The McGuffin Review: V - Episode 3

Posted by Cory Johnson on 11.19.2009

What happens when Erica is ordered to work with the Visitors to protect them? Ryan meets with Cyrus, Dale returns, and who is John Mays and what is the Fifth Column??

V Episode 3, “Bright New Day”

FBI agent Erica is surprised to find Father Jack at the door. She has been pouring over the FBI list, hoping to find someone from the warehouse meeting, but hasn’t found anything yet. Erica is called to respond to the threat of a Visitor assassination plot. Erica is less comfortable to learn that she is going to be paired with a member of V security (who can blame her, knowing how her last V partner worked out), but plays along, hoping to gain some useful information-which pays off immediately as she observes a V using an access code. Erica discovers a downed V guard and immediately starts the search for a shooter in a V uniform. Erica manages to spot and stop the shooter, saving Anna’s number 2 (but number 1 unibrow) Marcus. Marcus thanks Erica and they mutually extend a cordial offer (one of those, “if there is anything I can do” non-offers) of future assistance. The shooter was turned over to the V’s, and Erica doesn’t fight the politics. Erica sneaks into an observation room to find hundreds of little screens floating in the air. The cameras are clearly from the V’s perspective and Erica eavesdrops on an Ambassador recruiting new members for the program. Erica notices herself on camera in the room and tracks the camera to the button flap on the V uniform hanging on the door.

Father Jack finds himself racked with doubt, even while listening to confessions. His doubts lead him to Erica’s house, and he continues to check the names on the FBI list to see if they can find someone from the warehouse-while she heads off to stop the assassin. Father Jack finds Geogie’s name and searches an abandoned farmhouse for Georgie. He finds an older lady instead, who asks if he is here about the murder of Georgie’s entire family. She also states that Georgie believed that it was aliens. Father Jack leaves his card in case she can reach Georgie. At his church, Georgie surprises Father Jack at gunpoint. Georgie doesn’t trust anyone, but Father Jack tries to comfort him by saying there is strength in numbers.

Ryan walks Valarie to work and gets into a car with Georgie immediately after Valarie is inside. Georgie is close to giving up, saying they just don’t have the resources to fight the V’s. Ryan disagrees and tells him that he is going to find John May, the leader of the Fifth Column-the first group of visitors to rebel. John is the key to fighting the V’s….and he has an army. Ryan meets with Cyrus, May’s former right hand man, trying to tap into whatever resources Cyrus has. Cyrus turns on Ryan, and signals the V’s to come pick Ryan up, saying that the Visitors promised to reconnect him if he turned in enough members of the Fifth Column. Ryan manages to overpower Cyrus and when Marcus and his team arrive, all that is left is a painted warning, “John May Lives”.

On the V ship, a medic named Jordan tries to help Dale recover his memories of what happened. Dale was under cover for 20 years! Dale did not appreciate the experience, hating waking up next to the sight and smells of another species every day (actually, there are plenty of married men and women of the SAME species that hate that). Dale finally remembers that Erica saw his face and tried to kill him. Jordan refuses to let him leave the ship because Erica would make a great ally! Jordan injects something into Dale’s arm and tells him that the Fifth Column says hello.

Anna becomes the first Visitor granted a US Visa. She poses for pictures on US soil, and gives Chad Decker a sly smile. Anna calls a meeting of the mothership captains and encourages them to win the war of public opinion. After the assassination plot is stopped, Anna announces that the Visitors will not retaliate. Anna meets with the spokesperson of the V protestors, Mary- the widow of the F-16 pilot who died in the pilot episode. Anna met with her privately, and whatever she said worked, as Mary does a complete 180-degree turn at her press conference and brings Anna out, who talks about her remorse and reassurance that the visitors are, “of peace, always.” Back on her ship, Anna congratulates THE ASSASSIN for a fake job well done.

Tyler gets set up by Brandon to meet Lisa at a pizza shop. Lisa informs him that he is back in the ambassador program. Later Tyler shows Lisa his room and how to make it to first base. When they hear Erica arrive home, Tyler stuffs his uniform under his bed and tries to head off his mom. Since Erica is an FBI mom, she quickly figures out that Tyler is hiding something and she pushes past him and finds Lisa in her underwear-Lisa took off her uniform because Tyler told her that mom is not a V fan. Erica orders Lisa to get dressed and tells Tyler to take her home. Tyler has a bit of staring problem when he sees Lisa in her underwear.
Erica tries to explain the monitoring room to Father Jack and is surprised when Georgie appears with a friend-Ryan. The core of the resistance movement is together at last.

Back on the mothership, Lisa tells Anna that Tyler is definitely the one and that they should “use him”. Anna tells her that she is doing an excellent job. Lisa replies, “thank you, Mother”.

Analysis
For the second week in a row, they managed to expand the scope of the series. The introduction of the mysterious Fifth Column is a great addition. The Fifth Column adds to the Visitors mythology and belief structure, and opens up new avenues for information about the Visitors. The Visitors are always going to be the most interesting parts of this series, and any new vectors that give the viewers tiny glimpses of what they are like and about are great additions.

This episode also had some great tension, especially while Erica was in her FBI agent mode, searching for the sniper. Hopefully they won’t lose that aspect of her character. The eerie farmhouse scene with Father Jack and Georgie’s past was also had a great, tense feeling to it. The tension scenes are needed because that is how the characters should be functioning now, knowing what they know. The scene with Father Jack and Erica in her kitchen did not work at all, feeling artificial and plastic….it just lacked the convincing gravity that these characters should have.

On the special effects front, the shots of Erica in the monitoring station were incredible, and the ship landings and takeoffs were well done.

Ryan once again stole the episode. His search for the former members of the Fifth Column and John May should be a great storyline as the season progresses. He comes across as a desperate and driven character, ready to do whatever it takes. It was a cool moment to see Ryan meet the rest of the human resistance finally. I am expecting great things when Erica and Father Jack learn that Ryan is a visitor, when Valarie dies, and when they finally reveal Ryan’s back story.

Lisa’s bombshell at the end of the episode may not turn out to be anything significant. Maybe all Visitors consider Anna “mother”. Maybe Lisa is Anna’s daughter, but the real question is what have they selected Tyler for? Touches like this show that they have some good long-range plans for this show.

Things I Wonder
So what does Anna want Tyler for?
Didn’t the floating video screens that Erica found look like an iPhone app gone haywire?
When Erica first saw herself on video, did anyone else expect there to be a V in the room?
Is Ryan actually John May?
What are/were the other four columns?
If the visitors were here for at least 20 years, does anyone wonder if there is a connection somehow to the original series?
Were the New Kids on the Block Visitors?
What’s up with this bliss thing?
Did Jordan look like a lost member of Wang Chung, or was that just me?
How great was Jordan’s reveal?
How is Jordan going to explain the dead, injured, or incapacitated Dale now?
How long until we see a Visitor eat?
Since they have rewritten almost everything else about the series, wouldn’t it make sense for them to want something else from the human race other than food?
Is anyone else hoping that the word “starchild” never makes it into this series?
Why couldn’t I think of anything else other than, “the visitors are not our friends, they have come to rape our planet and kill us?”
How great was it that Father Jack asked, “Why don’t they just annihilate us?”
How many other Visitors are at the FBI?
What did the Visitors do to Georgie?
How does Georgie know they are aliens?
Where did the pictures that Father Jack had come from?
How do the visitors come and go without anyone from our government noticing? I’m assuming that they fly down and back each time.
Anyone else notice that Erica took the dominate handshake position when she shook Marcus’ hand?
Who put Cyrus’ name and address in Valarie and Ryan’s home?
Ryan just defines intense, doesn’t he?
Chad Decker needs to stay a background character, right?
Did Anna do something to Mary? She changed her mind awfully fast.
Wouldn’t every late night comic in the world be ripping on the whole “we come in peace, always” line?
How are the Cyrus and Ryan “disconnected”?

Thanks for reading. As always, feedback, comments, and emails are always appreciated. In other TV news, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIAM was the greatest thing on TV last week. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER was forced, but still funny. BIG BANG THEORY had one of their best episodes this season; Sheldon and Penny are gold together. THE MIDDLE still ranks as the best new sitcom of the year. I still cannot believe that Brett Favre has not thrown the stupid picks he is famous for, or that the Pats went for it on 4th and 2. The Ravens-Browns game was one of the worst MNF games in history.
This is Cory and I will be back next week with V, Episode 4. I’m off to the great woods, so have a safe hunt to all the hunters out there. Until then, keep watching.

The 411: A good tension-filled episode that finally pulled the core of the resistance together. The introduction of the Fifth Column as long-standing Visitor traitors was a great move and builds the introduction of John Mays. This series is getting really good.

Final Score:  7.9   [ Good ]