I'd say about a month at one point its three weeks later and the kid is taking a tour of the ship, year right... the original, while cheesier and an obvious allegory of the Holocaust, was funner, if one can say the holocaust and fun in the same sentence. There was no suspense in this, I remember the original reveal of the aliens, I guess they new everyone knew anyways.. The pilot does smack of suits and producers that know that many shows get canned after a single ep or two that they try to cram in as much as possible. Babylon 5 could never happen in today's TV environment... it barely happened then..
V: 1x01 "Pilot" 11/3/2009 - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter jefferiestubes8
- Start date
I'd say about a month at one point its three weeks later and the kid is taking a tour of the ship, year right... the original, while cheesier and an obvious allegory of the Holocaust, was funner, if one can say the holocaust and fun in the same sentence. There was no suspense in this, I remember the original reveal of the aliens, I guess they new everyone knew anyways.. The pilot does smack of suits and producers that know that many shows get canned after a single ep or two that they try to cram in as much as possible. Babylon 5 could never happen in today's TV environment... it barely happened then..
You know what this remake makes me think? It makes me think the network was afraid to do a SCIFI show, or afraid that a SCIFI oriented series would fail, so they did everything they could to downplay the alien part of the show, and focus more on the Earthly family dramas and cop type show, I mean half the episode was them looking for C4.
Well, if you're familiar with the original mini-series you may feel that. I'm not familiar with it. What's the use of remaking the original mini-series "for the fans of it" who're already going to know everything going on and then just cram out everything in one go?
Shouldn't the goal to be to appeal to a wider audience? People who're not familiar with the mini-seires?
The reveal of the reptiles should've occured much later to have more "shock value."
I believe in the same scene where the whole, "Is there an ugly Visitor?" happens, right before that, one of the reporters states that our scientists say it's impossible that they're human like us and Ana replies with something like, "Our scientists can explain it." I do recall the reporters response being, "That's not good enough!"
I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that was tossed out there for us to hear.
The reveal that there was an evil plot and the reveal that they are reptiles should both have come much later.
The audience, us, should be believing the majority of people on Earth in the series right now, that these aliens are here to help us. We should be optimistic about them at this point. The resistance should be a rouge outfit. Then, as the show progresses, it should be questioned the V's motives, and then our loyalties switch to the resistance, whom we align with. The V's motives also have to be more than they are just evil, they have to be that they are after something. In the original it was water, what they said was a smokescreen, but in this remake they already said they came here for water and chemicals. So there is something else again that will have no impact and no shock value.
The reveal that they are reptiles should be a very shocking event, more shocking than they are evil. I don't care if you've seen the original or not, a lot of people haven't, and the fact they are reptiles could have been a shocking moment for the show, but the way it is now there was nothing to it, no impact.
The audience, us, should be believing the majority of people on Earth in the series right now, that these aliens are here to help us. We should be optimistic about them at this point. The resistance should be a rouge outfit. Then, as the show progresses, it should be questioned the V's motives, and then our loyalties switch to the resistance, whom we align with. The V's motives also have to be more than they are just evil, they have to be that they are after something. In the original it was water, what they said was a smokescreen, but in this remake they already said they came here for water and chemicals. So there is something else again that will have no impact and no shock value.
The reveal that they are reptiles should be a very shocking event, more shocking than they are evil. I don't care if you've seen the original or not, a lot of people haven't, and the fact they are reptiles could have been a shocking moment for the show, but the way it is now there was nothing to it, no impact.
I see you're point. But I don't think it's a just small cult of old "V" fans who remember this stuff. Maybe I'm showing my age, but are there really that many people out there who don't know that "V" was about evil alien lizards? That's the whole premise. Even if most people can't recite chapter and verse on the old episodes, anyone who knows anything about old tv shows knows that.
It's like expecting people to be surprised that King Kong is a giant ape, or that (gasp!) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person!
Yes.
I would say the majority of the world probably does not know that "V" was about evil alien lizards, or that "V" isn't more than just a letter of the alphabet.
It really was a niche SCIFI program, network TV or not. It probably has less of a following than Star Trek, and you know how many people are clueless about Star Trek, and it's been around longer!
V ran for 19 episodes 25 years ago (when I was 5) and was very likely a TV series my parents didn't watch. I wouldn't presume to think its plot points are engraned into our culture as much as "King Kong" has as I wasn't even aware it was remake until fairly recently.
Even it has gotten itself that much into our culture that doesn't mean you just blow your wad out in one shot. Getting there is half the fun, watching the tension build, watching these characters interact with the aliens knowing the alien's true nature! Wash's character should've been built up over several episodes and then BAM! "Holy shit! He's an alien!"
Too much was revealed too fast. Is all I am saying as an audience member unfamiliar with the original aspects of the series.
Even it has gotten itself that much into our culture that doesn't mean you just blow your wad out in one shot. Getting there is half the fun, watching the tension build, watching these characters interact with the aliens knowing the alien's true nature! Wash's character should've been built up over several episodes and then BAM! "Holy shit! He's an alien!"
Too much was revealed too fast. Is all I am saying as an audience member unfamiliar with the original aspects of the series.
also I bet there wont be a single scientist/astronomer character on the show...you know, the very type of character who should be front and center of what's actually going on. Nah, they wouldnt want the audience to think this really is a sci-fi show.
Was the original this much like "To Serve Man"?
Yes. So far it's almost exactly like the original, just faster paced.
I've never seen a single episode--but it's the premise of the whole show (retroactively, maybe). I thought it was general knowledge that V was about evil reptile aliens disguised as people. Just like I've never seen Alien Nation but I know it's about alien refugees setting up ship on earth.
Precisely, and at the risk of showing my age, I was still spitting up lunch and being mesmerized by shiny objects above the crib when V was first launched. It's just one of those things you pick up through cultural osmosis.
Then again, you never know how knowledge is really distributed outside your circle of reference. I once spoiled the ending of Cameron's Titanic to my hairdresser by mentioning how well-realized the shots of the ship sinking were. "The ship sinks at the end?"
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
I just can't believe that the motherships appeared over 29 major cities EXCEPT WASHINGTON, D.C., you know, the capital of the world's remaining superpower. What the f*** is so important about LA anyway?
I agree that too much happened in the space of an hour. If it was a two-hour premier the pacing would probably have been better. I still don't understand what started the resistance movement in the first place. A few of the characters already grate on my nerves. And everyone seemed so nonchalant that some freaking powerful aliens just landed on Earth. No one seem to remember that you shouldn't trust people who smile too much.
I agree that too much happened in the space of an hour. If it was a two-hour premier the pacing would probably have been better. I still don't understand what started the resistance movement in the first place. A few of the characters already grate on my nerves. And everyone seemed so nonchalant that some freaking powerful aliens just landed on Earth. No one seem to remember that you shouldn't trust people who smile too much.
This is pretty much where I stand too. On this board, we see all sorts of complaints about how new shows need to hit the ground running because they don't have time to get their feet 99.9% of the time. This show did that, for better or worse. Maybe the writers could've slowed things down and not had the reptile reveal until halfway into the season, but they probably saw what happened to shows with a slow burn (e.g., Invasion and Threshold) which would be enough to scare anyone away from the slow buildup approach.
I was very much surprised to see Alan Tudyk not playing a goofy likable character...it suits him.
I would think that the writers have some of their own twists lined up and ready to go, given that this is V in name only and doesn't look like it's going to follow the original except in the most basic of premises.
I'll tune in to see how it plays out.
Of course, as was pointed out, Alan Tudyk is getting work lately with both "Dollhouse" and "V," and Summer Glau will be on "Dollhouse" when it returns in December. I, too, would love to know when I can see Jewel Staite on TV again.
In closing, I must say this since no one else has yet: Here lizard, lizard, lizard!
From Us Weekly, couldn't find any larger versions:
MILF!
It was better than I tought I see now why they dropped the reverberation in the Visitors speaking pattern.
Saw it tonight; pretty terrible despite a few interesting parts.
The original was indeed fun; it was larger than life, theatrical and melodramatic. It used the nazi reference as a representation of the age-old struggle against tyranny and fascism without getting bogged down in trying to be overly relevant to the day and date - I rolled my eyes at the new one when "Universal Health Care" was mentioned in a sinister context. That's the trouble with many modern shows though; they do not know how to invoke timeless tropes and mythos, and just cram nonstop culture and political references in that will seem ridiculous and dated in 5 years.
The original was indeed fun; it was larger than life, theatrical and melodramatic. It used the nazi reference as a representation of the age-old struggle against tyranny and fascism without getting bogged down in trying to be overly relevant to the day and date - I rolled my eyes at the new one when "Universal Health Care" was mentioned in a sinister context. That's the trouble with many modern shows though; they do not know how to invoke timeless tropes and mythos, and just cram nonstop culture and political references in that will seem ridiculous and dated in 5 years.
Yep I think TPTB assumed the story was known so might as well get on with the firefights to prevent people from watching Gibbs and his NCIS team.
And it was so fast the resistance recruitment scene makes no sense. Sure some people will be scared like the Priest and want to talk but at this point how is anybody suppose to know they were reptiles? Are they conspiracy theory nuts and/or people that got into a bar fight with a lizard and then escaped assassination?
Vistors vs. Cylons?