V: The new series. Thoughts?

[TheDeeMan]

I like that they went with something more topical. That the V's have been here putting their fiendish plot into play for years and didn't just show up. Making the world so chaotic that a savior, even if it's aliens from ouetr space, would be welcome more or less no questions (or should I say no tough questions as shown in the V's tv interview on the show) asked.

And why is it that the lead aliens act sort of "alien" and yet that young blond alien asks like a typical california girl? Someone should have had a "how to act like a V" actors meeting before shooting for more uniformed V behavior.  And I must say I miss the echo in their voices that the original series V's had.

I have hopes for this series. But even so I could see where it could all go wrong.

Anybody else like it?

Dee
 

[Desertpuma]

I watched and enjoyed it. ... The allegory of Nazism is very well hidden but is still there. There is very much a Bilderberg bit to it as well. Create an unstable chaotic place then present a savior to which all will flock.

I like that they pushed forward hard in the last quarter of the hour and revealed some of what they were planning. As for Lisa (Laura Vandervoot) being California dream girl like, consider what he actually job is: to create devotion amongst the younger set by drawing them in and she is doing a good job. They've been here long enough to know what will work to get people on their side.

2 things to note. The universal health care idea was presented & filmed in during the Presidential election tours of 2008. This is very much about blind devotion and the unwillingness of people to ask the question of why things are happening but blindly going forward like sheep being herded.

[player4]

I'm not a fan.  I actually don't like the "evil decades long" plot to destablize the world.  If you can look like a human being & want to take over the world it makes perfect sense to do that but still.  There is a quiet implication there that without alien influence we wouldn't be so screwed up (socially speaking) as a people & that annoys me.

Also everything came on wayyyyyy too fast or was just too wonky.  The love of the Visitors.  The resistance movement.  The cutting into the back of your head to prove your human.  Them being called V's.  Aliens in love with human beings.  So many of the little things just put me off hard.  This is a TV show not a mini-series, you have so many more episodes to work with so use that time to do it right.  Let's end the 8th episode with the founding of the resistance movement, not the 1st one.

Also I miss the obvious (smash you in the head obvious) nod to Nazis from the mini-series.  It's there but its... not as well done.

I'm going to give it like 3 more epi's & if it doesn't improve for me then I'm out.  Dollhouse got the same time frame from me before I removed it from my TIVO & I love Joss.

[Desertpuma]

I read an article that had them do 4 episodes and then take a break before starting up again. I think they've only filmed about 9 episodes so far.

[TheDeeMan]

Yeah, there are only 9 episodes. So everything HAD TO happen fast.

Hell, better that then Lost.

Dee

[player4]

Yeah, I hear you.  I still can't enjoy the way they blew their load all in the first epi.  First four fine, but the first one?  I swear if we learn about the Visitors predeliction to eating live food & enjoying a bit of the longpig in the 2nd epi they won't even get the other 2 out of me, I will be done right there.  There is fast for the sake of brevity & there is just plain ole bad storytelling.

[Desertpuma]

I've enjoyed Lost tremendously actually. For those who have stuck with it heading into its last year, there have been many rewards. Some people just have not been willing to stick with it through the slower parts of the series.

I'm going to give it like 3 more epi's & if it doesn't improve for me then I'm out.  Dollhouse got the same time frame from me before I removed it from my TIVO & I love Joss.

Dollhouse really picked up starting with episode 6 of Season 1. The first 5 episodes had to be done the way Fox wanted. Admittedly, the additional problem is that Eliza's supporting cast is significantly more talented than she is. The episodes that focus on the Dollhouse itself or the supporting cast members are the better episodes. Regrettably, Eliza is the weakest point of the show. Everything else, however, works perfectly fine, especially the subtext of what is actually going on.

As for V, if they had painted themselves into a corner outright, I would agree with you. But they left at least 4 things open to being explored: the V's true motives, how long they have really been here/traitors, influence & expanding on the dangers of blind devotion and the Resistance (where I would love to see it develop into a more covert version of Red Dawn/French Resistance style).

[ThunderMonkey]

I liked it.

As a writer, I thought some of the elements they introduced early on in the show were rather wonky, but it seems rather obvious that network executives love the wonk and don't read past the first 10 or pages. (I have to keep that in mind).

I do miss the rather obvious Nazi overtones from the original... but you have to admit, most of the Visitors do look like the next scariest thing out there: Wall Street executives.

I read a blog how the show was an slam against Obama and his administration, but I just didn't see that. Perhaps it's there. If anyone should be insulted, it should be Palin.

[Aldus Vertten]

Problem here is whe already know everything that there's to know, so why go slow? They need to make things new, to surprise a little bit. i enjoyed the whole conspirancy thing, and i think that wasnt in the original series.

Hated to see Alan Tudyk die so quickly. I expected him to be a visitor, and at first i was a little bit dissapointed that he wasnt... and gladly surprised when all the "they have been here for a while" was confirmed by the revelation that he was indeed a visitor.

[Desertpuma]

Having seen the preview for next week, don't count Tudyk out so easily

[ThunderMonkey]

Problem here is whe already know everything that there's to know, so why go slow? They need to make things new, to surprise a little bit. i enjoyed the whole conspirancy thing, and i think that wasnt in the original series.

Hated to see Alan Tudyk die so quickly. I expected him to be a visitor, and at first i was a little bit dissapointed that he wasnt... and gladly surprised when all the "they have been here for a while" was confirmed by the revelation that he was indeed a visitor.

I had the same thought too. Alan is totally underutilized as an actor.

[player4]

Dollhouse really picked up starting with episode 6 of Season 1. The first 5 episodes had to be done the way Fox wanted. Admittedly, the additional problem is that Eliza's supporting cast is significantly more talented than she is. The episodes that focus on the Dollhouse itself or the supporting cast members are the better episodes. Regrettably, Eliza is the weakest point of the show. Everything else, however, works perfectly fine, especially the subtext of what is actually going on.

As for V, if they had painted themselves into a corner outright, I would agree with you. But they left at least 4 things open to being explored: the V's true motives, how long they have really been here/traitors, influence & expanding on the dangers of blind devotion and the Resistance (where I would love to see it develop into a more covert version of Red Dawn/French Resistance style).

I only mention Dollhouse because it had equal amount of hype for me & had a relative (although of course opposite) problem.  Just basic enjoyable pace of storytelling. 

In Dollhouse's case it was too slow in the beginning.  If Dollhouse is great now then cool.  I'm just not interested any longer.  It relates because the first epi of V was going way to fast for me.  Again the pace is off.  My point with my statement was that I had a large amount of interest in the show & when it didn't improve I jumped off the bandwagon.  That's all & I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that the show needed defending.  I've only seen the 1st four epi's.

I hear you on the direction V can go but only like 2 out of those four things would interest me in the slightest.  That is why they came & the resistance that would fight against them. 

I'm totally not trying to be a fanboy about it, just saying that without a good play out on those 2 things I'm probably going to get bored & unhappy.  I am also a fan of Lost but like many people who watch the show we all know they didn't have a middle to that thing so thus we got Season "What the Hell?  Are we in Hell or are we just In Bruges?" or more widely known as most of season 3.  Thus I don't need it to be long & drawn out, just make use of your time wisely so it's more enjoyable (notice I didn't say coherent because everything about the first epi of V was understandable, just wayyyyyyyy too much at one time)

Problem here is whe already know everything that there's to know, so why go slow? They need to make things new, to surprise a little bit. i enjoyed the whole conspirancy thing, and i think that wasnt in the original series.

Hated to see Alan Tudyk die so quickly. I expected him to be a visitor, and at first i was a little bit dissapointed that he wasnt... and gladly surprised when all the "they have been here for a while" was confirmed by the revelation that he was indeed a visitor.

Knowing what is going to happen doesn't make reading the book over less enjoyable.  Telling the story all disjointed & way far out of pace just might though.  That's what I mean with what I was saying.

They are right on Alan, he will be in the 2nd epi but I think that's it.  He is only listed as a guest star.