V - Season 2

Spoiler Level: High

I have to admit, I was very impressed with Season 2 of V. (Once I finally got to see it, that is.) Oh sure, I'm very disappointed that the "Let V no longer stand for Visitor; let it stand for victory" attitude was lost again after only one episode (and could there be any bigger perversion of the meaning of "V" than Tyler spray-painting a red V as a pro-Visitor message?), but in this season the show stopped trying to imitate the original and found its own voice, and as a result it was a much better show. And since it did have its own voice, I found myself being more content with what it was than being frustrated with what it wasn't.

For starters, we learned the real reason for them coming to Earth-- and it's got nothing to do with wanting to pillage the Earth for our resources. It's not to use the human race as food, but as breeding stock. Apparently they've been stealing DNA from different races, harvesting the best of every race in the universe so they become the genetically superior beings. And the human race is next on their list.

The way they go about it gets a bit convoluted; apparently Visitors and humans can interbreed with some scientific help. But the survival of the race depends on their queen, who is only fertile during a short period of her life. So they infiltrate a few decades earlier and set up test subjects to be containers of all the best DNA mankind has to offer. Then they show up with the smaller fleet, get into the planet's good graces, and the next Queen-to-be mates with one of the test subjects, thus ensuring new offspring with all the best DNA. Then they bring in their fleet en masse, round up all our women and turn them into baby factories (yes, this show could have been called Visitors Need Women), ensuring that their race continues. I'm a little hazy on how the two points connect, but that's it in a nutshell.

Storytelling wise, this was revealed in a very even pace, much better than the first season. Each episode felt like it was advancing the story, and like we were actually getting answers. We also got to see the resistance movement finally grow, expanding both on their own and then finally hooking up with a world-wide network. Of course, it may have helped that I watched the entire season over two weeks on DVD instead of over ten weeks on TV.

And then there's Jane Badler, returning as Diana. Not the same Diana, of course, but at least the producers of the show had the sense to always dress her in red to hit the proper nostalgia buttons. This Diana is almost a good guy-- she's learned the value in human emotions and the soul, something that her daughter, Anna, doesn't agree with. It makes Diana an interesting character-- she's just as concerned with the survival of their species as Anna is, and her loyalty is definitely with her own species and not humanity, but what Anna sees as humanity's flaws and a risk to their survival, Diana sees as something that can improve their race, making them something greater than they were.

And then there's the finale.

Like most shows these days, V was canceled without enough notice for any kind of wrap-up. But the ending we're given here works for an ending. Not a happy ending in any way, shape or form, but still an ending.

* Diana's plans fail completely as Anna kills her in front of their entire race. Anna wins.
* Ryan's plans to rescue his daughter Amy fail completely as his daughter kills him when he tries to take her away. As far as she's concerned, Anna is her mother, and Ryan isn't fit to be her father. Anna wins.
* Lisa II mates with and then kills Tyler. Anna wins.
* Chad Decker's role in the Fifth Column is exposed and he's taken into custody by the Visitors. Anna wins.
* Amy helps Anna spread Bliss to humanity, enslaving the entire human race to the Visitors as the breeding ships move in. Anna wins.
* The only hope left at all is Project Ares, a secret military organization run by the world's governments hidden literally underground so they escaped the Bliss (and lead by none other than Mark Singer).

What a great set-up for Season 3. At last, everything is out in the open, and Project Ares would have had to fight a war against the Visitors to save their own people who wouldn't even want to be saved. As closure goes, this is The Empire Strikes Back-- a series of down endings, ultimately ending in defeat but with a hope for the future. Only in this case there will be no third act. And who knows, maybe it wouldn't have worked, but there is closure here for nearly all the characters, and the potential for what could have come next is fantastic.

I've said before that if they did any V novels or other media tie-ins with this show I'd give them a pass, but I have to go back on that now. There's potential here for a great story, either in prose or comics. I don't believe we'll actually get it, but if it happens, I'll check it out.  Otherwise, for me the ending of this story is what we got on screen-- the Visitors triumphant, with Erica Evans and Project Ares still out there fighting the good fight to save humanity.

No V for Fer. :(

A screen capture of ABC's statement.

I've been waiting for ABC to start streaming Season 2 of V.  Normally they post it fairly quickly, but there seems to be something of a backlash to online streamline starting.  Syfy, for example, now has a delay of 30 days after an episode airs before they'll post it on their website.

Well, after waiting a week, ABC's finally made an announcement.  Here it is:


Fellow V fans,

It is with much regret that we must inform you that full episodes of V will not be available on ABC.com or Hulu for Season 2. Just like you, we truly wish full episodes were playing here. But we also hope our detailed recaps will keep you informed and entertained should you ever miss an episode.

Best always,

The ABC.com Team

Well, that's a bit of a bummer.   Now, I don't mind waiting a week or two weeks or even a month, but in this case it looks like I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD.  Hopefully it'll be sooner than November this time, but if it isn't, oh well.

Now someone on some message board somewhere (sorry, I don't remember the details, so I can't give proper credit) pointed out that shows from Warner Brothers seem to not be getting streamed this year.  If that's the case, then that would explain why ABC would be acting like it's out of their hands.

My family gave up our satellite dish a year ago now, so we now get all of our TV off of the internet.  I could hook up an antenna, but now that broadcast TV has gone digital I'd have to buy a converter box, and I don't really feel like V is worth the extra effort.  So I guess I'll be waiting for the DVDs.

On the plus side, this frees up some time in my schedule to try out that new super hero show, The Cape. NBC's got the first two episodes online already.  I guess ABC's loss is NBC's gain.

V - "Red Sky"

Spoiler Warning: High

"Let V no longer stand for Visitor. Let it now stand for Victory." Father Jack is taking it back! God bless Father Jack!

Didn't they say something in the preview for this episode like "their plan will finally be revealed?" Well, so much for that. Not only are we no closer to knowing what their plan is, now we have to wait to find out what they did to turn the skies red. Thank heavens this show was renewed, or that would have been a really sucky way to end it. But that just shows that they've made me care.

Whatever the new red dust was, I hope this is a major turning point in the story and it doesn't go back to status quo by the end of the first episode next season. Marcus was acting like this was a major turning point, so I sincerely hope it doesn't clear up right away.

Along those lines, Morenna Baccarin really deserves some major kudos for Anna's grieving scene. It gave me chills.

I'm glad Val was only gone for two episodes and that she was back for this one. I would have liked for her and Ryan to have a chance to make it work, but Anna's actions made total sense for the situation. I'm a little disappointed that we didn't even get a glimpse at the baby, but I liked the sound of its voice! Here's hoping that the baby will give Ryan what he needs to resist Anna's Bliss.

Speaking of which, they've shaken things up so that I don't really know whose side Kyle and Chad are on, which is great. How strong is Anna's hold on Chad's brain? Can he see what he saw and yet find some way to rationalize it? Either way, I think it could be done really well. Chad is at his most interesting when he's trying to understand both sides and questioning the status quo. Yet at the same time, people who could look at the Visitors' atrocities and turn a blind eye because it either wasn't happening to them or because they were somehow being rewarded is what made the original V so thought-provoking.

Even though it's been slow, this version of V is really starting to live up to its legacy. They've earned the V back. I'm now looking forward to next season, and hope this is the first V to go up in quality when it comes back. ;)

V - "Fruition"

Spoiler Level: Medium

Okay, if they play their cards right next episode (and next season), then I'm going to take back all the complaints I made in my first review of the new show. This episode showed perfectly how the fear of terrorism can lead to the losing of freedoms. And just as the erosion happens slowly in real life, it's also happening in stages on ABC's V. First the FBI makes it a priority to stop Fifth Column, and now the American government has agreed to hand over all suspects to the Visitors before they go to trial. Anna knows how to play humanity's fears like a piano.

While I still hold to my opinion that the show is taking an entire season just to set up the premise, I've got to completely concede Amy's point that by doing it this way, it gets its point across to today's audience who have today's fears. I accused the show of becoming the very propaganda it originally warned against, but by showing how the public can be swayed by leaders with their own agenda using the threat of terrorism, it's pointing out the man behind the curtain to the post-9/11 generation. It's a message that's long overdue, and it's a message that's worthy of V.

V - "Hearts and Minds"

Spoiler Level: High

Eh. Mixed feelings on this episode.

On the plus side, it was cool to see some action in this episode with the attack on the Visitor shuttle.

On the negative side, that's an awful lot of hand-wringing over something that was a typical shot from the classic V.

I get where they were coming from. Since shuttles aren't normally shooting people down in this version, and are frequently filled with humans, it's a bigger deal.

And in the bigger picture, they're trying to say that by resisting the Visitors, the Fifth Column truly are terrorists. Isn't there an old saying about one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter? And since this show is completely unwilling to have the Visitors be fascists, then no one is going to realize that the Fifth Column even are freedom fighters.

On the other hand, by them becoming terrorists in the eyes of the world, the Visitors now have the world law enforcement agencies completely on their side, which is the perfect start of them becoming tyrants.

On the other hand, this is episode 10 out of 12. Taking an entire season to set up the Visitors as tyrants is really dragging it out. And they still haven't revealed the Visitors' true purpose. If after 12 episodes it's exactly the same as what was revealed in the original mini-series by the third hour, I'm going to be a bit disappointed.

I also can't stand scenes like the one where it's the four of them in the basement saying "we're the only ones who will stand up to them." A resistance movement of four. Well, that was certainly like the classic V... sadly though it was like the scene in V: The Series after the cast was cut, and Mike said to Kyle and Willie "Remember, if Juliet and I don't come back.... you two are the Resistance now."

Wow, I'm being bitchy. It's probably my mood.

So okay, things I do like. I like that Jack is wrestling with his morality. I like how Chad seems to think he's still in control of himself without realizing that Anna has totally Converted him. I like how Erica is finding herself in charge of hunting herself down. And I do like that the Visitors are playing on our fears to get themselves in deep.

And I like that we finally got some good space ship action.

Oh, and on a completely different note, I'm done with ABC's boring cast photos and found a program that will let me do my own screen captures for the next 30 days. Anyone recommend any free or inexpensive screen capture programs?

V - "Heretic's Fork"

Spoiler Level: High

Yayy! A Visitor Soldier! Okay, so he's a ninja and not a shock trooper, but I'm still happy.

"Name one bad thing they've done since they got here! You can't, can you?" Okay, well I can see how Erica couldn't answer Tyler without being, oh, honest with him, but she could have told the assassin guy "Well, I saw them slaughter a whole room full of people who just showed up to hear a guy's conspiracy theory about them." Or, "Well, my partner turned out to be a Visitor, and when I found out he tried to kill me." And that's just off the top of my head.

I loved all of the stuff between Ryan and Val, and I can see how she can't stay with him after discovering that he was lying to her about being a human being and didn't come clean when he accidentally impregnated her with a lizard baby. But I hope this doesn't mean she's out of the show. Her plotline is just too important to have her just ride away on a train.

And I like that Chad and Lisa's loyalties are being put to the test. I wonder if they converted Chad when they "fixed" his aneurysm?

V - "We Can't Win"

Spoiler Level - High

Wow! This is the first episode that actually felt like V since the pilot! Multiple resistance cells! Ordinary people (including high school science teachers!) trying to find out the truth about the Visitors! The Visitors trying to win over the people of Earth by making big fancy presentations of gifts to solve the Earth's problems! Humans taking sides-- some seeing the downside to the Visitors gifts, others questioning what they see, and others willingly selling out! Lots of running around underground!

I think it's a little weird that the human resistance movement is also becoming known as the Fifth Column. The expression "fifth column" comes from a group trying to bring down something from the inside. Imagine it's a building, that's held up by five stone columns-- one in each corner and a fifth one in the center. The outside army attacks from each corner, taking out each corner column, and the insiders attack the fifth column from within. Even if the outside attackers fail, the inside attackers-- the "fifth columnists"-- can still bring it down by destroying the center column. When both the inside and outside work together, victory is assured.

So having the human resistance -- the ones attacking from the outside-- be called the Fifth Column seems a little backwards. But if you figure in this version, the humans are following John May's lead, who was on the inside and chose the name Fifth Column, then it makes sense. Names take on a life of their own.

And with the the Fifth Column being treated as terrorists, the FBI is helping the Visitors to stop them-- again, a classic V point being brought more to the forefront in this episode. So I guess it works if you figure the Fifth Column may have to be a resistance to human forces as well.

The social commentary is more subtle but it is slowly creeping back in. This episode was a HUGE step in the right direction.

V - "John May"

Spoiler Level: High

I'm enjoying this show more and more. I find it amusing that since they changed "V" to mean Visitors, they've had to create the "John May Lives" phrase to serve the purpose of being a symbol of resistance. But I'm glad they did.

Oh! Lizards lay eggs! Of course!! Silly Fer. Okay, I can buy Anna giving birth to an army now.

Nice to see the secrets all coming out as well.

And wow, they killed a major character! Okay, I guess he's only been a "guest star" for all his appearances, but with no opening credits the guest stars seem just as much to be lead characters as the "main" stars. I had no idea until he was only a "guest star" until I saw him listed as such in my search for a good screen cap.

And along those lines, ABC's V has the worst screen caps. ABC.com releases them ahead of time, so of course they're all bland pictures of the characters talking to each other and none of the cool moments. And I can't find any nice fan capture sites out there. I'm going to have to start trying to make them myself.

V - "Pound of Flesh"

Spoiler Level: High

I think I liked this episode. I'm not entirely sure, because I was watching it on abc.com, and it had some buffering issues, which messes with my brain.

I definitely like the bits with Father Jack and Chad, and the bits with Ryan aboard the Mother Ship. And the bit where Anna's broadcast was interrupted with the "John May Lives" message was truly awesome. Was there any logical reason for the message to look like spray paint? No, but it stirred in me the images over big red Vs spray-painted over top of posters that said "The Visitors Are Our Friends," so it made me cheer to myself. I think the Fifth Column storyline is growing quite nicely, but I agree with Hobbes that a human Resistance of 5 people is pretty sad. I hope it expands into a real movement and they don't feel they can't add any more resistance fighters because it will make the cast too big. Not everyone in the Resistance has to be a lead character.

Although technically they have nothing to resist against, really. It's still all just conspiracy.

I don't like that Ryan is giving his girlfriend drugs that "once she takes it, there's no going back" without even telling her, even if it is to help her with the pregnancy. If it's that important, he needs to talk to her about it first. Not cool.

V - "Welcome to the War"

Spoiler Level: High

Really? Are we going to have a war on this show? Honest? You promise?

Sorry... still trying to unlearn.

Actually, this episode did seem like more of a turn toward the original show, which makes me happy.

The introduction of the mercenary Kyle Hobbes ads a Ham Tyler character to the mix, albeit a blander version. But since all the characters in this version are blander than the original (what others would call "more realistic and less cheesy"), it's appropriate.

And the Dream Chamber seems to be a more passive version of the classic Conversion Chamber-- instead of flat-out brainwashing you, it shows the Visitors your emotions so they know exactly which buttons to push to get you to do what they want.

And best of all, they're starting to play on the Visitors' alien nature more-- Ryan showing his alien eye, an allusion to the Visitors eating mice (FINALLY!), Anna's big sharp pointy lizard teeth... okay, wait a minute, what was up with that? Come to mention it, what was up with that whole mating scene? You're telling me Anna is going to give birth to an army? Well, thank God we did away with the cheesy concept of them simply bringing an army and setting themselves up as our fascist protectors.

But again, in the show's defense, they did have the Visitors stepping in and using the attack on the warehouse as an excuse to further their own agenda and remove someone who they would consider a threat to them, so that was good too.

And Valerie is becoming the Robin Maxwell of the series-- pregnant with an alien child and starting to get cravings for mice!

I'm trying real hard to enjoy this show on its own merits, but I think I'd be doing a better job of it if they called it something else and I just felt it had homages to V and the alien invasion genre in general. I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop comparing it to the original.

V: To Conquer the Throne by Tim Sullivan

SPOILER LEVEL: Medium

Watching the new V made me want to see a story from the classic V. I never got past the first chapter of this book when it first came out, so I figured I'd read it now.

I rather enjoyed it this time. Tim Sullivan's writing style isn't great, but it's very British in this book, which fit it rather well. I found if I took the attitude that I was reading a Target Books novilisation of a 1980's BBC production of V, I liked it even better. Ah, if only it had used single quotes for dialogue and British spellings!

The lead woman is an American living in England, which doesn't work at all. She's as American as Perpigillium Brown. In fact, I started picturing Nicola Bryant playing her after a while. But the book does get into how the Visitors were trying to win over the people of England, and what a difficult challenge that is when faced with fierce British patriotism. It also uses it as an opportunity to talk about the IRA, and the friction between them and the English Resistance despite the common threat of the Visitors.

Even though it was set during V: The Series, the book still plays itself as if it's taking place during the original mini-series, and I feel that made for a better book. All in all this was a worthwhile read and just what I was in the mood for.

V (2009)

SPOILER LEVEL: Low

Well, it's better than V: The Series, but not as good as V: The Final Battle, and not in the same league as the original V mini-series. The fanboy in me likes the mothership design and that they're still using the original Visitor alphabet. And it is an enjoyable drama.

However...

When everyone was raving about the pilot episode before it aired, someone said how this new version was perfect, because it took away all the cheese of the original and left everything that was cool. Well, let's ignore the fact that I love Sci-Fi Cheese for a moment, and just look at the most important part they took away: the moral that fascism can happen here.

By taking this element away and turning it into a conspiracy story, the story is actually more boring. "Aliens have been living among us!" Ho-hum... seen that story a million times before.

Amy makes a point that today, the threat is from terrorists, and you never know who they are among us. So by telling the story from this angle, it plays on the true fears of real people today for a more timely drama. Which makes sense. But the point Kenneth Johnson was making in the original V was to never forget that it could happen here. When V first came on, it was 1983, forty years World War II and Nazi Germany. V brought the lessons of that time home to me in a way that no history class ever could.

And how did the Visitors of 1983 establish their hold on the world? By painting the scientist community as terrorists. Let's ignore the parallel between the scientists and the Jews for a moment-- my point here is that the Visitors used that fear of terrorism to set themselves up as the fascist rulers of America and the world.

This is a message that we all NEED to hear in the post 9-11 world. And by taking the opposite approach, ABC's V is in fact becoming the kind of propaganda that allows fascism to take hold, as opposed to shining a light on it and rooting it out like Kenneth Johnson's V did. And by deciding to call the Visitors "The V's" (which isn't even grammatically accurate) the show actually co-opts the symbol of resistance and turns into the symbol of the oppressors.

Now, I'm not saying that ABC's V is doing all this deliberately. I think it's more that they felt the point of the old series didn't need to apply to the new series, and they simply feel this is a good way to tell a modern drama.

And it has been an enjoyable drama. But that's all it is. And if they weren't going to keep the moral to V, then I feel they would have been better off to call the show something else and avoid the direct comparison to the old show, and taking the meaning out of a symbol that has stood for resisting oppression for 60 years.