Resident Alien: Sahar's Dislike Of Harry Is Becoming A Story Problem
Warning! This post contains spoilers for season 2 of Resident Alien.
SyFy's quirky comic adaptation, Resident Alien, has plenty of qualities that make it one of the best sci-fi shows on television, but precocious Sahar could prove to be a mark against the comedy's storyline. Thus far in season 2, the show has worked to make Harry a more likeable alien (despite his history of murdering humans and assigned goal of destroying humankind), and Max and Asta have come around to accepting most of what Harry tells them as truth. Yet, Sahar constantly expresses her belief that Harry means them harm, even causing Asta to confront and further alienate Harry in "Radio Harry".
Introduced in season 1, Sahar, played by the talented Gracelyn Awad Rinke, is Max Hawthorne's young friend and the only person who believes him that Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle (played by Alan Tudyk, recently of Encanto) is an alien. Sahar helps build Max up, befriending him, and empowers him to dig deeper into the truth about Harry. She is smart, funny, and loyal to Max, which made her a great addition to season 1 as the two of them struggled against alien and government forces to reveal the danger that Harry represented. The fact that she has stuck by Max when he was being bullied and ostracized by the rest of their peers speaks volumes about the kind of character she is, and makes the possible story issues all the more discouraging.
Unfortunately, Resident Alien season 2 is using Sahar as a roadblock to be inserted in front of Harry as he goes about his redemption arc. While other characters are learning to accept Harry for what he is, Sahar clings to her initial mistrust, throwing accusations about him out of left field. She has no evidence that his radio is a bomb, but because of her fears, she assumes it must be meant to cause harm. She presents her fears to Asta, who wants to trust Harry, but because of Sahar, she forces Harry to prove his innocence (which he's only partially able to do, given his plan to let Earth be destroyed after Asta dies). This could prove to be a lazy form of storytelling and slowly start to undo the freshness of the show's concept.
However, Resident Alien seems to strive for cultural inclusion and diverse points of view. The show has tackled issues like gender wage disparities, sexual taboos, domestic violence, mental health, drug abuse, and adoption in its short run, and likely has plenty of other serious topics that it wants to cover as the show progresses. Because Resident Alien does such a good job of giving each of the different characters story arcs that go beyond skin-deep, the possibility remains that Sahar's predilection for mistrust will be closer examined, and perhaps linked to the way she has been treated, growing up as a Muslim girl in a small town in America post-9/11. If the show examines her reasons for mistrust - her exclusion from her peer group, the fact that Max seems to be her only friend, and her own treatment as a minority - the possibility remains that the plot device could be turned to a more interesting purpose, rather than making her just an annoyance. The alternative could be bad news for the wider Resident Alien story
SyFy's Resident Alien varies significantly from the comic, and appears to be operating on several different levels. It is both a comedy and a drama, a provides commentary on modern life and culture, as well as an examination of what it means to be human in America in 2022. Even the title refers to the somewhat murky definition of a legally allowed immigrant to pay taxes in America, and Resident Alien has a lot to say about who owns the land on which the story takes place, especially in relation to Asta and the indigenous populations around Patience, Colorado. Hopefully, the writers are planning to address Sahar's paranoia and mistrust of Harry with the same, thoughtful approach.
Resident Alien airs new episodes on SyFy, Wednesdays at 9:00 EST.
Source: Screenrant
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