V Season 2.

TV series. SyFy Uk.

After a quick recap the series begins with our hero Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), probably the best looking mother of an 18 year old to ever bless the screen, walking amidst a city of bodies. It seems like she is the sole survivor. She races through the crowds of bodies searching for her son, Tyler. When finding him, alive, she takes him in her arms with pained cries of relief, but as rain hits his face he begins to melt grotesquely in front of her.

Oh yea! V is back!

I appreciate that this is a re-imagining of a classic series, but this time around the amount of resource this show has had thrown at it makes it such a delight to watch. Visually it feels like my HD box is taking my TV on a date and I’m the voyeur piggybacking on the fireworks. It just looks so good.

Everything about this series is good looking. All the actors are really hot, particularly the women, Anna, the alien queen played by Morena Baccarin is so compellingly attractive we sometimes forget about her inner reptilian. The vast sprawling sets, the props and gadgets, the special effects – it’s just all great to look at.

This is a big big budget show that is pulling no punches in its race for ratings. Let’s be honest here, the first series did not do as well as hoped so this second series may be on borrowed time and may not make it to a third…so make the best of it whilst it is here.

Don’t get me wrong; there is plenty to grumble about if I want to get picky. The characters have very little depth, the plot is exciting but nowhere near as complex as it thinks, and the dialogue is James Cameron-esque in its simplicity. This is a show for the eyes, not the ears.

Perhaps the shows pros and cons can be summed up in a quote from this first episode of the new series:

“Anna’s a lizard? That sucks. She’s so hot!”

Another gripe is two of the male characters, the vicar and the lead reporter played by the ageless Scott Wolf. These two just bug me with their over the top intensity and excessive make up. The younger characters of Tyler and Lisa are hopelessly wooden and clearly there for their model allure. The less screen time this lot get, the better the episode. When the focus is on Anna and Agent Evans we are much better off.

This new version may not have the ‘fun’ of the original, but it is still a romping adventure, good entertaining TV with plenty to hook you in to keep you wanting more. I’ll end with a few questions that may encourage you to catch the next episode to find the answers:

Has Anna, the Queen of the visitors, become affected by human emotion?

How will the first human/visitor hybrid baby turn out?

Just what does ‘bliss’ feel like?

If you like your Sci Fi, give V a try.