Posted on - 04-04-2010
Categories: Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series, Video - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: tvfanatic.com

WRITTEN BY: Mr. Probst

DIRECT LINK: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2010/03/v-review-welcome-to-the-war/

” Welcome to the War,” while overall an enjoyable episode, was a perfect example of what rubs us the wrong way about V..

Remember the first episode, not when ” They returned,” but when ” They arrived,” we, the viewer, knew nothing about the Visitors, why they had come to Earth, whether they were benevolent or evil.. The episode kept us on our toes the entire time, waiting to see if one of the Visitors would slip and reveal their plans..

If that episode kept us on our toes, this episode tried too hard to knock our socks off..

We’ve contended that the series divulged the true evil intent of the Visitors far too quickly – granted, we like that the majority of humans in the show do not know what to make of the Vs, but we do, and we feel we found out too quickly.. And instead of being treated to a well – written, smoothly developed arrival hour, we are given a return hour steeped in cheesy dialogue, even cheesier scenes, and too much repetition about a war that we feel is starting too early..

Some of the choice lines included Erica telling Hobbs that she is ” your only chance for a future..” Then, following her enlisting of Hobbs, she states ” I just made a deal with the devil and broke every oath I have sworn to protect..” And she could not go five minutes without bellowing ” They have my son..” What cliché will she throw out next, ” He was two days away from retirement?”

Elizabeth Mitchell is an excellent actress, and in an episode where she seamlessly transitioned from warring rebel to loving and concerned mother, she should have been given some better dialogue.. Not that the dialogue was the cheesiest part.. When Anna bedded her selected soldier, the set looked straight out of a low-budget softcore porn.. We thought our TV had switched over to Cinemax.. Luckily, Anna went all praying mantis and ate her mate right after the deed, somewhat saving the scene..

There was still a lot to like about the episode.. Kyle Hobbs is an interesting new fold.. If the war is coming, at least the humans have a pretty good hired gun on their side.. We also liked the Valerie Stevens pregnancy angle, especially when we learned that Vs were supposed to not be able to impregnate humans.. The elevated pace of her pregnancy is scary, but also humorous given the amount of food she’s eating and that delicious mouse snack she considered eating.. Who knows what the importance of this miraculous half V, half human child will be..

We also liked the conflict within Father Jack, who has been injected with the R6 serum.. He tells Erica that he feels changed inside.. We wonder if this change will put the resistance at risk..

The return was a fast – paced episode that did a good job of setting up the coming war, even if we believe it is a war that has started too soon.. But whether it’s too soon or just on time, it’s a war we cannot wait to watch.. And one we hope we win..

Rating: 2.5 out of 5..

Posted on - 31-03-2010
Categories: Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: IGN.com

WRITTEN BY: Eric Goldman

DIRECT LINK: http://au.tv.ign.com/articles/108/1080709p1.html

I have to admit, I was nervous about this episode of V.. I felt the series got off to an uneven but intriguing start last fall, but there were notable issues to work out – and knowing that the series had halted production and gone through some big changes behind the scenes had me prepared for a big mess..

Instead, I found a show that felt more confident than before and seems well on its way to becoming something really special.. Which is to say, welcome back, V!

I’m loving how tough Erica is, both physically and mentally.. The fight at the beginning of the episode certainly proved the former, as she not only struck the first blow ( With an assist from a picture frame ) against the Visitor attempting to kill her, but continued to fight hard against him, until she took him out.. But what really was fun was her reaction to the Visitors waltzing in to the FBI, saying they could help find who was behind the explosion in the last episode.. This was a very interesting turn of events, as first Erica understandably was panicking ( On the inside that is ), afraid she and her friends were about to be revealed as the culprits – then confusion when it turned out the Vs had fingered an unrelated guy, Kyle Hobbes.. But what followed was what really had me digging Erica, as she decided that if the Vs wanted this known mercenary taken down, he must be dangerous to them, so who better to recruit for the Resistance? We still have yet to see Erica and Anna on screen, but this episode allowed for the two of them to play a little game of chess with one another, even without meeting..

Speaking of chess games, I loved Chad doing the story on the V Health Centers Anna was demanding of him, but throwing in that he was going to accept their cure.. Anna’s smile, as she noted, ” Mr. Decker just made sure we took very good care of him,” seemed to hint that she respected Chad’s move, as the two continue to attempt to manipulate one another..

I continue to care little about Tyler, but we did see glimpse of his father in this episode, and it was yet another sci – fi All – Star on the series – Nicholas Lea, known to X – Files fans everywhere as Krycek.. On top of that, we also got Andromeda’s Lexa Doig as Ryan’s V doctor friend.. I swear, you could populate a Comic – Con with the actors on this show.. Doig was used to quickly give us an answer for what exactly R6 is, from the last episode, as we learned it was a tagging system the Vs were putting inside humans.. I really appreciate the fact that after such a long break, new showrunner Scott Rosenbaum ( The Shield / Chuck ), who wrote this episode, made sure to deliver on some quick answers for certain aspects we left off with..

It’s hard not to wonder whether there is still more to R6, after it was given to Jack and he told Erica he felt different.. Of course Jack went through a pretty traumatic, disturbing event – well conveyed as we saw his horror at realizing the Visitors were the ones ” fixing “ him.. So I find myself curious whether something is truly wrong with Jack or if it’s all in his head … but it’s probably real, right?

The end of the episode also delivered in terms of a couple of very offbeat, compelling sequences.. My favorite was when Valerie found the dead mouse and the growing realization she had that we shared in – which was that she wanted to eat the freaking thing! In the original V, an iconic moment was Diana eating that rat, and I loved how they finally did a direct reference to that here, but in such an unusual way, as Valerie was disgusted and confused by what she was feeling..

Meanwhile, we also saw Anna go about her mating ritual, picking out a nameless, silent hulk of a Visitor that she pulled a black widow on, literally consuming him once she got what she needed.. It was a creepy, trippy way to end an episode that put a lot into play and has me excited to see where the show goes from here..

Rating: 8.5 out of 10..

Posted on - 31-03-2010
Categories: Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: ThinkHero.com

WRITTEN BY: Roth

DIRECT LINK: http://www.thinkhero.com/2009/11/28/%E2%80%9Cv%E2%80%9D-ep-4-%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%99s-only-the-beginning%E2%80%9D-review/

” It’s Only the Beginning “ is, somewhat ironically, the final episode of V until March.. It concluded with some fairly heavy hitting cliffhangers, yet I must admit I’m on the fence about the series as a whole.. So much of me really wants to love this show.. I was a huge fan of the original series, I am a Sci Fi fan, and I love the cast, particularly what Morena Baccarin is bringing to her role as Anna.. There are genuinely compelling moments in the series, most of which take place on the ship and focus on the stories of the Visitors themselves.. This week the ones that shone above the rest were the introduction of Anna’s ” bliss “ and her bizarre sadomasochistic schoolmarm punishment of the physician’s staff ” Now, if the guilty party doesn’t step up..”

Yet as a whole there are many aspects of the plot that I am having some trouble investing in.. Perhaps if the show had been more of a re – imagining rather than a strait reboot it would be easier for me to engage in it.. As it stands, it seems to be rushing through some of the central themes of the original series.. Yes V and human procreation was possible then as well – but I have to wonder why they are bringing in this element so early.. Perhaps there is some end that the creators are trying to reach, some place where the series takes flight as its own entity.. In the interim, it seems that there is a lot more attention being paid to quickly reaching certain plot points rather than intricate character development.. I had trouble buying into the scenes with the ramshackle resistance.. Things just seem far too easy for them.. A priest, even one who was an army chaplain, does not necessarily know how to treat a bullet wound.. Even in the army, he was still a priest not a doctor.. Also, exactly how old is the gun he had in that box at the close of the episode – and why did he have it there – placed so gracefully atop a folded American flag?

In addition, it seems somewhat implausible that a sleeper agent who has been on Earth for upwards of twenty years, and has long since deflected from the fold as it were, can so easily and readily tap into a V security system and blow up a warehouse.. Although, of the rebellion, I am finding Morris Chestnuts portrayal of Ryan both the most believable and the most enjoyable.. Finally each of the resisters feels far too comfortable and ” at the ready “ in terms of gunplay.. Yes, Erica is in the FBI, and now we discover that Fr. Jack was in the army, still the effortlessness of their transition into an A – Team like gang of quasi – freedom fighters seemed almost comical to me.. One moment particular in the warehouse when they all ran out of frame to the left seemed especially Scooby Doo to me.. It just lacked the sound effect and image of their feet turned into a blur of wheels..

Once again, I find the rapid acceptance of the V‘s by the government and populace in general somewhat perplexing and implausible.. They seem to understand far too much about our cultural idioms for ” beings “ that claim to have just recently found us.. Would that not raise some measure of suspicion? Would people not imagine that they had somehow been spying on us? How do they know enough to joke about the seeming incurability of the common cold? How do they know enough about our immune systems to develop a ” super vitamin?” To open healing centers? How do they know enough to banter and play with us using our common vernacular? It is one thing to understand a language and quite another to really know how to use it.. It seems like the writers are relying on ” the easy way out “ for the development of both the V‘s and the resistance.. There seems to be very little attention to detail or the creation of sound character logic.. However I did like the twist that they would poison us with our own flu shots..

Anna stands out as a character because the actress is paying impeccable attention to detail in the creation of her character.. She moves in her body as if it is an effort, an affectation, yet without drawing so much attention to it that it becomes a caricature.. While I enjoyed Anna’s scenes on the ship I cannot express how much I dislike the Tyler / teenage storyline.. The addition the coincidence of Tyler as patient to Ryan’s fiancé was again, way too far for my suspension of disbelief to stretch.. Nor do I understand why this child, of all others on Earth stands out as remarkable, someone to use for a far greater purpose for Anna and the V‘s.. Again it feels as if the show is somehow tied to the stories of the original series rather than allowing this series to develop in an organic fashion.. There also does not seem to be a full understanding of the significance that these storylines had in the original series.. The young man turned V advocate in the original series worked as a parallel for the Hitler youth, for family turned against family, neighbor against neighbor during the time of the Third Reich.. What role is Tyler serving as a character in this reimagining? Just what is this show trying to say in terms of social commentary – if anything?

When the series comes back in March I hope to see a renewed emphasis on character development with a focus on the show’s strongest characters, and a reworking of and / or de – emphasis on its less compelling characters and stories.. We as an audience are happy to suspend disbelief in almost any given world or reality as long as it creates and then sticks to a strong internal logic.. When no attention is paid to logic at all we assume that it is laziness on the part of the creators or condescension.. Please take the creepy bald V guard away and never bring him or anything close to him back.. Over the top does not begin to express how I felt about this character.. This is a fun show with some great elements to it, so I hope the series will shore up what has been lacking so that what is truly valuable about the show can shine.. I will look forward to seeing more Joshua and the fifth column on the mothership, Anna’s bliss secrets revealed, and how far Chad Decker will go to prevent his allegedly impending aneurism..

Posted on - 28-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: TVSquad.com

WRITTEN BY: Jason Hughes

DIRECT LINK: http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/25/review-v-its-only-the-beginning-recap/

Well, that’s it until March 2010.. The most important thing that V could do this week was to leave us hanging on the edge of our seats as to what’s coming next.. If the idea was to give us a sense of sheer hopelessness in the face of the power of the Visitors, then that’s what we did..

More importantly, we got to see the genesis of the Resistance movement led by Jack, Ryan and Erica.. It makes an even more powerful figure when you consider that at this point there are exactly four people – at least that we’re following – taking on 29 Visitor ships with technology and power almost beyond our imagining..

Everyone loves a scrappy underdog, and you couldn’t ask for much more than that.. But it was great seeing them take some of their first strikes against the Visitors as a unit.. This is the struggle, against near impossible odds, that will keep us glued to our seats..

The series would have been served a little better if they could have ratcheted up the action a little bit, or given us a little more of a clear idea as to what Anna and Lisa are up to with Tyler on the ship.. We know he’s ” perfect “ for something, but for what? They need to remember that we need to remember where we are at this point for four months or so, so you need to absolutely hook us..

The general hook is definitely securing its hold.. The revelation of the Visitor component being spliced into our own flu vaccine hints at the extent of their plans.. In fact, the Healing Centers themselves are such complex creatures, I can’t help but wonder what other things are going on there.. More human experimentation? How can you possibly trust anything they say, and yet they were right about Valerie’s pregnancy..

The producers promised some nods to the original V saga, and an alien / human hybrid pregnancy is certainly one of these.. But I have to wonder how it’s possible that this would be the first hybrid baby if the Visitors have been infiltrating our society for decades.. Maybe all the other pregnancies are terminated before the mother can come to term.. Have they ever had a female Visitor get pregnant by a male.. Surely, the Visitors themselves have experimented in this area, if the two species are somehow compatible in this way..

It calls into question if the Visitors are lying to Chad about his impending doom.. It’s pretty easy to say that we’ve detected something that will kill you – but none of your human methods would be able to see this – and we can cure it.. Just let us root around in your brain.. I’m glad to see that as deep as he’s become entrenched in Anna’s world, Chad is still showing a healthy amount of skepticism and doubt..

The two cliffhangers for us to ponder over the next long while are a pretty minor one, and a pretty major one.. Actually, the minor one has possible major implications.. The Visitor Father Landry knocked out found him at the church and gut – stabbed him.. Now, it’s a pretty safe bet that Jack will survive this attack, but what does it mean for the Resistance he’s a part of.. He’s on the Visitor radar, and that endangers everyone else..

So that’s the personal stake.. The much more sinister stake was the reveal of the absolutely massive Visitor fleet hovering very, very far away.. It wasn’t clear if they were headed toward Earth or just awaiting further orders, but there were a hell of a lot more than 29 ships hanging there.. And while the 29 hovering over our cities look fairly harmless, all things considered, this is clearly a military fleet..

If our gang of four freedom fighters think they have a fight on their hands now, they have no idea.. Hopefully, ABC finds a way to remind everyone about V in March, because I do think the show is finding its legs and by this fourth episode, it is almost firing on all cylinders.. Certainly, it’s an exciting action – adventure / science-fiction series, and really we never seem to have enough of those..

Posted on - 26-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: ThinkHero.com

WRITTEN BY: Roth

DIRECT LINK: http://www.thinkhero.com/2009/11/20/v-ep-3-a-bright-new-day-review/

” The Fifth Column say’s hello..”

Here was an episode that began to fulfill the promise of this series.. It has genuine surprises, twists that propelled the plot forward with exiting momentum and one of the best scenes from the series thus far: Anna rehearsing her sympathetic response to Mary Faulkner, the widow and would be figure head of the “ V “ protesters.. If Anna was willing to forgo her maniacal plans for humanity she would have a very lucrative career in PR ahead of her.. The woman is as calculated as she is chilling and any variety of political orginizations and corporations would be chomping at the bit to have her ice blooded genius at their disposal.. Alas, I fear that like so many heads of state and pop icons before her, only world domination will do for Anna..

This week we had the introduction of some of the most engaging storylines and themes in the series.. Beginning with the fifth column.. The faction of “ Visitors “ resistant to the established leadership, i.e. Anna and her minions.. These are the rebel alien fighters who will necessarily join with the human resistance to try and stop the Visitors plan for the destruction of Earth; I believe they will also be learning to crochet.. We saw the beginning of this united front at the end of the episode when Erica, Fr. Jack, Ryan and Georgie all meet.. Although I was sad to see Alan Tuduk’s character really and truly go I loved the virtual memory retrieval room and the bad ass reveal that the fifth column had infiltrated the New York mother ship.. That sign off to Dale from the Dr. was so very sweet indeed.. This scene also held one of my favorite lines of the episode, in his attempt to express his utter disgust for humanity Dale protests ” My wife brushes her hair in the kitchen – who does that!?!”

Also introduced was the idea of ” The Bliss “ the element of mind control that Anna uses to bring all of her subjects into submission.. Now we don’t know exactly what ” the bliss “ is yet, but I had to wonder if she slipped a bit of that bliss to Ms. Faulkner in their secret meeting pre press conference.. Here is what I love about the idea of ” The Bliss..” There is an obvious connection to the idiom ” ignorance is bliss..” Anna, and her PR prowess, her understanding that both adoration and hatred are infectious,  and her grasp on just how vulnerable the human mind is to the power of suggestion acts as a direct parallel to her possession of ” The Bliss..” The bliss in our world is denial; it is the sleep that we are asked to awaken from in order to pass through the initial pain of truth to be rewarded with genuine freedom.. It is the path that every child must take to maturity, and the path that our global culture is being asked to walk right now.. Anna represents the seductive nature of denial.. In the sense that it offers a pretty picture and a temporary salve to our pain ignorance is indeed bliss, but it covers the reality of what is and traps us in its honeyed embrace..

Along the lines of stepping out of fantasy and into reality the leader of the resistance ( To date ) Erica lets us know that they must fight ” one step at a time “ in order to win this war.. I so often wish for one sweeping solution to all my woes and worries and yet I know that truly that the only way forward is to engage with the step that I am in.. Okay, nuff on my philosophical and worldly musings..

More fun stuff! So as it turns out, Hot V Lisa is daughter to the even hotter Mamma bear of the whole V community – Anna herself.. Now, of all the people I would not want the burden of pleasing as a daughter I must say, this woman is right under Stalin.. Twenty nine guesses what mamma bear and baby bear have in store for young Tyler.. Seriously, make a guess because I am not fully convinced of what they are up to.. My assumption is that it will be some sort of cross species breeding experiment, but who knows? Perhaps this is going in another direction.. Assassination attempt, infiltration into the minds of the youth, figure head for the ” Peace Ambassadors,” pre – dinner snack..

Finally, the V‘s are now free to walk amongst us, a fact that has Chad Decker filled with some vague sense of anxiety masked only by his blind ambition.. More than that, every uniform worn by them or any of their ” Peace Ambassadors ” ( Gotta love the Orwellian double speak ) is fitted with a surveillance camera that will surely soon have the world living in fear of being caught in any oppositional discourse against the V‘s.. Anna is ” big mother “ indeed..

This episode did exactly what I wished it would do.. It focused on its strengths, Anna and the story of the Visitors themselves, it introduced the fifth column and it’s mysterious leader ” John May,” it gave the resistance grit, and provided twists that left me anxious to see where the show will go next week.. I loved this episode and I’d love to hear what you think..

Posted on - 24-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Advertisment, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com

WRITTEN BY: Brian Salisbury

DIRECT LINK: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/tv/v-review-a-bright-new-day-bjsal.php

Oh snap kids, the third episode is pretty damn good.. I don’t mean to sound completely shocked but we are talking about the mini – series that has so far been bland at best and abysmal at its worst.. The problems that have been so evident in the first two episodes were issues of hokey story elements, stuttering pacing, and horrid acting.. In a turn of good fortune, the third installment fixes almost every single one of those problems.. I’m not saying that suddenly V is a flawless show, but it shows tremendous improvement at long last..

The second episode, while not quite as terrible as the pilot, suffered from the overwhelming lack of surprise.. Nothing major was revealed, no villains unmasked, and there existed a general stagnation of plot.. I can tell you with no small measure of sincerity, this is a problem rectified by episode three.. This is the chapter that offers intrigue at every turn.. Suddenly no one is who they say they are and the story focuses on the impending conflict between the two species.. It became a sort of Sci – Fi spy thriller with double, and yes even triple, agents doing more backstabbing than a truckload of Survivor castaways.. I was genuinely impressed with the tension and very pleased with the progression of plot.. After a while, I began to suspect an over-zealousness on my part spurred by the overall lacking of the show.. In other words, I was worried I was being generous just because this episode was NOT a travesty.. I started to notice that the double – crossing / traitors everywhere storyline was getting a little repetitive.. But as if the show itself were cognizant of my concerns, it dealt even more surprises outside the twisty framework it had established.. Well done!

I am enjoying the fact that V is starting to carry philosophical weight with more competence.. The Visitors seem to be facing a more legitimate resistance from both Violent factions of humanity and organized political interests.. I really like the more believable elements of public relations manipulation that they are exhibiting.. I still think Scott Wolf is a hack and his character is way too easily duped, but they appear to now be working outside his influence as well.. I also really enjoyed the concept of fostering understanding through deception and the practical implications inherent in that.. Wow, I am shocked by the paragraphs I am able to write about the the third episode considering where this show started..

A quick warning, this paragraph may contain spoilers not only for the episodes prior but for this particular episode as well so if you haven’t seen it, skip to the next.. I really enjoyed the angle they took with Alan Tudyk’s character.. I guess the only marginally surprising thing about the second episode was the fact that he was not in fact dead, but that wasn’t exactly Earth – shattering.. However the amnesia he suffers upon waking allows for some clever story devices and interesting special effects.. I really enjoyed his slow realizations and I think he delivers on the performance end so that we buy his quiet, mounting rage.. The conclusion of that whole exchange is one of the better moments of the whole show so far..

The only problems I really had with this particular episode were very minor.. For example, Elizabeth Mitchell is still the dumbest FBI agent on television.. At this point I don’t even think it’s a problem with her performance but with really shotty direction.. There is a scene where she is standing in a room full of view – screens feeding from cameras on the lapels of the jackets of the Peace Ambassadors.. Now, I figured out they were mounted on those jackets, but the fact that she didn’t is not what bothered me.. When she noticed that one of the feeds was an image of her standing in front of all those screens, she turns around to see who is filming her.. Behind her is a blank wall, a closed door, and a hanging jacket.. The only object behind her is the jacket, but she makes a production out of waving her hands up and down trying to gage the source of the image.. Really? Takes her that long to figure out it’s the freaking jacket?! Is this why she is in ” special “ investigations? ( I know it’s really anti – terror, just a joke )..

By all accounts, this third chapter of the V mini – series is by far the best.. I can only cross all of my digits and hope that the remainder of the show will follow suit.. There are not only major improvements to the mechanics of the series made in this episode, but it also effectively lays the groundwork for what should be a compelling conclusion..

Posted on - 22-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Advertisment, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: TheHDRoom.com

WRITTEN BY: Aidan Brack

DIRECT LINK: http://www.thehdroom.com/news/V_Season_1_Episode_3_Review_A_Bright_New_Day/5972

A Bright New Day opens with a really effective montage of confessions from members of Father Jack’s congregation.. We hear their thoughts and feelings about the alien arrivals and how, for some, it challenges their faith in God and the words of the Pope while others see it as a blessing.. This not only shows us how different people have reacted to the Visitors’ arrival but also reminds us of the crisis of faith Father Jack himself is going through, knowing that the Pope’s declaration that the Visitors are a gift from God is misguided..Using the list that Erica had procured from the FBI subcommittee investigating reports about the Visitors, Jack spends most of this episode trying to track down Georgie Sloan, the leader of the resistance cell that met in the pilot.. This search leads him to Georgie’s seemingly abandoned home where we learn more about what caused him to become involved.. Questions do remain however about why the event we learn of happened which will hopefully be answered in a future episode..

While Jack searches for Georgie, Ryan spends most of this episode trying to recruit other undercover Visitors to join him in his fight against his own kind.. It seems he has learned little from the events of the previous week’s episode, appearing surprised when the person he meets with betrays him.. The moment is, I suspect, supposed to come as a surprise to the audience but most of us will be ready for it.. If it fails to surprise us however it does work nicely to show how far Ryan will go to achieve his goals..

It also goes some way towards explaining how Anna and her colleagues maintain their control over their underlings.. We learn the price that is paid by those who wish to break away from the Visitors, helping us to understand why most of the Visitors appear to be willing to fall in line behind Anna.. There is also a first mention of John May, the leader of a Visitor ‘ fifth column ‘ group.. I suspect that we may well have seen him before this episode’s end..

By this episode’s end Ryan has also been brought into contact with Father Jack and Erica; a development that ought to give the character a little clearer purpose.. So far he has been isolated, forced to follow leads on his own.. Hopefully now he can start to develop some relationships with other regular characters and we can begin to get to know him a little better..

While Ryan and Father Jack search for ways to bring the Visitors down, Erica spends most of this week protecting them from a potential assassin’s bullet.. In doing so however she gets an opportunity to explore the Visitor’s security center which ironically seems to have very poor security..

In her snooping she does learn the secret of how the Visitors are able to monitor what is going on in different locations, discovering that there are security ‘ cameras ‘ within the jackets they are issuing.. The sequence in which she realizes this is one of the best in the episode, Elizabeth Mitchell managing to convey her character’s thought processes visibly as she works out exactly how this is done.. It is smart and observant, establishing qualities that so far have been a little lacking in the character..

Where her character has been lacking in observation is in her dealings with her son Tyler, who continues to be the least interesting of the main characters in the show so far.. Unlike those around him, he operates on just one level.. Beyond knowing that he wants to sleep with Lisa, the character seems to have no other thoughts, aspirations or stakes in what is going on..

The final scenes of this episode ought to make this subplot a little more interesting by suggesting that the events may be more important than they appear.. It is a welcome development that gives these scenes a much needed boost, but it is still proving hard to love the character of Tyler.. We need to see another side to him at some point to help him become a more likeable, rounded character..

This episode also brings back the character of Dale ( Alan Tudyk ), who lost his memory after being struck on the head by Erica.. Assisted by Joshua in a virtual reality setting, Dale pieces together the events leading up to injury and realizes Erica had seen his real, reptilian face.. As in several of the other storylines this week a twist follows although, like the others, it does not prove particularly surprising..

If the twist fails to surprise though the scenes themselves are really strong.. We learn that Dale is not the only sleeper agent within the office he was working in, which is useful to know, and he has a really entertaining rant about how disgusting and unhygienic humans are.. Besides, it is hard not to admire the two superb performances in the scene..

The final major storyline in the episode centers on Anna who is anxious to silence Mary Faulkner, the widow of a man who died as a result of the Visitor’s arrival.. I enjoyed the scenes in which we watch her prepare for an ‘ impromptu ‘ meeting with her, rehearsing hitting emotional levels in her speech to try to sound genuine while the scene in which the pair appears together before the media is absolutely superb..

These moments illustrate the character’s ability to manipulate humans but also emphasize that it does not come naturally to her.. Those words are carefully chosen and rehearsed repeatedly to ensure they are effective.. She appears so collected when she is in control that it is hard not to wonder what might happen if Chad is able to ask her some questions that she is unprepared for..

A Bright New Day is not a perfect episode.. Early parts of the story drag a little and its attempts to use twist revelations to build interest mostly fall flat.. Fortunately V is not the sort of show that needs storytelling trickery to generate interest.. Instead it continues to explore its characters and situation while pushing its story forward..

The events of this episode position things well for next week’s final installment before the Winter break.. So far V has proved entertaining and well – written but has yet to deliver a stunning episode which may be in part responsible for its sharp decline in Viewership.. Hopefully that last installment will deliver that knockout punch and leave audiences hungry enough to come back in a couple of month’s time..

Posted on - 20-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: IGN.com

WRITTEN BY: Eric Goldman

DIRECT LINK: http://au.tv.ign.com/articles/104/1046745p1.html

This episode of V got off to a bit of a clunky start, with a montage sequence in which Father Jack performs one confession after another and is seemingly overwhelmed by the differing reactions to the Visitors arrival.. It was an interesting idea in theory, but not executed very well, coming off a bit cheesy..

In general, the first half of this episode felt a bit lethargic.. We learned that the US was now in diplomatic relations with the Visitors, and Anna and Lisa were among the first to receive Visas ( A bit of unfortunate alliteration there, with the Visas for Vs program ).. Meanwhile, the possibility of a murder attempt on one of the Visitors had Erica and other FBI agents working in tandem with Visitors to find the man targeting them, but it seemed like a missed story opportunity – With Erica now aware of the Visitors true nature, a lot more could have been done with her interaction with one of them, but it was all fairly mundane material consisting of ” the suspect looks like..” And even as Erica spotted the guy and guns were waved, there was no discernable tension in the midst of the situation..

Luckily, the episode picked up in a big way in its second half.. Erica’s discovery of a surveillance room ( Albeit one with incredibly poor security ) was a very cool sequence – the visuals of dozens of floating, holographic, red – tinged screens was a compelling one, and Erica’s discovery that the footage she was seeing was coming from hidden cameras inside the Visitors uniforms was a nice ” Ah ha!” moment..

I also really enjoyed Anna’s reaction to the widow of a pilot who died when the Visitors arrived, who was fast becoming the face of anti - Visitor sentiment.. After she learned the woman was coming to her building to make a speech, we saw Anna practicing over and over again what to say to the woman to appear kind, caring and sympathetic, changing her inflection and tone.. It was a chilling, yet fun look at how manipulative Anna can be, as she expertly got the woman on her side, with the two speaking together about peace and unity.. Plus there was the fact that it turned out the assassination attempt was all a ruse, set up by Anna to help garner sympathy.. Oh Anna, you are a clever one..

This episode introduced what looks to be a major new component to the show’s mythology – the ” Fifth Column,” a group of Visitors who were the first to form a resistance against their masters, and we were given the name ” John May,” the leader of this group.. This was all revealed in a rather hammy bit of exposition early on, during a conversation between Ryan and Georgie – but had a great bit of payoff in the second half..

In the wake of his near – death experience, Dale was suffering amnesia, but via a bit of Visitor virtual reality, remembered everything, including the fact that Erica was the one who had nearly killed him.. It turned out Dale was 100% anti – human ( But had been a sleeper agent for nearly twenty years! ), as he talked about his disgust for his human wife and his intent to kill Erica.. In the wake of his villainous work on Dollhouse this year, Alan Tudyk – usually cast as the likable, funny guy – again did strong work showing his creepy, evil side..

But as much as I was looking forward to seeing more of Tudyk on this show, I have to admit, the twist that the Visitor he was talking to the whole episode was part of the Fifth Column was a great one – even if it ended with the apparent ( Final ) death of Dale.. The way this all went down, with the other Visitor saying Erica sounded like a great ally – and the realization this brought about for both Dale and us watching – was very cool..

Thankfully, the Tyler material in this episode, while still not great, wasn’t quite as annoying this time around – and hey, it did lead to a scene in which Laura Vandervoort was in her underwear, and who’s going to argue with that? The underwear scene came about as Lisa showed some quick thinking when Erica came home while Tyler had Lisa at the house, and he panicked over how his mom would react if she fond out Lisa was a Visitor..

More importantly, we got a major twist on the Lisa storyline, as she reported to Anna at the end and we learned that not only had she been specifically assigned to target Tyler but Anna was – wait for it – her mom! That’s a fun turn of events, and the questions this raises regarding the age difference between the two women and their very different features can fairly easily be explained by the fact that the skin and features we’re seeing are, of course, not their own.. I’m sure they both share the same lovely shade of green underneath..

It’s once again jarring to remember next week is already the last episode of V for at least several weeks if not months ( No exact date has been given for the show’s return, but it’s likely not until March ).. That being the case, the show has a lot to prove with these four installments, which is why I was especially aware of the slow, un – engaging moments in the first half of this episode, and very relieved when things improved substantially in the second half..

The end of this episode finally brought Ryan together with Erica and Jack, along with Georgie – hopefully leading into a uniformly strong episode next week that can really hold the audience’s interest through the unfortunately timed long break the series is about to go on..

Rating: 8 out of 10..

Posted on - 19-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Articles, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

WEBSITE: BuddyTV.com

WRITTEN BY: Kris De Leon

DIRECT LINK: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/home-page-blog/v-review-the-fifth-column-and-32725.aspx

Things are getting interesting on ABC‘s V as we uncover more mysteries in the third episode called “A Bright New Day..” This week, we learn about Anna and Lisa’s connection, the existence of the Fifth Column and an urban legend in the form of John May..

When we last saw V, Chad has opened the idea of diplomatic relations with the Visitors to the public, consequently allowing the aliens to have Visas and travel within the nation’s borders.. Eric and Father Jack have teamed up to fight the Vs as they got their hands on the FBI’s list of people with alien encounters, while Erica’s partner Dale has been brought back to life..

Anna is the first one to set foot on American soil followed by the first wave of American Visitors who have been granted visas as well.. This should be a cause for historic celebration for the Vs but the day quickly turns sour as a bunch of rowdy protesters start gathering outside the Peace Ambassador Center.. It also doesn’t help that there’s been a threat against the Visitors and Erica has been called to ensure their protection..

Being paired with a V to prevent threats from happening is a good excuse for Erica to get close to the V‘s headquarters, while Father Jack continues going through the FBI’s list for possible survivors from the warehouse, which includes resistance leader Georgie..

Meanwhile, we learn an interesting piece of information from Ryan: He used to be part of the Fifth Column, a mysterious group that consists of V traitors such as himself hoping to fight Anna and her crew.. Not much has been revealed about the Fifth Column except that some of its members are scattered all over the world, while some are already deep – seated in Anna’s empire, including Joshua, a Visitor who helped Dale repair his lost memory before killing him to prove his true allegiance.. But as we move further into the season, we’ll surely find out more now that Ryan aims to round up renegades to reestablish the column..

Then there’s John May – a name that strikes anxiety even to the V‘s in command.. He’s some sort of a legendary figure among the Visitors and has the money and power for the Fifth Column to thrive..

The best revelation in ” A Bright New Day,” however, is the link between Anna and Lisa, who turns out to be mother and daughter.. Speaking of Lisa, she also makes out with Tyler, who apparently is the main target of the Vs..

Posted on - 19-11-2009
Categories: ABC, Advertisment, Episode, Reviews, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -