I was skeptical at best when ABC started advertising the premiere of “V,” which took place last night. I was a fan of the original, and caught a few of the original installments in syndication years later, before catching it on random Saturday afternoons on SyFy Channel. My thought was that ABC’s new version would be a joke, and an insult to the fantastic 1983 original. I’m pleased to say that last night’s pilot proved me to be quite wrong.
They got everything right so far. The reptilian mother ships are well conceived, and Anna, the High Commander of the Visitors, looks especially serpentine. I loved the gravity machine at the beginning, where Tyler was introduced to his temptation, the sexy snake girl holding an apple. Biblical allusions run throughout “V,” which I usually don’t like, but this isn’t being shoved down the throats of viewers. Religion is underlying, not the focus. The cast is set up beautifully, and gets to the core of every emotion. Apple puns, that’s right. If you think that joke is for old people, you’re right; Granny Smith loved it.
Rarely do I get excited about television programs, but I’m excited about this one. I will definitely be following this show, and can’t wait to see more. What worries me about it is the reaction from a lot of viewers saying it’s a blatant anti-Obama show. Our Nation gets swept up in the fervor of a bright new leader promising a better future, and, Universal Health Care. I hope the masses don’t see this as anti-Obama, but rather the contrary. The show is warning against getting swept up in hysteria regarding a new leader, and actually, practically is encouraging audiences to arm themselves in case of invasion by a race of alien reptiles seeking Universal Domination. I’d also like to remind viewers that the show was created in 1983, when Obama was 22.
A stark contrast was made between the two installments of this epic sci-fi tale, where in the 1983 version, one of the last lines spoken before the Visitors arrived was, “The market is up, I think everything is going to be O.K.” Last night’s premiere talked of terrible times around us, from economy to society, and shared the feeling that things couldn’t get worse. When the Visitors arrive, as Obama did, the masses see them as saviors, and shed caution like a layer of skin to accept their new leaders. At least, that’s the angle being played here. I was only 6 when “V” first aired, but I was old enough to know that the early Reagan years were not filled with much hope, either. “V” came two years after Reagan’s election, and had more to do with the Visitors’ sinister search and seizure of control than their snaky politics. The thought that the new version is anti-Obama is laughable. Those that share that sentiment have likely never worked to prepare a pilot for air, including pre-production, filming, pitching, casting, nor have they worked in any other realm of entertainment. Personally, I haven’t worked on a TV show, but as an aspiring writer (who has tried to pitch shows) and a stagehand of eight plus years, I have a fairly decent idea of what all would have to take place for “V” to return to “T.V.,” and can say with confidence that I’m almost positive the inception of this project took place more than a year ago when Obama was elected, and when, in fact, there wasn’t a snake in the grass, but rather a rat in the bush. I could be wrong, and the director could be a staunch Republican as well as a fan of the original show. Either way, I don’t want to get involved with the politics of this show. Go get your guns, you NRA lovers, that’s always the best way to deal with snakes; shoot them. I’m going to go join the Lawnmower Coalition.
This will be an interesting issue to watch; let’s see how far the anti-Obama theme “exposes itself” in the show. If I notice it, I’ll let you know. Until then, don’t get winning The Nobel Peace Prize confused with “We are of peace. Always.”
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