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© (C) 2009 ABC / photo by Bob D'Amico
Joel Gretsch, Lourdes Benedicto, Logan Huffman, Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf, Morris Chestnut in V - Season 1
Television:
TV Review: V - SEASON ONE - 'Pilot'
A very good pilot setting up what could be a very good re-imaging of the '80s sci-fi series
Grade: B+Stars: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf, Alan Tudyk, Joel Gretsch
Release Date: Nov. 3, 2009
By EMERSON PARKER, Contributing Writer
Published 11/4/2009
I was a huge fan of the original V miniseries and later the series that came along. So when I heard that ABC was going to remake the series, I was both excited and nervous. What if they didn’t do it right or screwed it up royally? Would it tarnish what has come before it in all its cheeseball glory?
From the initial “Pilot” episode, this could be one hell of a series. Updated special effects, updated ideas, updated ways of communication and current technology. All of this could be something they use in future episodes to spread the joy of the Visitors.
Of course, we know the premise: simultaneously alien motherships from another world arrive over all the major cities of the Earth. Panic begins but a friendly face appears on the ship spouting peace and technology exchange in order to get them back to their home world as they are having issues. As they appear human and seem to be very open to showing their spaceships and technology, all of it seems fine. But we know better. We know that they are using just the outer appearance of being human as a Web of a false sense of security.
But before the people of the world realize it, they are already knee deep in our lives and impacting everything that we think, we do and what we believe.
But a few people are already on to them. And they are organizing. One man in particular organizes a meeting among people that can be trusted and tells others that have an interest that the Visitors didn’t just get here. They have been here for years. That they have caused unnecessary wars, economic meltdown and governmental turmoil in order to destabilize the world so that we’d welcome someone promising peace and prosperity.
They are a sleeper cell of terrorists, of Visitor terrorist, whose only job is to put the Earth in turmoil for this moment when the Visitors reveal themselves. FBI agent Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) has already begun investigating this cell and tracking them down. They find a stash of explosives and a ram shackled house. It leads her to the meeting where she learns what’s happening, but before they can make any headway, the Visitors attack them and Erica’s own partner Dale (Alan Tudyk) is one of the attackers. She kills him and reveals his skin is just a mask – one that hides his true nature.
But we also learn that they are just a faction of the Visitors on Earth. There are a number of them that are already on the planet and fighting against those looking to do us harm. Ryan (Morris Chestnut) is one of them and is willing to help the resistance fight them.
Meanwhile, Erica’s son joins the Visitor’s pilot program to expand their reach into the Earth behind her back and others are helping them get exposure in the media – in the form of Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) and his exclusive interview with Anna (Morena Baccarin), the leader of the Visitors.
In all, a very good “Pilot” setting the stage for what will already be the fight between the resistance and the Visitors right from the get-go and it will be interesting to see how they develop the series and keep it from being just an all-out war on Earth.
One thing, however, I’m not saying they have to use the ‘80s vests of the old series or anything but it would be nice to see the Visitors in something other than business suits. Wouldn’t you think they’d have some fancy outwear that’s good for all seasons? Yeah the underlings have it, but the business suits seem a bit out of place. Maybe it is just me.
Reader Comments
Larry Fleming from Atlanta, Ga sez....
I watched the premier too and enjoyed it. I hope they have a number of good shows and scripts waiting for us. There are so many parallels to real life with this scenario we can be V'ed for a long time.
11/4/2009 9:44:05 AM
