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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
 Posted - 11/03/2009 : 17:38:55
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Tonight, ABC is re-launching the mini-series V. For those not in the US (or too young), the original show aired in 1983. The premise of both shows is the same: human-looking aliens come to earth promising advances in technology, etc., in exchange for some of our natural resources.
Of course, the visitors are really evil reptiles who ultimately plan to plunder the planet and (at least in the original) use humans as food. (!!)
I bring it up here at SFN because while the original V was an allegory for Nazi Germany-- right down to the visitors' swastika-like symbol:
this new version seems to have a different spin. In particular, they visitors seem to present themselves sort of as almost religious leaders. For instance, in its review, USA Today quotes the executive producer:
| 'There's a lemming mentality that goes on in our humanity, and the idea of blind devotion, to me, is really fascinating. If you don't ask questions about things you have faith in, it could wind up coming back to bite you.' |
There are probably other ways to interpret the show-- and none or all might be right. But I'll be curious to see if they push this religion/blind devotion thing in the series.
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Edited by - Cuneiformist on 11/03/2009 19:30:16
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2009 : 19:13:30 [Permalink]
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Growing up I thought V was pretty much the best television show that had ever been made. Don't know what I'd think if I saw it again today, but I have a feeling I'd still think it kicks ass. Thanks for posting this. I'll definitely check out the new series. I think the idea of the Visitors coming to Earth as messianic figures sounds like a great idea. It's always the groups who promise heaven that end up causing hell. Not really all that different than modeling them after Nazis when you think about it.
I just hope they keep the fake skin. They better not make them shape-shifters or anything. You have to be able to rip their faces off and expose them!
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 11/03/2009 19:18:29 |
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 05:10:48 [Permalink]
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| I liked it better than I thought I would. No shapeshifting HH, though I want to smack Elizibeth Mitchell's kid, what a snot. Should be On Demand starting today if you have Comcast. |
"...things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say." -Lucian on his book True History
"...They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time." -Lucian critical of early Christians c.166 AD From his book, De Morte Peregrini |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 10:05:08 [Permalink]
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I saw the first episode. Is this a actual rerun of the original V (which I didn't see), or is it a remake with chronological updates?
I was getting some decidedly political overtones from last night's show, several references to recent events in the news, so I assume this is new material.
I couldn't get a clear picture of where the politico-religious shading of the plot was going, it actually seemed a mix of conservative and liberal political philosophy with some subtle tones of religious commentary. Brainwashing, subterfuge, hidden agenda of the aliens was evident. It wasn't clear to me why the alligators didn't just use their obviously superior technology to conquer (a la the Wellesian War of the Worlds), instead of all the elaborate subterfuge. I guess this will come out in later episodes.
Great looking crocodile chicks, tho'! |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 11:32:44 [Permalink]
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If you like "V" (original and new version) - do see: "They Live".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/
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Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 12:10:09 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by bngbuck
I saw the first episode. Is this a actual rerun of the original V (which I didn't see), or is it a remake with chronological updates? |
This is NOT a re-run of the original. You'd have known the original instantly by the decidedly early 80's haircuts of the cast.
Nevertheless, the first episode of this re-imagining seemed fairly true to the original, although this one is a bit truncated-- I don't think we learned that the V were rodent-eating reptiles for a few episodes into the original.
I couldn't get a clear picture of where the politico-religious shading of the plot was going, it actually seemed a mix of conservative and liberal political philosophy with some subtle tones of religious commentary. Brainwashing, subterfuge, hidden agenda of the aliens was evident. It wasn't clear to me why the alligators didn't just use their obviously superior technology to conquer (a la the Wellesian War of the Worlds), instead of all the elaborate subterfuge. I guess this will come out in later episodes.
Great looking crocodile chicks, tho'! |
Yes, they threw a lot of stuff out there, with the FBI agent commenting towards the end about how the V are using (and I'm paraphrasing) the most powerful force out there-- devotion-- in this battle. We'll just have to see how it plays out in the coming weeks. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 12:33:43 [Permalink]
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Available online on the 7th at abc.com, in case you don't have crapcast cable with the abc on demand channel.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 14:13:29 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Cuneiformist
Nevertheless, the first episode of this re-imagining seemed fairly true to the original, although this one is a bit truncated-- I don't think we learned that the V were rodent-eating reptiles for a few episodes into the original. |
There were only two parts to the original miniseries (the smallest it could have and still be called a "series" in any sense), and if I remember correctly, the rodent-eating was revealed near the end of the first part. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 15:18:13 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
There were only two parts to the original miniseries (the smallest it could have and still be called a "series" in any sense), and if I remember correctly, the rodent-eating was revealed near the end of the first part.
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Here is a good fan site that lists the episodes and provides comprehensive overviews. The mice eating was indeed in Part 1:
| Mike then uses the internal ductways of the ship to spy on various quarters and the Visitors that occupy them, including one room where Diana describes something called a conversion process to Steven. Ever since the aliens' arrival, nobody has seen them eat much of anything, but Mike soons discovers the reason — they eat live animals, like mice and guinea pigs, whole! |
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 15:24:27 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by Cuneiformist
Nevertheless, the first episode of this re-imagining seemed fairly true to the original, although this one is a bit truncated-- I don't think we learned that the V were rodent-eating reptiles for a few episodes into the original. |
There were only two parts to the original miniseries (the smallest it could have and still be called a "series" in any sense), and if I remember correctly, the rodent-eating was revealed near the end of the first part.
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Then each part must have been longer than an hour! At least, in my memory it went awhile before the ruse was up... and yes, IMDB said the whole thing was 197 minutes. Factoring in commercials and it sounds like 2 2-hour shows. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 16:32:02 [Permalink]
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Cune, I was nosing around IMDB's message boards to get a feel for whether or not people liked the new V. A common criticism was that the plot felt "rushed," so you are definitely not alone.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 19:01:35 [Permalink]
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And here, I thought I had drunk enough Tequilla to forget Rowdy Roddy Piper's foray into film. This, and "Hell Comes to Frogtown" showcase the Hot Rod's acting ability.
That is, Piper in pain and Piper not in pain.
Does have some funny lines, though. |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 22:06:23 [Permalink]
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I agree that Roddy's big fight scene in the alley is way too long but I like most of the rest of the film, especially the Alien-Yuppies and the sequence where he see's standard ads on billboards in town and then through the sunglasses they change to commandments like "Obey" etc., the film is worth a look to anyone who hasn't seen it...
Anyway back to "V"... |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2010 : 09:14:29 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Cuneiformist
There are probably other ways to interpret the show-- and none or all might be right. But I'll be curious to see if they push this religion/blind devotion thing in the series.
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Now that this show has been on air for a bit, I think we can clearly see what slant they've decided to push. Depressingly, the Visitors are a stand in for the Democrats:| More than a few journalists and bloggers have remarked that it's possible to read V as an allegory hostile to President Obama and sympathetic with the birthers and other nutcases who believe him to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. The charismatic Visitors load up their "bandwagon" by "spreading hope." In using their sophisticated iguana technology to provide free medical services, they promise "universal health care." (bolding mine) |
This not-so-subtle reference has already begun to shown up in the rhetoric of the tea-partiers. Notice the V on the left side of the sign:
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 04/23/2010 09:15:42 |
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