reviewed by Charity Bishop
     

Based on a miniseries produced in the 80’s, V is an updated, more modern approach to the concept of an alien race visiting earth with dubious intentions. Though it begins on uncertain ground, as the story progresses it becomes increasingly more intense and engaging.

Everyone remembers where they were on September 11^th, 2001. But when the citizens of New York awake on a bright morning many years later, it is not to dust and falling buildings but to an enormous spaceship hovering in the skies above the city… and above major cities all across the world: Tokyo, Paris, London, and Berlin. “We are the Visitors. We come in peace” is the message broadcasted by the beautiful and exotic Anna (Morena Baccarin). The aliens have come to earth for resources and wish to make friends with all nations. Humans respond to them in different ways. Some are overjoyed, others more suspicious. Nonbelievers and believers alike flock into the churches, where the mild-mannered but concerned Father Landry (Joel Gretsch) wonders how to encourage his panicking parishioners.

FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) is a little less welcoming of the new treaties proposed by the Visitors. It seems too good to be true – universal healthcare and healing stations all across the world, cures for all major diseases, and a promise of peaceful coexistence. Other nations are embracing their technology and healing powers, but America is undecided. Its masses are divided. Young people are recruited into the V’s ambassadors of peace program and do their best to encourage participation from their friends, including Erica’s impressionable son Tyler, who hopes to impress pretty alien girl Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) of his merit. But it soon becomes apparent that the Visitors might not be ambassadors of peace after all, when a bloodied man stumbles into Father Landry’s church and warns him of impending evil. Landry and Erica both wind up at the same underground anti-Visitors meeting… and discover first-hand that their charming alien neighbors are more than capable of silencing any voices of opposition.

The Visitors are taking over and only a few courageous souls will stand against them.

The buzz about this show before its premiere was tremendous and it’s not hard to see why. V is tackling controversial material at a tempestuous time in history. Its message is “never trust blindly” and “if it’s too good to be true, there is something evil behind it.” The charming Visitors arrive and mesmerize the masses with promises of peace, prosperity and healing, but their true forms are hideous green monsters and they have no intention of allowing any of the nations of the world to opt out of their goodwill mission. Anna wastes no time in seizing control of the media. “You may ask me anything you like,” she says with a smile to a popular journalist, “but nothing that might cast us in a negative light.” She carefully calculates how to dress to make an impression, how to flirt and smile and give an impression of “submission” to all nations. Her fellow aliens recruit young people as their ambassadors to dissenting neighborhoods, encouraging them to get connected and emboldening them with a message of peace. It’s no surprise therefore that a lot of conservative bloggers and viewers sense something of a political undertone, and one liberals audiences might not appreciate. Is V something of a condemnation of Socialism, the expansion of big government, and the removal of freedom of speech? Is it a bit of a jab at the current administration and their glowing promises? Given the network involved, I rather doubt it, but there are similarities and it’s only fair to note that the original conclusion of the pilot episode was half of a popular catchphrase from a certain political campaign (“Hope” was changed to “Devotion” at the last minute for fear of political backlash).

Potential politics aside, the writing is solid and continues to improve throughout the first season. The finale in particular is impressive and takes an unexpected twist. The show dives into the manipulations of the Visitors but also explores the perils of being involved in the fight against them. While the cast are largely unknown except in smaller sci-fi circles, they turn in a beautiful range of performances. The good guys are all likable, and the villains are memorable for their dark tactics. The show is not free of problematic content but does a nice balance between science and faith. The presence of Father Landry is nice in the sense that it leaves the audience with a character they can trust. While he does question on occasion why the Visitors have arrived, he never loses his faith and remains the voice of moral reason in the midst of some troubling situations. He is anti-torture, anti-terrorism and has a nice chemistry with Erica that never strays into sexual tension. Other characters show and become part of the action, and the underlining plots range from an unexpected alien pregnancy to Anna’s daughter leaning toward human emotions – a big “no” to her kind.

While most of the episodes avoid anything too explicit, there are some mild forms of sexual content present here and there. A Visitor lives with and impregnates his girlfriend. Lisa and Tyler become intimate (they are shown undressing, embracing, and kissing on a transport). Several times, she is shown in a bra and panties – once covered with bruises after a brutal beating. Anna rewards her minions whenever they are feeling ill at ease with “Bliss,” a prayer-like reverence that descends upon them and makes them all incapable of movement. The ritual is performed in the nude, but careful lighting and distant shots prevent the audience from seeing too much. She chooses a “mate” to father her army and engages in alien sex with him – an awkward and strange ritual that is not graphic but does seem disturbing given that afterward she eats him (off screen). Language is infrequent but the occasional violence can be gruesome – humans slice open their skin to reveal they do not have green scales underneath; Visitors are dispatched and sometimes tortured in brutal ways. Gunfights, explosions, and physical combat can turn gritty, with some blood and green goo. Anna slaps her daughter so hard she falls to the ground, and orders Lisa’s legs broken to convince the humans that there has been an assault against the Visitors.

The series might not appeal to more casual sci-fi fans but does prove engaging for the faithful viewer. Whether you choose to view it as a social commentary or just good sci-fi, V is simply good fun.