Boring.
V finally came back. Given the phenomenally long break between one half of the season and the next, I wasn't too surprised to find that I'd missed the premiere episode. I was surprised to find that ABC has, without announcing it at all, stopped putting full episodes online, so I couldn't catch up, but, not to worry. I figured I'd catch up with Serpent's Tooth and, hopefully, find it more gripping than last time (I never did watch the last few episodes. IIRC I petered out after Heretic's Fork). Also, Jane Badler was on, and I did want to see her again.
Cue a confused plot, cliched dialog, and mild boredom.
Confused plot: Random examples: I was paying attention, and I still don't know how we went from everyone sneaking around in the warehouse to the whole FBI descending and both our double agents denying ever having been there. I have no idea why our intrepid foursome who have accomplished nothing whatsoever on the stopping-V front think they'll be able to co-opt the services of a highly-organized, highly-effective, much larger group capable of blowing up 29 healing centers simultaneously. I get that Our Heroes can't be Icky Terrorists (Except for scowl-guy (Hobbes?) who is our token Moral Grey Area), but do they have to be downright stupid about it? What is Erica planning on doing--looking earnestly at them until they agree to stop blowing things up? Why, if Anna can contact Ryan, can't she just catch him, probe his memories, and find the other three people who are, inexplicably, so important to her.
And Erica.. I had such high hopes for Erica when I first watched. And here she, the trained FBI agent, does not even notice when her "ally" picks up a massive paperback book and tucks it into the back of his super-tight jeans (which, of course, is exactly what a trained mercenary would do with something he wanted to hide).
Oh, and then there is dialog. TV shows generally don't do well when they get to talking about souls, but this was even worse than usual--terribly, terribly stale and cliche ridden.
How many members of the little band have divided loyalty now? Let's see.... There's Chad, Ryan, and scowl-guy. From a summary, it seems that new scientist-guy isn't too thrilled about being co-opted, either. Three out of--what, five? Six? The human race is doomed.
You know, I think I'm through.
I'll stick with the original--Yes, I know exactly how bad the original TV series got. It's still better than this.
Showing posts with label V. Show all posts
Showing posts with label V. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
'V' Delayed Until 2011, Reality TV Takes Over | AirlockAlpha.com
Oh good grief.
Mind, I had my quarrels with the V remake all along (see reviews, if interested), but my opinion wasn't improved by the really long mid-season gap, and waiting even longer seems absurd. By January, I won't remember who these people are.
Of course, there's always the hope that the re-re-re-imaging will improve matters (Erica might rediscover life outside of motherhood, for example).
'V' Delayed Until 2011, Reality TV Takes Over | AirlockAlpha.com
Mind, I had my quarrels with the V remake all along (see reviews, if interested), but my opinion wasn't improved by the really long mid-season gap, and waiting even longer seems absurd. By January, I won't remember who these people are.
Of course, there's always the hope that the re-re-re-imaging will improve matters (Erica might rediscover life outside of motherhood, for example).
'V' Delayed Until 2011, Reality TV Takes Over | AirlockAlpha.com
Sunday, May 2, 2010
V: The Heretic's Fork, a spoiler-ish review
I'm finally caught up with V. Last night, I watched The Heretic's Fork, the show which tried to be morally gray and instead ended up being mortally dull.
To begin with, a detour to the show before, We Can't Win, during which stuff actually happened and one or two people were likable. The computer geek was entirely believable as someone thrown in way over his head and doing his best to fight with the skills he had. In fact, he was better than Our Heroes, since he'd actually thought of a way to connect with other people--true, the V's figured it out, but at least he'd tried. Kyle got to do something other than scowl and proved his usefulness by coolly assessing the situation once the trap for the assassin went awry. Granted, it was a stupid trap--Why'd they stick their potential new ally out to be target practice? All they actually needed was the message about where he'd be and a suitable room to contain him, but I digress; the point is, Kyle got to show that he had some tactical value and actually seemed chagrined when things didn't go off; it's not quite team spirit, but it was an improvement.
And there were two great twists at the end when the identity of the assassin and his motive were revealed. Yes, I thought, things were really looking up!
Then came The Heretic's Fork. Boo! Hiss!
Turns out the Big Reveal at the end of We Can't Win was a lie. The assassin might be human, but he's not someone who has given in, oppressed by the V's apparent might. No, he's a bona-fide war hero and loving father bravely serving the Visitors in return for their healing his daughter. And Our Heroes choose to torture him because they really can't name "one bad thing the Visitors have done" since coming to Earth and are left with "You're wrong" as an argument. Needless to say, this fails to persuade the assassin.
After this, Kyle does some more scowling and we learn that he keeps instruments of torture in his locker, thus proving how Morally Grey everything is, when the heroes need to associate with the likes of him in order to win. And, seriously, just how naive is Erica the FBI agent? Kyle tells her he knows people who can make the war vet disappear into a secret overseas prison and she doesn't question this? Doesn't wonder if sending him there might be worse than killing him outright? Doesn't ask why Kyle, with these resources, hasn't been more useful?
Then the intrepid trio hunt down but do not kill, a Visitor super-soldier sent to kill Val, Ryan, and the baby. Seriously: The Super Soldier is lying on the ground in front of them, still very obviously alive, and they choose to leave rather than finishing the job. Anyone doubt he'll be back?
Tyler, like Kyle, got to do some scowling (though no torture), Ryan got to be an idiot, Joshua got to look worried, Val got to be slightly hysterical, and Erica got to cry, making this a red-letter day for everyone.
For all the "moral gray" shoved into it, the episode was pretty tepid. After watching, a friend said he'd like to see more shooting and less espionage in the show overall, to which I replied "What espionage? What have our heroes actually done lately? Why can't Erica tell us about bad things the Visitors have done? Why hasn't she investigated Ryan's claim that they are everywhere and that no one can be trusted? Why hasn't she checked to see if they are really evil incarnate? What has this trained FBI agent been doing with her time and skills? We know they are evil because we've seen Anna smile that predatory smile and make evil pronouncements. Erica, on the other hand, knows that they have killed a known terrorist group, snuck an apparently innocuous saline solution into the nation's flu virus (As far as I can see, Ryan still hasn't told anyone else what he knows about R-6 or how he knows it), and tried to kill her for being at the terrorist group meeting. Shouldn't she be asking more questions? Can you name one thing she knows now that she didn't know in the first episode? Can you name one thing that we, the would-be loyal viewers know now that we didn't know after that first episode?
Anna's wonderful, but she can't carry the show on her own, and anyway, I'm starting to miss Diana's over-the-top evil and loving it vamping.
To begin with, a detour to the show before, We Can't Win, during which stuff actually happened and one or two people were likable. The computer geek was entirely believable as someone thrown in way over his head and doing his best to fight with the skills he had. In fact, he was better than Our Heroes, since he'd actually thought of a way to connect with other people--true, the V's figured it out, but at least he'd tried. Kyle got to do something other than scowl and proved his usefulness by coolly assessing the situation once the trap for the assassin went awry. Granted, it was a stupid trap--Why'd they stick their potential new ally out to be target practice? All they actually needed was the message about where he'd be and a suitable room to contain him, but I digress; the point is, Kyle got to show that he had some tactical value and actually seemed chagrined when things didn't go off; it's not quite team spirit, but it was an improvement.
And there were two great twists at the end when the identity of the assassin and his motive were revealed. Yes, I thought, things were really looking up!
Then came The Heretic's Fork. Boo! Hiss!
Turns out the Big Reveal at the end of We Can't Win was a lie. The assassin might be human, but he's not someone who has given in, oppressed by the V's apparent might. No, he's a bona-fide war hero and loving father bravely serving the Visitors in return for their healing his daughter. And Our Heroes choose to torture him because they really can't name "one bad thing the Visitors have done" since coming to Earth and are left with "You're wrong" as an argument. Needless to say, this fails to persuade the assassin.
After this, Kyle does some more scowling and we learn that he keeps instruments of torture in his locker, thus proving how Morally Grey everything is, when the heroes need to associate with the likes of him in order to win. And, seriously, just how naive is Erica the FBI agent? Kyle tells her he knows people who can make the war vet disappear into a secret overseas prison and she doesn't question this? Doesn't wonder if sending him there might be worse than killing him outright? Doesn't ask why Kyle, with these resources, hasn't been more useful?
Then the intrepid trio hunt down but do not kill, a Visitor super-soldier sent to kill Val, Ryan, and the baby. Seriously: The Super Soldier is lying on the ground in front of them, still very obviously alive, and they choose to leave rather than finishing the job. Anyone doubt he'll be back?
Tyler, like Kyle, got to do some scowling (though no torture), Ryan got to be an idiot, Joshua got to look worried, Val got to be slightly hysterical, and Erica got to cry, making this a red-letter day for everyone.
For all the "moral gray" shoved into it, the episode was pretty tepid. After watching, a friend said he'd like to see more shooting and less espionage in the show overall, to which I replied "What espionage? What have our heroes actually done lately? Why can't Erica tell us about bad things the Visitors have done? Why hasn't she investigated Ryan's claim that they are everywhere and that no one can be trusted? Why hasn't she checked to see if they are really evil incarnate? What has this trained FBI agent been doing with her time and skills? We know they are evil because we've seen Anna smile that predatory smile and make evil pronouncements. Erica, on the other hand, knows that they have killed a known terrorist group, snuck an apparently innocuous saline solution into the nation's flu virus (As far as I can see, Ryan still hasn't told anyone else what he knows about R-6 or how he knows it), and tried to kill her for being at the terrorist group meeting. Shouldn't she be asking more questions? Can you name one thing she knows now that she didn't know in the first episode? Can you name one thing that we, the would-be loyal viewers know now that we didn't know after that first episode?
Anna's wonderful, but she can't carry the show on her own, and anyway, I'm starting to miss Diana's over-the-top evil and loving it vamping.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
V: John May, a Belated Half Review
I was only half-watching John May while I formatted some stuff for coding (If you think the two activities don't mix very well, you're right), so I can't give a very detailed review.
My overall impression, though, was that this episode was an improvement over the last two. I actually found myself caring what happened to these people.
Erica got to do something other than fuss over Tyler, we found out a bit more about Tyler's past--and he now has some legitimate reason to be confused and upset, which makes him less the generic American teen, plus now there's an interesting mystery about him.
Otherwise: Sulky Terrorist, whose name I still can't remember, got to be useful, and Valerie shows signs of coming into focus as a character; I am starting to remember her name without using Google, and that is always a good sign.
Ryan is still annoying.
Anna's still scary.
And I am actually looking forward to seeing the next episode, and will probably give it my full attention.
Yes, I know We Can't Win. already aired; I'm just not that good at seeing shows on time! Very glad hulu is around.
My overall impression, though, was that this episode was an improvement over the last two. I actually found myself caring what happened to these people.
Erica got to do something other than fuss over Tyler, we found out a bit more about Tyler's past--and he now has some legitimate reason to be confused and upset, which makes him less the generic American teen, plus now there's an interesting mystery about him.
Otherwise: Sulky Terrorist, whose name I still can't remember, got to be useful, and Valerie shows signs of coming into focus as a character; I am starting to remember her name without using Google, and that is always a good sign.
Ryan is still annoying.
Anna's still scary.
And I am actually looking forward to seeing the next episode, and will probably give it my full attention.
Yes, I know We Can't Win. already aired; I'm just not that good at seeing shows on time! Very glad hulu is around.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
V: A Pound of Flesh, spoiler-filled review
Hey, what better time to review last week's episode, Pound of Flesh than when this week's is about to air?
Briefly: I liked it better than Welcome to the War but was less impressed than I would like to be.
On the secrets front, Ryan came up with a credible reason for Erica not to tell Tyler what she knows about the V's, but we kept the secret count high by adding a new secret--Tyler's dad is not his biological dad and that has something to do with their split. We don't know yet who his "real" dad is--will it be a science fictiony or a soap-opera-ye secret?
And Ryan is still being an idiot. The line between making a character lovably, believably flawed and making the viewers want to strangle him really isn't that fine, and the show crossed it last episode and has kept on going.
Definitely the best bits in this episode were ship-board as Anna's new program to weed out dissidents began, and it started to look like even non-Fifth Column members might object. There are serious possibilities for plot twists here.
Let's see, other than that: The several month delay is affecting me more than I had expected it to. I'm really not attached to these characters any more, and I expected to be. I'm also feeling like the show is moving at a glacially slow pace, which I think has more to do with the chasm than with the actual pacing of the season as such.
And veering into comparison territory: Tyler, while not nearly as irritating as Robin (original V; he's a pretty close equivalent role-wise, so far), remains an unappealing character. I don't hate him, but it's hard to see why the V's want him so much, or to really fret about his ultimate fate. He's too much the generic American teen (Who is, I may add, vastly more irritating than any actual American teens I have known).
Erica continues to disappoint me, due primarily to my own initial expectations: Since she is an FBI agent, and has shown an ability to fight, I expected her to combine the roles taken by Julie and Ham Tyler in the original V: To be the leader of the Resistance and the expert on guerrilla warfare. Instead, she's actually been less sturdy emotionally than Juliet Parrish was. Juliet went from medical student to leader of a resistance cell. Erica has gone from tough FBI agent to wailing mom: Yes she is entitled to worry about her son; she should worry about him; I wouldn't like her if she didn't care, but these last two episodes that has entirely defined her character, with a little time out for worrying about Ryan and then Georgie. Her FBI skills have been, with one admittedly cool exception (nice of that assassin to tell her right where his heart was), confined to using their database. Not bad, but not enough, not given what I'd hoped.
Father Jack pretty much stayed in the background this ep, so nothing good or bad to say about him.
The Sulky Terrorist (*searches), ok Kyle Hobbes, may well turn out to be a good addition to the show, but I can't say much one way or the other yet. So far, he's done a lot of brooding, some sulking, and a little bit of extra-curricular clandestine activity that may or may not turn out to mean anything interesting. Ham Tyler was much more fun.
Georgie: Got interesting about the time he got caught. We shall see.
Anna: Marvelous, fantastic, super-reptilian, and really scary. Not better-than Diana, but as good as and decidedly more up-to-date in her evil.
So--eh. I'd really like to see this go somewhere; I'd like to see it get another season and develop in strange, new directions and depart from the old V in ways it has yet to do, but will it last long enough? Will I last long enough?
Briefly: I liked it better than Welcome to the War but was less impressed than I would like to be.
On the secrets front, Ryan came up with a credible reason for Erica not to tell Tyler what she knows about the V's, but we kept the secret count high by adding a new secret--Tyler's dad is not his biological dad and that has something to do with their split. We don't know yet who his "real" dad is--will it be a science fictiony or a soap-opera-ye secret?
And Ryan is still being an idiot. The line between making a character lovably, believably flawed and making the viewers want to strangle him really isn't that fine, and the show crossed it last episode and has kept on going.
Definitely the best bits in this episode were ship-board as Anna's new program to weed out dissidents began, and it started to look like even non-Fifth Column members might object. There are serious possibilities for plot twists here.
Let's see, other than that: The several month delay is affecting me more than I had expected it to. I'm really not attached to these characters any more, and I expected to be. I'm also feeling like the show is moving at a glacially slow pace, which I think has more to do with the chasm than with the actual pacing of the season as such.
And veering into comparison territory: Tyler, while not nearly as irritating as Robin (original V; he's a pretty close equivalent role-wise, so far), remains an unappealing character. I don't hate him, but it's hard to see why the V's want him so much, or to really fret about his ultimate fate. He's too much the generic American teen (Who is, I may add, vastly more irritating than any actual American teens I have known).
Erica continues to disappoint me, due primarily to my own initial expectations: Since she is an FBI agent, and has shown an ability to fight, I expected her to combine the roles taken by Julie and Ham Tyler in the original V: To be the leader of the Resistance and the expert on guerrilla warfare. Instead, she's actually been less sturdy emotionally than Juliet Parrish was. Juliet went from medical student to leader of a resistance cell. Erica has gone from tough FBI agent to wailing mom: Yes she is entitled to worry about her son; she should worry about him; I wouldn't like her if she didn't care, but these last two episodes that has entirely defined her character, with a little time out for worrying about Ryan and then Georgie. Her FBI skills have been, with one admittedly cool exception (nice of that assassin to tell her right where his heart was), confined to using their database. Not bad, but not enough, not given what I'd hoped.
Father Jack pretty much stayed in the background this ep, so nothing good or bad to say about him.
The Sulky Terrorist (*searches), ok Kyle Hobbes, may well turn out to be a good addition to the show, but I can't say much one way or the other yet. So far, he's done a lot of brooding, some sulking, and a little bit of extra-curricular clandestine activity that may or may not turn out to mean anything interesting. Ham Tyler was much more fun.
Georgie: Got interesting about the time he got caught. We shall see.
Anna: Marvelous, fantastic, super-reptilian, and really scary. Not better-than Diana, but as good as and decidedly more up-to-date in her evil.
So--eh. I'd really like to see this go somewhere; I'd like to see it get another season and develop in strange, new directions and depart from the old V in ways it has yet to do, but will it last long enough? Will I last long enough?
Monday, April 5, 2010
V: Welcome to the War
Saw V's return episode, Welcome to the War, only a few days late.
And I was underwhelmed.
It was an ok filler episode, but they've been gone for months; I was expecting more bang. Instead, that fleet we'd seen ominously hovering in space at the end of the 4-episode premier arc was still a long way off, we're no closer to finding out what the Visitors want Tyler for, and very little else has advanced.
It was entertaining enough while it lasted but annoying about five minutes later. That's better than most TV shows do--several shows are annoying five minutes in--but not good enough.
One change I noticed was in Erica. During the pre-season four, she was worried about Tyler, but she also seemed to be aware that there was an entire world in this war. This episode, she spent talking about Tyler, Tyler, and only Tyler. Both Father Jack and Ryan responded to her in terms of Tyler only, as though that were her sole stake in the war. She is entitled to be a worried mother, of course; I just hope it doesn't end up being the full definition of her character.
And a big, big irritant was the "I've got a secret" theme running through the show. Let's count the secrets that people are keeping, apparently only for the sake of drama:
1)Ryan: "Honey, I love you, but I won't tell you I'm an alien." This was entirely believable when he was incognito on Earth and could pretend that the Visitors weren't coming back. It was barely believable after they did come back, though it stretched credulity that he still refused to tell her after he rejoined the Fifth Column. Now, she's pregnant and panicking, and he still won't tell her because he's "afraid of what it would do to us." It's not just unlikeable, it's downright unbelievable. The only thing it does is give him an excuse to give us anguished looks over her shoulder. Oh, and it allows for Valerie's secret:
2)"Honey! I've been going to the Visitor Healing Center!" Only she hasn't told him because . . . because if she did, then he would have to tell her what he knows and secret 1 wouldn't be a secret any more. Really--this is the sort of thing that would come up in conversation. And, speaking of the healing center, there's Father Jack:
3)"Hey, guys? While I was at the Visitor's Center, they injected me with R6!" Only he's not telling because, um, he's afraid he'll get kicked out of the club, I guess. Oh, and he doesn't realize just how important it is because, there is Ryan:
4) "Guess what? I know what R6 does!" but he's not telling because, um...the sexy Visitor doctor told him he shouldn't until they know more. Say what? Yeah, this is going to lead to lots of "Jack can be tracked and doesn't know it" plots plus, probably a "Which of us is the traitor?" thread, and it is completely illogical. And then there is Erica:
5)"Tyler, hon, the Visitors are nasty, evil, lizard people. Your lady friend? You wouldn't like what she looks like under that skin." But she's not telling because she can't get out of range of the jacket? I'll grant she has some reason not to entirely trust him just at the moment, but she does have some proof, and it's hard to believe that the Tyler-centric woman of this episode wouldn't use it; after all, she let Ryan do the eye-peel thing for a mercenary who was openly uninterested in joining them. And, speaking of Ryan (again) there is:
6)"Guys? I know a bunch of Fifth Column members, but I'm not telling who they are, where they are, or how many there might be. I'm not even going to arrange for some alternate means of contacting them. That way, if I die, you'll be completely on your own." And neither Erica nor Father Jack have asked about this. Granted, it really isn't a good idea for everyone to know everyone else, but only one Visitor-human liaison? When they are desperate? I don't think so.
So I'm not quitting: This is only one episode, and as a filler episode, it almost, kind of works, but I do hope the next one is better.
And I was underwhelmed.
It was an ok filler episode, but they've been gone for months; I was expecting more bang. Instead, that fleet we'd seen ominously hovering in space at the end of the 4-episode premier arc was still a long way off, we're no closer to finding out what the Visitors want Tyler for, and very little else has advanced.
It was entertaining enough while it lasted but annoying about five minutes later. That's better than most TV shows do--several shows are annoying five minutes in--but not good enough.
One change I noticed was in Erica. During the pre-season four, she was worried about Tyler, but she also seemed to be aware that there was an entire world in this war. This episode, she spent talking about Tyler, Tyler, and only Tyler. Both Father Jack and Ryan responded to her in terms of Tyler only, as though that were her sole stake in the war. She is entitled to be a worried mother, of course; I just hope it doesn't end up being the full definition of her character.
And a big, big irritant was the "I've got a secret" theme running through the show. Let's count the secrets that people are keeping, apparently only for the sake of drama:
1)Ryan: "Honey, I love you, but I won't tell you I'm an alien." This was entirely believable when he was incognito on Earth and could pretend that the Visitors weren't coming back. It was barely believable after they did come back, though it stretched credulity that he still refused to tell her after he rejoined the Fifth Column. Now, she's pregnant and panicking, and he still won't tell her because he's "afraid of what it would do to us." It's not just unlikeable, it's downright unbelievable. The only thing it does is give him an excuse to give us anguished looks over her shoulder. Oh, and it allows for Valerie's secret:
2)"Honey! I've been going to the Visitor Healing Center!" Only she hasn't told him because . . . because if she did, then he would have to tell her what he knows and secret 1 wouldn't be a secret any more. Really--this is the sort of thing that would come up in conversation. And, speaking of the healing center, there's Father Jack:
3)"Hey, guys? While I was at the Visitor's Center, they injected me with R6!" Only he's not telling because, um, he's afraid he'll get kicked out of the club, I guess. Oh, and he doesn't realize just how important it is because, there is Ryan:
4) "Guess what? I know what R6 does!" but he's not telling because, um...the sexy Visitor doctor told him he shouldn't until they know more. Say what? Yeah, this is going to lead to lots of "Jack can be tracked and doesn't know it" plots plus, probably a "Which of us is the traitor?" thread, and it is completely illogical. And then there is Erica:
5)"Tyler, hon, the Visitors are nasty, evil, lizard people. Your lady friend? You wouldn't like what she looks like under that skin." But she's not telling because she can't get out of range of the jacket? I'll grant she has some reason not to entirely trust him just at the moment, but she does have some proof, and it's hard to believe that the Tyler-centric woman of this episode wouldn't use it; after all, she let Ryan do the eye-peel thing for a mercenary who was openly uninterested in joining them. And, speaking of Ryan (again) there is:
6)"Guys? I know a bunch of Fifth Column members, but I'm not telling who they are, where they are, or how many there might be. I'm not even going to arrange for some alternate means of contacting them. That way, if I die, you'll be completely on your own." And neither Erica nor Father Jack have asked about this. Granted, it really isn't a good idea for everyone to know everyone else, but only one Visitor-human liaison? When they are desperate? I don't think so.
So I'm not quitting: This is only one episode, and as a filler episode, it almost, kind of works, but I do hope the next one is better.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
'V' Promises More Interspecies Affairs, Relationships | Airlock Alpha
Hm. I'm delighted V is back. I've been looking forward to a remake/sequel for forever, enjoyed the brief partial season they gave us months ago, and have been watching for its return.
On the other hand . . . More hybrid human-lizard babies? Really? I'm still not sure how they're going to handle one--Elixabeth is far from my favorite character from the original.
And I'm not all that thrilled about the new production team/new direction thing; I know that's been in the cards forever, but since I liked the introductory episodes promises of change don't thrill me (Then again, promises of change seldom do).
Anyway, we shall see. Oh, and what prompted this? Look below:
'V' Promises More Interspecies Affairs, Relationships | Airlock Alpha
Posted using ShareThis
On the other hand . . . More hybrid human-lizard babies? Really? I'm still not sure how they're going to handle one--Elixabeth is far from my favorite character from the original.
And I'm not all that thrilled about the new production team/new direction thing; I know that's been in the cards forever, but since I liked the introductory episodes promises of change don't thrill me (Then again, promises of change seldom do).
Anyway, we shall see. Oh, and what prompted this? Look below:
'V' Promises More Interspecies Affairs, Relationships | Airlock Alpha
Posted using ShareThis
Thursday, November 19, 2009
V, the 2009 show
Pre-Thanksgiving housecleaning plus three birthdays and Christmas coming up means no real review on this.
Just wanted to weigh in and say this is one fun show. So far, they're getting all the good parts of the 80's miniseries and adding depth and flair of their own.
If you haven't caught it on TV, there's always hulu (my thanks to the CrystallinEntity for introducing it to me a while back). I haven't been waiting though. It's good to have a show I want to see the night it airs.
Just wanted to weigh in and say this is one fun show. So far, they're getting all the good parts of the 80's miniseries and adding depth and flair of their own.
If you haven't caught it on TV, there's always hulu (my thanks to the CrystallinEntity for introducing it to me a while back). I haven't been waiting though. It's good to have a show I want to see the night it airs.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Remake of V?
I'm a somewhat abashed fan of the original V, TV show and all. Abashed because I am well aware of its faults, having finally caught up on the entire TV show after it came out on DVD, but a fan, nonetheless, both because of fond memories of the first time I caught parts of the show as a child, at a friend's house when we were living overseas--a situation which made it doubly strange--an alien invasion of a home country I had not seen in almost three years--and spent the following years happily making up the missing episodes and reading my copy of the miniseries novelization.
Much later, I saw the two miniseries, at home in the States. Some of the familiar, friendly feeling was--and is--still there, and some of it I like for itself, and some I hate for itself: Half-alien children with mysterious powers have been overused by science fiction shows--. Once was overdoing it, really--but I still like the scene with Ruby and Tyler, and love the balloons going up with the newly discovred toxin (or bacteria? I can't remember. Hm... Must rewatch).
The same holds true, though to a lesser extent, for the TV show, which I finally saw in its entirety when it came out on DVD. Overall, it's a trainwreck, but it's an amusing one, watching it was great stress relief, and there are bits I simply like.
I'm in the Phillip/Martin fan club, for one thing.
So I've followed the various sequel/remake rumors with some interest, and will watch this current incarnation, or at least the start of it.
Though...
I almost wish they were remaking it a little bit more. Don't get me wrong--I'm not in favor of a Battlestar Galactica style redo (Yeah, I know, it's brilliant. Lots of people tell me so. It's also far, far darker than I like, and I bailed mid-first season, about the time people were gleefully telling me "It's getting even darker."). But the trailer for this looks like the characters are essentially the same only with slightly less exhuberant hair and some gender reversals, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of point in remaking something just to update the clothing and hair.
Still, there is the intriguing comment made, somewhere in the official releases, that we don't truly know how long the Visitors have been among us. That has possibilities. And, perhaps, they will avoid the insta-grow, just-add-water alien child this time around.
I doubt greatness is waiting in the wings, but it could be fun.
Much later, I saw the two miniseries, at home in the States. Some of the familiar, friendly feeling was--and is--still there, and some of it I like for itself, and some I hate for itself: Half-alien children with mysterious powers have been overused by science fiction shows--. Once was overdoing it, really--but I still like the scene with Ruby and Tyler, and love the balloons going up with the newly discovred toxin (or bacteria? I can't remember. Hm... Must rewatch).
The same holds true, though to a lesser extent, for the TV show, which I finally saw in its entirety when it came out on DVD. Overall, it's a trainwreck, but it's an amusing one, watching it was great stress relief, and there are bits I simply like.
I'm in the Phillip/Martin fan club, for one thing.
So I've followed the various sequel/remake rumors with some interest, and will watch this current incarnation, or at least the start of it.
Though...
I almost wish they were remaking it a little bit more. Don't get me wrong--I'm not in favor of a Battlestar Galactica style redo (Yeah, I know, it's brilliant. Lots of people tell me so. It's also far, far darker than I like, and I bailed mid-first season, about the time people were gleefully telling me "It's getting even darker."). But the trailer for this looks like the characters are essentially the same only with slightly less exhuberant hair and some gender reversals, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of point in remaking something just to update the clothing and hair.
Still, there is the intriguing comment made, somewhere in the official releases, that we don't truly know how long the Visitors have been among us. That has possibilities. And, perhaps, they will avoid the insta-grow, just-add-water alien child this time around.
I doubt greatness is waiting in the wings, but it could be fun.
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