V Takes on Obamamania

Pajamas Media ^ | November 8 | Christian Toto

[AJKauf]

The first episode of the new series V demands a second viewing. Maybe even a third.

Did a major television network really greenlight a show mocking the hope ‘n’ change express via an invading alien horde?

The series, a sleek upgrade of the cheesy 1980’s model, follows a smooth-talking, hope-spreading alien race who come in peace. But their platitudes are only skin deep. Lizard skin deep, for those who recall the source material.

The show, airing on Tuesday nights on ABC, earned praise from many television critics, though the folks at the New York Times and the New Republic weren’t pleased one bit.

What a shock.

To be fair, the show’s first hour-long episode is far from perfect, rushing to tell a story better told in a two-hour format.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) leads the ensemble cast as an FBI agent trying to track down a sleeper cell while keeping tabs on her wayward son. Her mission gets temporarily pushed aside when 29 spaceships suddenly appear over the Earth’s biggest cities....

[raybbr]

It's the whole bunch of them - not just obama.

[wintertime]

Saw it. I loved it!

That scene with Ann telling the reporter that all questions will show the visitors in a positive light was great.

[I see my hands]

Alien takeover? I'm down!

[Squantos]

D1 you were dead on in your review a few days ago. I downloaded it an watched. Agree with your take on the show.....

[FromLori]

http://bluelori.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-v-current-events-docu-drama.html

[SAMS]

Or when Ana (the Alien) described opening the “healing centers” all around the world...where everyone gets access and the interviewer, specifically says, “You mean like universal healthcare?” I almost fell out of my seat!!!

[RightFighter]

I would let this woman invade my territory and I'd probably believe anything she said:

[fujimoh]

Castle on ABC made a stab at Obama ... “Maybe she hates Obama”. I think that although the news anchors are still drinking the koolaid, some of the writers for the shows stopped.

[ArmstedFragg]

The whole connection is getting over-hyped. The theme of “V” is just the danger of devotion to a false belief. It's a universal theme, applicable to any form of totalitarianism. That happens to coincide with what the Obamanoids are doing, but it could just as easily apply to dozens of other circumstances. In short, in this case, life is imitating art, not the other way around.

[RetSignman]

Glad to see my photoshop was worthy of replication.

[FromLori]

Loved it thank you so much!

[Nipfan]

Perhaps, but there were a couple of real zingers in there.

The one that got me the most was Anna insisting that only positive comments could be made or else there would be no interview and then turning around and saying once the cameras were rolling, to go right ahead and ask any questions at all because she wanted to be frank and open (or words to that effect). That one really landed with me.

And then there was the ending, when the youngsters were seduced, almost mesmerized, by the visitors and were chanting slogans. Sound familer?

[ArmstedFragg]

That one really landed with me.

I hope the writer sees your post. One of the things writers live for is the moment when someone 'gets' what they're doing. It happens less commonly than you might expect. The scene's intended as a first indication that there's duplicity afoot, and that's what he's trying to illustrate. But probably 90 percent of the portion of the viewing audience that even noticed there WAS a disparity said, "gee, what a dumb script, she just said something else a minute ago." You nailed the subtext.

[WillVoteForFood]

Not to worry. ABC will be sure to write an episode where white supremacists (or as fiberals like to call them, conservatives) kill normal human beings in an overreaction to the presence of the visitors.