My only passionate thought about the V premiere

[trinityvixen]

Naturally, the only thing I found worth talking about is a big spoiler.

I think Alan Tudyk should always be a bad guy. I love him to pieces as nice guys like Steve the Pirate or Wash, but really? He's so effectively creepy as a bad guy. I think it's because he's so unassuming. Gotta love that.

I'm not overwhelmed by this, mostly because the story arc is awfully telegraphed with just the premise. They're not (as yet) taking it in such a different direction that you can't see where its going if you know anything about the old series, you know what I mean? I never really watched much of the original V TV series, but even I know enough to know where this is headed.

Also, I LOLed when I saw Tory Foster in the "coming this season on V" promo at the end. The only thing that could make crazy lizard aliens better is crazy robot lizard aliens.

Comments

[lucky241.livejournal.com]

Ohhh I'll need to check this out then, I've never seen alan in anything but the good guy role.

Getty

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Oh no! You've been spoiled!

Then again, it was a taaaaaad obvious. Thanks, Alpha!

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

I'm holding out hope for the series. It looks like they are holding true (so far) enough to the original series for old V fans like myself (yes I'm old). I've been hearing complaints that they are revealing too much too fast as compared to the original, but leaving room for a twist I think the pacing is ok. I'm looking forward to the next one ^_^

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think there's just not enough place to go with a full series. This is mini-series/movie worth of material, unless something substantial changes, and soon.

[saturn-shumba.livejournal.com]

Evil Alan is a good Alan. :)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

No, really, he is! I think it's so great how he goes from blandly adorable to HOLY SHIT menacing in about zero seconds. It's faboo, and he should do it, always!

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

You didn't see the pro-Tea Party political subtext? My God, you're slipping. :)

(Seriously, though, I haven't watched the remake -- and don't plan to start -- so I have no clue if Jon Chait is talking out his ass or not. I've heard the creator is a confirmed wingnut, but no link handy.)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It's a fair thing to call the pilot on--it does seem like they're taking conservative fears of the great fascist socialist takeover and making them literally true via alien surrogates. However, this "subtext" (i.e. literally exactly what they said) is about as leaden as all the rest of the various themes they're working in--like the loooooooong shot of a statue of Jesus on the cross nearly killing a dude in a wheelchair as it fell. I mean, this is show with what appears to be zero irony about itself. I try not to take anything like that too seriously.

It's also worth noting that the evil aliens looking to exterminate humanity? Are more willing to offer us universal health care than are the conservative humans among us. Sure, it's towards undoubtedly evil ends, but the reason they want us healthy is less important in some ways than the fact that they do want us healthy. (As opposed to wingnuts who quite honestly like the idea that hundreds of thousands of people die every day because they can't afford to be or get healthy.) So yeah, the universal health care aliens are evil. They're still less evil than the "No Health Care for You!" folks. They're also more attractive (even underneath the human skin).

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

the loooooooong shot of a statue of Jesus on the cross nearly killing a dude in a wheelchair as it fell

... what does that mean? I'll take yer word for it that it's Heavy Symbolism, but I can't for the life of me guess the message. Jesus Hates Your Gimp Kid? (I'm sure that's in the Bible somewhere.)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Well, Jesus did shatter into a thousand pieces and then by the end of the episode the guy in the wheelchair could walk, no thanks to Jesus but because of the aliens.

I think this article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/ivi-relaunch-intended-as_n_344288.html) sums up my feelings on the fear that"people are going to use this against Obama", this part especially:

Lefty types are apparently seriously concerned that this new V series could totally sow anti-Obama sentiment, in the same way that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA led to everyone asking serious moral questions about the War On Terror and how a generation weaned on the anti-authority themes of THE X-FILES rose up as one to oppose the Bush administration's plans to wiretap everybody's phones and suspend habeas corpus!

Yeah, I don't think just because the meme is anti-whoever-is-in-power means that it will be an effective curse against the administration. And even if the wingnuts get crazed about this, we know how to tell Obama's a human now. We can always check.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not afraid, it's not as if decades of liberal Hollywood preachiness have had much effect either. Although we should note that the same argument could be made about every post on sexism and racism in Show X.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think the issues of sexism and racism are different, if you'll allow me to split hairs a bit. The politicization of issues is something that is immediately obvious--obviously, the Vs are Nazi-stand-ins, whether they be cloaked in SS gear or in the guise of Obama-devotees as seen by wingnuts. The show states outright "THIS IS ABOUT US AWESOME ALIENS BEING SO PROGRESSIVE, WE DON'T EVEN GET UPSET ANY MORE." I think Morena Baccarin said that exactly. (If not, I think "We are of peace. Always." says enough on that subject.) The wearing-your-views-on-your-sleeve thing is so easy to pick apart because you have canon evidence that things are one way or another, even if you disagree about how to interpret them.

Issues of sexism or racism are hardly ever addressed, much less given extensive declaratory statements. It just happens that women are more often in need of rescue than are fully given agency of their own. It just happens that on a planet where fully 1/3 of the people are some part Asian (to say nothing of how many are just not white) there seem to be 90% white people everywhere. I think there's more to take a show to task for when it renders something invisible or ineffectual than when it decides one way or another on something and says so. You can at least debate the show's point of view. But when they render women and minorities as marginal, you have to fight to even get people to recognize that they've done so. I think that says way worse things than some possible tea-bagger whining about how Obama is a lizard alien, is all.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

OK, my problem is that this ends up looking like scapegoating: We're holding individual artists responsible for collective neglect. We can ask "how come there are no black leads?" and it's a legitimate issue, but that doesn't mean we can condemn every show that doesn't have a black guy in charge. I feel much better condemning something for objectionable material than for not covering something important, because no one work can address every issue.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think we can take shows to task for their ridiculously white-and-male-skewed demographic, especially shows that take place in areas with diverse populations.

I also think it's a bullshit rhetorical move to sideline my objections with "doesn't mean we condemn every show that doesn't have a black guy in charge." I never said that. What I did point out is that there needs to be at least representation. I would think, lead actors/actresses aside, we could at least begin to reduce the double-digit percentage inaccuracy when it comes to race representation onscreen. I'm not even insistent that more women be in positions of power than there would be in a) our reality or b) a fictional one. I'm asking for a reflection of reality, not biased one.

Can I fault shows for not giving that? Fuck yes, I can. Producers and writers make the conscious decision to hire people for roles, so they can sure as hell make sure to throw some roles out for non-white folk as well. We're not talking affirmative action, here. The fact that even that much effort isn't made makes it even worse.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

I also think it's a bullshit rhetorical move to sideline my objections with "doesn't mean we condemn every show that doesn't have a black guy in charge." I never said that.

Of course, and I never accused you of saying that, I was giving an example. In practice, I'm not sure it's always that clear what representational means. Sure, if your show takes place in a Bronx police precinct you should expect to see a large proportion of minorities and so forth. On a starship, though, who the hell knows?

In practice, I feel that we end up choosing targets more or less at random, because no one can be held individually accountable. The artists (and the artists' fans) then go "WTF?!" It riles folks up without accomplishing much.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

On a starship, though, who the hell knows?

That's the thing--there is both less/more excuse for that sort of racial imbalance with non-existing spaces. It's an opportunity to correct the imbalances elsewhere; it's also got no mandate for it, so what comes out is often an unconscious revelation about what the makers think...

In practice, I feel that we end up choosing targets more or less at random, because no one can be held individually accountable. The artists (and the artists' fans) then go "WTF?!" It riles folks up without accomplishing much.

Yes and no? I mean, what is objectionable seems to follow a pattern where the objection is usually made about what is a) out of place for the given setting, and b) what is egregiously misreading human behaviors that are obviously not naturally practiced by the people writing it. (I'm thinking of the paraplegic woman taking over a walking lesbian's body to sleep with men--the debacle that unfolded on the recent Stargate show.) I think it's fair to take them to task for it, and it's much more at issue when the offense is subtler, I think, and therefore more likely to slide without comment. Obviously, the anti-Obamaism meme of V was noticed by quite a few people so I didn't really feel it necessary to dwell on. Because it's SO obvious, it's already said, you know?

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

haha, it's like when a friend at CU asked how come there are no hispanics on the Enterprise (-D, FWIW) and without missing a beat I said, "They're extinct."

Horribleness is funny...

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Nice :P

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

Omg YES. He was so hot as SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Alpha in Dollhouse! <3

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I was spoiled for that, and I still loved it. I shrieked!