NBC end 'The Event'; ABC vaporize 'V'

Unsurprisingly, NBC have decided to cancel their sci-fi mystery drama The Event. The show has been averaging 7.4 million viewers this season, which isn't enough to justify the cost. On a similar note to FlashForward, the show was hyped as "the next Lost" and publicity surrounding it resulted in strong ratings for the pilot (10.8m), but audience interest dropped sharply. On the surface, a 24-esque mystery thriller with aliens replacing the terrorists should have been a winner, but great concepts are only half the battle.

I'm still watching The Event on Channel 4, although I stopped reviewing it mid-season. Again like FlashForward, it started to become oddly enjoyable once the writing was on the wall, as I suspect the writers have thrown caution to the wind and started to just do whatever they can to keep your interest.

ABC have also decided to cancel alien invasion drama V after two seasons, which isn't entirely unexpected either... but more of a shame. The remake couldn't shake deep problems with the quality of its characters/actors, but I quite enjoyed the majority of season 2 (in terms of its pace and bravado), while Morena Baccarin's performance as alien queen Anna was singlehandedly worth tuning in for. Considering the potential for a far more ostentatious and exciting third season (if season 2's cliffhanger is to be taken at face value), I'm saddened we won't be seeing more of the sexy space-lizards... how about you?

'V' 2.10 - "Mother's Day"

ABC reduced their season order of V by two episodes while the show was in production, and "Mother's Day" carried the scars of a truncated story that was, at times, ruined by the need to cram missing hours of plot into a single episode. The season 2 finale entertained, because it was full of provocative moments, but mostly played out without any finesse and intelligence.

"Now that's how you kill your mother." -- Anna

The show's always had a strong theme of motherhood and family, and this finale played to that very well. The Fifth Column organized their most daring mission yet, by manipulating Anna's (Morena Baccarin) love for her daughter and heir. Future queen Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) was kidnapped to lure Anna out into the open, without her usual security, to exchange her life for that of her only child and future queen. Anna was unaware Lisa's been collaborating with Fifth Column and expected to shoot her mother dead during the exchange, until a reflection of Lisa brandishing a gun tipped her off, and gave Anna the chance to talk herself to safety by claiming to have revised her opinion of humanity. The mission was a failure and Lisa's true allegiance was exposed in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, in the mothership, Ryan (Morris Chestnut) and Joshua (Mark Hildreth) released overthrown queen Diana (Jane Badler) from her secret prison, to reclaim her throne by rallying her people towards a peaceful coexistence with mankind, until Anna pitilessly lanced her mother through the chest with her tail, ending the coup d'état. There was a seismic shift of relationships and a strong theme of replacement here: Lisa thrown into her late-grandmother's dungeon; hybrid Amy disowning and killing her father in favour of her adopted mother; and the birth of another daughter for Anna from her last surviving egg, with the newborn V wrapped in identical skin to Lisa and sent to have sex with Tyler (Logan Huffman.)

"You taught me everything I know. But you never knew half of what I know." -- Anna to Diana

Now, I approve of how much "Mother's Day" achieved in an hour, but a great deal of it felt rushed and thus lacked impact. For instance, Erica finally told her son everything about the V's (something we've been waiting ages for), but she did so over the phone in a conversation we didn’t hear, and Tyler's response wasn't properly demonstrated because he was immediately seduced by "EviLisa" and viciously killed during their post coital glow. I'm a red-blooded guy, so I can see why a naked Laura Vandervoort would be a distraction to any teenager (even if she suddenly developed a 200-yard stare), but this felt like a big moment being shortchanged because there wasn't time to give it the treatment it deserved. Tyler's just been told that the V's are evil and here to enslave humanity, but he immediately jumped into bed with one? Still, Tyler's dead, which is cause for celebration. I'm sure the writers have been itching to end that particular thread of V's storyline, as Huffman lacked the talent to make the character work. And the writers don't get off lightly, as it always felt like they never knew how to deal with Tyler -- who was always kept in the dark about the V's for illogical reasons.

"I wasn't lying when I said not all human emotion is bad. Enjoy the show." -- Anna

Diana's release after a season of buildup only resulted in a change of dress, two brief scenes, and a shock death. It struck me as a disappointing end to that particular subplot, and a slight letdown that Diana wasn't revealed to have been lying about her good intentions. They simply released Diana and killed her within minutes, which retrospectively makes Jane Badler's involvement in season 2 little more than a fun nod for fans of the original series and mature cleavage. On a similar note, Ryan's strangulation only elicited a shrug, as his character should have died in the mid-season bomb and was only kept around longer for, assumedly, an emotional moment of redemption that didn't arrive.

Still, the ending worked well as both a season cliffhanger and a potential series finale, with Erica kidnapped and taken to the underground HQ of "Project Ares" (a secret cabal of top-ranking military and government officials who believe the V's are dangerous and know they've been visiting Earth for a very long time.) The death of Jane Badler also nicely coincided with the debut of another actor from the '80s V: a goateed, haggard-looking Marc Singer, now playing the head of Ares. However, before Erica had a chance to get acquainted with her new comrades (which included her FBI bosses?!), Anna was attempting to Bliss the world's population to enslave them, unsuccessfully, until Amy demonstrated that V-human hybrids can Bliss mass populations with relative ease. The final moment, of Erica walking amidst a group of brainwashed people, noticing former-priest Jack (Joel Gretsch) staring up at his new "God" in the heavens, was a great way to get you excited for what a third season could entail... but also worked as a decent end to V, if we're left to assume the Visitors effectively won.

Overall, "Mother's Day" gave us plenty of incidents and a smattering of effective, entertaining moments. It's just a shame the majority of them weren't given enough room to breathe, as you could tell this finale needed another hour to tell its story better. But I still hope it get a miraculous third season pickup, as there's enough back-story and complexity to the show's story to really start delivering the "alien invasion" angle of V's concept, as this finale felt like the writers were making it clear the preamble is over.

Asides

• Newborn V queens are immediately ready to procreate? This flew in the face of what we've been led to believe with Lisa, who was only just coming into sexual maturity. Still, great to see what a Visitor looks like from head to claw at last, even if it makes little sense those giant grasshopper-lizards would resemble a human being just by having skin wrapped over them. They're about 7 foot tall, aren't they?
• Where did Hobbes (Charles Mesure) disappear to towards the end? Theories? Did something get lost in the need to constrict 12 episodes into 10 this year?

written by Scott Rosenbaum & Gregg Hurwitz / directed by Bryan Spicer / 15 March 2011 / ABC

'V' 2.9 - "Devil In A Blue Dress"

The penultimate episode of V's second season (which most will agree has been an improvement), was a decent stride towards the finish line. V's the kind of show where there's nothing much to discuss about the characters or subtext, but it's good fun if you lower expectations and go along for the ride.

This week, Anna (Morena Baccarin) started to build her first Blue Energy reactor in New York City, to eventually power her Concordia city project. Sidney (Bret Harrison) noted how the reactor produces too much wattage for its stated purpose, leading the Fifth Column to correctly theorize the reactors are going to power landing platforms for hundreds of V ships. A plan to sabotage the NYC reactor was therefore set in motion by Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell), with Sidney undertaking his first mission. Elsewhere, Marcus (Christopher Shyer) visited erstwhile queen Diana (Jane Badler), where he was told Anna's been exhibiting human emotions for years; Anna realized she has the ability to "bliss" humans, although it's a painful process and only works on an individual basis; Joshua's (Mark Hildreth) memories of being a Fifth Columnist finally returned; Chad (Scott Wolf) was told by Anna to have his critical co-anchor removed; and Ryan (Morris Chestnut) was ordered by Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) to prevent the sabotage of the NYC reactor, as Erica's unaware their actions will destroy everything in a 100-mile radius.

It was a shame the stakes were so high with the reactor situation, as "Devil In A Blue Dress" never convinced me it would be brave enough to have Erica's team accidentally kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Maybe if the worst case scenario had been smaller, the situation would have been more unpredictable, as here there was no doubt Ryan would shutdown the Blue Energy system. Incidentally, the special-effects for the core of the reactor were excellent; with its snaking twirls of energy and the visual of having the characters in darkness illuminated by blue flashes. An atmospheric and visually interesting moment from director Ralph Hemecker.

There was a slight feeling of events being rushed, though -- which is perhaps a residual of ABC cutting the season order by two episodes at the last-minute. It wasn't distracting, but I think certain developments this season deserved more time to build -- such as baby Amy's rapid ageing and affection for her "mother" Anna, who now seems to reciprocate her love, to Marcus's horror.

Elizabeth Mitchell was better than usual (is it because her character got laid?) and it's certainly more interesting to see principled Erica lose sight of her morality because her mind's clouded by a desire to avenge her ex-husband's death. She was only seconds away from causing a 9/11-scale atrocity! This episode actually painted the Fifth Column in a very poor light: ready and willing sabotage alien technology they don't fully understand. It's like children trying to extinguish a fire by dousing it with gasoline because.. well, that's wet like water, right?

Great to see Joshua regain his memories, even if they come out of nowhere (another victim of plot condensing?), as Lisa's been a poor substitute for his role as a human-sympathizer aboard the mothership. I was a little disappointed Marcus wasn't fiercely loyal to Diana once he discovered her presence, and switched allegiance. Instead, he's just become more suspicious of Anna because of Diana's claim she's been afflicted by emotion for years. Of course, Diana has actually embraced human emotion, which is why Anna supposedly dethroned her, so I take it Diana is using Marcus's zero tolerance of emotion against her daughter and doesn't actually share his views. But as I've mentioned a few times before, I don't trust Diana. She's written as a benevolent queen who was deposed by her ambitious daughter, but I still think she's evil with a different manifesto.

Overall, "Devil In A Blue Dress" was a decent setup for next week's season (series?) finale, which should be crammed full of confrontation, but I'm bracing myself for exasperating cliffhangers that will never be resolved. The show's ratings aren't good and ABC could be itching to replace V with something new after two flop years. The only hope is that ABC don't have many hits, so maybe they'll keep V around as familiar continuity? It kind of happened with Chuck on NBC. V's expensive to make, but could they cut the budget and still make it work on-screen? Perhaps by reducing the amount of mothership scenes with its virtual sets, or pruning the cast?

Asides

• If Tyler wasn't irritating enough, now he's been "blissed" and will be making spaced-out happy faces all the time? Oh joy. Maybe Lisa can quietly suggest he swallows one of those suicide pills.
• I do like how Anna's every parent's worst nightmare: their replacement. She has Erica's son brainwashed, but also Ryan's daughter has bonded with her.

written by Hans Tobeason / directed by Ralph Hemecker / 8 March 2011 / ABC

'V' 2.8 - "Uneasy Lies The Head"

The February "sweeps" period is over in the US, so after a few weeks where I found myself energized by V's surge of pace and reveals, "Uneasy Lies The Head" returned to dawdling, exposition-heavy normality. The amount of times the characters keep explaining or reminding each other about what's going can be ridiculous. I understand the need to help bring newcomers up to speed with events and minutiae, but each episode's "previously" recap should be enough.

This week, Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) launched her first big offensive as leader of the global Fifth Column, by attempting to sabotage Anna's (Morena Baccarin) plans for the live-aboard humans. The people aboard Anna's mothership are having their DNA harvested to create the perfect genetic mix, so Erica decides to spoil the Visitors collected DNA by introducing a live-aboard human carrying a virus. Elsewhere, Ryan (Morris Chestnut) realized Anna has ordered his execution and tries to leave the mothership, with the help of Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) and erstwhile queen Diana (Jane Badler), who knows the whereabouts of some secret escape shuttles. Convenient, that.

There wasn't much going on in this episode, particularly compared to the last few weeks. The brakes squealed and the amount of ongoing subplots have decreased. The only thing of interest was seeing Erica's start to lose her humanity in her vengeful quest to defeat the V's, while Father Jack's (Joel Gretsch) moral guidance is being deliberately ignored. And as Erica's relationship with the former priest hit turbulence, her new aggressive approach brought her closer to Johnny Bravo-alike Hobbes (Charles Mesure). After last week's blunt foreshadowing of a Hobbes/Erica love-match, they both stripped to their underwear for an unexpectedly explicit clinch. Having spent some time highlighting action and violence, is V now trying a "sex sells" approach? We can only hope this means more Vandervoort in her bra. Also note the foreshadowing of a love-triangle, with Jack picking up on the flirtatious vibe between Erica and Hobbes in their lair and looking quietly jealous.

Good to see the show remembering it introduced young scientist Sid (Bret Harrison) weeks ago, who seems intended to be a rare source of comedy. I know the future of mankind's at stake every week, but considering the intrinsic cheesiness of V it's a shame the show doesn't explore its sillier side. I guess it's hard to be intentionally funny when every storyline's driven by reacting to evil lizards and their plans to enslave humanity, but a few quips would be appreciated. Sid may deliver some levity, but there's also a danger he'll become the incongruent wiseass of the show.

There's really not much else to add. Erica's character is marginally more compelling because she's out for blood, but Mitchell still isn't bringing the goods. Her naturally sleepy-eyed look makes it feel like Erica's been sedated half the time, and I'm personally disinterested in her romance with Hobbes and his pectoral muscles. There was some intrigued with a few human Peace Ambassadors being poisoned and dying (are rogue Fifth Columnists behind this?), but that subplot was oddly introduced and didn't form the basis of anything here. Is it planned as a way to eradicate Tyler's (Logan Huffman) peers, so he's back to being as unique as we were led to believe in season 1?

There are only two episodes left of V before, in lieu of a miracle, ABC call it a day. I'm hoping for a fast, furious and exciting finish, although confirmation the season will end on a cliffhanger is frustrating. I dearly wish the US system was somehow able to get word to showrunners that their show is doomed, so they could write a fitting conclusion. Loyal fans deserve that.

Asides

• Does anyone see a family resemblance between Diana, Anna and Lisa? I mean, ANYONE?
• Nobody's aware that Ryan's daughter is now immune to Anna's bliss. I don't know if this will be something that figures into the remaining episodes, or was intended to be part of season 3, but who else thinks Ryan's daughter's DNA could be used to spread that immunity to ALL the Visitors and, effectively, remove their need to feel their queen's bliss?
• Original V star Marc Singer is set to make his debut in a few weeks, so I predict his character's behind the gruesome deaths of Peace Ambassadors.

written by Cameron Litvack & Gregg Hurwitz / directed by Jeff Woolnough / 1 March 2011 / ABC

'V' 2.7 - "Birth Pangs"

After last week's unmistakable move to invigorate V, "Birth Pangs" continued on a similarly propulsive note. The show is delivering a surprising amount of information and clarity about the Visitors and their masterplan this season, which is great to see, even if it sometimes feel like an hour of information dumps in-between action sequences. The character problems and grossly expositional dialogue persist, but it's countered by the handful of actors who elevate the material, while the focus on action and answers at least staves off boredom.

This week, Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) had to persuade the Fifth Column to accept her as Eli Cohn's chosen successor, travelling to Hong Kong to meet with her predecessors lieutenants, before investigating the mysterious Dr Rai who was involved with her pregnancy; Anna (Morena Baccarin) was aggravated that Tyler's (Logan Huffman) phosphorous levels are too low for the next stage of her interbreeding plot, so put a contingency plan into motion by ordering Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) to start a relationship with one of the 28 alternative males; captive Diana (Jane Badler) tightened her bond with granddaughter Lisa, insisting she refuse to trust anyone in the mothership; traitor Ryan (Morris Chestnut) resurfaced, having survived Eli's bomb, and discovered that Anna has accelerated the age of his hybrid daughter, as part of a plan to ensure the hatchling of her last surviving egg matures quickly if Lisa needs to be replaced; and Chad (Scott Wolf) revealed his Fifth Column allegiance to Lisa, asking her for medical information on the live-aboard humans to determine why they're being experimented on.

"Birth Pangs" also debuted the new uncompromising and aggressive attitude of Erica, which seemed to go down well with Hobbes (Charles Mesure), although Mitchell still doesn't look comfortable. It was discussed in the comments of my review last week, but I'm not sure if the actress is simply weak, or just uncomfortable with this character. There was a moment hinting a romance with Hobbes could be on the cards (as TV characters of opposite gender can't lie next to each other without giving off signals), so maybe that will stir some life into Mitchell. I still have good memories of her performance in Lost, so it's very confusing that she looks so awkward in this show.

The dehumanizing of Tyler (symbolically having his hair shaved off), worked well. The character's such a bore that turning him into a jarhead, brainwashed V devotee is a wise move, and I like the suggestion he's becoming more like a Visitor with every passing day. Tyler's even opted not to grieve for his dead father, but instead throw himself into flight training, which spares Huffman some acting. There are only two big issues with his character now: (a) it's impossible to see why Lisa cares for Tyler so much, as there's zero chemistry between them, and (b) the show still hasn't explained why Erica doesn't just tell Tyler the truth about the Visitors. If Erica revealed what she knows and her son went into hiding, Anna would simply turn her attention to one of the "alternatives" for her daughter to sleep with, so surely that's an option now.

I also liked how both Tyler and Lisa were revealed to be expendable in Anna's eyes, which puts them both on very shaky ground. Seeing Lisa standup to her mother (refusing to cheat on Tyler and slapping Anna across the face) was also a great scene that gave Lisa more a backbone. She also proved to be rather smart by avoiding Joshua's (Mark Hildreth) trap, when he pretended to have regained his memory of being a Fifth Columnist in an effort to obtain an incriminating reaction from her. Some of this is down to the guidance she's receiving from granny Diana in her dungeon, who aroused my suspicions in this episode. We're being led to believe Diana's a benevolent queen who was ousted by her ambitious daughter, but I'm not so sure. There are too many scenes where Diana gives the camera a devious, villainous stare. I have a feeling that if Diana is released, she'll be an equal threat to humanity, but would just approach the problem from a different angle. The only difference between Diana and Anna might be that the former is pro-emotion, so wouldn't be wasting her time trying to eradicate the human soul. If so, Lisa may regret helping her grandmother escape to regain her throne, which must surely happen before the season's over.

Overall, "Birth Pangs" managed to push the mytharc along very well, and it really helps having a good idea what the Visitors are up to now. Anna's masterplan, with the 29 motherships hovering over cities that each contain a genetically-modified human mate for Lisa to breed with, doesn't make total sense, but it's the kind of pulp sci-fi you can accept. The original '80s series was all about eating humans and stealing Earth's water, so this remake's genetic manipulation and interbreeding is far more interesting and intelligent scheme. It's just a shame V's ratings remain so low, putting the likelihood of a third season in serious doubt, because this year's been a definite improvement and I'd like to see how things develop.

Asides

• What was up with the heavy use of sunglasses in Hong Kong? Was it really that sunny? Wouldn't it have been a good idea for Erica and Hobbes to show the Fifth Column their eyes, if you're trying to gain their trust?
• The special effects for the suicide of Dr Rai was really good, as she jumped off that skyscraper and disintegrated in freefall. A genuine stunt, mixed with CGI. Impressive.
• Tyler's suddenly unsuitable for interbreeding because of an immunity to phosphorous? Ryan's daughter can no longer be affected by the pain Anna inflicted on her, which could only be soothed with her bliss? Both are changes that happened because otherwise the writers will encounter dead-ends, but it still caused some eye-rolling from me.

written by Cathryn Humphris / directed by David Barrett / 22 February 2011 / ABC

'V' 2.6 - "Siege"

Last week found V tackling the archetypal "assassination" plot, and this week it cleaves close to the archetypal "siege" plot. So, no points for originality, and the characters still aren't inherently rousing, but the show's forward-momentum, action and drama has definitely ballooned in recent weeks. I had a great deal of fun watching "Siege" unfold, and was pleased to see it end with more surprises that, again, left me anxiously anticipating the next episode.

This week, Anna (Morena Baccarin) vowed to destroy the Fifth Column in the wake of the attempt on her aide Marcus' (Christopher Shyer) life, ordering Ryan (Morris Chestnut) to assassinate their leader Eli Cohn (Oded Fehr) in retaliation. However, after Ryan is captured by Eli's security team shortly after invading his townhouse HQ, the situation worsens after Anna gives the FBI an anonymous tipoff about Eli's whereabouts; a move that's problematic for Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell), who has arrived to speak with traitor Ryan, forcing her into pretending to have been taken hostage by Eli's terrorists. In the V mothership, Anna, sensing an opportunity to eliminate both of Tyler's (Logan Huffman) parents in one fell swoop, quickly manipulated Erica's ex-husband Joe (Nicholas Lea) into the volatile situation. Elsewhere, Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) was laicized from the church for his anti-V preaching that goes against the Vatican, and Hobbes (Charles Mesure) found himself blackmailed into helping the V's bring the standoff to an explosive end.

Forgiving the habitually weak dialogue, "Siege" was V's most successful episode in a very long time, which was particularly surprising because the involvement of scene-stealer Anna was more limited. Having the episode focus on one particular situation gave the story a sharpness that's sometimes missing from this series, and writer Dean Widenmann used this scenario to kick the show's simmering storylines into top gear. Ryan's treachery was finally exposed, the FBI dropped their internal investigation into Erica's affairs (swallowing her fake hostage ploy), the show tardily remembered that Hobbes is also under Anna's thumb because the V's have his presumed-dead lover (a plot-point from season 1's finale I was beginning to think had been ditched), and the show breathed new life into its setup by killing Eli (after he relinquished control of the Fifth Column to Erica), Ryan (who leaves his daughter an orphan), and Joe (who got caught in a crossfire with the FBI and Eli's men.)

That latter development is the catalyst for Erica taking a tougher stance, as she announced her intention to go on the offensive against Anna (inheriting some of predecessor Eli's attitude), and her son Tyler decided to go live aboard the mothership. That painted Tyler in a particular poor light (your dad's killed and you immediately leave your grieving mother to move in with your girlfriend?), but my patience with Tyler is at such a low ebb that I'm just grateful his actions appear to have kicked Erica into a more proactive mindset.

Jack's also escaped his restricting role as a priest, to embrace his background as a soldier, while Hobbes has essentially replaced Ryan as Anna's mole in the Fifth Column. I just hope his storyline won't be largely the same, which is perhaps why they decided to ignore it for so long while they concentrated on Ryan's deceitfulness. There was also the moment when Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) rather comically noticed her mother emerging from the secret floor portal to Diana's (Jane Badler) oubliette, before venturing down herself and meeting the grandmother she's never met before. It seems likely Lisa will try to free her grandmother, considering they share a common enemy, which perhaps means Diana has become the new Joshua (someone on the mothership that Lisa can take advice and leadership from.)

Overall, "Siege" was a surprising amount of fun that brought some storylines to an effective end, while simultaneously rejuvenating the show in many ways. In light of Joe's death, Erica now has an emotional reason to expose the V's for what they are, which will hopefully help Elizabeth Mitchell bring added hardiness to her performance.

What's the general feeling about V right now? After a slightly rocky start this season, I think it's developed rather nicely and is managing to offset some of its dull characterizations and dodgy dialogue with a frantic pace and decent action. Is this another example of a sci-fi drama, like Dollhouse, that's beginning to hit a groove partly because the writers sense the writing's on the wall?

Asides

• Season 2 of V was originally scheduled to air 12 episodes, which means "Siege" was intended to be the mid-year climax that refocuses the show for its final half. That was certainly achieved. Of course, ABC reduced the season to 10 episodes, so I'm predicting the final episodes will be furiously paced, if they've had to condense six hours into four.
• Considering that last week's episode had Anna insisting that Tyler isn't actually vital to their mission, was anyone else confused he was back to being a prized component of Anna's plan this week? Maybe I'm just bitter that V's chosen to avoid a great opportunity to remove Tyler from the series. The show's admittedly in a tough position: the character is clearly an important one, but the actor has none of the qualities necessary to make Tyler work.

written by Dean Widenmann / directed by John Behring / 15 February 2011 / ABC

'V' 2.5 - "Concordia"

There's no point restating my same points every week. You know where I stand on season 2 by now: improved pace, clearer motivations, more answers, awkward dialogue, and mostly weak characters. "Concordia" was the best episode of the sophomore season, acting as the halfway marker of this ten-part run. I wonder if showrunner Scott Rosenbaum went into this year expecting cancellation (which it still very likely), because V's storyline is moving so quickly it could feasibly conclude in another five weeks. That said, it's already been revealed V's finale will involve a huge cliffhanger, so maybe not.

This week, Anna (Morena Baccarin) presented the world with another gift for humanity: a worldwide network of revolutionary cities populated by humans and V's, living together in harmony, full of healing centres and technological training services. Of course, the real plan is to use the cities as landing platforms for cloaked V ships, which will secretly perch themselves on the four-pronged skyscrapers of each city to harvest crossbred children from the inhabitants. An audacious plan, although I'm not sure how exactly it would work without arousing suspicions in the city folk. Maybe Concordia's part of the final phase, where the V's will reveal their true intentions and enslave the populace as baby-makers -- but what about all the billions who won't be living in Concordia cities? Still, I'm enjoying how this show is embracing the pulp sci-fi craziness of space-lizards aiming to become our overlords.

The struggle over the heart and mind of Tyler (Logan Huffman) continued apace, with Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) deciding to bring ex-husband Joe (Nicholas Lea) into her circle of trust and break Anna's influence on their son now he's turned 18 and can legally do whatever he likes. Tyler's given the chance to ride his father's bike on a two-month cross-country trip of self-discovery, which appears to do the trick and will give their son a chance to clear his head of the V's, until Anna heard of the Evans' plan and countered it with an offer to make Tyler the first ever human pilot of a V shuttle, to undergo immediate training.

What was interesting about this storyline is how it seemed to be working towards making Tyler less prominent and important in the show, probably because the writers realize that Tyler and Huffman's performance is a big weakness. I'm hopeful that Tyler will disappear on his cross-country bike ride for awhile, and Anna mentions that Tyler isn't even crucial to her plan -- he's just one of many human babies they've made genetically compatible with future queen Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), and Tyler was only "important" because she chose him as her mate. If V does indeed nudge Tyler out of the picture, it's unfortunate because the purpose of his character is a big part of V (the human face of the struggle between Erica and Anna), but it may be a necessary because Tyler's such an irritating drain whenever he's around. It would have helped if Tyler wasn't oblivious to what's going on, as he consequently comes across as an incredibly naïve idiot, whose loyalty can be won with impressive birthday presents.

The real meat of "Concordia" revolved around the Fifth Column's most daring attack yet, with Ryan (Morris Chestnut) getting the support of terrorist leader Eli Cohn (Oded Fehr) to assassinate Anna at a gala, using Erica's position as the FBI's head of security to give them access to the event. Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) distracted the FBI with an organized mob of anti-V protesters, allowing Hobbes (Charles Mesure) and Eli into the building to setup snipers, only for Ryan to again turn traitor and warn Anna's aide Marcus (Christopher Shyer) of the looming danger, in order to keep his daughter safe. Although you have to wonder why Ryan wouldn't want the hit to go ahead, as eliminating Anna surely solves his problem -- or would heir Lisa be unable to "bliss" Ryan's daughter? Is that a queenly skill that comes with maturity?

"Concordia" leaves us with some sizeable developments to chew on: Marcus took the bullet that was meant for Anna and may not recover, which means a minion called Thomas will replace him; Tyler could soon be taken out of play for awhile, meaning Lisa will assumedly have to start dating someone else at her mother's behest; it looks like Joe may be sticking around, in an attempt to revitalize Erica's character (are they hoping for some chemistry, a la Mitchell and Josh Holloway in Lost?); Ryan seems to have decided to stay loyal to Anna from now on; the FBI are finally beginning to realize their woes revolve around Erica, who's about to be investigated; and Hobbes realized the only person who could have sabotaged the night's assassination was Ryan.

Overall, "Concordia" still suffered from maladroit scenes and dialogue where the characters explain what's going on to each other, but it also delivered appreciable explanation about Anna's plan for mankind, and the final assassination sequence contained moments of genuine drama and suspense. I really enjoyed this episode and hope the final five hours keep things rolling.

Asides

• It's a superficial thing, I know, but it was nice to see macho Erica in an elegant evening gown for a change, and Anna finally decided to change her blue-grey dress for something red and revealing.
• Lisa hasn't really been given much to do this season, which is a shame. Her character unfortunately tends to rely on what Tyler's up to, but I hope his potential absence will free her up.

written by David Rambo / directed by Jesse Warn / 8 February 2011 / ABC

'V', 2.4 - "Unholy Alliance"

We're only four episodes into V's second season, but it feels like the show's been back much longer. Is that a good sign, because these four hours have crammed so much material in? Or a bad sign, because things feel like they're dragging? It's definitely the former, actually. The writers have amped up the pace this year, with a dizzying amount of information being delivered, which is helping distract you from the (mostly) dull characters imparting it.

In "Unholy Alliance", three Peace Ambassadors were viciously murdered by a radical faction of the Fifth Column, prompting Erica's (Elizabeth Mitchell) resistance cell to find the faction's leader Eli Cohn (Oded Fehr) and persuade him to stop his hard line tactics that endanger innocent lives. Erica also got a new partner in Chris Bolling (Jay Karnes), an old friend she went through FBI training with, who got a hunch that Father Jack's (Joel Gretsch) involved with terrorists. Meanwhile, Anna (Morena Baccarin) travelled to the Vatican City to persuade the Catholic church to give her people their official support and condemn violence against the Visitors, or risk her using "miraculous" technology to convert a billion Catholics to her own cause. Elsewhere, Tyler (Logan Huffman) reacted badly to news of more anti-V suicide bombings and helped vandalize Father Jack's church, and Ryan (Morris Chestnut) was again manipulated into doing Anna's dirty work to keep his baby daughter safe.

The abiding memory of "Unholy Alliance" is seeing V tackle the issue of religion more overtly than ever. It's not intelligent enough to do a astonishingly complex job, but you have to admire its bravery in daring to broach the subject . Most alien invasion stories allude to the spiritual questions that must arise when extra-terrestrials are discovered, but you rarely see the aliens blackmail the Church into giving them their support. It's an idea that could have been even braver (was The Pope busy?), but it makes sense that Anna would want a billion Catholics obliged to treat her people with absolute respect. Also fun to see Anna learn more about the human soul, when she's told it's immortal and cannot be destroyed, leading to a moment when an undercover V still loyal to her mother (Jane Badler) claims the V's should be embracing what humanity has to offer their species. This also acted as proof that Anna's mother was a more revolutionary Queen who was ousted from her position by her intolerant daughter, and not an equally malicious matriarch deposed by her jealous child.

Giving Erica a new FBI partner feels like a good step, particularly when it was revealed Bolling's actually been recruited by Erica's suspicious boss, and is going to be gathering evidence that she's up to no good. I doubt Erica's cover is going to be blown anytime soon (the show needs to have someone in her position of authority), so it's likely Bolling will come to share her anti-V sentiments and feed her boss comforting lies. Or will the show take things down a less predictable path; maybe with Erica being forced to kill her friend to guarantee his silence once he realizes what's going on?

The introduction of Cohn could be interesting, as we learn his own pregnant wife was experimented on by the V's as Erica was, and he's a character with an extremist view on terrorism and what it'll take to defeat the V's. I'm not convinced the whole idea of Peace Ambassadors (an allegory for the Hitler Youth) has worked the way it was intended, as the members are all clearly innocent young people who have no reason to fear the V's. It would be more interesting to me if the V's asked their human Ambassadors to do dubious things "for the greater good", to at least make them responsible for bad things that give Cohn's group a stronger reason to want them dead. As it stands, they're just naïve dupes, and it's hard to see why Cohn's group bother targeting brainwashed victims.

Overall, "Unholy Alliance" was much like every other episode of V this year: a surprising amount of stuff happened, it was fast and fairly entertaining, but the expositional dialogue and dreary characters are a big weakness (with the obvious exception of Morena Baccarin, who remains marvelous.) I actually feel sorry for showrunner Scott Rosenbaum, who inherited certain things from his predecessor it's unfeasible to change (like Logan Huffman), because if V could somehow recast 80% of its actors the show would be improved immensely. The fact is, if there are scenes that rely on the human characters interacting on a personal level, V's a washout. They're just not interesting characters, and most look extremely bored. Mitchell relies on her signature close-lipped smile so often it's becoming comical.

Asides

• I have to admit, I'm interested to hear the explanation of what the V's were doing 20 years ago on Earth. They were being led by Queen Diana at that point, who was apparently placing V's on the planet in undercover roles to report on humanity, while experimenting on selected pregnant women so their children would have chunks of their DNA missing (thus easily replaceable with alien DNA.) I suspect Diana came to realize her species' plan to breed with mankind (in secret?) wasn't going to work, and then her ambitious daughter Anna saw her softening attitude as weakness and took over, with a new plan that took 15 years to perfect?
• I had to laugh at the scene where Anna's shuttle, unannounced, rapidly descended from the sky and almost flattened hundreds of Vatican City tourists, who nevertheless gathered to applaud her exit from the craft. Hilarious.
• Why is Chad Decker the world's most famous news anchorman? He reads an autocue with all the charisma of a hip geography teacher.
• The face-skin of Agent Malik was a surprisingly horrific visual. V's been doing a lot of gruesome stuff this year, probably to lure some teenagers in. Just be grateful we didn't see Malik's body being dissolved in that bath of acid. Or are you upset we didn't? You sick puppy, you.
• This episode was written by Rockne S. O'Bannon, the creator of Alien Nation, which was a TV series from the '80s about visitors from outer space trying to exist alongside humanity and facing prejudice. He must love that stuff.

WRITER: Rockne S. O'Bannon
DIRECTOR: Dean White
TRANSMISSION: 1 February 2011, ABC, 9/8c

'V' 2.3 - "Laid Bare"

I can't deny V's doing a better job with pacing, action, and sense of forward momentum this season. Those are improvements the show desperately needed and the writers have delivered them. There's barely a five minute window before something visually stimulating happens (explosions, torture, car crashes, CGI tails, Jane Badler's cleavage), but unfortunately V's still missing one key ingredient: gripping characters you actually care about and want to watch. The fact the people on-screen are mostly nonentities who exist to deliver exposition and nudge the plot along to the next inciting tent-pole is a weakness I can't see V overcoming. I like maybe four of the regulars (Morena Baccarin, Laura Vandervoort, Mark Hildreth, Morris Chestnut), while the rest could die shocking deaths and I'd probably punch the air.

"Laid Back" offered another tangle of storylines: Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) fought with alien Agent Malik (Rekha Sharma) following last week's car crash, eventually gaining the upper hand and taking Malik to the resistance hideout for interrogation; Anna (Baccarin) asked Chad (Scott Wolf) to give Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) a media outlet so his anti-V dogma can be aired, only to manipulate events to paint the priest as a bigoted, violent hypocrite; Lisa (Vandervoort) realized her body's going through changes as she reaches maturity, while being brainwashed by her mother into becoming a callous dictator; Ryan (Chestnut) was blackmailed by Anna into reporting details of the Fifth Column to her, in order to keep his baby daughter safe; and Malik was cruelly skinned to extract information about a runaway girl the V's are going to kidnap for experimentation.

I approve of the direction V's taking and the fact it's less ambiguous and easier to understand motivations and points of view, but I still don't feel connected to most of the characters. In fact, quite a few can be exasperatingly inept or naïve -- best exemplified here with Father Jack blindly walking into what was clearly going to be a trap, despite Chad warning him Anna would have ulterior motives for allowing him to speak freely. But there are flashes of subtle inspiration, such as the way Erica's becoming maternal towards her enemy's daughter (turning her more human), while Anna is likewise becoming a mother figure for Erica's son (turning him more alien).

This episode was rather uncomfortably violent, though. While there's a distancing effect to screen brutality when it involves fictional elements like aliens, "Laid Bare" was still delivering scenes of someone having flesh torn off their back. When you think about it, that's a more extreme torture than anything 24 served audiences over seven seasons, and I'm not sure the fact Malik's only an alien-lizard excuses it. I get the feeling the writers are trying to make V more shocking to draw in an older teenage crowd who, they assume, didn't watch last year because it wasn't nasty enough. Is that the way to go?

Asides

• Does anyone else feel awkward when characters almost retch when they realize the V's are green reptiles beneath their human skin, whenever Ryan's in the room? Why does Ryan never say anything when his people's appearance is being insulted?
• It's revealed that Tyler's (Logan Huffman) DNA has been scraped of half its structure by the V's, making him genetically as empty as his personality. Someone tell him he's dating a space lizard now, please. There's no reason not to, if his girlfriend and mother are in cahoots.
• Remember season 1's finale, when Hobbes (Charles Mesure) was seen being blackmailed by Marcus (Christopher Shyer) into helping the V's? That hasn't even been mentioned since! Have the writers forgotten? Has that idea been quietly dropped? It seems like the writers realized any blackmailing worked better with Ryan's character, hence his daughter storyline this year.

WRITER: Gwendolyn M. Parker
DIRECTOR: David Barrett
TRANSMISSION: 18 January 2011, ABC, 9/8c