Another strong outing this week from V. I’m really growing attached to this show, and hope ABC will decide to give it another chance next season. This week featured the gang being set up by that wicked Anna. Although, it’s hard to blame her when the real culprits were Jack and Chad. Chad proved that he really is loyal to Anna, at least for the moment, as he reported back to her with the information about the attack on a Visitor only shuttle that Jack leaked to him. I suppose Jack’s intentions were good, but I was disappointed that he was duped.
It was almost a cheat that the shuttle was full of already dead people. I feel like that’s a bit out of character for Anna and was really only done to make things easier on the Fifth Column characters. Why would Anna go through the trouble of having to cover up crime scene photos when she could have just loaded up the shuttle with real live people? She doesn’t have any emotions; she clearly doesn’t care about the humans. Could she really not spare a few of the “live aboard” people? In fact, where did she even get all those human bones? Alas, this is V, and it’s much better to let the details slide and just enjoy the ride. After all, these are fairly minor things.
My point is, however, that I would have appreciated the stakes being a little higher. I think it would have been nice to see how the characters reacted and dealt with the fact that they had killed a bunch of innocent people. We saw a little bit of it, but I think the long term implications of that event would have been interesting. Would Jack have left the group for a considerable period of time? Would Erica be gunshy for a while after having reservations from the start about the operation that went bad? Unfortunately, the show took the quick and easy way out and everyone was able to brush it off with a clear conscience.
For those of you unconvinced that V is trying really hard to be the next Battlestar Galactica, how are you feeling after this week’s episode? As if casting (the excellent) Rekha Sharma weren’t enough, it was revealed that she’s really a member of the evil alien race that’s trying to destroy the humans, and she’s undercover — looking just like one of us. Sound familiar?!? Alright, I kid, but I’m seriously going be suspicious of Sharma now whenever I see her in anything else. I’m hopeful that this turn of events will mean we will get to see more of her onscreen as Agent Malik. She will definitely add something to the show.
Finally, it was nice to see Tyler get a little comeuppance. After 10 episodes of acting like a stupid, horny kid he sort of realized this week that he had been acting like a stupid, horny kid when Lisa dumped him in order to keep him safe. Unfortunately, I’m fairly certain that he will jump right back on the Lisa train after she reconnects with him. Poor Lisa doesn’t appear to have a say in the matter as Mommy Dearest had the snot beaten out of her to set her up as a “victim” of the Fifth Column to garner Tyler’s sympathy. Will Lisa be strong enough to continue protecting Tyler, or has the beat-down taught her a lesson? And what the heck is so important about Tyler?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on May 05, 2010 @ 18:47 EST5EDT
Anna really is cold blooded (haha). The strike, and her calling for a goon to break Lisa’s legs was really shocking.
Yes, this show is a really fun non-thinking show. One really can’t ask for too much here.
Tyler, boohoo, what a wimp. Disgusting.
I can’t remember, did they ever give a reason why they are not trying to out the lizards?
How I would feel after this week would have been light years brighter if it had been Grace Park as the star (from BSG). Oh well. I did like this episode and I must say, you (Bob Degon) made some good points with your review.
One thing though, and I may be the only one to spare some sympathy for Tyler. He is a seventeen-year old that was reared by a dysfuntional family. He has been kept from the truth from this family (that should have had the inititive to make a closure with the issue of parenthood far, far sooner than this). Now he is seduced and manipulated by a beautiful young siren that few grown men could resist let alone a teen-ager. He’s certainly not the most likable character, but he would have to be a stoic not to be taken in by that lovely lizard.
I don’t know Tim-1. He’s a handsome, motor cycle riding, young man raised by a tough FBI agent. He should have a little more grit. He did not find out about his father until recently, so his behaviour before then can’t be explained. I’ve said this before, I know – I’d like Vito Corleone to jump out whack him and say, “You can act like a man!”
I don’t blame him for liking Lisa so well, that makes perfect sense to me.
Yes, I know. I was not making excuses for Tyler’s behavior….I find him as annoying as anyone. But at least (at this point) he is not as obnoxious as the teenager in the original series. I was hoping to portray some extenuating circumstances that would at least give his character some benefit of the doubt.
Dorv….I am surprised they killed him (Trucco’s character) off this early. The character in this show I’ve grown the most respect for is Erica. She reminds me of a Starbuck without the swearing and piracy. Not that I did not like her, but Starbuck seemed to try too hard to convince us that she was a badass in a mans world. Erica makes the effort more seamless and convincing. They would make an awesome team.
bsgfan2003….I was curious if you had seen TOS. I think I read one of your past posts that you had. I liked it (TOS) very well. ps: My last reply (to you) was not meant to sound arrogant. yipes!
I did see the original. I think I was telling Dorv about the hybrid birth that had all the kids freaking out at school the next day. Oh to have things be so uncomplicated again!
You did not seem arrogant at all. I know you’re a sweet fella. Kiss your baby for me!
If only I’d known my old friend Tim-1 was hanging out in the V comments!
Park wouldn’t be a good fit for this show. In fact, I’m not a big fan of Sharma, on this show, but in general. She’s just too much of a … Suck up(?) here. Not working for me…
That being said, I’m really hoping for a return of Trucco, whom i rarely liked on BSG. John May is the most interesting character on the show not named Anna. Would love to see more of him.
I agree. I hope John May lives because I want Trucco back. I also agree about Sharma – why does she always play these emotionless characters? It’s not helping her likeability.
I’ve seen her smile in interviews and she totally transforms! Agree on Trucco as well.
I laughed out loud when Elizabeth from Lost said to bald Fifth Column guy, something like “just to be absolutely clear, before we destroy a ship full of Visitors, is your intel good?” Fifth Column guy nods. Cue destruction of ship and discovery that it was full of humans. Not that I’m saying it was too on the nose…
I think you’re right, this is best enjoyed if you leave your brain at the door, and assume the writers did the same.
*Noone questions why the visitors look identical to humans. Even convergent evolution couldn’t make unrelated species look absolutely identical, let alone genetically compatable.
*The Fifth Column hacked into the V broadcast, but instead of exposing the Vs as being reptilian, they used it to spread a cryptic and actually meaningless statement “John May Lives” (world says huh?)
*Noone has asked the Visitors which planet and star system they came from.
*Noone has asked the Visitors if there are other civilizations out there.
*We have Joel Gretsch as a Priest to tap into the BSG god thing. (BSG explored religion, faith, God, Angels, and the afterlife with an often moving depth and subtlety). V has a guy with a dog collar at a time when its probably not that cool to be a Catholic Priest.
*Noone has asked the Visitors if they believe there is a God, or an afterlife. Then again, if they did, they might have to also bring up evolution, and then deal with the fact the Visitors look identical to humans.
“V has a guy with a dog collar at a time when its probably not that cool to be a Catholic Priest.”
I LOL’d. I agree, plus, for a priest, I find it funny that he can’t wait to tell everybody’s secret. He let slip the fifth column stuff that ended up screwing up their intel, he partially “confessed” to the senior father in his church. Loose lips, this guy. I wouldn’t want him on my super secret team.
That and Tyler is worthless at this point, can someone please kill him and put him out of MY misery?
ManWithSword, the majority of priests are doing fine things out in the world.
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/opinion/02kristof.html
I liked this episode okay. Except I’m getting a little tired of the “scene from the middle of the show at the beginning and then jump back to earlier that day” cliche that’s been happening a lot in TV. Just let us see it all play out. I also could go either way with Sharma. But she wasn’t outed this episode. We saw her on the ship way back at the end of the first part of the season when Anna had all the sleepers up on the ship to discuss their plans.
That whole situation with Tyler, Elizabeth from Lost, and Tyler’s father also made me laugh. “Tyler’s dad whatever your name is, we can’t let him find out that you’re not his father. Oh no, Tyler found out. Look Tyler, he’s not your father, but he actually is. You see, I’m not quite sure, and we think it was a mistake. So he actually is but also isn’t your father.” “Damn you mom, I’m off to live with the V”. I think I should become one of their script writers.
Bob – I said the same thing in my review over at TV Squad, about wishing the stakes had been a little higher with the already-dead people on the shuttle. Did the writers not think we could handle it? Did they think it might be too dark for us? If this was on Fox or Syfy or HBO, would the people have been alive at the beginning of their shuttle ride? I mean, if we’re going to go there, let’s GO THERE, not putz around with it.
I think Tyler is destined to rise up and become a leader somehow, possibly with Lisa at his side, now that she has human emotions and has been slapped around by her queen mom. Anna gets the Evil Mom Award on Mother’s Day.