V is for ...

Valerie Stevens (played by Lourdes Benedicto) from ABC's V

V is for vision.

Well, ABC's new series V is a remake of the 1983 - 1985 TV series of the same title about aliens and the populace's surrendering of civil liberties due to eloquent rhetoric from governing bodies and the aliens. There's not much original "vision" involved in a remake. But what's interesting is that the issues that the original series brought up over 20 years ago are still prevalent today. One of the question the series asks viewers is what are you willing to give up in order to experience the sensation of peace and safety? The previous presidential administration (the George W. Bush years) answered that question for us (too much). The other question the series asks is what are you willing to do to right the wrong? The founding fathers had in mind when they drafted and ratified our Constitution that there might be a time when the citizens of the nation would have to raise arms against an oppressive government. I'm referring to our right to bare arms. Early in the series we find out that the aliens aren't all they claim to be, and that has a group of humans pretty pissed off. And they're going to do something about it.

V is for violence.

Sure, there's going to be some violent scenes when dealing with alien invasions and human rebellions. There's a couple of scrimmages here and there. The show has spots of good V-isual effects. Stuff you've seen in movies, or from the relatively new NBC show Trauma. On the first episode you basically have an idea of what the series is about: "alien" invasion and human rebellion, civil unrest and the masses that are tricked by fancy technology, hopeful promises, and pretty visages. Let's hope the rest of the season adds a few more twists into the show, otherwise it'll get rather boring rather quickly.

V is for Valerie.

Valerie (played by Lourdes Benedicto) is a piece of eye-candy and the girlfriend of Ryan (portrayed by Morris Chestnut). I could watch the show just to see her. Besides the point, she's the stereotypical ethnic female: she suspects her "perfect" man is cheating on her, because his behavior changes, and snoops around his stuff. What she finds is not a shocker, but I won't tell you -- watch the show to discover the "secret." Morris Chestnut's character is a Hollywood stock character: "I try to get out, but they keep pulling me back in" character. Watch the show to find out what I'm talking about. But with network television cutting out minorities and getting increasingly white over the past few years, I welcome these stock-pile, cookie-cutter characters if they're played by racial minorities, play a significant part in the overall plot of the show, and don't act like racial stereotypes.

V is for Victory.

The original series was a winner, so the remake will be a winner, too, right? Who knows, that's up to you to decide. Hopefully the new series deviates from the original just enough to make it new and interesting to those familiar with the shows that came out twenty years ago. But even if the show is uninteresting to vets of the series, the aliens in this show are hot. That's the view of the news reporter in the series. I have to admit, I find the main alien ambassador, Anna (played by Morena Baccarin) attractive. I'll watch it just for the eye-candy. But I have hope for the show, especially for those viewers unfamiliar with the earlier series. The issues in the show parallels our current situation (the aliens offer universal healthcare), and not to believe every smiling face you see. Hmm, sounds anti-Obama and anti-Democrat, right? That's up to you to decide.

If you missed the first episode you can watch it online, with commentary, beginning November 7th at http://abc.go.com/shows/v/.

Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes