moriarty@uw-june.UUCP (05/10/84)
O.K. Trivia people and TV insiders, can someone tell me if the last episode
of V was done by someone else other than the people who did last year's and
the first two episode's of this years show? Because Tuesday's program
sucked, which was suprising considering the first two episodes. Oh, I'm not
going to go into the many probable absurdities contained in the script,
scientificaly; as long as it is good, taut entertainment, I can scan by the
silliness (have for years; when you live in this country, you get used to
pretty loose science fiction via Mass Media). But let me start off with the
things I LIKED about the first two episodes:
Both started out with interesting grabbers: Donovon's nightmare and
Tyler's intro to the group. It made it look as if the show had not been
just cut at some point, i.e. it gave each episode its own seperate
introduction.
The restraint on the part of the writer's to not make everyone "just
good guys". Robin had always struck me as a rather vain teenager, and she
doesn't shift character through her pregnancy -- in other words, she doesn't
become the celestial madonna. Tyler and his compatriot are really
excellent... there's nothing like a cynic to improve the dialogue ("What a
waste of good luggage...").
The photography is excellent most of the time; I don't think I ever
got bored throughout most of the first two episodes, which often happens in
mini-series. Music (until the third episode) is also good (the opening
credits, and the funeral-dirge music, were particularly effective).
In conclusion, the events of the first two episodes kept me
interested throughout; in fact, the first episode actually brought out the
tense, paranoid feeling (to some degree) that I found in the 1st mini-series.
BUT THEN THE CONCLUSION:
I can only assume that they came to the end of the show over-budget,
and decided to try to end it as much like Star Wars as possible. Indeed,
they seemed to be getting some perverse pleasure out of making as many
things resemble Lucas's first picture of possible (there is NO excuse for
Diana to get away in the ending, except for a sequel (gag)). The music
sucked during the last episode (particularly as the balloons took off...
using obviously dated newsreel footage), and there were quite a few mistakes
in the film, as if things had become rushed (I particularly remember
Elizabeth licking her lips... with a human tongue. This is particularly
disappointing, as that is a great special effect). The worst thing, though,
was the loose ends left in the endings.... they just leave us with enough
threads hanging to strangle an army of chipmunks. A few of them are:
1) Do human/visitor matings always allow them to drain the power
from thermonuclear explosions (nice talent... I'm sure she can stay on earth
and get a job with the NRC). What a hack of an ending!!!
2) Gosh, looks like the other visitor ships got away with a lot of
frozen humans for TV dinners.... what a victory! Not to mention a lot of
water.
3) Why the HELL did Father Andrew bring the kid to the visitors?
4) Did {Willy's girlfriend|Father Andrew (he was shot in the
shoulder)|the several regulars who boarded the LA mother ship} buy the farm?
5) What happens to Martin, Willy and company? Who gets custody of
Elizabeth (oh, yeah, why the heck is she growing so fast? Flinstone
vitamins?).
6) What happens to the Earth -- how does everyone adjust?
7) This is not so bad, but did anyone notice they were completely
ignoring "The Others" plotline -- the race The Visitors were battling (or
at least, the regime which ruled The Visitors)? They left the first series
off with Julie setting a radio telescope transmitting a help message.
Oh, well, I imagine I could write it all off to more bad sci-fi, but it is
wearying.
P.S. If anyone has read the book (I don't want to buy it), and it explains
the answers to any of my questions above, I would like to hear about it
(maybe the rest of the net would, too). Thanks in advance.
"DANGER is my BUSINESS"| Currently residing in
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