Our Security

Submit..

Help Support..

REVIEW: Mania.com Review’s V: The New Series 1.08 ” We Can’t Win..”

the-reviews1

WEBSITE: Mania.com

WRITTEN BY: Kurt Anthony Krug

DIRECT LINK: http://www.mania.com/v-cant-win-review_article_122030.html

” We Can’t Win “ is – head and shoulders – the best episode of the re – imagined V, given that it had plenty of edge – of – your – seat, WTF moments.. It also had less than the usual approximately 42 minutes ( San commercials in an hour – long drama ) to make an impact since LOST ran two minutes over its timeslot, which it did, speaking for everyone involved’s commitment to a quality show..

The subplot between Erica Evans ( Elizabeth Mitchell ) and her son Tyler ( Logan Huffman ) is getting stale, let’s get that on the table first.. Fans of the show are sick of seeing her cry every time she tries to get through to her mule – headed son.. The issue of Tyler’s parentage has been brought into question, but now Erica swears Joe Evans ( Nicholas Lea of X – Files fame ) is his dad.. Hmmm, is this a quick and dirty way of tying off that loose end since V’s on the bubble?

Regardless, they didn’t spend much time on it, mercifully.. If anything, it moved in a positive direction as Tyler went to be with his alien girlfriend Lisa ( Laura Vandervoort ), which moved in a cool direction as Lisa failed the empathy test orchestrated by her mother Anna ( Morena Baccarin ).. The test is given to see who is developing human emotions among her people.. If they fail, they die..

That was an interesting twist.. To up the stakes, not only do Lisa and Tyler get it on in what is their first time, empathy test coordinator Joshua ( Guest star Mark Hildreth, Wolverine & The X – Men ) lies to Anna about the results of Lisa’s empathy test.. Joshua, a Fifth Columnist, tells Lisa that she owes him a favor, which he aims to collect..

Speaking of the Fifth Column, those poor slobs are getting picked off due to Anna’s plan of getting them out into the open after the ” John May Lives “ subliminal message in her global telecast from a few episodes back..

Kyle Hobbes ( Guest star Charles Mesure, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ) is by far the best part of this series and the most interesting character – and he’s only a recurring character ( Hey, ABC, make him a regular already – geez ).. He gets the award for best quote this week – ” Guy’s a lousy shot.. No wonder why the Vs are winning..” Michael Ironside, who played anti – hero Hamilton Tyler in the original V, has nothing on anti – hero Hobbes..

Erica’s band of freedom fighters manages to capture an assassin working for the Vs named Samuel ( Guest star Lucas Wolf, Stargate SG – 1 and the Homeworld video games ).. Hobbes is getting all giddy at the prospect of torturing this poor alien, which would make Jack Bauer green with envy.. But wait! The kicker is Samuel’s actually a human.. He’s working for the opposition because he believes the humans can’t win..

Two other subplots that are really heating up involve Chad Decker ( Scott Wolf ) and Val Stevens ( Lourdes Benedicto ).. Chad’s story opens up with him and Anna about to have sex, but it never gets past Anna’s rough foreplay ( She starts choking him ) because it’s a fevered dream.. He realizes the Vs are here to stay and confronts Anna, asking if she’s here for her people’s benefit or the humans’ benefit after she gives the people of Timbal her race’s blue energy technology ( It repairs that country’s infrastructure after it’s devastated by a hurricane ).. Anna doesn’t answer, but says she needs people she can trust..

Val, who’s carrying Ryan’s ( Morris Chestnut ) baby, a human / lizard hybrid, is on the run from Ryan as her complicated pregnancy worsens.. She checks herself into a V Healing Center, which is a scary moment because she is grave danger once Anna learns of the child in her womb.. Definitely the stakes are getting upped as the season speeds to its finale..