Season in Review: V

So, V managed to score a renewal for next year, which means more mystery, mayhem, and a very, VERY pissed off Anna.

What did you think of Season One? What do you want to see in Season Two?

12 replies on “Season in Review: V”

  1. I have found it generally enjoyable, but some parts have been weaker than others.

    My two main nits are:

    Usually I complain because a show has too large of an ensemble cast. In this case, I find the small size of their fifth column cell a little hard to take. They need a couple more people in there, but from the looks of the finale, I may get my wish.

    They tend to overuse the blue/green screen, which just looks weird.

    • Agreed on the green screen. People just look like they’re floating. Unnerving.

      I’ll disagree with the fifth column cell’s size. My limited understanding of terror cells says that it makes sense. Smaller group, less chance for discovery, less chance for betrayal. And if you lose a cell, no big loss.

      • Small resistance cells, yes, good idea. However there has hardly been much evidence that the Fifth Column has more than ONE cell at this point, and they have already lost a significant proportion of their membership and another appears to have dubious loyalties.

        What I do like though is the way they keep throwing in references to the original series but in some twisted or totally inverted way, the meaning of the “Red Sky” being a case in point. What possible use that could have of benefit to the Vs I have no idea, but it certainly doesn’t seem necessary for the original series’ goals of acquiring large quantities of water and livestock.

        Then there is the question of where human-V hybrids and Anna’s experiments on humans fits in to all this, of course…

    • I agree about the cast and scope of the series. The ships are all around the world. The 5th Column is supposed to be a BIG threat, but no other cells have done anything. Even some news reports of activities around the globe, anything.

  2. You know for my money, I’d like the freaking show about freaking lizard aliens to actually show us some freaking lizard aliens!!!

    The had two absolutely perfect moments in the last episode to show us the lizard baby, but nope, gotta hide that from the audience as long as possible!!!

    I think I might be done watching V. The pace (and plots) are almost as bad as soap operas!!

    • V biology has been bugging me a bit.

      1) Why are V’s attracted to humans at all? I certainly wouldn’t be attracted to an alligator.

      2) What’s the nature of the skinsuits? Does skinning just mean the outer human skin?

      3) Why aren’t any humans wondering why an alien race just happens to look like a bunch of fashion models (aside from Decker’s joke at the start of the series).

      Though I suppose these points are a bit nitpicky, because apparently an alien lizard, who’s normal reproductive cycle involves a queen laying eggs. Was able to wear a human disguise, which got a human woman pregnant, resulting in a healthy baby, which was a hybrid between the two species…

      • Yeah, I’ve long since given up on any sort of scientific validity in this show. They seem to have enough trouble just maintaining internal logical consistency.

        Remember the MST3k mantra: “It’s just a show; I should really just relax!” ;)

        • Yeah I’m pulling the MST3k mantra on this as well…

          Somewhere I have a feeling that the team for the “Paint yourself into a corner” olympics are busy trying to get the V writers onto the squad.

          Also I don’t so much have a problem with the use of green-screen…it’s the use of BAD green-screen that’s the problem. Babylon 5 had better green-screen and that was over a decade ago.

  3. Did I miss an episode, or is it still a mystery regarding *why* the V’s are actually here? And if it *is* supposed to be a mystery, why hasn’t any of the 5th Column regulars quizzed Ex-‘V’ loyalist Ryan about it?

    And given those 29 blue-energy-weapon-enabled ships — and Anna’s ability to drop a litter of thousands of super-soldiers after a roll in the hay — isn’t that friggin’ armada just a tad overkill? Unless, of course, it’s sole purpose is to show the power of the deus-ex-virus anti-V weapon, when it is perfected…

    Am I the only one who thought that the “John May Lives!” thing had a “Who is John Galt?” vibe to it, and the whole capturing of humans with “untapped potential” is leading up to some kind of Ayn Rand Morality Play? Which would then make that annoying teenage boy in whom Anna is so interested V’s version of Neo, he possessed of the super-untapped-potential?

    And the most important question: have the writers plotted this thing completely through, or are they making it up as they go along, a la BSG? In which case Anna is prolly just an angel with a bad attitude…

  4. We’re watching V, but we’re not that thrilled with it. We’d have been happy with it actually ending this season, and would rather FlashForward had been renewed.

  5. OK, speculation time:

    1. Why are the V here? I suspect that their world is dead or dying, and that they are having issues keeping a stable population while hurtling through space. Earth provides an abundance of resources to consume; the red sky is part of the plan to terraform Earth to their ideal climate.

    2. Why do V fall in love with humans? I think a large part of it has to do with human contact opening up their emotions. Think of it as an attachment to whatever triggers their awakening.

    3. Where is the rest of the Fifth Column? I think this is one of the few things the show has actually done right. The Column is more of an idea at this point, a loose collection of humans and hiding V. Anna’s agents on Earth have been efficient in rooting out any pockets that form prior to their ‘arrival’; so, it is self preservation time.

    Stay separate; stay well under the radar. The message they broadcast was a wake-up call; unite now or lose what you love for good.

    4. Circling back to point #1, I suspect Anna is trying to breed hybrids because they are in a Narn telepath situation. Sure, Anna can breed a gazillion soldiers quickly, but can she breed workers and others than can also breed normal V to keep their population growing. Perhaps they lost a certain strain of DNA that bred more queens or drones capable of producing non-soldiers.

    Now for what I think about the season in general. V has been OK; it hasn’t done anything great, but it also hasn’t done anything to drive me away. The major plot events were predictable, but the show did some things not often seen. My favorite part was Chad’s interaction with the head of the UN(?). Few sci-fi shows bring up the economic issues behind a savior race of aliens sharing their technology. Also rare to see a competent politician or one that isn’t complicit with the alien’s plans.

    My greatest disappointment was no one realizing they could use Chad as an effective tool of misinformation against Anna. They knew Chad would pass along anything to Anna; why not use him to setup a really big strike against the V?

    As it stands, I wouldn’t be overly upset if the show is canceled at some point. I’ll likely watch it next season but only because I’ve seen nothing else on the upcoming network schedules that piques my interest.

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