The Re-Imagined V – Episode List & Guide

Below you will find an overview of each episode’s review.

Click on the links to read the Full Reviews:

1.01 – Pilot: C+

Full disclosure: I am a big fan of the original V Miniseries. In fact, I consider it to be one of the best, most underrated shows in television history. It was science fiction … but more than that, it was a story about something important. And while the show had some hokey visual effects and campy moments, it was undoubtedly an example of legitimate drama. A remake would, without question, improve on the visuals. But would it contain (or even approach) the same level of storytelling as the original incarnation? I mean, it’s easy enough to update the visuals. But could it update the story as well? Could it create a tale that was just as fresh and shiny as the look of the show? If the first episode is an indication, the answer is … not quite. But, to be fair, there’s some promise in this new version of V. It took about forty minutes but, finally, the pilot got around to being about something. And that’s when it, at least for a few minutes, became a story worth paying attention to.

1.02 – There Is No Normal Anymore: C-

Ah yes. Xenophobia. After watching “There Is No Normal Anymore” I’ll say this: I’d have more respect for the series if it took a more balanced and objective approach to the notion of whether or not to let “aliens” into our country. But the sheer paranoia that infects this episode (and the series thus far) is categorically juvenile. Add in a decidedly pedestrian mystery/conspiracy plot (really, the TV world is replete with these kinds of tales) and there’s very little to distinguish V as anything more than, simply, average.

1.03 – A Bright New Day: C

For nearly forty minutes, “A Bright New Day” continues the fitful slumber of the new V series, offering very little interest from its characters, plot or themes. At best it merely tosses and turns the inane paranoia from the previous installment. And yet, the episode manages to crack an eyelid just past the two-thirds mark of the installment. And while the final result isn’t quite eye-opening enough, it does, at the very least provide the first stirrings of entertainment.

1.04 – It’s Only The Beginning: C

“It’s Only The Beginning” hardly feels like an event, or like a series that is about to take a four-month break. The episode itself is fairly mundane in its approach, with only a few really memorable or important moments. More to the point, this is a series that is fairly limps into its hiatus without creating very much by way of intrigue, character or plot. I can hardly imagine a more pedestrian episode. The show isn’t atrocious, but it sure isn’t anything close to exceptional. It is, at best, average entertainment. And this episode is no different.

1.05 – Welcome To The War: C+

“Welcome To The War” is the best episode of V to date. The plot is fairly well-focused with plenty of action, intrigue and new developments. There’s an underlying subtext about how far people are willing to go to get what they want — each of the characters in the episode seems to face a choice of this kind. All of this shows that the quality of writing is progressing. But alas, the thematic elements are buried too deep within the narrative — buried so far under the flash and glitz of everything else — to be especially valuable. Worse still, the series still hasn’t done enough to make either its story or the majority of its characters compelling. The result is an episode which is clearly an improvement, but the series still has a long way to go before it’s anything close to a legitimate series.