Well, the second season of V is over and by now, if there's one thing we've learned, it's that the writers are going to drag out the prelude to invasion as long as possible. I wouldn't have a problem with that if the stuff in between plot revelations were half decent, but it isn't. The plots remain unfulfilling, the characters are boring, and the moral issues are dealt in the worst ways possible.
We're supposed to believe that Erica has somehow turned into Anna with her despicable behavior, but the writers have such a ridiculous setup that it's impossible to see it this way. Anna is pure evil, manipulating and killing her way to the top. Erica, on the other hand, wants to save billions of humans from this lizard. Can we blame her for wanting to kill Anna in the easiest way possible?
Diana getting killed is pathetic writing pure and simple. After building her up for a season and finally allowing her to leave the dank cave, she gives this speech about working with happens... and BOOM!... a tail is sticking through her chest. WTF. Why? Wasn't she supposed to be important? Guess not. Again, the writers are pulling their favorite device, shocking just to be shocking. Speaking of sensible deaths, Tyler gets eaten by Anna's next daughter who comes out of an egg conjured from thin air.
The first half of "Mother's Day" is actually pretty good. The episode moves fast and there's actually a plan to kill Anna which is being carried out. Then the writers remind us that they love the status quo and reset everything: Anna is fine and everyone is bamboozled by her.
Score: 7.8/10
Showing posts with label V. Show all posts
Showing posts with label V. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Preview of Week 3/13/11 - 3/19/11
This is a little late, but remember to set your clocks ahead an hour if you haven't already.
V
The cliffhanger from the end of last season is finally having some effect with the alien invasion on Earth's doorstep. Maybe things will finally pick up.
Criminal Minds
Now that Paget Brewster has joined a pilot, it's even more likely we won't be seeing her next season. Let's hope the second part will be as good as the first.
V
The cliffhanger from the end of last season is finally having some effect with the alien invasion on Earth's doorstep. Maybe things will finally pick up.
Criminal Minds
Now that Paget Brewster has joined a pilot, it's even more likely we won't be seeing her next season. Let's hope the second part will be as good as the first.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 9 Devil in a Blue Dress
With one episode left in the season, V has kind of picked up. The big thing this week is that Erica, the Fifth Column, Lisa, and Diana are going to overthrow Anna. The other "twist" is that the alien invasion force is here, although we saw them coming at the end of the first season, so it's not really that remarkable. By comparison, The Event's reveal about an alien invasion was much better, which is saying something since both at mediocre shows.
The main plot to sabotage the blue energy sites brings Ryan back into the fold, but it makes little sense. The whole stable vs. weaponized blue energy discussion is hardly explained, allowing the writers to twist it in any way they want. Is it that any destabilization to blue energy causes it to become weaponized? Or are there certain conditions that blue balls must have for an explosion to happen? Since no one says, Erica just assumes Ryan saved them all.
The Chad subplot was very predictable. He's a douchebag and a coward, so he does what one would expect allowing Carrie to take the fall for delivering information everyone should have. But on the plus side, at least Chad did something this week.
Score: 7.9/10
The main plot to sabotage the blue energy sites brings Ryan back into the fold, but it makes little sense. The whole stable vs. weaponized blue energy discussion is hardly explained, allowing the writers to twist it in any way they want. Is it that any destabilization to blue energy causes it to become weaponized? Or are there certain conditions that blue balls must have for an explosion to happen? Since no one says, Erica just assumes Ryan saved them all.
The Chad subplot was very predictable. He's a douchebag and a coward, so he does what one would expect allowing Carrie to take the fall for delivering information everyone should have. But on the plus side, at least Chad did something this week.
Score: 7.9/10
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 8 Uneasy Lies The Head
Seriously, does anyone even care about what the Visitors or Fifth Column are up to anymore? They're both covertly subverting each other, but nothing really comes of it. A few people die, Erica and Co. rob a bank, but at the end of the episode, things are pretty much the same.
Part of my disinterest in the plot is how dumb the "science" is. This DNA stuff is idiotic, possibly worse than the horrendous Star Trek: Voyager episode where Paris and Janeway become lizards and have babies. And what does it have to do with soul extracting? It makes zero sense.
Invisible escape pods...............
The one positive thing out of the episode is that Erica fully embraces reality, AKA Hobbes's position--and his body. Meanwhile Jack is still worrying about people getting hurt when the Visitors want to kill everyone.
Score: 6.0/10
Part of my disinterest in the plot is how dumb the "science" is. This DNA stuff is idiotic, possibly worse than the horrendous Star Trek: Voyager episode where Paris and Janeway become lizards and have babies. And what does it have to do with soul extracting? It makes zero sense.
Invisible escape pods...............
The one positive thing out of the episode is that Erica fully embraces reality, AKA Hobbes's position--and his body. Meanwhile Jack is still worrying about people getting hurt when the Visitors want to kill everyone.
Score: 6.0/10
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 7 Birth Pangs
The sad thing with "Birth Pangs" is that it's more disjointed and random than last night's Glee episode. I don't really have time to write a full review, but damn did the episode throw out a bunch of random ideas with little follow up. With three episodes left in the season, I don't even feel like watching the rest, let along review them.
Score: 7.0/10
Score: 7.0/10
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 6 Seige
The longer V goes on, the more I think the writers have no plan whatsoever. A science fiction show needs a gameplan, a clear idea of where everything is going. If you're going to create a show about invading aliens and resistance members, you need to know where things are going, and not just vague ideas, but a real framework for each character and future arcs.
We see that the writers have a good grasp on general ideas, with the Visitors ingratiating and implanting themselves into human culture, Anna's mother trapped in the dungeon, and the search for the human soul. These are good ideas--great, in fact--for any show. The details inside each episode, however, are flimsy and that's where the real weakness lies. The writers want to get on with the big ideas and often miss key components like character and plot
What the writers do with Hobbes this week is an egregious example of using a character just so the next phase of ideas can begin. Hobbes was introduced in the first season and has stuck around since then. In "Seige," he follows the Visitor's order and betrays the cause he's been fighting for. Why? For a woman the writers pull out of thin air. Logically, making a character do something extreme (aside from a 24-style mole reveal) requires ongoing character development, building up characters through backstory or memorable events. Hobbes, though, hasn't been developed at all; we know next to nothing about him except that he was a wanted mercenary, and his role in the Fifth Column hasn't exactly been distinguished (although we can say that about pretty much everyone).We can understand why Ryan would flip, seeing him in anguish over his baby several times, but why would Hobbes flip after hearing this woman's voice for a second? Since when was he this susceptible to manipulation? Where is his paranoid nature?
The positive outcome of this silliness is that Joe dies (not the dying part, but the consequence), which inflames Erica to take the fight to Erica. We'll likely see Erica struggle to find the line of acceptable behavior, but in the process, Hobbes has been diminished into nothing more than a tool to jumpstart the plot.
The stuff with Diana is getting really, really bad. The writers have absolutely no idea what to do with her. They got Jane Badler, then realize they didn't know what to do with her, so they stuck her in this dark hole to do nothing.
SLAP!!! Now all Tyler needs is full-on beating.
Score: 7.5/10
We see that the writers have a good grasp on general ideas, with the Visitors ingratiating and implanting themselves into human culture, Anna's mother trapped in the dungeon, and the search for the human soul. These are good ideas--great, in fact--for any show. The details inside each episode, however, are flimsy and that's where the real weakness lies. The writers want to get on with the big ideas and often miss key components like character and plot
What the writers do with Hobbes this week is an egregious example of using a character just so the next phase of ideas can begin. Hobbes was introduced in the first season and has stuck around since then. In "Seige," he follows the Visitor's order and betrays the cause he's been fighting for. Why? For a woman the writers pull out of thin air. Logically, making a character do something extreme (aside from a 24-style mole reveal) requires ongoing character development, building up characters through backstory or memorable events. Hobbes, though, hasn't been developed at all; we know next to nothing about him except that he was a wanted mercenary, and his role in the Fifth Column hasn't exactly been distinguished (although we can say that about pretty much everyone).We can understand why Ryan would flip, seeing him in anguish over his baby several times, but why would Hobbes flip after hearing this woman's voice for a second? Since when was he this susceptible to manipulation? Where is his paranoid nature?
The positive outcome of this silliness is that Joe dies (not the dying part, but the consequence), which inflames Erica to take the fight to Erica. We'll likely see Erica struggle to find the line of acceptable behavior, but in the process, Hobbes has been diminished into nothing more than a tool to jumpstart the plot.
The stuff with Diana is getting really, really bad. The writers have absolutely no idea what to do with her. They got Jane Badler, then realize they didn't know what to do with her, so they stuck her in this dark hole to do nothing.
SLAP!!! Now all Tyler needs is full-on beating.
Score: 7.5/10
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 5 Concordia
The main flaw in V's premise is how transparent it is. We know everything the Visitors are up to aside from the specific details of their pregnancy plan and we know what the Fifth Column is up go and their motivations. It leads to a simplistic view of the conflict. Clearly, the Visitors are evil and must be stopped, allowing for little subtlety. Lines like "The humans think they are building their future when in fact they are digging their own graves" are not only cheesy, but also extremely one-sided.
While we know exactly what Anna will plan next--more destruction of humanity--the Fifth Column runs in several moral dilemmas and it proves to be decent drama. Tyler is still an idiot, but now instead of slobbering all over the Visitors, he hangs out with his dad. Nothing too extreme happens at the end of "Concordia," (Ryan will probably talk his way out), and Anna's plan continues to plug along at a glacial pace.
Score: 8.1/10
While we know exactly what Anna will plan next--more destruction of humanity--the Fifth Column runs in several moral dilemmas and it proves to be decent drama. Tyler is still an idiot, but now instead of slobbering all over the Visitors, he hangs out with his dad. Nothing too extreme happens at the end of "Concordia," (Ryan will probably talk his way out), and Anna's plan continues to plug along at a glacial pace.
Score: 8.1/10
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 4 Unholy Alliance
Anna is taking over the world, one group at a time, the Fifth Column is doing bad things, and Erica wants them stopped, except they can be helpful. Yeah, okay, but how about something big happening? Since the beginning, V has shown both sides of the fight, and it's growing old by now. There hasn't been the huge fight that's been coming, and instead, the Vs and Erica's group are just plugging away on their own boring agendas.
"Unholy Alliance" has some bigger themes about faith and free speech, but the dialogue is so unambiguous that it doesn't require further thinking than that provided by the characters.
The writers flexed their bad writing muscle (like the soul, there really is one!) by having Tyler wreck Jack's church, reinforcing the ridiculously overdrawn cliche that all teenagers are all about sex, raw emotion, and acting on impulse. I don't want to say anything about this soul search, because it's plain silly. If Anna wants a scientific answer for the soul, why does she care what the Catholic Church says about it?
Score: 7.5/10
"Unholy Alliance" has some bigger themes about faith and free speech, but the dialogue is so unambiguous that it doesn't require further thinking than that provided by the characters.
The writers flexed their bad writing muscle (like the soul, there really is one!) by having Tyler wreck Jack's church, reinforcing the ridiculously overdrawn cliche that all teenagers are all about sex, raw emotion, and acting on impulse. I don't want to say anything about this soul search, because it's plain silly. If Anna wants a scientific answer for the soul, why does she care what the Catholic Church says about it?
Score: 7.5/10
- Viewers of The Shield would recognize Erica's new partner as Dutch, who has finally gotten recognized for his work and is in the FBI!
- The reaction to condemn anti-V speech was reminiscent of the left-wing blog and columnist outrage after the Giffords shooting.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 3 Laid Bare
I don't even know what to say about V anymore. The writers are clearly not going to allow any widespread changes happen, despite the fact that this is an alien invasion. "Laid Bare" has some visceral scenes with the torture of Malik, but it's pretty dull outside of that. Anna continues to mess with Lisa and Tyler, Chad joins the Fifth Column, and Erica discovers the Vs abducting people.
The Vs plan on liquefying every part of the human body (or something like that) until only the soul exists. Sure............ This is inconceivably bad from any point of view. If the Vs were so powerful, couldn't they alter brain chemistry? After all, there's preexisting knowledge of the brain while no one even knows if the soul exists.
Score: 8.3/10
The Vs plan on liquefying every part of the human body (or something like that) until only the soul exists. Sure............ This is inconceivably bad from any point of view. If the Vs were so powerful, couldn't they alter brain chemistry? After all, there's preexisting knowledge of the brain while no one even knows if the soul exists.
Score: 8.3/10
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 2 Serpent's Tooth
The SOUL! If you watched "Serpent's Tooth," you were bashed over and over with the concept of the soul. Out of nowhere, Anna decides to destroy human emotion via the soul, while Jack talks to Ryan about the soul and how it's not physical. It may have worked conceptually, but in the hands of V writers, it turns into a grand disaster with some of the clumsiest writing you'll find on any show, making Jane Badler turn into a silly caricature ("The soul, it's in your heart!").
Aside from the soul dialogue which will probably scar me forever, there's a decent amount of action and the episode ends with Erika in a flipped car with her V FBI partner. Chad is now a prime target for the Fifth Column, but continues to help Jack.
Score: 7.0/10
Aside from the soul dialogue which will probably scar me forever, there's a decent amount of action and the episode ends with Erika in a flipped car with her V FBI partner. Chad is now a prime target for the Fifth Column, but continues to help Jack.
Score: 7.0/10
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Review - V (2009) Season 2 Episode 1 Red Rain
Where is V going? A full blown rebellion with? Probably not. More of the Visitors being mysterious and evil while Erica and her small band rebel? Looks like it, sadly.
There were two instances during the season premiere, "Red Rain," which had me excited. First, the episode begins with the world in shames after the red sky and Erica looking for her son. I was thinking, "Cool, the Vs have caused visible harm and we can move on." Then, Tyler's face starts dissolving and I realize it's a dream. No biggie--it's still the beginning of the episode. However, it happens again. Weeks without the Vs explaining the red sky and people are protesting, getting violent, and maybe we're headed to a war between humans and Visitors. That would be cool, wouldn't it? But no, Anna gives a speech about how the Red Sky is actual helpful and the stupid humans once again jump on the bandwagon without questioning her. I know people are dumb, but come on... not everyone would collectively be that dumb.
By the end of the episode, we know that red rain has some kind of phosphorus that allows the lizards to grow, Erica had excess phosphorus when she was pregnant, and that Jane Badler is Anna's mother. So basically, nothing really happened outside of a few revelations.
Score: 8.0/10
There were two instances during the season premiere, "Red Rain," which had me excited. First, the episode begins with the world in shames after the red sky and Erica looking for her son. I was thinking, "Cool, the Vs have caused visible harm and we can move on." Then, Tyler's face starts dissolving and I realize it's a dream. No biggie--it's still the beginning of the episode. However, it happens again. Weeks without the Vs explaining the red sky and people are protesting, getting violent, and maybe we're headed to a war between humans and Visitors. That would be cool, wouldn't it? But no, Anna gives a speech about how the Red Sky is actual helpful and the stupid humans once again jump on the bandwagon without questioning her. I know people are dumb, but come on... not everyone would collectively be that dumb.
By the end of the episode, we know that red rain has some kind of phosphorus that allows the lizards to grow, Erica had excess phosphorus when she was pregnant, and that Jane Badler is Anna's mother. So basically, nothing really happened outside of a few revelations.
Score: 8.0/10
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Preview of Week 1/02/11 - 1/08/11
The Closer - TNT, Monday, January 3, 9:00pm ET
The second to last season finale of the series is here. Will there be anything to propel the show towards an endgame?
Caprica - Syfy, Tuesday, January 4, 6:00pm ET
If you feel the need to watch 5 hours of television, Syfy has your answer--a marathon burn off of Caprica.
Southland - TNT, Tuesday, January 4, 10:00pm ET
Southland is back!? We'll see how the budget cuts will effect the third season of arguably the best crime drama on television.
V - ABC, Tuesday, January 4, 10:00pm ET
ABC renewed V last year despite waning ratings. We'll see if the writers can come up with something more interesting to bring in viewers.
The second to last season finale of the series is here. Will there be anything to propel the show towards an endgame?
Caprica - Syfy, Tuesday, January 4, 6:00pm ET
If you feel the need to watch 5 hours of television, Syfy has your answer--a marathon burn off of Caprica.
Southland - TNT, Tuesday, January 4, 10:00pm ET
Southland is back!? We'll see how the budget cuts will effect the third season of arguably the best crime drama on television.
V - ABC, Tuesday, January 4, 10:00pm ET
ABC renewed V last year despite waning ratings. We'll see if the writers can come up with something more interesting to bring in viewers.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 12 Red Sky
Miraculously, ABC decided to renew V despite flagging ratings and boring episodes. My guess is that the slight improvements in two consecutive weeks was able to push the ABC executives to keep the show. Realistically there's not much hope for the show in the ratings or creatively next season. The ratings again dropped this week, and without Lost as a lead-in, it's sure to do worse.
"Red Sky" was a drawn out slog finally leading to Erica destroying most of the eggs. In the ensuing aftermath, Anna goes crazy, showing real emotional--raw anger--for perhaps the first time in the series. There's been a mystique about Anna almost holding her at a distance from the viewers, making her into something completely inhuman, because she is so cold and calculating, and she finally shows more than the planning or cold-hearted execution. She releases the "red sky" upon the world.
Ooooohhh!! Pretty colors. Other than that, lame.
Val dies after giving birth to the baby, who we still haven't seen. A death would usually mean something, but Val was such a non-factor that I didn't even blink me eye. Anna uses that to draw Ryan back into her sphere. It's kind of ridiculous how little the Visitors know about everything, even things that occur on their own ship. Erica and Hobbes regularly does Fifth Column things under their nose, and the Visitors are totally clueless. People can go on a rampage in the ship and run off without being caught. Can't technologically advanced aliens be...smart?
The season finale did provide some interesting movements that may or may not pay off. Considering what happened in the second half of this season, I'm leaning heavily towards the will not pay off category. The writers have yet to prove themselves, but I'll give them another chance.
Score: 7.5/10
"Red Sky" was a drawn out slog finally leading to Erica destroying most of the eggs. In the ensuing aftermath, Anna goes crazy, showing real emotional--raw anger--for perhaps the first time in the series. There's been a mystique about Anna almost holding her at a distance from the viewers, making her into something completely inhuman, because she is so cold and calculating, and she finally shows more than the planning or cold-hearted execution. She releases the "red sky" upon the world.
Ooooohhh!! Pretty colors. Other than that, lame.
Val dies after giving birth to the baby, who we still haven't seen. A death would usually mean something, but Val was such a non-factor that I didn't even blink me eye. Anna uses that to draw Ryan back into her sphere. It's kind of ridiculous how little the Visitors know about everything, even things that occur on their own ship. Erica and Hobbes regularly does Fifth Column things under their nose, and the Visitors are totally clueless. People can go on a rampage in the ship and run off without being caught. Can't technologically advanced aliens be...smart?
The season finale did provide some interesting movements that may or may not pay off. Considering what happened in the second half of this season, I'm leaning heavily towards the will not pay off category. The writers have yet to prove themselves, but I'll give them another chance.
Score: 7.5/10
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 11 Fruition
The season finale is next week and I can't wait until its over. The episode was setup and I'm not excited one bit how the big fight will go down next week. There's hardly anything to say about the show. There are no characters I care about, no cohesive, sustained plot.
And guess what, there's a weapon to fight the Visitors. It's an algae that hurts lizards. Way to be creative and go exactly down the generic path of the original V and War of the Worlds.
Just so I point of something positive, the difficult positions Chad and Lisa are in could work if the writers actually moved things along rather than dealing with empty words and looks.
Score: 8.0/10
And guess what, there's a weapon to fight the Visitors. It's an algae that hurts lizards. Way to be creative and go exactly down the generic path of the original V and War of the Worlds.
Just so I point of something positive, the difficult positions Chad and Lisa are in could work if the writers actually moved things along rather than dealing with empty words and looks.
Score: 8.0/10
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 10 Hearts and Minds
Are we there yet? No quite, but soon. Only two episodes left before the disappointment ends. With all of ABC's dramas facing imminent cancelation, there's been talk that ABC will keep either V or FlashForward, and while I don't think that'll happen since saving money is better than saving face, I think I'd prefer FlashForward.
The episode begins in media res--first sign of trouble. In the hands of more competent writers, it may have worked. In the hands of V writers, it failed spectacularly and served only for a quick explosion to draw random viewers in. The device is intended to leave the viewers wondering how the situation came about. But they specifically tell us exactly what happens before the "12 hours earlier." They wanted to kill Visitor "trackers" and instead kill humans. The first half of the episode then builds to the moment without telling us anything more except what trackers ago. They're special Visitors, blah blah blah...
I liked seeing the characters grapple with what they've done. Their entire cause has been marred by the fact that they are now terrorists and while they probably want to move on or grieve, they do have a larger duty to humanity, fighting for those who hate them.
Chad and Lisa continue to grapple with their identities and while Lisa has made up her mind and is being forced to lure Tyler in, Chad remains rather ambiguous in his motives and goals. I would like to call him a bastard, but he seems genuine at times.
Score: 8.0/10
The episode begins in media res--first sign of trouble. In the hands of more competent writers, it may have worked. In the hands of V writers, it failed spectacularly and served only for a quick explosion to draw random viewers in. The device is intended to leave the viewers wondering how the situation came about. But they specifically tell us exactly what happens before the "12 hours earlier." They wanted to kill Visitor "trackers" and instead kill humans. The first half of the episode then builds to the moment without telling us anything more except what trackers ago. They're special Visitors, blah blah blah...
I liked seeing the characters grapple with what they've done. Their entire cause has been marred by the fact that they are now terrorists and while they probably want to move on or grieve, they do have a larger duty to humanity, fighting for those who hate them.
Chad and Lisa continue to grapple with their identities and while Lisa has made up her mind and is being forced to lure Tyler in, Chad remains rather ambiguous in his motives and goals. I would like to call him a bastard, but he seems genuine at times.
Score: 8.0/10
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 9 Heretic's Fork
Can you believe there are only three episodes left? Less than two months ago, only four episodes had aired and there was much promise in the show. Now, with 9 episodes total, V has become a formless drama with a banal mixture of events, no of which are drawing me into the show. TNT's untitled alien drama, detailed by NY Magazine, actually sounds promising but so too did V.
The Visitors know about the hybrid so they send a "soldier" after her. He's only slightly better than the average V and isn't as destructive as I imagined (Seriously, Anna thought he was soooooo insanely strong that he would attract attention from humans.). Hobbes sends an axe into his chest, but I'm pretty sure the soldier is still alive. At the end of the episode, Valerie leaves on a train without Ryan. It looks like Val will give birth in the season finale, so she'll have to come back. As much as the original V series sucked (not the 2 miniseries), I wouldn't even mind the Star Child plot right now.
It looks like the Fifth Column may gain two notable members. Chad, for no reason other than integrity, asks Jack how he can help actively oppose the Visitors. After hearing Erica's distress over losing Tyler, Lisa tells Tyler not to join the Live Aboard program. She's slowly becoming human like the other Visitors who had close interactions with humans. I don't really care about either character, so I could care less. In fact, I don't think I care about any character.
Score: 8.4/10
The Visitors know about the hybrid so they send a "soldier" after her. He's only slightly better than the average V and isn't as destructive as I imagined (Seriously, Anna thought he was soooooo insanely strong that he would attract attention from humans.). Hobbes sends an axe into his chest, but I'm pretty sure the soldier is still alive. At the end of the episode, Valerie leaves on a train without Ryan. It looks like Val will give birth in the season finale, so she'll have to come back. As much as the original V series sucked (not the 2 miniseries), I wouldn't even mind the Star Child plot right now.
It looks like the Fifth Column may gain two notable members. Chad, for no reason other than integrity, asks Jack how he can help actively oppose the Visitors. After hearing Erica's distress over losing Tyler, Lisa tells Tyler not to join the Live Aboard program. She's slowly becoming human like the other Visitors who had close interactions with humans. I don't really care about either character, so I could care less. In fact, I don't think I care about any character.
Score: 8.4/10
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 8 We Can't Win
Either I'm going crazy or this was by far the worst episode of the series. Other than certain parts with the Visitors, I was completely uninterested with the entire episode. With the ratings still falling, the series was probably not going to get renewed already and an episode like this will only continue the drop.
Erica and the gang try to catch a Visitor, using a teacher turned frightened Fifth Column resistance member, Alex Caruso, as bait. Caruso is killed and the sniper is actually a human. Yes, the plot was that simple and boring.
Anna invites herself to a U.N. conference, but the Secretary General doesn't want her there. He makes a good point when he says that many jobs will be lost due to the Visitors. Blue energy, a seemingly renewable, clean, and efficient, power source would displace all other forms of energy. Not only would it affect the energy industry, it would also completely disrupt natural market forces and throw the world economy into disarray. However, following the Visitor's amazing save of Timbal's infrastructure, the UN votes to let Anna speak. She brings in the blue energy which everyone loves. The Secretary General is further convinced Anna is up to something. If they are just visitors, they shouldn't be playing politics by saving people and use the advantage to speak to the UN.
The two Fifth Column members that have been running the empathy tests find that Lisa fails the test. They debate what they should do next. Having her killed under Anna's instructions to kill all who fail who be a blow to the Visitors. Lisa could also be a helpful ally if she fully comes around to their side. In the end, they let her live and one of them tells Lisa that she owes him a favor in the future.
The parts I focused on were the ones that I liked. The majority of the episode was stupid.
Score: 7.0/10
Erica and the gang try to catch a Visitor, using a teacher turned frightened Fifth Column resistance member, Alex Caruso, as bait. Caruso is killed and the sniper is actually a human. Yes, the plot was that simple and boring.
Anna invites herself to a U.N. conference, but the Secretary General doesn't want her there. He makes a good point when he says that many jobs will be lost due to the Visitors. Blue energy, a seemingly renewable, clean, and efficient, power source would displace all other forms of energy. Not only would it affect the energy industry, it would also completely disrupt natural market forces and throw the world economy into disarray. However, following the Visitor's amazing save of Timbal's infrastructure, the UN votes to let Anna speak. She brings in the blue energy which everyone loves. The Secretary General is further convinced Anna is up to something. If they are just visitors, they shouldn't be playing politics by saving people and use the advantage to speak to the UN.
The two Fifth Column members that have been running the empathy tests find that Lisa fails the test. They debate what they should do next. Having her killed under Anna's instructions to kill all who fail who be a blow to the Visitors. Lisa could also be a helpful ally if she fully comes around to their side. In the end, they let her live and one of them tells Lisa that she owes him a favor in the future.
The parts I focused on were the ones that I liked. The majority of the episode was stupid.
Score: 7.0/10
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 7 John May
So what exactly is V? From all indications, V is a shapeless sci-fi show with a collection of great scenes that don't really fit together and other very stupid scenes. ABC banked on two sci-fi shows this years--FlashForward and V--both of which started great. As they went on, they began to crumble under the absence of a solid foundation. Neither show has particularly compelling characters and while the concepts are good, the producers seem to have no clue how to proceed. FlashForward is spent with people going on a pointless investigation, wondering if the future is really what they saw, and illogical actions all over the place. V is spent with people going on pointless investigations, aliens being crafty, and illogical actions all over the place. I still think V is the better show and I had banked on it, because it had more potential, having aired less episodes than FlashForward; however, as each episode ends, I am less and less inclined to believe in the show.
After all the buildup and the name of the episode as "John May," it turns out the famous hero is dead. We won't be seeing Michael Trucco again unless it's more flashbacks. Seriously? He is nothing more than a mythical rallying figure. Since we can't see what kind of following the name John May brings, and there's only been hints of how big the Fifth Column is, it's hard to see his impact, especially because he's dead. We see Ryan's origin story or meeting and then killing John May (though we never see the actual killing). He's a loyal V through and through, but meeting John slowly changes him.
The stuff with John's stepson, James, was horrendous and doesn't need any explanation. Simultaneously, a rival of Tyler for most annoying character was introduced (James) and a big deal was made about him and storage for a simple communicator.
The big secret about Tyler is that he's not Joe's son or the tests indicated that. On another note, everyone seems to be calling Joe Krycek, but I don't want to sully Krycek's good name with inferior sci-fi. Where is this going? Is Tyler half Visitor or somehow related? That would be a reason why he's no Joe's son and why the Visitor's are interested in him.
Chad is finally challenging Anna upfront about the live-in program. He sees that these people don't have a stake in the world and are rather expendable. Sadly for him, his knowledge makes him expendable as well.
There was some maternal problems this week. Anna's pregnancy turns her an odd shade of green and Valerie's baby is doing crazy things. Anna lays many eggs at the end of the episode, but Valerie finds Ryan's safe, complete with the sonogram and other documents. Ryan gives her a call and is ready to explain everything, but by the time he comes home, she has already run off.
Score: 8.5/10
After all the buildup and the name of the episode as "John May," it turns out the famous hero is dead. We won't be seeing Michael Trucco again unless it's more flashbacks. Seriously? He is nothing more than a mythical rallying figure. Since we can't see what kind of following the name John May brings, and there's only been hints of how big the Fifth Column is, it's hard to see his impact, especially because he's dead. We see Ryan's origin story or meeting and then killing John May (though we never see the actual killing). He's a loyal V through and through, but meeting John slowly changes him.
The stuff with John's stepson, James, was horrendous and doesn't need any explanation. Simultaneously, a rival of Tyler for most annoying character was introduced (James) and a big deal was made about him and storage for a simple communicator.
The big secret about Tyler is that he's not Joe's son or the tests indicated that. On another note, everyone seems to be calling Joe Krycek, but I don't want to sully Krycek's good name with inferior sci-fi. Where is this going? Is Tyler half Visitor or somehow related? That would be a reason why he's no Joe's son and why the Visitor's are interested in him.
Chad is finally challenging Anna upfront about the live-in program. He sees that these people don't have a stake in the world and are rather expendable. Sadly for him, his knowledge makes him expendable as well.
There was some maternal problems this week. Anna's pregnancy turns her an odd shade of green and Valerie's baby is doing crazy things. Anna lays many eggs at the end of the episode, but Valerie finds Ryan's safe, complete with the sonogram and other documents. Ryan gives her a call and is ready to explain everything, but by the time he comes home, she has already run off.
Score: 8.5/10
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 6 Pound of Flesh
I'm not sure I like where the series is headed in regards to the "war," but at least there's progress. Both sides inflicted casualties this week and are increasing their action. V is maintaining a degree of campiness which keeps the show fun for the most part and manages to have a fair amount of tension.
Anna's plan to wipe out the Fifth Column, a rather silly test, backfires when the guys running the test on the LA ship are actually Fifth Column members who help Ryan plant to message informing the world "John May lives." The call to arms will draw out the Fifth Column on Earth and a huge fight will ensue.
I have no clue why Hobbes was introduced, but it seems like he is there for "tactics" as if the "war" will have smart strategizing. Georgie is expendable, so Hobbes sends him up into the V ship. To save Ryan, Georgie attacks a Visitor and reveals himself to be a Fifth Columnist. In return, he is tortured.
There were continual hints about how Erica and Joe (Nicholas Lea), her ex, broke up, but no real answer. Tyler thinks he was the reason, but Joe wants to tell Tyler who he really is. So Tyler isn't just a bratty, stupid kid? Unless it's related to the Vs, and it would be stupid if it did, I have a hard time caring. Nicholas Lea is still awesome though.
Ryan brings the phosphorus home and Valerie drinks it up. There is a chilling image at the end of something writhing in the stomach. Now show us the sonogram!
Score: 8.8/10
Anna's plan to wipe out the Fifth Column, a rather silly test, backfires when the guys running the test on the LA ship are actually Fifth Column members who help Ryan plant to message informing the world "John May lives." The call to arms will draw out the Fifth Column on Earth and a huge fight will ensue.
I have no clue why Hobbes was introduced, but it seems like he is there for "tactics" as if the "war" will have smart strategizing. Georgie is expendable, so Hobbes sends him up into the V ship. To save Ryan, Georgie attacks a Visitor and reveals himself to be a Fifth Columnist. In return, he is tortured.
There were continual hints about how Erica and Joe (Nicholas Lea), her ex, broke up, but no real answer. Tyler thinks he was the reason, but Joe wants to tell Tyler who he really is. So Tyler isn't just a bratty, stupid kid? Unless it's related to the Vs, and it would be stupid if it did, I have a hard time caring. Nicholas Lea is still awesome though.
Ryan brings the phosphorus home and Valerie drinks it up. There is a chilling image at the end of something writhing in the stomach. Now show us the sonogram!
Score: 8.8/10
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Review - V (2009) Season 1 Episode 5 Welcome to the War
With only 4 episodes airing in November, it would be hard for most viewers to remember what was going on, so "Welcome to the War" reintroduced everything and set a few concrete storylines in motion. Looking back on my old scores, I may have rated the first four episodes higher than I should have. The show still feels aimless and without a clear purpose. We know what everyone wants, but there isn't much narrative drive--a necessary component if V is to survive.
Right off the bat, the episode begins with Erica being attacked in her home. From there, the episode branches out into several stories. Tyler is in the Visitor's spaceship while Anna and Lisa do something to him, because it involves Lisa's destiny. Erica frantically looks for her son only to find reassurances at every level. Erica is overjoyed when he comes back, but Tyler show her his camera-uniform with pride.
Now that the R6 in the flu vaccines are destroyed, the only distribution for the R6 is at the healing centers. Anna basically forces Chad to give a report on the healing center and has him undergo treatment for his brain aneurysm.
Valerie is only 6 weeks pregnant, but she is more hungry than she should be and the baby is already kicking. I'm guessing the alien-human hybrid will be much like the babies in the second V miniseries. At the end of the episode, she finds a mouse in a trap, and almost takes a bite before throwing it away. It seems like the lizard part is asserting power over her. Ryan goes to Dr. Leah Pearlman (Lexa Doig), a Visitor doctor who is also doing her own thing, for information about the R6. Human technology won't find anything different, but Visitor technology finds that it tags humans.
After being stabbed, Jack is taken to the V's healing center and is promptly saved. However, he dreams he has become a lizard which shows his worries and calls into question what really happened to him. We know he's been tagged, but what else was done to him?
Anna gets a boytoy to mate with, so she can create her own army. What's wrong with the aliens on the other ships?
The worst new development was the Visitor's pinning the warehouse bombing on a mercenary named Kyle Hobbes. The idea is that Anna is so afraid of him because he can create an armed force that she must remove him. What? That dingy apartment he has sure makes him seem dangerous. Erica and Ryan recruit him into their "army" using threats and telling him he can get revenge on the Visitor's for planting evidence against him. Okay...like he cares what the Visitor's think of him.
I hope the following episodes have more focus, because each concurring storyline was given a cursory brush over without going in-depth. I'm guessing the episode was done in this manner to ease viewers back into the show by reminding them of all the characters.
Score: 9.0/10
Right off the bat, the episode begins with Erica being attacked in her home. From there, the episode branches out into several stories. Tyler is in the Visitor's spaceship while Anna and Lisa do something to him, because it involves Lisa's destiny. Erica frantically looks for her son only to find reassurances at every level. Erica is overjoyed when he comes back, but Tyler show her his camera-uniform with pride.
Now that the R6 in the flu vaccines are destroyed, the only distribution for the R6 is at the healing centers. Anna basically forces Chad to give a report on the healing center and has him undergo treatment for his brain aneurysm.
Valerie is only 6 weeks pregnant, but she is more hungry than she should be and the baby is already kicking. I'm guessing the alien-human hybrid will be much like the babies in the second V miniseries. At the end of the episode, she finds a mouse in a trap, and almost takes a bite before throwing it away. It seems like the lizard part is asserting power over her. Ryan goes to Dr. Leah Pearlman (Lexa Doig), a Visitor doctor who is also doing her own thing, for information about the R6. Human technology won't find anything different, but Visitor technology finds that it tags humans.
After being stabbed, Jack is taken to the V's healing center and is promptly saved. However, he dreams he has become a lizard which shows his worries and calls into question what really happened to him. We know he's been tagged, but what else was done to him?
Anna gets a boytoy to mate with, so she can create her own army. What's wrong with the aliens on the other ships?
The worst new development was the Visitor's pinning the warehouse bombing on a mercenary named Kyle Hobbes. The idea is that Anna is so afraid of him because he can create an armed force that she must remove him. What? That dingy apartment he has sure makes him seem dangerous. Erica and Ryan recruit him into their "army" using threats and telling him he can get revenge on the Visitor's for planting evidence against him. Okay...like he cares what the Visitor's think of him.
I hope the following episodes have more focus, because each concurring storyline was given a cursory brush over without going in-depth. I'm guessing the episode was done in this manner to ease viewers back into the show by reminding them of all the characters.
Score: 9.0/10
