The second season of V quickly moves to diffuse the cliffhanger that the first season ended on. The producer of the series, Scott Peters, was the creative force behind the television series The 4400.[1] While The 4400 was an intriguing series with a lot of potential, it carefully shied away from any developments lasting longer than three episodes. V is true to that spirit. Rather than have red sky change the relationship between humans and visitors, it was just explained away as something inconsequential, using shoddy science.[2]
My verdict: The casting is generally off, though there are a few exceptions.[3] The acting isn't very good and Elizabeth Mitchell (Agent Evans [4]) has a perpetual duckface. Plot twists are often obvious—and reversible within the expected 3 episodes. During the first half of the season I started getting tired of hearing Ryan Nichols say, "Bliss my daughter, Anna." A lot of main characters were knocked off in the season finale, so the direction of the show could change, but I'm sure they'll find a way out of it. If it comes back for a third season, I'll probably keep watching it. But V is not a top-notch show. It really is unfortunate that it persevered while other series, such as FlashForward and Dollhouse foundered.
Notes:
[1] This might explain why Joel Gretsch was cast, though he also appeared in the alien-themed miniseries, Taken.
[2] The science is absolutely ludicrous. They must've hired an English major who took (and dropped out of) a biology class in college as their science consultant.
[3] For example, Morena Baccarin, who plays Anna, the High Commander of the Visitors, really does seem like an emotionless, reptilian extraterrestrial. Fans of the original series may appreciate seeing cameos from a few of the original actors.
[4] She also played Juliette on LOST.
My verdict: The casting is generally off, though there are a few exceptions.[3] The acting isn't very good and Elizabeth Mitchell (Agent Evans [4]) has a perpetual duckface. Plot twists are often obvious—and reversible within the expected 3 episodes. During the first half of the season I started getting tired of hearing Ryan Nichols say, "Bliss my daughter, Anna." A lot of main characters were knocked off in the season finale, so the direction of the show could change, but I'm sure they'll find a way out of it. If it comes back for a third season, I'll probably keep watching it. But V is not a top-notch show. It really is unfortunate that it persevered while other series, such as FlashForward and Dollhouse foundered.
Notes:
[1] This might explain why Joel Gretsch was cast, though he also appeared in the alien-themed miniseries, Taken.
[2] The science is absolutely ludicrous. They must've hired an English major who took (and dropped out of) a biology class in college as their science consultant.
[3] For example, Morena Baccarin, who plays Anna, the High Commander of the Visitors, really does seem like an emotionless, reptilian extraterrestrial. Fans of the original series may appreciate seeing cameos from a few of the original actors.
[4] She also played Juliette on LOST.
This show has been canceled, so I'll add that one thing I did appreciate about this show was that it was willing to question the happyspeak of Obama and his ilk.
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