NBC’s The Enemy Within series explores an important ethical dilemma

The recent premiere of NBC’s The Enemy Within mirrored much of the dangers we’re faced with today and raised an ethical dilemma that some of our nation’s patriots may be faced with at one point or another. What would you do?

Warning! Spoilers for NBC’s The Enemy Within series follow. You’ve been warned.

Since we live in an era where national conspiracies and domestic terrorism are possible, a series like NBC’s The Enemy Within resonates with a majority of American viewers watching. Nothing as extreme as a national conspiracy has taken place yet but the concerns presented on the show are realistic.

One of the most prevalent issues that The Enemy Within delves into is the chain reaction triggered by a compromised intelligence officer. There aren’t any real-life examples to draw upon—thankfully—but Ken Woodruff and his team at NBC gives fans a look at a very believable “what if” scenario with this new series.

On the show, Erica Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) is a well-known government Agent with an amazing reputation to boot—that is until she’s blackmailed by a terrorist who’s kidnapped her daughter. Tal (Alex Feldman, the extremely elusive terrorist is behind the sinister plot and forces Shepherd into a compromising position.

Even though Shepherd is a government agent with many resources at her disposal, Tal gets the drop on her. He then gives Shepherd an ultimatum. She either reveals the identities of four secret FBI Agents or she can watch her daughter die.

The dilemma is a complex one and Shepherd isn’t given any time to think. Tal begins counting down, inching closer and closer to executing Hannah Shepherd. He’s about to finish the countdown when Agent Shepherd gives him the names he requested. Shepherd’s decision then sets forth in a motion of a turn of events that transform her from patriot to traitor.

Now, it may just be a television show but the dilemma that Erica Shepherd faces is one that our own civil servants could stumble across one day. This would mainly apply to high-ranking officials within the intelligence community but just one individual could cost hundreds—or millions—of people their lives.

What’s interesting is how someone in today’s world would actually respond to a similar situation. Would they sacrifice the lives of their compatriots or accept a deep personal loss for the sake of their country? It’s a big decision to make and one that can’t be made lightly.

While even the most patriotic of us would say they’d die for our country, sacrificing someone they love is a very different challenge. A person in this particular set of circumstances wouldn’t just be saving a life, they’d be ending a life too. That creates a slew of ethical issues about whose life holds more value.

Nevertheless, the idea of ‘kill or be killed’ is one that everyone should think about. We may not be faced with the dilemma of choosing between becoming a traitor or remaining a patriot in our lifetimes, but it’s something to consider when we have government officials in office who could be.

The Enemy Within airs Mondays on NBC. Episodes are uploaded to Hulu the following day. For more on NBC’s The Enemy Within, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.