Even by 1983, when the original V mini-series first aired, alien invasion by none-to-friendly visitors was no new thing. Pulp stories had used it for decades, developed from the original H.G. Wells classic tale of martian invasion: War Of The Worlds, and Don Siegal had used it in 1956 as a clever commentary on Communism/McCarthyism in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. But perhaps what made V at least memorable, was its set-up as anti-fascist parable, and a number of iconic scenes that made it last long in the collective memory of those who saw it. So, 26 years later, V is back, in a ‘re-imagining’ that had its first episode premiere in the US last night.
Much like the original series, the new V starts with 28 large motherships unexpectedly hovering above the major cities of the earth. As the underside of each craft turns into a giant video screen, Anna (Morena Baccarin), the Vistors’ all too human looking commander, appears with a message of peace to the world’s population. But as the Visitors meet with world leaders and provide new medical technologies, some are suspicious, such as FBI Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), her partner Dale Maddox (Alan Tudyk), and a priest, Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch), whilst others such as Erica’s son Tyler (Logan Huffman) embrace the alien’s with hope, and ideas of romance! But when Erica comes across a group that suggests the Visitors have been here longer than they claim, and are not all that they appear to be on the surface, a resistance is formed.
Judging a series based on the first episode alone is problematic, but if the pilot of this new V is anything to go by the outlook does not look bright. With no major acting stars outside of TV sci-fi, and what looks like a limited budget, this was always going to be a workmanlike affair, but the two main problems here are characterisation and pacing. None of the main characters feels particularly real, and as a result it’s difficult to feel any sympathy for them at all. But since the story moves along at the speed of someone rapidly skipping through the chapters of a DVD, that’s not entirely surprising.
There’s no chance to take a breath and take stock, and even events that should be iconic are swiftly lost as we move on to the next moment. If your taste is to sit down, switch off, and kill some time whilst watching a bit of sci-fi, then this will probably be passable fare (- and in that sense it’s closest in nature to abc’s other recent release: Flashforward). But if you want something to think about, or even enjoy, V is a disappointment. Add to this an early narrative ‘get-out’, which means that the show even manages to side-step interesting questions about occupation and insurgency (see BSG’s season 3), and we’re really not seeing anything we haven’t already seen before.
Of-course any critique of a first episode needs to be tempered by the fact that we have yet to see any further episodes (13 have been commissioned), and for those new to the story, there may be enough here to keep you coming back for each new episode. But the series will need to improve greatly if it is to obtain a following of anything other than casual viewers, and overwrite the memory of it’s classic predecessor.
V will be screening in the UK, on the Sci-Fi Channel, in the New Year.