"V sucked." Topic

I gave it a shot. I wanted to like it. But the writing was terrible and they tipped their hand way too soon.

Bleh. Let the nerd rage begin.

I saw that coming a mile away. I remember it from the first time around. The min-series was pretty good until the very end. Then it really, really sucked. I don't want to endure a modern version of that!

Agreed. Every implausibe, cliched, sophomoric plot element you can imagine was there. I won't watch again.

But Morena Baccarin is sooooooooo hot!

I must keep watching.

CC
TMP link

Take a hundred 1940's and 1950's movie scripts about the resistance, shred 'em, paste them together randomly and VOILA! THE NEW *IMPROVED* V!!!!!

just wait until they ruin The Prisoner next….

And I didn't even watch it.

Fear not! Freddy Kreuger (disguised as Willie) will make a cameo appearance, slash the Visitors to shreds (as has already happened to the plot), and the series will be canceled just in time for Lost to return (until it rises again on SyFy…. ;)

I actually was planning on watching it. But I forgot about it.

Oh well.

John

As an anti royalist I loved the original series for having the two lead bickering aliens called Charles and Diana

Just watched the first 45 minutes… All I can say is that's 45 minutes I'm never getting back…. I thought they couldn't do worse than the original V. Boy, was I wrong….

I liked it, the flying claymore mine was way cool.

Sorry to differ, but the new 'V' is actually pretty good. Not as campy or slow paced as the original NBC series starring Marc Singer and Jane Badger, the new improved 'V' doesn't beat around the bush on the question of the outwardly benevelent visitors, taking it for granted that they've already infiltrated humankind for years in preparation of realizing their ultimate agenda.

The original 'V' was seen as a metaphor for neo-fascism, a warning to our susceptability to conformance and blind idealism. In essence, we become our own enemy because the Visitors were able to wage psychological warfare and 'win our hearts and minds' and thereby bend us to their will (and of course, take our precious water). Ultimately, individualism, free will and the triumph of the human spirit prevailed, as they always do.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Interesting side note. Morena Baccarin wasn't the only Firefly/Serenity alumni in the pilot. Alan Tudyk also appeared, albeit short-lived.

Recorded it. Ah'll check it out when ah have time to waste ?

I didn't think it was that bad.

I just watched the original this past weekend and despite knowing the plot I thought the new version made it a bit more believable.

– The sleeper cells preparing the way makes lots of sense.
– The kid's recruitment into the Vistor Peace Corps seemed a bit more believable. The original just seemed like a tool from the start you knew he was going to go bad.
– The alien's 'gifts' were a bit more believable than the original. The original seemed a bit "ambiguous" as some unknown green technology and taking earth's waste and pollution. In the new version medical technology is offered up.

The one thing I did complain about was that they revealed a lot within only an hour. However, knowing the general plot anyways (and most veiwers probably remebmer the original anways) stretching that out would have been a waste. There was some pretty blatant parallels to current events regarding the leader not wanting hard questions being asked of the media and the "universal health care" statement.

I agree. I didn't think it was bad, and enjoyed it. The original hasn't aged well, and I'm interested to see how this goes. I liked how they already are hinting about what happens when a superior culture runs into a technologically less developed one. We'll see if the writers go with this and how they develop this idea. I prefer a bit of Science fiction with my "pew, pew!" and I hope they deliver…

Damon.

I watched it. And just by chance caught most of the original 80's pilot on SyFy just before. Best thing about it – Morena Baccarin – lord have mercy, she's hot.

The rest I thought was rushed and choppy and the writing weak. I much preferred the slower reveal of the original and the way it commented on fascism and what-not. The new one was just charging to get it all out in 1 hour.

I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it improves (and yeah I just want more Morena Baccarin…)

CmdrKiley 03 Nov 2009 9:26 p.m. PST:

There was some pretty blatant parallels to current events regarding the leader not wanting hard questions being asked of the media and the "universal health care" statement

Last time the new V was discussed, some journalist having alluded to this raised a bit of furore, as I recall (-;)

Anyway, looks like the writers have been reading up on their David Icke as well. Which isn't a bad idea in this case actually.

Regardless, don't have high expectations for this one. Who knows, maybe they're so low that I'll actually be positively surprised.

The bar was low and they still tripped over it. Really poor dialog and pacing, compounded with a bad network decision to go with a one-hour pilot over two.

This made the original V look better in comparison, cheesy as it was.

I am still trying to remember how to make the laser blast sound from the original.

Weesh-do? Viiisss-thoom?

And, no, I haven't seen the series since I was a kid. I forgot this was even on.

Good or bad at least you guys got to watch it. Our local ABC affiliate preempted it for "Tuesday Night Touchback," an interview show (a really bad interview show) with two of the Packer's offensive linemen. Instead it will be rebroadcast at 11:05 Saturday night.

Yeah. That's giving a new show a chance for 'ya.

My 10 year old son liked it. That's good enoughh for me!

The trouble is, it's not a new show. Now they're talking about remaking The Prisoner? Really?

I think the prisoner is already in the Can. i saw trailers. I thought this was a Thursday night start . I wanted to see for myself . And to see whet the new toys will be

Did Marc Singer show up?

I liked it, but was disappointed. I thought it should have been a 2 hour pilot and not 1 hour. They crammed a lot in there and glossed over some things, seeming to assume viewers were familiar with the original. The pacing was bad and there was no sense of time. Everything seemed to happen over the course of a couple days, but it could have been a couple weeks or more. I'm still not sure how much time passed.

None the less, I liked it. Morena Baccarin is really pulling off the disturbing evil yet super hot and desirable leader thing quite well. She is definitely doing better than the original Diana character's actress did, who wasn't so subtle and menacing.

The special effects of the mother ships and transports, while CG, were really well done and convincing.

Yes, Alan Tudyk's character was short lived, but if you watched the preview for next week's episode, he's around for at least one more episode.

I'll give it a few more episodes and see if things improve when they aren't trying to cram so much into one hour.

Problem 1: I hate it when every bad thing humans do is someone else's fault. Apparently terrorism and the recession are aliens' fault. That's ridiculous. Were the aliens responsible for every other war as well?

Problem 2: Unless the Visitors can somehow control the entire internet, aliens running around getting into fights and having their scales exposed would be on You-Tube in no time. The lame resistance movement should be streaming stuff onto the internet. Any survivors should be blogging their butts off about lizard people with pictures as proof.

Problem 3: What TV Tropes calls the "Fantastic Aesop". The moral of the story is "don't trust aliens if they come offering universal healthcare." Well, fine, but that doesn't say anything about ACTUAL issues.

Problem 4: I agree that Anna is doing a good job being hot/scary. But she couldn't be so lame as to come right out and say "don't ask anything negative." The reporter should have agreed, then asked his questions anyway. Then if they cut off the interview, he's got an even bigger story.

Of course it sucked. The converse was so unlikely that it could be ignored.
-Kle.

You guys are paying far too much attention to frivolous things like the script and plotting.
Morena is hotter than a pistol, and the Brian Williams clone looks like a sycophantic ass. What's not to like?

There were a couple issues, but I enjoyed it. I think it's got the potential to improve.

Hexxen, there has been exactly ONE episode so far! I thouhgt Babylon 5 sucked when I saw the first episode; it wasn't until season 2 that it really developed. Same with Enterprise; first 3 seasons were mediocre, but the last was excellent (alas…).

As for your points…

Problem 2: it has been one episode, so we really don't know what the resistance has been doing. But beyond that, if someone was streaming Youtube videos now, and claiming an alien invasion, how credible would that be?

Problem 3: this is pretty hard to get around, considering this was the theme of the original V.

It's all like Battlestar Galactica again!

Damon.

Ah, it wasn't that bad. I will watch episode 2 to see what happens. If you haven't watched it, do so and decide for yourself. Goodness knows, there really isn't that much good on TV anyway.

As to the problems, here is my lame attempt to answer them.

Problem 1: My guess is the 'Visitors' just helped along and hastened things – they exploited our ability to screw things up. The speech from the resistance dude was just an aggrandizement of things. It was propaganda for recruitment, mostly true but leaving out the bit that humans were egged on and mostly responsible.

Problem 2: This isn't Independence Day, a race mastering interstellar travel and anti-gravity probably could control the internet. Regardless, any aliens appearing on You-tube will be as believable as that balloon bay.

Problem 3: Great science fiction will comment on actual issues. This is just average TV.

Problem 4: I didn't think it was lame, plus the reporter seemed to be more of the Entertainment Tonight type of reporter then a Dan Rather. The ‘Visitors' would choose somebody they think they can control. I know they are building the character to be more then that, but currently everybody who watches him thinks he is just a talking head. He wants to be more but is now confronted with the dilemma of fame and fortune vs. doing the right thing.

Whoa, way too much analysis there for that show. Anyway, I liked it well enough.

Garand: "It's all like Battlestar Galactica again!"

Yes. But you aren't limited to only a specific number of models now.

For all we know, the Pope (who seemed to want people to embrace the Vs) could be one of them! Though I seriously doubt they would ever come out with that in the show.

CC

link

Hexxenhammer,

Thank you that link!

Oh, I guess they don't control the internet. From Wiki:

link

Conspiracy theory
According to writer David Icke, 7-foot (2.1 m) tall, blood-drinking, shape-shifting reptilian humanoids from the Alpha Draconis star system are the force behind a worldwide conspiracy directed at humanity. He claims that the reptilians maintain their control through the generation of fear and negative emotion, which is food to these entities, by manufacturing conflicts, primarily wars. He contends that most of the world's leaders are in fact related to these reptilians.[7] Icke's theories now have supporters in 47 countries and he frequently gives lectures to crowds of 2,500 or more.[8][9]

Icke draws connections between the reptilian aliens in his theories and the Annunaki depicted in Zecharia Sitchin's 12th Planet,[10] which has led to other conspiracy theorists referring to reptilian humanoids as the "Annunaki";[11] however, Sitchin himself has always described his Annunaki as purely humanoid.

LOL.

Yes. We have been among you for a very long time. Actually, we were here before you puny humans decided to walk on two legs.

We are simply coming back to take back what's ours!!!

We are the VOTH!!!

memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Voth
TMP link
TMP link

CC
TMP link

CC,

You are all ready to game some V scenarios!

t.w.

BTW, your posting must drive web-bots nuts! Following your links I ended back up here. :) Nice figures!

How CC keeps all his links straight is one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.

I thought it was pretty good … must be an easy date.

Every time I see a "Lizard Person" sculpt on TMP, I always wonder why they have boobs.
Now I know.

I have never thought about it that way before. That is an astute observation. It is also both impressive and disturbing at the same time.

For myself i sorta liked the orignial V but as far as the NEW V it SUCKED BIG TIME,NUFF SAID.

Captain Gideon

I just watched it. I didn't think it was too bad. Not great, but certainly not crap TV.
I tell you, I would rather have a few dozen more shows like this on the air rather then more "un-reality" TV and Primetime Gameshows.

Have any of the haters considered the possibility that the writers intend to veer from the exact storyline of the original and that was the reason for the quicker revealing of alien menace?

I wasn't expecting anything stunning, so was entertained.

Like Brian, I was entertained. But I didn't like the original, so my expectations were VERY low.

I find that very low initial expectations always enhance my enjoyment when I do finally see the actual product. If I expect utter crap, but it is watchable, then my expectations have been exceeded and I am pleased. If I had high expectations and it is only average, then my expectations have not been met and I am disappointed. I try to keep my expectations low for all TV shows and Historical and SciFi films.

Rob

Thomas Whitten: "CC,
You are all ready to game some V scenarios!
t.w.
BTW, your posting must drive web-bots nuts! Following your links I ended back up here. :) Nice figures!"

Hexxenhammer: "How CC keeps all his links straight is one of the greatest mysteries of the universe"

LOL. The key is to save a lot of those links on my Yahoo notepads! That way, I don't have to google for them again when I need to share them with you guys.

CC

I liked the two kids being interviewed when the Mothership turned up (going on memory, here):

"This is a real Independence Day"
"Which was a ripoff of twenty years of Alien Invasion movies".

Yay, someone has Genre Savvy! link

Unfortunately, they are probably just throw-aways and will never appear again :(

And I could tell that it wasn't set in LA like the original – no-one had anything to say about the minor tremors that preceeded the Mothership's arrival. In California, someone would have said "hey, that was a good one" rather than looking stupidly at the bouncing glass or whatever.

LOL. The key is to save a lot of those links on my Yahoo notepads! That way, I don't have to google for them again when I need to share them with you guys.

The magic is gone. :(

BCantwell, I'm sort of hoping they diverge from the original by a wide margin…

Damon.