Pilot, Characters & Concept
V is for visitors.
New Yorkers feel an earthquake. If only it were that simple. A giant spaceship has parked above their city. Their leader is Anna (Morena Baccarin). She addresses the nation and assures them that they need some stuff from the earth and in exchange, they are willing to share their technology and help improve people’s lives. They look like humans. They seem friendly. Many think they are the coolest and they are in deed as friendly and peaceful as they claim to be.
Protestors have other ideas. They are pretty sure the “V”s are up to something and it can’t be good.
FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) is living with her 17-year-old son Tyler (Logan Huffman)
Ryan (Morris Chestnut)- a successful stockbroker, about to ask his live-in girlfriend, psychotherapist Val (Lourdes Benedicto) to marry him.
Jack (Joel Gretsch) is a priest who marvels at how many people turned up at his church after the visitors arrived. However when it comes to visitors, he’s a lot more skeptical than his much older colleague.
Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) is a news anchor who wasn’t all that popular until he manages to charm Anna and scores an exclusive interview on the mothership.
The problem is, the protestors have been right along. Vs aren’t friendly. They have a deadly ulterior motive and only a small number of people are aware of it. These people are led by Georgie (David Richmond-Peck). He is trying to persuade Ryan to come back to fight for the cause. Now that Ryan is about to start a family, he is not all that willing. But who will fight for the humans when most are just charmed by the Vs and practically worshipping the ground they walk on?
Erica soon finds out Vs have invaded their lives long before the ships have arrived. She sees the malice, but she is having a hard time trying to persuade her son to stay away from the Vs. He is already infatuated with a beautiful visitor girl named Lisa (Lauren Vandervoort)…
The show got me hooked from the first episode. The characters are all interesting. They all have personal motives, no matter what side they are on. The characters never know who to trust, which exciting and surprising plot twist you will encounter.
It is always complicated. The effects are good, the actors are marvelous at their roles. More importantly, shades of grey exist all over the show. Just like there are Vs among humans with hidden agendas and identities, there are traitors among Vs who want to save themselves and others from Anna’s grip. There is the resistance among Vs, among humans, the alliance Erica, Jack, Ryan and Georgie form. There is Tyler who’s growing apart from her mom and there is Chad Decker (Scott Wolf). He is a nice guy but he is loving all the benefits Anna has provided his career too much. And let’s not forget the political turmoil the aliens have created all over the world…
There is a mini-series of the same name in 1983. I can’t comment how similar or different the two Vs are as I haven’t seen the old one. But take it from someone who loves her suspense, thrillers but is not that much into sci-fi or aliens, this show just rocks. It is a sci-fi show that even non sci-fi lovers can enjoy. Don’t miss out on this treat of a show. 7.7 over on IMDB. 10/10 from me.
UPDATED on March 9, 2011
I wrote the V review in the middle of first season. Now the second season aired the 9th episode of season 2 (Devil in a Blue Dress) yesterday and I am more hooked than ever.
The writing is still great, and the relationship between characters just got more complicated. Anna’s weaknesses as well as advantages are increasing. We still don’t know Hobbes’ (Charles Mesure) back story, and Anna has a very determined rival (Jane Badler) on her ship.
Some of the season 2’s characters aren’t in the show, but obviously Anna, her right-hand Marcus, Joshua, daughter Lisa and all our leading human rebels are intact. I have run out of addictive shows, except for V. So, 1,5 seasons later, I just wanted to say, I am still hooked and I am still giving the show a 10/10.
Fun Notes:
* Elizabeth Mitchell is no stranger to Lost fans as she appeared in over 50 episodes of the show.
* You might remember Scott Wolf from Party of Five, a tv show from the 90s. Scott played one of the 5 siblings who were left to take care of each other when their parents die. Oldest sibling was played by Matthew Fox a.k.a Jack, as Lost fans know him.
Also on Elizabeth Mitchell and Charles Mesure
Trivia for V’s Elizabeth Mitchell (Erica Evans) and Charles Mesure (Kyle Hobbes)
