V (2009-11)

[Anthony G Williams]

What is it about female law enforcement officers, or is it just me? The SF series which I've enjoyed the most over the past year have all featured these as their lead characters: Fringe (with the excellent Anna Torv as FBI/Fringe Agent Olivia Dunham); Continuum (with Rachel Nichols as Protector Kiera Cameron) and now V, with FBI Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell). At a stretch, even the quirky Orphan Black could be included, since Tatiana Maslany plays multiple characters including a police officer. And in a different genre, there's the return of the terrific Danish/Swedish serial The Bridge, featuring Sofia Helin as the strangest detective you're ever likely to meet. However, enough of my predilections and on to the review.

The plot of V is an SF classic: vast alien spaceships arrive over the world's major cities, with a message of peace, love and all that. The aliens, who are called Visitors (or V for short) seem indistinguishable from humans, are physically very attractive and want only to help, as they demonstrate by setting up healing centres where their superior technology can cure many previously untreatable ailments. Anyone might think that all this sounds too good to be true, and of course it is – otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story!

Agent Evans has her suspicions confirmed when she discovers that the Visitors have had sleeper cells operating on Earth for many years, with one being very close to home. Not knowing whom to trust, she soon becomes involved in a secret campaign against the aliens, aided by a few friends and renegade Vs. As well as these concerns, she worries about her teenage son, who is literally being seduced by the Vs. Normally I dislike family dramas being added to SF stories, but this one is integral to the intriguing plot and adds to the tension.

I've so far seen the first six episodes of Season 1, and have been gripped by the story. Mitchell is no Torv, but she makes a decent fist of the role. Much more compelling is Morena Baccarin, as the creepily flawless leader of the Vs. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series, although I understand it was cancelled before reaching a satisfactory conclusion. There's apparently a campaign going on to get it reinstated, so all may not be lost.

(An extract from my SFF blog: Science Fiction & Fantasy)

 

[Rodders]

I have yet to see the remake, but I remember the original being must watch TV. (Well, at least the mini series was.) I even read the AC Crispen novelisations.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

Which brings me back to V, another serial that was closed down earlier than planned, after 22 episodes. In this case it seems unjust, because it is right up there with the best TV SF I've seen. It's got everything: alien invasion with vast starships hovering overhead; strong characters, very well played, who develop throughout the story (the scene-stealer throughout being the manipulative and deceitful alien leader, an amazing performance by Morena Baccarin); a great plot which is thought-provoking, tense and dramatic, with a lot of uncertainty about who the good guys and the bad guys are (or those changing from one to the other); and twist after plot twist keeping viewers on edge of their seats. It's also aimed at adults, which means there's an intelligent script containing some severe moral dilemmas, the setbacks for the heroes at least match the triumphs, and the good guys are not invulnerable, or always right, or always virtuous. It just kept getting better as it went along and deserved to be highly successful, but the initial viewing figures had dropped by half at the end – possibly because the good guys were having such a rough time that it certainly doesn't qualify as comfort viewing.

Ironically the final episode does indeed achieve a dramatically satisfactory ending, just not what viewers would expect. Had the serial been planned to end in that way it would have made TV SF history for the originality and audacity of its conclusion; so it's still very much worth watching, even in its curtailed form.

(An extract from my SFF blog: Science Fiction & Fantasy)

 

[BenSt]

V was definitly amazing, but I can see that it was a product of it's time. 2009 was reality saturated, and sadly also when the economy took a dive. It was only a matter of time because big cable networks like ABC, NBC et al,. rarely have the attention span or the patience to produce series. The fact that Once Upon a Time has comntinued for so long speaks to how massively popular it is. V had some issues and I think it just didn't get what the ratings they were expecting. It's a shame because the reboot had amazing storylines and it was cancelled on a cliffhanger (which has happened many times before).

 

[Laeraneth]

I must admit, I loved the first season, it had such potential.

But the second season was... err... awful is about the best word that comes to mind. Leaps of logic to justify episode events that had little bearing on what was actually going on. Wilful ignorance of other bits of logic for the same reasons. It just felt like all the hooks that it was hanging on fell apart simultaneously and it went from engrossing and awesome in season 1 to a mess of cliché and silliness in season 2.

Sad really. I really did like the first season!

 

[FeedMeTV]

I couldn't get past the first episode of V. It didn't seem to offer anything unique and appeared to be the same as a million things I'd seen before. I'd heard favourable things about it but knowing it is a short-lived series I'm not too keen to give it another go.