^another thing, when they kept focusing on those jellyfish while Anna & the reporter were eating fugu, I thought they were going to show her scoop one out of the tank & slurp it up. Yum!
V: "Welcome to the War" 3/30/10 - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Aragorn
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I know that. Robert Englund... Mousy, Mousy. That's what I meant by the point was to make you think about that from the original. It wasn't exactly subtle
That's why I said if they wanted to convey her cravings (like Robin in the original) they could have also gone the raw meat route. I believe she was eating raw ground hamburger in the original miniseries when she got knocked up wasn't it?
Since the V remake was announced people have wondered when a mouse/rat eating scene would occur.
Not sure if all this was last 15 mins or some took place before, but more or less.
They were looking for a way in his memories of finding something to convince his Mom to stop freaking out about him joining the Junior V's or whatever they are called, not knowing that she knows who they really are and part of the resistance.
So Anna told Tyler to go back home and tell his Mom "I'm not Dad, I'm not going to leave and abandon you, but I'm growing up and I need to do my own thing, blah blah blah."
Erica seemed like she was going to tell him who the V's really are, then he whipped out the Junior V jacket with the camera and she realized they'd find out so she kept quiet.
The vitamin injection that priest guy got is apparently bonds with human DNA at the molecular level and lets them individually tag people.
Episode ends with Anna having the 'strongest' soldiers from each ship sent to her flagship and then she walks up down sniffing them for a potential mate. She settles on one, has sex with him and impregnates herself and then she kills and eats him for nourishment.
I wonder how many eggs the lizard queen pops out anyway? She seems to think she can produce an army.
Oh yeah, I know all about Vacouver and TV, I just didn't realize V was filmed there.
I know that. Robert Englund... Mousy, Mousy. That's what I meant by the point was to make you think about that from the original. It wasn't exactly subtle
That's why I said if they wanted to convey her cravings (like Robin in the original) they could have also gone the raw meat route. I believe she was eating raw ground hamburger in the original miniseries when she got knocked up wasn't it?
Since the V remake was announced people have wondered when a mouse/rat eating scene would occur.
Um it wasn't Robert Englund... "Mousy, Mousy"
It was another actor and that was after he'd smoked some Pot with the Daniel .
and with teeth like that I would want Anna to hum a tune
I know that. Robert Englund... Mousy, Mousy. That's what I meant by the point was to make you think about that from the original. It wasn't exactly subtle
That's why I said if they wanted to convey her cravings (like Robin in the original) they could have also gone the raw meat route. I believe she was eating raw ground hamburger in the original miniseries when she got knocked up wasn't it?
Since the V remake was announced people have wondered when a mouse/rat eating scene would occur.
Um it wasn't Robert Englund... "Mousy, Mousy"
It was another actor and that was after he'd smoked some Pot with the Daniel .
and with teeth like that I would want Anna to hum a tune
Ah you're right. I think Robert Englund's character eats a mouse at one point although I could be remembering it wrong. I think he even catches a mouse when they're out in public and gets rebuked for it.
Alright, so far we've got:
Erica Evans = Juliet Parrish
Ryan Nichols = Martin/Willie
Father Jack Landry = Father Andrew Doyle from "The Final Battle"
Tyler Evans = Daniel Bernstein
Valerie Stevens = Harmony Moore (Willie's love interest)/Robin Maxwell (gave birth to a Human-Visitor hybrid)
Lisa = Brian
Anna = Diana
Chad Decker = Kristine Walsh
Marcus = Steven
Kyle Hobbes = Ham Tyler
Interestingly, there's no real equivalent to Mike Donovan, although you might wanna argue that his role was split up between Erica and Chad Decker.
Erica Evans = Juliet Parrish
Ryan Nichols = Martin/Willie
Father Jack Landry = Father Andrew Doyle from "The Final Battle"
Tyler Evans = Daniel Bernstein
Valerie Stevens = Harmony Moore (Willie's love interest)/Robin Maxwell (gave birth to a Human-Visitor hybrid)
Lisa = Brian
Anna = Diana
Chad Decker = Kristine Walsh
Marcus = Steven
Kyle Hobbes = Ham Tyler
Interestingly, there's no real equivalent to Mike Donovan, although you might wanna argue that his role was split up between Erica and Chad Decker.
Eh, I'll give it a possibly-too-generous Above Average. There's still something about it that just doesn't work for me. Maybe that a lot of the dramatic tension has been destroyed by making it crystal clear from the start that the Visitors are bad and the Fifth Column is good. Why not leave it up in the air for at least a little while, and lead us (and Erica) to wonder for instance, whether Erica is making a horrible mistake, because she really is annoyed that her liddle boy is growing up...
But at least they're solving basic problems. It's nicely fast-paced and everyone's motives are crystal clear, relatable and make sense (two common problems that kill new shows). The screenwriters didn't leave anything to chance, the way they had Father Jack actually run down the list of motivations, in case the audience didn't quite get it. This show really doesn't have faith in its audience's intelligence or attention span, not that I blame them.
But this will never be a class act like Lost. So it's a good thing they're hitting the gross-out factor with dead rodents and icky lizard sex. Gotta give people something to watch!
Really? tvbythenumbers has different figures:
But at least they're solving basic problems. It's nicely fast-paced and everyone's motives are crystal clear, relatable and make sense (two common problems that kill new shows). The screenwriters didn't leave anything to chance, the way they had Father Jack actually run down the list of motivations, in case the audience didn't quite get it. This show really doesn't have faith in its audience's intelligence or attention span, not that I blame them.
But this will never be a class act like Lost. So it's a good thing they're hitting the gross-out factor with dead rodents and icky lizard sex. Gotta give people something to watch!
Really? tvbythenumbers has different figures:
Isn't that the same rating I listed? The last episode before the hiatus had 3.1 rating(18-49 demo), last night had 2.9 rating(18-49 demo). Saying it's down just .2 is true, in that 18-49 demo, but it also doesn't show how tight a window that demographic actually is. V won it's time-slot (10PM) in 18-49 even though it dropped. I guess a lot of 18-49 year olds aren't watching the Good Wife on CBS or Parenthood on NBC.
What you linked didn't talk about the overall numbers which I got from zap2its overnight ratings and those were down pretty substantially (1.9 million less viewers)
Still these are all just overnight numbers and V probably will get a bump in the DVR recorded figures that get added to them later on as well.
I still think the show has potential, but I think ABC pretty effectively killed it with the 4 month hiatus and only showing 4 episodes (that weren't even that interesting IMO)
I didn't think .2 qualifies as dropping "quite a bit." It's 6%. Seems like a modest drop considering the hiatus could have killed the show off, which many people were expecting.
And yet another factor - does ABC need V for its fall 2010-11 season? It's probably a race between it and Flash Forward. With Flash Forward down to 1.9, V just needs to hang onto its ratings pretty well and it's probably a lock for ABC's "new sci fi show."
Number of viewers doesn't matter. Advertisers don't pay attention to that, only to the rating in the demographic. Other factors are how well a show hangs onto its lead in (over 70% of Lost's lead-in - not bad for the infamous post-Lost "deathslot") and how well it does against the competition (first in its timeslot).
And yet another factor - does ABC need V for its fall 2010-11 season? It's probably a race between it and Flash Forward. With Flash Forward down to 1.9, V just needs to hang onto its ratings pretty well and it's probably a lock for ABC's "new sci fi show."
Man, those V's have very boring mating practices! Anna lies on top of a naked man she's chosen to mate with (those guys were hot, btw), 
and a few seconds later, "Okay, I'm done. My eggs have been fertilized. Now I have to eat you!" 
and a few seconds later, "Okay, I'm done. My eggs have been fertilized. Now I have to eat you!" 
So, how long is it going to take the FBI to oh, I don't know, CHECK THE VIDEO RECORDINGS from that terrorist's house and find out that Evans was there before she was "there?" And how did 5th column guy get in there, too? That entire scene and all of the dialogue between Evans and the terrorist was completely unbelievable.
And why isn't Tyler creeped out even a little? I'm not a guy, so maybe I'm at a disadvantage here -- is the possibility of hooking up with a hot girl really THAT blinding for a teenage boy? I mean, he's acting brainwashed. Is Anna's "bliss" or whatever it is having an effect on him? Because really, you'd think he'd realize, "Wow, I'm kind of a douche, and the LEADER OF THE ALIENS and her insanely attractive daughter want me all to themselves. I wonder why?" But he never does.
Oh, one more thing, the UST between Fr. Jack and Evans is totally annoying. They should have just made him a protestant or something -- that way they could still have the faith issues and the "forbidden fruit" aspect, but eventually build on the chemistry those two have without ruining him as a character. As it is, every time they look at each other, I just wince, knowing that soon he will probably break his vows.
I voted "Average."
And why isn't Tyler creeped out even a little? I'm not a guy, so maybe I'm at a disadvantage here -- is the possibility of hooking up with a hot girl really THAT blinding for a teenage boy? I mean, he's acting brainwashed. Is Anna's "bliss" or whatever it is having an effect on him? Because really, you'd think he'd realize, "Wow, I'm kind of a douche, and the LEADER OF THE ALIENS and her insanely attractive daughter want me all to themselves. I wonder why?" But he never does.
Oh, one more thing, the UST between Fr. Jack and Evans is totally annoying. They should have just made him a protestant or something -- that way they could still have the faith issues and the "forbidden fruit" aspect, but eventually build on the chemistry those two have without ruining him as a character. As it is, every time they look at each other, I just wince, knowing that soon he will probably break his vows.
I voted "Average."
In the original series Mike Donovan's son got brainwashed by the Visitors, so they're obviously going down the same path here. I wonder if their ultimate plan is for an alien/human baby. Although considering the way some of their females look in human form, there's probably a much easier and faster way to accomplish that.
lol...For sure. "We need to brainwash you in order to have sex with us."
umm... yah. I really believe you aliens are over-thinking this.
The phrase "fifth column" comes from the Spanish Civil War. If I remember correctly, four columns of Franco's Nationalist rebels were converging on Madrid. The Fascist commander Mola also boasted (vainly) of a fifth column of traitors within the city.
The V Fifth Column is thus an extreme right wing organization? Or a band of traitors endeavoring to help the invaders? The term can't be interpreted as an in universe reference (Columns the First, Second, Third and Fourth, anyone?) The cluelessness is nicely symptomatic of the quality of the writing.
Another clue is the bizarre way that Kyle the Mercenary/Terrorist (which is by the way a stupid combination in itself,) somehow is a threat to the aliens, despite being personally quite neutral on the concept and interested only in money. One would think they'd just buy him off. In any event, for Erica's dead partner/secret alien infiltrator to leave said alien enemy's address on his hard drive, instead of just arresting the guy is abysmally stupid plotting.
Perhaps most decisive is the extraordinarily bad depiction of motives. The Fifth Column's best way to establish bona fides with the humans is telling them things. For Erica and company to wonder what the aliens want but neglect to ask their supposed alien allies is incompetent characterization.
The childish remark that "fate will find a way" to explain a human/alien hybrid is as witless as Cylons not being able to procreate without love.
Plainly, this show is below average. The only thing salvaging it is affection for actors. Joel Gretsch and Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin are the ones I like. Scott Wolf is obviously hard working but I've never seen him before and there's no reserve of warmth to build an interest or liking for a character. The TV reporter without editors or producers or network presidents, nor even pundits and ratings, just isn't believable enough to be engaging.
The V Fifth Column is thus an extreme right wing organization? Or a band of traitors endeavoring to help the invaders? The term can't be interpreted as an in universe reference (Columns the First, Second, Third and Fourth, anyone?) The cluelessness is nicely symptomatic of the quality of the writing.
Another clue is the bizarre way that Kyle the Mercenary/Terrorist (which is by the way a stupid combination in itself,) somehow is a threat to the aliens, despite being personally quite neutral on the concept and interested only in money. One would think they'd just buy him off. In any event, for Erica's dead partner/secret alien infiltrator to leave said alien enemy's address on his hard drive, instead of just arresting the guy is abysmally stupid plotting.
Perhaps most decisive is the extraordinarily bad depiction of motives. The Fifth Column's best way to establish bona fides with the humans is telling them things. For Erica and company to wonder what the aliens want but neglect to ask their supposed alien allies is incompetent characterization.
The childish remark that "fate will find a way" to explain a human/alien hybrid is as witless as Cylons not being able to procreate without love.
Plainly, this show is below average. The only thing salvaging it is affection for actors. Joel Gretsch and Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin are the ones I like. Scott Wolf is obviously hard working but I've never seen him before and there's no reserve of warmth to build an interest or liking for a character. The TV reporter without editors or producers or network presidents, nor even pundits and ratings, just isn't believable enough to be engaging.
No, they're lizards who have turned against their lizard kin. The question remains open: why are they doing this? How are they doing this - how are they capable of it? The way Anna procreates suggests a very insectoid species - they may look like lizards, but they act like ants or bees. Since when do ants and bees turn against the hive?
A smarter series, more interested in being actual sci fi, might attempt to answer that question interestingly and come up with "rules" for a hive-based insectoid species which nonetheless has qualities of individuality that we don't see in Earth-based insects, where the intelligence and behavior is collective rather than individual. But no doubt the V's will be shown to look like lizards, mate like insects, and act like bleeding heart liberal humans who are aghast at their imperialistic queen.
This show is written on autopilot. It isn't fruitful to look too deeply into any of it. At least it's now being written at a craftsmanlike level, with reasonable pacing, motivation, dramatic set-up and all that basic stuff. But interesting drama or anything approaching interesting sci fi? Hah!
Kyle is an example of sloppy writing, but I rationalize it this way: there are lots of humans the V's are leery of. There must be hundreds of thousands of people knowledgeable enough about insurgent tactics to be a threat to them. It just so happens that this Kyle guy was on their radar, via Dale, and in NYC. So they targetted him. Erica et al contacted him because the V's targetted him. As long as there's a heavy element of happenstance in Kyle's introduction to the story, I'm okay with it. He sure doesn't seem like anyone special, but life is like that.
And mercs are capable of using terrorism as a strategy if that's what they're being paid to do. No contradiction there.
I got a rationalization for that, too.
Desperation. Erica isn't stopping to think, "Ryan isn't human. How do I know what he really wants or what he's really like?" She can't afford to turn her nose up at vital allies.But Erica won't be blindsided by that later on. The show won't challenge us by having Ryan turn out to be significantly inhuman in his thinking or behavior. He'll be a boring bleeding heart liberal and that's his motivation. This is Hollywood, after all.
Ultimately, I'm in it for the actors, too. And the premise is okay - there are so few shows anymore with real live aliens in em! But the writing will never rise above the barely competent level they're now showing. Writing so often is where series fall on their faces.
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