I'm sorry. Sometimes I speak to adults like they're my peers because I'm mature for my age. I'm working on it.
Sahar to Asta Twelvetrees, "Heroes of Patience"
Sahar Karimi[1] is a character in the science fiction comedy television series Resident Alien. She is portrayed by Gracelyn Awad Rinke.
Character overview[]
Sahar is a young Muslim girl who attends school in Patience, Colorado. Unlike most, if not all of Max Hawthorne's other classmates, she believes his story that the town's new doctor, Harry Vanderspeigle, is actually an alien from another planet. Intelligent and mature for her age, she sometimes speaks to adults as if they are her peers, something she claims to be working on. She has a strong interest in space travel and is hoping to become the first person on Mars when she grows up.
Sahar often spends time hanging out with Max after first befriending him. She seems to enjoy his company, though sometimes laments the fact that he is not as mature as her, for example, the fact that he still enjoys scatological humor, i.e. "fart jokes." She is very committed to her faith, often stating that she won't do things because of her religion, even if some consider her an outsider because of it. She is very serious, only rarely openly displaying emotion. She is also a business-woman and begins a dog-walking business in Patience. Despite Patience's small population, she soon has several clients, the most recurring of these being the owner or owners of a dog named Murphy.
Despite not being able to see Harry's alien form, Sahar is fully aware that Harry is an alien. At first, this is simply because she believes Max's story. She, however, later encounters a number of pieces of Harry's alien technology, including his spaceship, as well as his alien baby, which provide evidence of the fact that Harry is an alien.
Appearance[]
Plot summary[]
A believer[]
While being teased mercilessly by some of his other classmates in the hallway for his claim that Vanderspeigle is an alien, Max Hawthorne notices another classmate bumping into Sahar on purpose and knocking her Trapper Keeper to the floor. Having been similarly humiliated, he walks over and picks it up for her. Later, at lunch, Hawthorne is again being teased, this time after his mother, Kate, who is a teacher at the school, gives him a hug. Rather than laughing at him, however, Sahar comes and sits across from him at his lonely table. He asks her if she wants to make fun of him too, but she tells him that she believes him.
The two later enter a cafe where Vanderspeigle is having lunch. Sahar, seeing Vanderspeigle, agrees that he is "disgusting" and definitely the person who cut the brakes on Hawthorne's bike, referencing an earlier incident. She tells Hawthorne that she's going in for a closer look and, despite the boy's pleas of Vanderspeigle's dangerous nature. She steps up to his table while he is looking away, then knocks over his glass of water. She and Hawthorne then both race out of the cafe.
Investigations[]
At some point after this incident, Max contacts Sahar via walkie-talkie, telling her that he has terrible news. He says that his life is over, explaining that his parents have invited Vanderspeigle over to dinner. She replies that it's great news and when he expresses incredulity at this, she explains that he's been wanting to get into Vanderspeigle's cabin and she has a plan. Therefore, when Vanderspeigle comes to dinner, Max plays the role of the good boy to distract him while Sahar steals the keys from his vehicle. She then travels to a store and makes copies, returning to just in time to return the keys before Vanderspeigle leaves for the evening.
The next day, while Vanderspeigle is occupied with his duties as a doctor, Max and Sahar set off by bike to reach his cabin. While riding, they are pulled over by Sheriff Mike Thompson, who chastises them for not using hand signals when turning. When he asks them what they're doing, they claim to be out seeking Bigfoot and he curses, then apologizes for cursing in front of children. He ultimately lets them off with a warning, even complimenting them for being out getting fresh air instead of sitting at home glued to screens. The two finally arrive at Vanderspeigle's cabin and make their way down to the basement. There, they discover pieces of metal that they believe may be pieces of his spaceship, as well as a padlock on his freezer. They then spot the most interesting thing of all: an apple floating over a saucer. They reach for it and are shocked backwards, unconscious on the basement floor. Vanderspiegle arrives home and discovers them, and is annoyed when he checks for their pulses and discovers that they're still alive. He places them both in duffel bags and heads upstairs, only to discover a woman in the living room claiming to be his wife.
A truce[]
Max reveals the incident at the cabin to his parents, but they still refuse to believe his claim that Vanderspeigle is alien. He brings them to Sahar, saying that she was there as well, but she doesn't back up his story, saying that she doesn't remember ever having been to his cabin. Later, Max despairs when his parents tries to send him to an institute in Georgia based on Vanderspeigle's diagnosis. He reports this news to Sahar, upset at her longer believing him, but she clarifies that she never said that she didn't believe him, she just doesn't remember. She tells him that she has a plan. The next day, the two of them corner Vanderspeigle at Joe's Diner, where Sahar presents him with a bizarre scenario in which they both hold their breath until they pass out and die and he somehow gets blamed for their deaths. In the end, she manages to negotiate a truce in which Max agrees to stop telling everyone that he is an alien and in exchange, he stops trying to kill Max and also tells his parents that he made a mistake and he doesn't need to be sent to the institute in Georgia.
Following an incident in which Vanderspeigle was trapped in a crevasse, Sahar trails Max when he pays another visit to Vanderspeigle's cabin. Upon seeing her outside, he lets her in, and she asks if he was trying to shut her out. Vanderspeigle calls her pushy and she tells him to get used to strong women. She sees his device sitting on a table and asks about it. Max repeats Vanderspeigle's claim of it being a "radio" to contact his people and Sahar asks why he doesn't just go home on his spaceship. Seeing his forlorn expression, she asks "They took it, didn't they?" and he asks how she knows. She tells him it could have been any government agency, but that it's probably the Men in Black, who monitor extraterrestrial activity on Earth. He tells her that he's not worried, that it won't be a problem once he fixes his radio, that he's just a missing a part. She suggests the hardware store, saying that you can buy anything there, but he replies that he's "shit out of luck" unless they know somebody else who has encountered aliens. Sahar replies that they're going to have to wash his mouth out with soap if he keeps swearing around them, but he replies that he likes soap and eats it all the time. Max then tells him he knows where he can go if he wants to find alien stuff, leading him to a UFO Con in New Mexico.
Daredevil and the Black Widow[]
While Max and Sahar are out attending a movie, the government agents David Logan and Lisa Casper visit the Hawthorne household as dinner guests, pretending to be the married couple "Richard and Sarah Houston." While there, Casper sneaks into Max's room, going through his stuff and discovering a piece of Vanderspeigle's spaceship that was taken by Max. When Max returns home, he finds a recording of Casper's search of his room on his computer and reports this to Sahar.
Together, the two decide to spring a trap. Knowing that Logan and Casper are trailing them, hoping that they will lead them to Vanderspeigle, Max heads off on his bike. The two pursue and Sahar runs interference, pretending that they have run over her bike. When they at first refuse to pay for it, she offers to wait until the police show up. Her distraction allows Max to get allow, but also allows her to plant Kate Hawthorne's cell phone to use as a tracking device.
Their plan backfires when the two agents realize that they have been tricked. While the two wait at home, ready to monitor their movements, they double back to Max's house, then break in. While Kate is upstairs exercising, they interrogate the two, particularly Max, demanding that they lead them to the alien. Logan tries to rationalize with them, saying that the alien is there to kill everyone, but neither believes him at first. When he, however, explains that Vanderspeigle's spaceship is a Quimbaya amulet, Sahar realizes that he isn't lying. Max, though, claims that he can talk Vanderspeigle out of it. Just then, Kate comes downstairs, done exercising, and the agents lock her in a closet. Casper then presses Max with his drawings Vanderspeigle, demanding to know why the alien in the picture is wearing a white coat. Max tells her that the alien is the "town doctor," leading them to believe that the alien is Dr. Ethan Stone, the new doctor who replaced Vanderspeigle. Just then, Kate breaks out of the closet, while at the same time, Ben Hawthorne manages to get into the house. Kate then calls for both Max and Sahar to hide, as the two deliver an epic beating to both Logan and Casper, forcing them out of the house. Afterwards, Sahar praises them both, saying that they're like Daredevil and the Black Widow, and her mother comes to pick her up and take her home.
Guarding the ship[]
Following this, Max ends up going into space with Vanderspeigle, but then crashing back to Earth. While Vanderspeigle is an amnesiac in a hospital, Max sets up in Patience's baseball park to guard his spaceship, which has crashed but is invisible. When he has trouble warding off a pair of teenagers, Sahar shows up to help, riding up on her bike and sounding an airhorn. She tells the teenagers that there's an underground gas leak and that they'll get "eye-arrhea" if they approach any closer. The two then take turns guarding the spaceship until they are pulled off duty by their respective parents. The two of them then contact Asta Twelvetrees, who is also aware of Vanderspeigle's true identity, and warn her that their mission to guard the field has been compromised.
Following this, Vanderspeigle uses a device to convert the spaceship into a set of four metal balls. Max steals one of the balls, which causes him to start showing signs of puberty, including growing a full mustache and beard. He calls Sahar over to his house to help him to shave, but does not reveal the real reason why, leading her to believe that it's simply a side effect of him going into space. Later, the two of them confront Vanderspeigle at Joe's Diner, but don't get anywhere since Max won't admit to having taken the spaceship ball.
Ball to the wall[]
Max's early-onset puberty continues, with him developing hair upon his back. Sahar helps him to wax it, but refuses to look due to her religion. She is confused at Max's symptoms, as what she has read about space travel indicates that astronauts who have returned to Earth have shown decreased levels of growth hormones such as testosterone. She becomes alarmed when Max starts speaking to her in a deep voice, trying to hit on her. She finally gets him to admit the truth.
Sahar then confronts Harry, telling him that she knows the real reason why Max ended up the way that he is. She tells him that she has hidden his spaceship ball and that Max should now go back to normal, but that he'll never get his ball back. In response, Harry tells her that he is building a radio to contact his people and tell them not to come and kill everyone. He says, however, that he'll tell his people to leave everyone alive except for them and make snowcones out of their eyes. In response, Sahar threatens something so vile that Harry calls her a "sick, broken child." She then goes to Asta, telling her that she thinks Harry is making another bomb. When Asta tells her that it's a radio and a not a bomb, she replies that "When somebody shows you who they are, believe them the first time," quoting Maya Angelou.
Dognapped[]
Sahar receives a note from Harry - "Return my alien ball"
Sahar begins a dog-walking business and is soon entrusted with walking a number of dogs throughout the village of Patience. One day, she and Max visit Joe's Diner for ice cream and she leaves the dog she is walking, Murphy, tied to a post outside. When they return, they discover that the dog is gone and in her place is a note from Harry which reads "If you ever want to see your dog again, return my alien ball. - Alien" Max laughs, saying that they win again as Murphy isn't even Sahar's dog. Sahar, however, tells him that this certainly isn't the case, as Murphy is her responsibility and a dognapping will ruin her dogwalking business. She pays a visit to the trailer where she hid the alien ball, only to discover that it is gone, along with the satellite dish atop the trailer. She realizes, to her horror, that the ball must have been taken by one of the government agents. This is, in fact, the case, as it was taken by David Logan.
Without any other recourse, Sahar pays a visit to Harry's cabin. He calls it a home-invasion and asks her where Max is, if she divorced him. She tells him that divorce is against her religion unless it's initiated by the man and therefore she's never getting married. He asks if her presence means that she's agreed to his terms: to give him back the alien ball in exchange for the dog. She tells him that it's a funny story, but that the ball got stolen from her the same way that it was stolen from him by Max and later stolen from Max by her. She states that she'll be taking the dog, but he tells her that she will not have the dog. He continues that the ball can do more than just make people grow hair. He thinks she's scared of what he's saying as she points for him to turn around, until finally he hears a shout in his head and turns to discover that the dog is thrashing the octopus 42. Harry races over and frees 42. At this point, Murphy runs over to Sahar and Sahar watches in confusion and horror as Max first attempts to give the octopus chest compressions and then mouth-to-mouth, before sobbing over his dead body.
A warning[]
Working together with Max, Sahar does research into military installations in the surrounding area, trying to figure out where the alien ball is being held, but unaware that David Logan was on the lam and was recently killed by an unknown alien after trying to make a deal to surrender the ball to his superior General McCallister. She shows Max these locations on a map, telling him that she's circled the underground ones nobody knows about. During this, she overhears their babysitter, the nurse Ellen Cho, chatting with somebody on the phone about how Ben Hawthorne is throwing Harry Vanderspeigle a surprise birthday party "to trick him into being the town doctor again."
Sahar is confused upon hearing "town doctor," asking Max what happened to Dr. Ethan Stone. He tells her that Ethan left town the night the men in black were there. She asks him if his brain is up his butt, explaining that the men in black took Ethan because he told them that the alien was the "town doctor." She states that they're going to be back as soon as they figure out that he's human and that they have to go to the party and warn Asta. Max asks how they're going to do this given that they a have a babysitter, but Sahar tells him that she has a plan. They trick Ellen into falling asleep by having her watch nature convoy videos on a tablet. Though the plan seems to work, she startles awake as they head out the door and asks where they are going. They each tell a different lie, but Ellen tells them to simply have a good time and make sure to get back before their parents get home. Sahar mutters that she's a terrible babysitter.
The two bike to Harry Vanderspeigle's cabin, only to be shocked when they observe an alien baby attack and eat a raccoon. They worry that Harry is breeding alien babies, unaware that the baby hatched from an egg he brought from New York. Asta eventually discovers their presence and asks what they're doing. They explain about Dr. Ethan being taken by the government and tell her about the alien baby, though she already knows about the latter. She asks her adoptive father Dan to sneak them home without getting eaten and asks what they're even doing there, given that they have a babysitter. "It's Ellen," explains Sahar and Asta tells them to say no more and to get home safe.
The alien baby[]
One day, while out walking the dog Murphy, Sahar encounters a young boy that an elderly woman seems to recognize as her long-lost little brother, Bobby Smallwood. Sahar, however, though unable to see the boy's true form, recognizes him as being the humalien baby from his behavior. She takes him and hides him in the cabin in the woods, hoping to raise him on her own and keep him hidden from Harry.
Sahar attempts this, but has trouble getting the baby to listen to her. She also has to contend with Max who reports her having taken the baby to Harry Vanderspeigle. The two argue about this, but eventually make up and Sahar forgives max. The baby eventually escapes. Harry then attempts to kidnap Sahar, only for her to tell him that she's actually adult-napping him as she needs him for his alien sounds to attract the baby. The two eventually track the baby to a forest, only for the baby to be spirited away by Men in Black forces led by General McCallister. Sahar laments his loss and Harry unexpectedly comforts her, as he is becoming more human and developing human empathy for other individuals when previously he would have been happy to see her cry.
Harry eventually finds and rescues the alien baby from the black site in Wyoming where it was being held. Sahar learns the news from Max and is delighted, though she also learns that Harry is planning to leave the Earth along with the baby. She pays a visit to Harry and the baby in Harry's cabin. She is thrilled to see the baby, who again takes Bobby's form, telling him that she thought she'd never see him again. He thanks her for helping him and she tells him that he helped her, that she never thought she'd be able to raise a human/alien baby toddler hybrid boy, but she did and she feels she's a different person because of him. She hands the alien baby a toy alien plush that she stitched, complete with a hijab to remember her by. She also hands him a bag of carrots, warning him that eating live birds is bad for his cholesterol. She is disgusted when she learns that Harry is planning to name him "Chaz." She tells him that the baby is special, the bridge between his people and hers and that his name should reflect that. Harry then decides to name the baby "Bridget."
A good-bye[]
Following the death of Peter Bach, known as the "Alien Tracker," Sahar believes Harry to be responsible, not knowing about the threat to the Earth posed by the Greys. Her theory is reinforced by a group of "conspiracy kids" who hang out at the local comic book store in Patience. When she reports this to Max, he tells her that the kids don't know what they're talking about, that they believe Bigfoot and Sasquatch to be the same thing. Sahar, however, points out that Bigfoot and Sasquatch are, in fact, the same thing. She suggests that Max spend some time with them and maybe make some new friends, but he protests that he doesn't need new friends, asking if she doesn't want to be his friend anymore.
Sahar later pays Max a visit at the Hawthorne family home. She complains that he was supposed to meet her at the comic book store so they could find new recruits, but he again protests, telling her that he doesn't want to be friends with those kids and that their group is fine with just the two of them. She tells him that two is only a couple, saying that more people is better because you never know when you might lose someone.
Max asks just who they're going to lose. "Me," she tells him, saying that she's going away. "To jail?" ask Max, incredulous, but she explains that she tested into a prestigious academic program for gifted children in California. She apologizes for not telling him sooner, saying that she thought maybe he had new friends, he wouldn't care if she left. He says that he would, of course, care, that she's the only real friend he ever had who didn't make him feel like a freak. She tells him that he's special, that now that the Alien Tracker is gone, he has a unique gift, that he is the new Alien Tracker.
Sahar later sends Max a note on stationery headed "From the desk of Sahar Karimi." The handwritten message on it reads "I'm sorry I had to leave. I believe in you. Your Friend, Sahar"
Return[]
While out walking in Patience, Harry encounters Sahar. He is stunned to see her and believes that she is not in fact Sahar, but rather his child, Bridget, who has returned from outer space and is out to ruin his reputation and then kill him. He thinks that Bridget has taken her form, saying that it can't be her because she was sent away to girls' person. She tells him that it was a gifted school and that she's back. After a little more back and forth, she realizes that it must be her because of her sarcasm.
Sahar asks why he has Max's taser and he explains about Bridget being back and wanting to kill him. She asks where Bridget is, saying that she missed him so much. Harry recalls the fact that Bridget likes her and decides to use her as a lure to bring Bridget back. He takes her to his cabin, using a fan to waft her scent in the hope of luring Bridget back. Harry's plan is successful, but when Bridget leaps into Sahar's arm, Harry pulls out the shock prod and stabs it at Bridget, causing Bridget to explode into a bunch of pieces of blue goo. Sahar shouts that Harry killed him, that she doesn't know much about being a mother but that you aren't supposed to kill your child. He complains that Bridget was broken and didn't love him anymore, but she tells him that it doesn't matter, that the parent is supposed to love the child. One of the pieces of blue goo then moves across the floor, rising up and taking the form of Sheriff Mike Thompson. Harry tells Sahar to run.
Sometime following this, Sahar returns to Harry's cabin, this time with Max along with her. "This is stupid," he complains, but she tells him that Harry is his buddy and that buddies have fights, but then they make up for each other. She also tells him that although she hates to admit it, she feels that Harry has been good for Max. She knocks on the cabin door, telling Harry that Max has something to say to him. When, however, she nudges Max over, he stares and screams in horror. He can see what she cannot: that the being standing before them is not Harry, but a Mantid that has taken over Harry's form. Unknown to either of them, the original Harry alien and Bridget are imprisoned in a Grey facility on Earth's moon.
Quotes[]
"You wanna make fun of me, too?"
"No. Because I believe you."
- Max Hawthorne and Sahar, "Secrets"
"It could be any of the agencies. But it's probably Men in Black. It's a top-secret agency that monitors alien activity on Earth. But they don't always wear black, and they're not only men."
"Then why do they call them "Men in Black"?
"Because it's cooler than calling them "People in Clothes."
- Sahar and Harry Vanderspeigle
"You guys are like Daredevil and the Black Widow."
- Sahar to Max and Kate Hawthorne, following their beating of Lisa Casper and David Logan
"Funny story about the ball, really funny, actually."
"Why do I feel like this is n-not going to be funny?"
"Well, you know how Max stole the ball from you? I stole it from him. And then somebody stole it from me. Isn't that hysterical?"
- Sahar and Harry Vanderspeigle
"Guess Dr. Ethan just didn't like it here."
"Is your brain up your butt?"
"I hope not."
"Don't you realize what happened? The men in black took Dr. Ethan."
- Max and Sahar
"I am here to kidnap you. I need you as bait. The alien baby seems to like you. I do not understand why."
"Alright, let's go."
"What?"
"You're not the only one who could use some bait. You know how to make those alien sounds. But let's be clear. This isn't a kidnapping. This is an adult-napping."
- Harry Vanderspeigle and Sahar
"I just wanted one more day together. Now I'll never see my baby again."
"I have never seen her cry. If Goliath were, he would be affected by it, but I am an alien, and I do not care. Goliath let himself be so human, he probably would have put her hand on her shoulder like this. And then he would say something humans say to make each feel better like... There, there, there, there, there."
- Sahar and Harry Vanderspeigle
"You helped me. I didn't think I'd be able to raise a human hybrid alien baby toddler boy, but I did. I feel like I'm a different person since I met you."
- Sahar to the alien baby
"You can't name him Chaz. He is significant. Extraordinary. He is the bridge between your people and mine. And his name should reflect that."
- Sahar to Harry Vanderspeigle, regarding the alien baby
Trivia[]
- Her name is incorrectly given as "Sarah" in a clip posted to YouTube by Syfy.
- During the scene in which Harry attempted to revive the octopus, Sahar's actress Gracelynn Awad Rinke could barely restrain her laughter due to Harry's actor Alan Tudyk ad-libbing his lines.[2]
- Regarding Sahar's departure in the third season premiere, Resident Alien creator and showrunner Chris Sheridan stated that the character is not gone for good, but that there was a bit of a scheduling issue behind the scenes necessitating her leaving the series for the time being.[3]
Gallery[]
Still images[]
Behind the scenes[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Her full name is seen on a piece of stationery sent by her in the third season premiere "Lone Wolf."
- ↑ YouTube - Behind the Scenes of Episode 6: Aliens Hate NYC, Resident Alien (S2 E6), SYFY
- ↑ Resident Alien Premiere... by Nick Caruso, February 14, 2024
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