ABC gives a new spin to the world's first encounter with an alien race with its new series V, which offers a lot more promise than just fond memories from the 1980s original miniseries. The groundwork is similar though. Huge alien ships are hovering over the world's major cities, causing panic and commotion, while an image of Anna (Morena Baccarin), the leader of the Vs, is projected as she speaks about worldwide peace and the timely subject of universal healthcare. Although by the end of the "Pilot" episode, we learn what we already know: the Vs have a sinister agenda!

Warning: Read no further if you haven't seen the season premiere.


Egotistical broadcast journalist Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) sees right through the V's questionable motive when Anna tells him that they "can't be painted in a negative light," but he decides to play along since he knows that his exclusive interview with Anna will further his career.

Meanwhile, most people have positively welcomed the arrival of the Visitors, including teenager Tyler (Logan Huffman), who joins the Visitors' Young Ambassadors program against his mother's wishes--- to some extent because of his attraction to Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), an attractive young Visitor guide assigned to the New York mothership.

On the other hand, a small group of rebels led by Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) are resisting this new world order. During one of Georgie's secret meetings, FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), who is also Tyler's mom, discovers that Georgie's group is not planning to attack humans but planning to defend them against the invasion. She also discovers what lies beneath the breathtaking human exterior of the Visitors, including her partner Dale, when the Vs violently interrupt their assembly. And yes, the aliens are still lizards camouflaging as humans!

What's even more disturbing is the fact that a Visitor sleeper cell has already been lurking into every aspect of our society for years, and the official introduction of the Visitors to the world signifies the final stages of their wicked plan.

But it's a good thing that there are others who are aware of this truth. Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch) has his reservations about the Visitors after he receives a mission from a mysterious wounded man who dies after passing along a package that contains proof about the aliens. Then there's also Ryan (Morris Chestnut), who intends to propose to his fiancee Valerie Stevens (Lourdes Benedicto) but is now forced to make a life-alerting decision. And
after Georgie's secret meeting, he reveals that he's one of the Vs but has now turned a new leaf.

In the end, we learn that there are others like Ryan--- traitors who are willing to help humans fight the Visitors. But rounding up these rebels is one thing, and fighting the invasion is another. 

I can't really make a comparison to the original series since I honestly have not seen it yet but maybe that's a good thing since that will rid me off all my reservations of the reboot and give me a fresh perspective.  For the most part, V's Pilot episode is solidly entertaining. I'm just hoping that the show will dole out satisfying answers while sustaining the suspense and mystery each week.



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)