War of the Worlds/He Feedeth Among the Lilies

He Feedeth Among the Lilies
Season 1, Episode 15
Airdate	January 30, 1989
Written by	Tom Lazarus
Directed by	George Bloomfield
← 1x14 Dust to Dust	1x16 → The Prodigal Son
War of the Worlds — Season One

He Feedeth Among the Lilies is the fifteenth episode of the first season of War of the Worlds.

Jared Martin (Harrison Blackwood), Lynda Mason Green (Suzanne McCullough), Philip Akin (Norton Drake)

and Richard Chaves (Colonel Ironhorse)

Special Guest Star: Cynthia Belliveau (Karen McKinney)

Also Starring: Maria del Mar (Estelle), Carole Galloway (Pat Thistle), Graham Batchelor (Arnold Thistle), Myron Senkus (Walter Hayden), Michael Rudder (Advocate #3), Ilse Von Glatz (Advocate #2), David Calderisi (Advocate #1), Mary Pirie (Alien Doc #1)

Featuring: Mark Wilson (Paramedic #1), Dana Anderson (Paramedic #2), Faye Cohen (Alien Doc #2), Diana Rowland (Alien Doc #3), Julian Richings (Man with Hat), Larry Mannell (Doctor), Bonnie Gruen (Nurse), Andrea Nevitt (Aide), Chris Trace (Cop)

Plot Overview

The Blackwood Project begins interviewing people who have had contact with the aliens. One of whom was experimented on as part of the aliens' desperate attempts to learn the secret of the human immune system. Almost immediately, she grabs Harrison's attention, but their hopes of a relationship maybe destroyed by the horrible experience she's suppressed from her alien encounter.

Notes

Teaser Quote

"They - They're hurting me. Oh, oh, they're putting something... inside me."

Base Three

• Three aliens are in charge of the operating on the harvested humans.

• The man's witness account mentions three aliens with the Thistles having seen six of them. Karen's nightmare involves three aliens.

• The aliens harvest the humans they've put implants in after six months.

Timeline

• Karen McKinney had her alien encounter in October. The aliens' plan makes it clear that now six months have passed, making it April. This would set the events shortly after "Goliath Is My Name".

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The aliens have been implanting some kind of monitoring system in humans, an operation that appears to go back to just after the Advocacy were secured in their contamination suits.

Characters

• Harrison falls in love with Karen McKinney. His heart breaks over what the aliens have done to her, but she is ultimately harvested and is likely dead.

Referbacks

• The Thistle's account includes the aliens using an old jury-rigged vacuum cleaner in an attempt to find something. This is similar to the events in "Eye for an Eye" where the aliens use such a vacuum cleaner to try to find one of their warships.

Trivia

The Show

• The residential hotel Karen is staying at is graced with the last name of director George Bloomfield.

Behind the Scenes

• The original ending of this episode is different than the one filmed. In it, Karen's fate is more open-ended. Rather than being taken away by the aliens, she simply chooses not to continue her relationship with Harrison because of his work against the aliens.

Allusions and References

• The episode draws a lot on alien encounter claims, including missing time and surgical implantation.

Memorable Moments

• A lighthearted word association takes a turn when Karen associates the word "alien" with "rape".

Goofs

• When the one alien nurse cuts into the human test subject, the way her hand is holding the scalpel differs between the three consecutive shots.

• There are only two alien paramedics in the ambulance, but the ambulance is seen driving while the two are operating on the man in the hat in the back.

• In the last act, when Harrison goes to answer the phone, the shadow of a boom mike following him can be seen on a pillar.

Quotes

• Advocate #1: Time grows short. We progress little in our attempt to adapt to this alien environment.

Advocate #2: As the humans pollute the air more and more, survival becomes questionable.

Advocate #3: Theirs... or ours?

Nurse #1: We believe that we have solved the problem of human spoilage.

Advocate #3: You have devised a way we can examine humans safely?

Nurse #1: On the screens, Advocate. We have taken over the human bodies of two paramedics and have commandeered their ambulance. We will have a mobile surgery.

Advocate #3: You have done well.

Nurse #1: I cannot do anything without your counsel.

Advocate #1: Not only shall we continue our experiments, but we will create panic and terror among the humans.

Advocate #2: To life immortal.

Nurse #1: To life immortal.

• (Word association test)

Suzanne: Father.

Karen: Mother.

Suzanne: Strange.

Karen: Interlude.

Suzanne: Running.

Karen: Nightmare.

(pause)

Suzanne: Red.

Karen: Green.

Suzanne: Midnight.

Karen: Madness.

Suzanne: Green.

Karen: Blue.

Suzanne: Scared.

Karen: Night.

Suzanne: Alien.

Karen: Rape.

• (subtitled)

Paramedic #1: I love the way humans move away from this vehicle.

Paramedic #2: They are such fools. There's one now.

• Norton: You're missing the obvious. Our fearless leader, Dr Blackwood, has got himself short-circuited. He's found himself a lady. You do remember, you know, the opposite sex?

• Harrison: (voice-over) I have no proof, but in my heart, I know the aliens have Karen McKinney.