentary is not limited to only one issue, and while tolerance for members of lower socioeconomic status is the most prominent social message, the movie also broaches issues related to romantic relationships and to the generation gap. The former is addressed through both George and Susan’s somewhat stagnant and strained marriage, complete with sexual monotony and temptations of adultery, and through Matt and Cathy’s struggles to adapt to their new arrangements as live-in partners, as the differences between their lifestyles create a microcosm of the culture clash presented throughout the series. Ultimately, both couples are able to revive their relationships through communication, openness, consideration, and mutually beneficial compromise.
The latter issue is not addressed as explicitly as those mentioned above, but the generation gap is embodied in the relationship between George and Buck, with George constantly harping upon his son to get a job and Buck still struggling to find a purpose in life. As might be expected, another [somewhat] happy resolution is reached when Buck finally decides upon a career, but this plotline actually carries over into the next movie, so there will be more on it later. …