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Watch Roth’s review of the V premiere episode and how it compares to the version she saw at Comic Con a few months ago.  She talks about what she liked and didn’t like of this remake of the 80’s sci fi classic, and what improvements were made since the pilot shown months ago.  Let us know what you thought of the episode, thanks!

“V” Pilot Review

Last night ABC’s remake of NBC’s early 80’s series phenomenon “V” premiered . There have been a few notable and much interwebz discussed adjustments in the series and some equally notable similarities. I did a review of the Pilot episode as seen at Comic Con earlier this summer which you can find here on ThinkHero or on YouTube. I had been and am a huge fan of the original series and so, had extraordinarily high expectations for the remake. Those expectations were in some ways disappointed, but there were some things that I did enjoy about the pilot. I won’t go into too much detail about my original review but in broad strokes: I loved Morena Baccarin as Anna and I found the scenes with her and Scott Wolf’s character the most compelling in the show. I really enjoyed Alan Tudyk’s character and performance and was disappointed that he was only there in a guest stars capacity. Though judging from next weeks previews he will return, so I feel encouraged by that. I felt that the show showed potential for a compelling series but was disappointed by some aspects. I felt very little surprise in terms of the twists and the turns of the pilot. I felt that it took a fairly predictable trajectory and didn’t offer me too much in terms of unexpected character or plot developments. The central mother/son relationship in the show felt two dimensional and forced. Though I love Elizabeth Mitchell and enjoyed her character outside of the confines of that relationship – the boy wasn’t working for me and their relationship seemed a bit paint by numbers to me rather than a deep and dimensional dynamic. It seems crucial to the series that this relationship, and the boy in particular, become something we can believe and invest in. Because he is being led down a dangerous path and we need to fear for him and feel her anguish and helplessness in the face of his destructive choices. There were also some editorial and story choices that did not work for me. A series of wide slow mo crane shots of the world exploding in thunderous applause at Anna’s declaration “We are of peace. Always.” It felt shorthand and flat as a creative choice and implausible in terms of story. I find it hard to believe that the entire planet would so easily acquiesce to her claim. I feel we as human beings would be skeptical at best and fearful and full of hostility at worst in the face of such a sudden invasion. We would wait to see what actually happened for awhile before buying into what was said.

Thankfully these shots were removed from the pilot as seen this Tuesday and it is a much improved scene. Far more subtle and believable. I tuned in to the pilot with now lower expectations and found that (as is so often the case) I enjoyed the show quite a bit more than my original viewing. I was pleased at the improvements that were made post Comic Con in terms of the removal of the hyper blown wide panning slow motion shots. I still was not a fan of Elizabeth Mitchell’s exposition with the priest in the final moments of the show, essentially spelling out what their role in there series will be, or the way the idea of devotion as “the strongest weapon there is” being introduced in such an “on the nose” fashion rather than as an undertone we can engage with ourselves. However, the story seemed to have been tightened editorially and though I do feel that the pilot could have benefited from a slower pace and more patience with character development prior to the arrival of the “V”’s. I do see potential here.

This is a strong and talented cast. Again, I find the Anna/ Chad the reporter dynamic to be the most compelling. I think this because the undercurrents of their relationship were developed through story and character. He represents very human desires, and the how easily we can fool ourselves into believing that it is okay to “compromise principals for the sake of the greater good”. How often are we faced with a choice between out integrity and our advancement, our desire and our conscious? She is a figure of powerful seduction both literally and figuratively. She represents our desire to give over our free will to something that appears beautiful and larger than ourselves. Our desire to be lead as children even to our peril, if it means a release of the terrible burden of being a fully realized, thinking and responsible adult human being. I think there is great potential in this relationship and the “idea” of the “V”’s – those who follow the “party” line and those who break apart to great personal sacrifice as Morris Chesnut’s character does. Opportunities to explore the idea of the “other”, enemy and identity as the “V”’s launch a sophisticated and well thought out propaganda war.

I hope to see more of this type of character development in the other central relationships in the show. Erica and her son Tyler, the priest and perhaps what could be a great opportunity for a crisis of faith and new understanding of said faith and the rebellion and “V”s as a whole. If that happens and the Anna/Chad relationship and characters continue to develop in this fashion I think this could be a really, fun and enjoyable series.

In a broader sense, I think something that needs to become clearer is exactly what social commentary this show wants to make. There is a great deal of controversy in terms of its commentary at the moment. The original series based on the book “It can’t happen here” became an allegory for WWII/Nazi Germany. It was a story of a more forceful occupation. This is a story of much subtler form of propaganda and mind manipulation. Something we might call “hope marketing”. There are some online bloggers and reporters who feel this is an allegory for the Obama administration. I can see the comparison but don’t agree, though I do find it funny to imagine that the only way to get universal healthcare is through an alien invasion. I certainly hope that is not the show’s intent. Rather I hope that it is the intent of the show to offer us a vision of ourselves as willing to see the world with open eyes that accept both the light and the dark and the shades of grey. As well the acute danger of submitting to the admittedly seductive idea that someone’s just going to come in and “fix” it. Indeed our world is in a state of deep transition and change, and in order for us to come through this shift intact – we must as individuals become more conscious, more aware, and more adult than ever. And we must work individually and in community to take responsibility for ourselves, each other and the step by step process necessary for actual lasting change. To retreat to the world of broad ideals and black and white ideology is indeed to submit to our own peril. Or maybe it’s just a show about big alien spaceships with supermodel leaders and minions alike. And that’s fine too.