V (ABC 2009-2011, Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin)

In scifi drama series V, a reimagining of the 1980’s series of the same name, a flotilla of huge alien motherships appear over the major cities of the world. Led by the beautiful Diana the Visitors (as the aliens like to call themselves) proclaim that they are all about peace and are happy to share their advanced technology in exchange for some essential items they need from Earth for their ongoing survival.

Most of human kind is seemingly won over by the V’s but a growing bunch of dissenters strike up a resistance movement determined to spread the word about the real motives of the aliens. Halfway through the first episode we discover in fact that the aliens have been on Earth for years, disguising their real reptilian skin and taking on human form. This advance guard has been able to pave the way for an ultimate take over of Earth by the V’s.

Leading up the resistance is FBI agent Erica Evans whose son Tyler is very quickly smitten with the V’s and joins their “peace” movement as an ambassador and even goes so far as to move aboard one of the ships. Also among the band of resistance fighters is priest Father Jack Landry and Ryan Nichols who is actually a sleeper Visitor himself but who has gone over to the side of the humans. He makes the mistake of getting his girlfriend pregnant which obviously, given the fact that he is a reptile alien and she is a human, spells all kind of difficulties.

The original V was a major landmark TV event and whilst this new take on the series doesn’t come close to the hype that that show created it is in fact a far superior series, high of budget and strong on acting and plotting. Fabulous special effects too! What really marks V out as special though is the fact that over the course of the entire first season there is actually very little revealed about the reptilian nature of the V’s themselves. A lot of it is down to the power of suggestion with just occasional glimpses of the reptiles as they are.

Sadly thanks to the series being cancelled after two seasons, there is no resolution to the series and at the end of the second season the whole world is in thrall to a drug called Bliss and more and more alien ships are arriving.

ABC had something of a strange broadcast run for the first season with a big gap between episodes four and five and then putting out a compilation recap episode on March 23, 2010 called The Arrival. Something of this was down to a dispute with Kenneth Johnson, creator of the original series, which meant production on the series had to stop until it was sorted out. Warner Bros didn’t want him to have the creator credit on screen for this one arguing that this was a new work based on his idea but Johnson won out. His name remained as creator of the series.

classic quote
“We are of Peace. Always”

production details
USA / ABC – The Scott Peters Company – HDFilms – Warner Bros Television / 22×45 minute episodes / Broadcast 3 November 2009 – 15 March 2011

Creator: Kenneth Johnson / Music: Marco Beltrami / Producers: Kathy Gilroy-Sereda, Brian Wankum, Cameron Litvack / Executive Producers: Jace Hall, Scott Peters, Steve Pearlman, Yves Simoneau

cast
ELIZABETH MITCHELL as Erica Evans
MORRIS CHESTNUT as Ryan Nichols
JOEL GRETSCH as Father Jack Landry
LOGAN HUFFMAN as Tyler Evans
MORENA BACCARIN as Anna
LOURDES BENEDICTO as Valerie Stevens
SCOTT WOLF as Chad Decker
LAURA VANDERVOORT as Lisa
CHRISTOPHER SHYER as Marcus
MARK HILDRETH as Joshua
SCOTT HYLANDS as Father Travis
CHARLES MESURE as Kyle Hobbs

THE EPISODES
SEASON ONE 3 November 2009 – 18 May 2010
1. PILOT (3 Nov 09)
2. THERE IS NO NORMAL ANYMORE (10 Nov 09)
3. A BRIGHT NEW DAY (17 Nov 09)
4. IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING (24 Nov 09)
5. WELCOME TO THE WAR (30 Mar 10)
6. POUND OF FLESH (6 Apr 10)
7. JOHN MAY (13 Ap 10)
8. WE CAN’T WIN (20 Apr 10)
9. HERETIC’S FORK (27 Apr 10)
10. HEARTS AND MINDS (4 May 10)
11. FRUITION (11 May 10)
12. RED SKY (18 May 10)

SEASON TWO 4 January – 15 March 2011
1. RED RAIN (4 Jan 11)
2. SERPENT’S TOOTH (11 Jan 11)
3. LAID BARE (18 Jan 11)
4. UNHOLY ALLIANCE (1 Feb 11)
5. CONCORDIA (8 Feb 11)
6. SIEGE (15 Feb 11)
7. BIRTH PANGS (22 Feb 11)
8. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD (1 Mar 11)
9. DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (8 Mar 11)
10. MOTHER’S DAY (15 Mar 11)