V - A Brief Review

ABC's remake of the 1980's sci-fi classic, V, dominated the coveted young adult demographic last night, becoming the fall's biggest new series premiere amongst the 18 to 30-somethings (or whatever it is). But was it any good?

The original V mini-series was a pop-cultural touchstone for my generation; some 65 million viewers watched it. It was the biggest thing of its time, with good reason: V rocked! It was an excellent show - well-written, clever (if heavy-handed), and a whole lot of fun. There will never be another V for all sorts of reasons, but people my age can attest to just how massive an event the original was. Just for comparison, V won-over the adolescent and young adult set last night, but drew only 13.9 million.

V was one of those childhood obsessions which I feared seeing as an adult; I didn't know if it would stand-up or not and I didn't want the reality to ruin my memories. However, I caught the original mini-series on the Action! Channel about five years ago and was not just pleasantly surprised, I was blown-away (once again)! V remains a very entertaining piece of work to this day.

For similar reasons, I worried about the new incarnation, but I wasn't about to miss it. Once the reviews started coming in, I was cautiously optimistic - and I must admit, pleasantly surprised! I think I could have been blown-away by a two-hour premiere, but I also think ABC was, like me, reservedly optimistic. Thankfully, last night's ratings ensure V a fighting chance... something for which ABC is not well-known. (They can drop that awful, obtuse Flash Forward at any time - they could have canceled that the first night!) But is V any good?

Yes. Yes, V was actually very good. I was shocked by how much exposition they got into a one-hour primetime slot, not to mention the skill with which they did it. A two-hour premiere actually wasn't necessary. Possibly the best thing about V though is that it pulls no punches. The first mini-series event was pretty raw and violent; it embraced its sci-fi and horror elements instead of trying to hide them in the background or off-screen. In fact, that was its claim to fame! V knew it was an horrific sci-fi thriller and just walked up and did it.

The sequel mini-series was abysmal, though. That was so completely "made-for-TV" it was laughable. Gone was the blood, the horror, even the eating of rats! Instead, we got the standard space opera - it was so obviously toned-down and fashioned to appeal to a mass audience that, like all such work, it appealed to no one. I understand there was a series as well, and barely recall something to that effect, but it was nearly 10 years after the 1983 epic (or seemed to be) and so far past the franchise's peak that I missed it, and don't recall anyone ever watching it.

ABC's V cleverly laid bare the plot by carrying us into the world of the underground resistance, which stands in stark contrast to the slick, cunning, and duplicitous alien facade above. Instead of wasting three hours or more, promising us greater things to come (Eastwick, Heroes), V explodes across the screen before the first commercial break! There were times I questioned how well the show would have played-out, were I not familiar with the first mini-series - it moves that fast - but I can't evaluate this after only one viewing. Still, the show managed to present the entirety of the premise in that one hour premiere without title cards or information dumps. Kudos to them for that.

The SFX were also better than I expected. Viewers who did not experience the phenomenon the first time around (few of them were even born!) should get a kick out of the laser guns the Visitors use, assuming they are part of the new milieu and are done as well as they were before; in 1983, they were one of the most talked-about elements of the program.

I want to direct your attention to the bats on the underside of the mothership early in the program. If this was a nod to Metrodome, thanks, new V people; I'm watching. I also want to apologize to V's creator, with whom I've talked on more than one occasion. I still support your desire to bring the story to the big screen, but I told you before: this may well be the best way to make that happen! I also know the authoress who penned the novels, Ann Crispin... but I have nothing to say to, nor about, her - nothing good, nothing bad, nothing at all; and this statement is not a dig, nor does it mean anything more than what it states.

Fans of V should check out Dark Conspiracy @ The Weirding. Because V is one of the works upon which the entire game (system and setting) was based. And no one does Dark Conspiracy better than us. Nobody does tabletop RPG better than The Weirding, period.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009