ABC’s sci-fi newcomer V hit an unexpected high note last night. Viewers are largely still on the fence with the series, and until last night, I would have said this was rightfully so. (But please, let’s not talk about the seriously lacking green screen effects. Come on, ABC.)
Until now, we’ve been waiting for Ryan, secretly a V and inactive member of the Fifth Column (an underground group of V’s leading a resistance to protect the humans), to step up to the plate and become a key player, and he finally went for it.
(More on Techland: Dear ABC, V Won’t Lure LOST Fans By Keeping Sci-Fi At Arm’s Length)
In an attempt to intercept a broadcast by V leader Anna, Ryan made his way onto the New York ship with nothing more than an old V uniform, a fake ID and a hell of a lot of gumption. (Finally. Enough whining from the characters on this show. Do something. Do anything.) As much talk as there was about it being an obvious “suicide mission,” Ryan’s capture was inevitable, but let’s rewind a bit first.
A Fifth Column suicide bombing led Anna to conduct ship-wide testing to weed out Vs who could demonstrate human emotions, as these were the traitors and were no longer influenced by her “bliss” – an alien version of hypnotism, mixed with a bit of Charlie Manson-style devotion. So when suspicious acting Ryan is cornered and submitted to testing, our big Oh my! moment comes courtesy of two of Anna’s right hand men, who it turns out, are leaders in the Fifth Column’s resistance.
Ryan makes his escape, along with the phosphorous he stole for Val, his pregnant bride to be who is unaware of the potential chest bursting scene in her future. The phosphorous is needed to keep her and the baby alive, though much of that science hasn’t been properly explained. And the message “John May Lives” is signaled out to the world during Anna’s broadcast, a call to war for the Fifth Column. (Back Story: John May is the rumored leader of the resistance, though we haven’t seen him yet.)
Meanwhile, the human side of the story is still only lukewarm. Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) spent the episode calling herself a bad mother for sending her child to live with … his father. (Earth to Erica: Your son is a teenager and you sent him to stay with his father, you didn’t sell him to be a Thai sex slave.) I’ve got to say, I loved Ms. Mitchell on LOST, but her character on V seems there to only provide a counter to Anna’s parenting style, which is a little more “Seek and destroy, my darlings…”
If there is hope for this show, I think the producers should zero in on Ryan and the rest of the Fifth Column. Their story is the most provocative and provides a natural defense to an inevitable war. I admire Georgie’s tenacity, but I also think his capture is just used as a ploy to get Ryan back on the ship.
The next few weeks are crucial for V, which has been rumored to be on the cusp of the cancellation axe’s reach, and if ABC wants its sci-fi fan base to hang on, it needs to keep turning up the heat. Besides, next to LOST‘s latest bombshell, V is still on simmer.