The new V on TV

I'd considered making this a defense of poppery post, but I'd only have been defending this series from those who loved the old TV miniseries, and from those who like me had hated the original and needed to be convinced to give the new one a try.

So instead, for the masses: the first season of the new series V is excellent.

There are plot holes, which is typical for first-season dramas, especially when they only have half a season to prove themselves, and it's one of only two seasons of V that will be produced -- also typical for dramas these days, especially when they only have half seasons to prove themselves. But the reimagining of the "enemies among us" paranoia of the frumpy, stilted and oh-so-80s original version of V has been updated to great benefit for both the narrative and us, the modern audience.

Special effects aren't usually something I care about, and when I do I'm usually complaining about them and how they distract from the narrative (or lack of one, since they're often used to fill in gaping holes with spectacle rather than substance). The effects in V are, on the other hand, very well done, hardly noticeable (which is what I mean when I say "very well done") and necessary, since we're dealing with alien dudes with well-hidden reptilian skin and superhuman technology.

And the whole "sleeper cell" idea -- now there's a plot premise that's finally found its time. Soviet spies may have been scary in the 80's, but for real horror in that era, give me American Psycho, and for this one, give me the terrorist sleeper cell. The new V hooks directly in to post-9/11 paranoia (not much different than conspiracy theory paranoia pre-9/11, but more substantiated and widespread) immediately, giving us an FBI agent on the inside who's job is to focus on terrorist cell activity. And also, a priest. And an awesome dude who turns out to be a human-empathizing V.

It also does an excellent job of displaying the fear and pain involved in having an impossible task to do with the highest possible stakes for failure. Anyone faced with the technologies of these times and finding herself unconvinced that they're benign can get with that program.

And a bonus: if you've missed Firefly, you can get a small, but eviler, piece of it back with Morena Baccarin as Anna, the leader of the Visitors. Now it's a bit antifeminist, perhaps, to have an evil female overlord, but they're bugs, so who else would evilly lead them? Plus, it allows for an intense and intriguing acting-out of the Oedipus, one that might even be intriguing enough for me to write a long paper on the topic.