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I've hung a lot of hopes for the remainder of the season on V. I loved both mini-series as a child and enjoyed the cheesetastic under-budget 80's series slightly less. I own both mini-series on VHS and crack them out at least once a year to re-watch. I never get tired of that moment when Robin gives birth to twin hybrids, one very human looking and one in full-on lizard face with very creepy, very human blue eyes. There are a lot of other things that keep me highly entertained, like my adoration of Willie and the inevitable burgeoning romantic relationship between Julie Parrish and (the wickedly hot) Mike Donovan; Michael Ironside's Ham and watching Robin murder her baby daddy with a toxin cultivated from the bacteria responsible for killing her lizard baby. Oh, V, how I love thee.
I can only hope that this re-imagining continues to bring the drama, albeit with less cheese. So far it's filling me up. It's formulaic and obvious in places, but I can forgive them that, at least for a few episodes, as TPTB work to establish the show's premise. I could wish for a less slick, more nuanced introduction, something that builds, but in today's media where success must be instantaneous I'm not surprised that they're throwing in everything but the kitchen sink all at once. It's sink or swim, kill or be killed and if V is going to have a shot shot later, they've got to grab their audience share now.
Set in a post-9/11 NYC, V plays with pretty images and biased media coverage. Anna's interview with Chad Decker references "fair and balanced" to remind us that no such thing exists. It also takes a dig at universal healthcare, making that hot button topic a wolf in sheep's clothing. Anna is the most alien of all the aliens despite her sense of humor. She's slightly out of step and we're reminded of how much the world forgives a pretty face. Unfortunately, she lacks, again, a certain nuance that the original show possessed in Jane Badler's Diana before she became an out and out villain. Parroting everything too-good-to-be-true that could possibly be said by invaders from Mars, and with the "We are peace, always" tagline, Anna's hypnotic and tranquil demeanor raise all my warning flags and do not bode well for what's to come.
The religious symbolism is immediate and more interesting laid in contrast with the cultish obsession developing worldwide. Although Lisa and the apple were a little heavy handed. I also like the idea that in this vision of the show the Visitors are more deliberate and the invasion is more complex. There was something disturbingly simple in the takeover from the original series that is addressed here.
Overall, I'm looking forward to the series. Like I said, it's obvious and formulaic, but it's got potential and it's grabbing me in a way that Flash Forward didn't. I'm looking forward to watching it unfold and settle down. I'm also looking forward to watching Alan Tudyk on my TV. He looks really, really good. Why isn't there more Alan Tudyk on my TV? It seems such a crime.
Slate has a very good review here, as well.
I can only hope that this re-imagining continues to bring the drama, albeit with less cheese. So far it's filling me up. It's formulaic and obvious in places, but I can forgive them that, at least for a few episodes, as TPTB work to establish the show's premise. I could wish for a less slick, more nuanced introduction, something that builds, but in today's media where success must be instantaneous I'm not surprised that they're throwing in everything but the kitchen sink all at once. It's sink or swim, kill or be killed and if V is going to have a shot shot later, they've got to grab their audience share now.
Set in a post-9/11 NYC, V plays with pretty images and biased media coverage. Anna's interview with Chad Decker references "fair and balanced" to remind us that no such thing exists. It also takes a dig at universal healthcare, making that hot button topic a wolf in sheep's clothing. Anna is the most alien of all the aliens despite her sense of humor. She's slightly out of step and we're reminded of how much the world forgives a pretty face. Unfortunately, she lacks, again, a certain nuance that the original show possessed in Jane Badler's Diana before she became an out and out villain. Parroting everything too-good-to-be-true that could possibly be said by invaders from Mars, and with the "We are peace, always" tagline, Anna's hypnotic and tranquil demeanor raise all my warning flags and do not bode well for what's to come.
The religious symbolism is immediate and more interesting laid in contrast with the cultish obsession developing worldwide. Although Lisa and the apple were a little heavy handed. I also like the idea that in this vision of the show the Visitors are more deliberate and the invasion is more complex. There was something disturbingly simple in the takeover from the original series that is addressed here.
Overall, I'm looking forward to the series. Like I said, it's obvious and formulaic, but it's got potential and it's grabbing me in a way that Flash Forward didn't. I'm looking forward to watching it unfold and settle down. I'm also looking forward to watching Alan Tudyk on my TV. He looks really, really good. Why isn't there more Alan Tudyk on my TV? It seems such a crime.
Slate has a very good review here, as well.
