View Full Version : V: Pilot (OAD: 11/3/2009)
The Merg
11-03-09, 08:38 PM
Well, I gotta say I was impressed. I think they did a pretty good job with it and I am definitely waiting for more...
- Merg
The Merg
11-03-09, 08:39 PM
Due to spoilers not being hidden in the popup texts...
I was definitely surprised by
Wash (Firelfly reference) being a Visitor
and also that
the one other character was a AWOL Visitor.
- Merg
armophob
11-03-09, 08:45 PM
I will continue to watch it, but I am not as impressed. Remakes have a hard time when you walk in knowing the plot line.
Also ABC has a sound DD issue. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but it seems the music and background sounds are overdriving the vocals and action. Could be my Directv feed from ABC.
One thing I did catch was...
How the kid accused Independence Day of ripping off other scifi plots.(obviously previous V series)
Fontano
11-03-09, 08:47 PM
I will continue to watch it, but I am not as impressed. Remakes have a hard time when you walk in knowing the plot line.
One thing I did catch was...
- Merg
But should you have an expectation that it is going to follow the EXACT same plot line?
BSG really didn't follow the same plot line at all.
tralfaz
11-03-09, 08:49 PM
Rules:
Official Episode Threads:
When starting a discussion about a specific show episode, please put the air date and name of the program (and title if you know it) in the subject line. (ie: Lost, “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” 11/16.)
This will be the “official” thread for that week, and anything within that thread may contain spoilers for that show. It is also okay to mention a plot point from any previous episode. If you are not caught up on this show, and do not wish to read spoilers, do not open this thread.
Fontano
11-03-09, 08:50 PM
Rules:
Official Episode Threads:
When starting a discussion about a specific show episode, please put the air date and name of the program (and title if you know it) in the subject line. (ie: Lost, “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” 11/16.)
This will be the “official” thread for that week, and anything within that thread may contain spoilers for that show. It is also okay to mention a plot point from any previous episode. If you are not caught up on this show, and do not wish to read spoilers, do not open this thread.
Umm... aren't they there? I see the air date and the title: Pilot
tralfaz
11-03-09, 08:56 PM
Did you read the second line?
Supramom2000
11-03-09, 09:45 PM
I will continue to watch it, but I am not as impressed. Remakes have a hard time when you walk in knowing the plot line.
Also ABC has a sound DD issue. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but it seems the music and background sounds are overdriving the vocals and action. Could be my Directv feed from ABC.
I noticed the same thing. I thought it was our surround system just not set to the right setting for this type of show. I had a real hard time hearing and understanding the words, but lots of background music was playing at all times. There seemed to be a lot of crescendos in themusic that would start to drown out the voices.
Stewart Vernon
11-03-09, 10:12 PM
The only thing really disappointing to me is the fact that ABC is watered down HD because of sending 2 720p and 1 480i subchannels...
But the show was better than I thought. They did seem to give away a lot in the first episode, and it seems paced faster towards the "reveals" than the original.
Also noticed some gender reversal similar to what BSG did... assuming they "go" where they seem to be going, it looks like the Laura Vandervoort character is similar to the blonde male Visitor from the original mini-series. Also, the reporter-of-choice is a man but was a woman in the original.
cygnusloop
11-03-09, 11:31 PM
I wasn't expecting much, but I gotta say that I really liked it. Plus, they really covered a lot of ground for a pilot. We had the arrival, found out that the V's are actually reptilian (which we all already knew, so why make some big reveal of that later), we established a resistance, and we are left with the impression that the V's are really up to something sinister (which we also already knew).
I really thought we would spend half the first season establishing all these things that we already "knew". Glad to see they got all of that out of the way quickly. I really looking forward to where this show could go. I fully expect some twists along the way for those of us that think we already know the story. We'll see...
The PQ and sound here in Denver was really quite good. I didn't hear the 5.1 issues that you guys are talking about, maybe it's the local affiliate. (Sound on ABC here used to be atrocious, but they seem to have gotten it together in the last year or so).
Anyway, fingers crossed that they can keep this interesting.
phrelin
11-03-09, 11:53 PM
It was a fine, but really was full of early "reveals." I don't understand what ABC has in mind.
I'm trying to figure out how this could turn into a 5-year-23-one-hour-episodes-a-year series. Syfy managed to stretch the 196 minute original miniseries into 4˝ hours with commercials and the 4˝ "Final Battle" miniseries into 6 hours with commercials. So that was 10˝ hours with commercials which wouldn't even make one 13-episode season.
I guess I can see some kind of different ongoing story approach as a weekly investigation procedural. But Syfy is working on a remake of the "Alien Nation" series, so I hope we don't get too many aliens-among-us procedurals going.
The Merg
11-04-09, 05:39 AM
Rules:
Official Episode Threads:
When starting a discussion about a specific show episode, please put the air date and name of the program (and title if you know it) in the subject line. (ie: Lost, “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” 11/16.)
This will be the “official” thread for that week, and anything within that thread may contain spoilers for that show. It is also okay to mention a plot point from any previous episode. If you are not caught up on this show, and do not wish to read spoilers, do not open this thread.
Umm... aren't they there? I see the air date and the title: Pilot
I did post the OAD and episode title in the Thread Title. As for spoilers, they are directly related to the episode. I was specifically referring to the spoiler tag which does not work on the popups when moving your mouse pointer over a thread title while viewing the forum index.
I think most people here will acknowledge that I know the rules here.
- Merg
The Merg
11-04-09, 05:42 AM
But the show was better than I thought. They did seem to give away a lot in the first episode, and it seems paced faster towards the "reveals" than the original.
I think that is why those two items surprised me so much. I guess I wasn't anticipating those reveals so quickly.
- Merg
SayWhat?
11-04-09, 06:07 AM
I'd say they weren't too worried about it since everybody knows the story anyways.
BubblePuppy
11-04-09, 06:27 AM
I did post the OAD and episode title in the Thread Title. As for spoilers, they are directly related to the episode. I was specifically referring to the spoiler tag which does not work on the popups when moving your mouse pointer over a thread title while viewing the forum index.
I think most people here will acknowledge that I know the rules here.
- Merg
With 2,676 posts, ya think. :lol:
Oh those young whippersnappers.;)
I liked it. It's fun seeing all the actors from different SciFI TV shows. Like Laura Vandervoort (Smallville's Supergirl) and Joel Gretsch from 4400 and Taken, and the Firefly references... Also, Elizabeth Mitchell from LOST.
Makes me wonder if the actors like working SciFi or are they there because of Director/Producer familiarity?
ncxcstud
11-04-09, 08:07 AM
I think it was a pretty good episode and re-imagining of the series so far. I didn't understand the early reveals but I think cygnusloop nailed it. Why draw out what we already know? The only thing left is if the V's will round up the same individuals they did in the original miniseries (especially since NO ONE from those work fields have been introduced as of yet).
Sorry that seems vague, but not sure how many people have watched the original, but those who have will understand :).
After what they've revealed now, the show can now take it's own direction, it really doesn't have to be constrained to the plot line of the original anymore...
tralfaz
11-04-09, 08:08 AM
I really thought we would spend half the first season establishing all these things that we already "knew".
Or things, YOU already knew. I (and I would believe many others) never watched the previous V, so know nothing about it.
tcusta00
11-04-09, 08:18 AM
I never saw the original and am not a traditional sci-fi fan but I did enjoy the first episode. I think my wife, the avid sci-fi avoider, liked it too.
ncxcstud
11-04-09, 08:19 AM
my wife did too tcusta00, though I don't think she'll admit it. For this show she 'put the laptop down' so that is a good sign ;) No facebooking during shows means she is at least interested :)
I agree that these reveals should have come out in the first episode, so they can get on with the new. I just think they should have done it in a two hour pilot, instead of a one hour pilot. You wouldn't feel so much like you you need to watch it two or three times because you missed something because it all went so damn fast...
Cheers,
Ed
BubblePuppy
11-04-09, 08:34 AM
Crapass local cable went out 40 minutes into the show.....crap!!!!!!!!!!!
my wife did too tcusta00, though I don't think she'll admit it. For this show she 'put the laptop down' so that is a good sign ;) No facebooking during shows means she is at least interested :)
LOL!! That's exactly how I know when my wife likes a show I'm watching...no matter how much she won't admit it!
It has a recording conflict with Nova on local PBS for me. Had to set up a SD recording of it from Dish instead. :( Very busy week, likely won't watch it until this weekend. I'll follow this thread anyhow. Spoilers don't bother me. Especially on a remake!
One thing I did catch was...
How the kid accused Independence Day of ripping off other scifi plots.(obviously previous V series)
I watched the original on Scifi ove the weekend and I didn't realize how blatantly they did this.
But should you have an expectation that it is going to follow the EXACT same plot line?
I was actually a bit surprised how much they did.
yea, they did well to knock those out of the way but it was confusing timeline-wise. It seemed they went from arrival, to opening health centers, to rioting and more health centers in a 3 day period. Would have been a little easier if they just inserted some "two weeks later", "two months later" items.
I'm a bit bummed by this show. I REALLY enjoyed it which of course means it will be cancelled soon.
tcusta00
11-04-09, 09:02 AM
Crapass local cable went out 40 minutes into the show.....crap!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks like it will be available on ABC.com on the 7th:
http://abc.go.com/shows/v
cygnusloop
11-04-09, 09:06 AM
Or things, YOU already knew. I (and I would believe many others) never watched the previous V, so know nothing about it.
Dude, it's over 20 years old. Compare/contrast to the originals are inevitable (and expected) in these threads. If you want to stay unspoiled on the original mini-series, I suggest you just shut off the computer now.
P.S. Darth Vader is Luke's father, too.
BubblePuppy
11-04-09, 09:08 AM
It looks like it will be available on ABC.com on the 7th:
http://abc.go.com/shows/v
Great. Thanks.:)
P.S. Darth Vader is Luke's father, too.
WHAT!!! Oh that sucks....
IndyMichael
11-04-09, 09:17 AM
Dude, it's over 20 years old.
P.S. Darth Vader is Luke's father, too.
No Way!
4HiMarks
11-04-09, 09:26 AM
P.S. Darth Vader is Luke's father, too.
Who's Luke? :D
:back_to_top
I quite liked it ...
It felt a bit rushed with the reveal that the Vistors are reptilian, but I really did like it. I anticipated that the Alan Tudyk character was the leak, but didn't think that he or the Morris Chestnut character were actually V's.
I also thought, based on the previews, that Scott Wolf's reporter was going to be more of a suck-up and push-over, falling right in line with Ana's requests to go easy, but he had a bit more of a backbone than I expected. It will be interesting to see if he does let his blind ambition get the better of him and make him a propaganda mouthpiece, or if he stays wary and joins the resistance.
yea, they did well to knock those out of the way but it was confusing timeline-wise. It seemed they went from arrival, to opening health centers, to rioting and more health centers in a 3 day period. Would have been a little easier if they just inserted some "two weeks later", "two months later" items.
There were audio cues as to the passage of time - it was either presented in conversations or in news footage on a TV in the background.
trainman
11-04-09, 10:22 AM
yea, they did well to knock those out of the way but it was confusing timeline-wise. It seemed they went from arrival, to opening health centers, to rioting and more health centers in a 3 day period. Would have been a little easier if they just inserted some "two weeks later", "two months later" items.
There were some on-screen time graphics -- maybe you missed them. The spaceships showed up at 6:30 A.M. (New York time, presumably) on a Tuesday. There was another scene that took place at 9:55 A.M. that day. Then there was more action at "9:20 A.M. Wednesday." The interview with Anna, in which she announced the additional healing centers, took place "three weeks later."
tralfaz
11-04-09, 10:34 AM
Dude, it's over 20 years old. Compare/contrast to the originals are inevitable (and expected) in these threads. If you want to stay unspoiled on the original mini-series, I suggest you just shut off the computer now.
P.S. Darth Vader is Luke's father, too.
Dude, obviously, you missed my point. Why is comprehension so difficult in this forum?
Did I say I wanted to stay unspoiled about the original? Please show me where.
Did I say there shouldn't be comparisons/contrast the the original? Please show me where.
Here's a tip for you: Don't just read posts, read them AND understand them before posting. I know it's hard to maintain a high post count when you do that, but for grins, give it a try occasionally.
ncxcstud
11-04-09, 10:50 AM
yea, they did well to knock those out of the way but it was confusing timeline-wise. It seemed they went from arrival, to opening health centers, to rioting and more health centers in a 3 day period. Would have been a little easier if they just inserted some "two weeks later", "two months later" items.
I thought they did mention this...I remember someone saying something along the lines of "They've been here for 3 weeks already..." or something along those lines...
I don' think there was a black slide with white words saying it, but it was in the dialog....
cygnusloop
11-04-09, 10:59 AM
Dude, obviously, you missed my point.
No offense intended, by all means, please enlighten me. What was your point?
Are you asking for a primer on the original? Are you asking it not be discussed? Are you suggesting that the writers spend more time on the plot points that relate to the original?
Stuart Sweet
11-04-09, 11:09 AM
Here's what I'm asking... that you please stay civil and respectful. Thanks.
tralfaz
11-04-09, 11:20 AM
No offense intended, by all means, please enlighten me. What was your point?
My point was exactly as I stated. Just making an innocent comment that not everyone has the same experiences and we're not part of one big collective. Using the phrase "we knew" implies that everyone knows. Clearly that's not the case. Wasn't that big of a deal and certainly wasn't deserving of your response. Just a reminder that not everyone here hangs on everything SciFi and has all the same thoughts/history that you do.
edit: Spoilers regarding the original should be of no concern, as long as they don't foreshadow what might happen in this incarnation.
Stewart Vernon
11-04-09, 12:16 PM
I didn't know Darth Vader was Bo & Luke Duke's father. ;)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Spoilers for a remake show are going to be tough. There are going to be natural comparisons to the original, so we'll be walking a fine line between what is a spoiler to the new show and what is discussion of the old show.
What was the Firefly reference,I'll have to watch it again?
The Merg
11-04-09, 01:30 PM
What was the Firefly reference,I'll have to watch it again?
The character that played Wash in Firefly is one of the FBI agents (although his badge looked very much like an NYPD detective shield). Maybe part of the JTTF...
- Merg
oldschoolecw
11-04-09, 01:55 PM
Well, I gotta say I was impressed. I think they did a pretty good job with it and I am definitely waiting for more...
- Merg
Same here, after watching the V mini-series and TV series years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. Last night was a great start, my only hope is the writers do the right thing and say the series will end on such and such a date 3 or 4 years down the road and give us closure like the V mini-series did
cadet502
11-04-09, 04:35 PM
I know it was a real off year election wise, but you would think ABC would have avoided launching a show like this on election night. Here in Cincinnati we had to put up with the entire show reduced in size due to the election "results" taking up the bottom 15% of the screen. Polls in Ohio closed at 7:30 or 8 Eastern time, so all the result were 0% counted basically only giving the absentee count. Cripes.
As far as the show goes, I'll was pleased with it. I'm thinking I don't really remember the original as much, I think I was confusing V with the other show with the dotted aliens living in LA (James Caan was in the movie) Duh!
.
oldschoolecw
11-04-09, 04:40 PM
I think I was confusing V with the other show with the dotted aliens living in LA (James Caan was in the movie) Duh!
.
Alien Nation :)
The Merg
11-04-09, 05:45 PM
[quote=cadet502;2266571]I know it was a real off year election wise, but you would think ABC would have avoided launching a show like this on election night. Here in Cincinnati we had to put up with the entire show reduced in size due to the election "results" taking up the bottom 15% of the screen. Polls in Ohio closed at 7:30 or 8 Eastern time, so all the result were 0% counted basically only giving the absentee count. Cripes./quote]
Here in the DC area, they just ran a ticker across the bottom predicting who was going to win after 25% of the precincts reported. And they didn't do it the whole time either.
- Merg
RunnerFL
11-05-09, 07:56 AM
The character that played Wash in Firefly is one of the FBI agents (although his badge looked very much like an NYPD detective shield). Maybe part of the JTTF...
- Merg
Don't forget the V Leader was on Firefly as well...
RunnerFL
11-05-09, 07:58 AM
I thought the show was great and can't wait for more. Unfortunately there are only 3 more episodes left before it goes on hiatus.
As for why they rushed a lot of "reveals"... I think they did so because we should know some of them already from the old series so they just got them out of the way.
The sleeper cell was a nice new twist. And did anyone else notice that the red painted V's have a completely different meaning in this series than they did in the old series?
I have a question regarding the original series compared to the new one. I watched but can't remember if they revealed if they were after water at all? Seems like it was a big discovery of the ship with the huge tube sucking the lake dry or something. If it is different, maybe they will be taking this in a slightly different tack?
ncxcstud
11-05-09, 08:37 AM
I have a question regarding the original series compared to the new one. I watched but can't remember if they revealed if they were after water at all? Seems like it was a big discovery of the ship with the huge tube sucking the lake dry or something. If it is different, maybe they will be taking this in a slightly different tack?
They were after the water. The smoke screen was the creation of the synthetic mineral that they supposedly were after. I've only watched the original mini-series so I don't know how or if they showed in later episodes how they took the water and put it in those huge tankers on the ship. But, the visitors were after water and humans (as food) for their own sustenance
waynebtx
11-05-09, 08:53 AM
man 2 dvrs and i forgot to set it to record........
The Merg
11-05-09, 09:03 AM
Don't forget the V Leader was on Firefly as well...
True. I keep forgetting that. She looks so different now.
- Merg
Fontano
11-05-09, 09:11 AM
True. I keep forgetting that. She looks so different now.
- Merg
She was also the leader of the Ori in the Stargate SG1 last two seasons.
Her look in V is very similar to that of character in the the Stargate Episodes.
We did finally get to sit down and watch the episode.
The first 30 minutes were, blah in our opinion.
But the last 30 were pretty good, and we like the changes.
It is VERY BSG like, with us now having to guess who is human, who is V.
But that is still okay, as really it is a standard plot line.
Because of BSGT we have learned just because they base it off something done before, doesn't mean it is a direct re-do. We fully expect it to not follow the original to the T, just the general theme.
What I do like, is that it looks like we are going to see a lot of NON high-tech action.
The hand-to-hand fight scene in the pilot
Which I enjoy more, then blasters and ray guns.
I found time to watch it early. I actually liked it. As a pilot, it did very well. Set up a good story line, and has enough of the original plot to work for me. Graphics are pretty good, and there is some scifi in it too. SyFy channel should take notes and learn what a scifi show should look like.
It will be interesting to see if this is just a pilot, or if it represents what the series will look like.
cygnusloop
11-05-09, 11:52 AM
I sort of scanned through the episode again last night to take a closer look at the effects and such. Now, I realize that as a pilot, they may have spent a little more time and money to get that "wow" factor, but, IMO it did just that.
In particular, during the arrival of the ships, one scene in particular where you see the reflection of the ship crawling across the sky in one of the tall glass buildings in Manhattan was, I thought, particularly good. Not easy to pull off effectively. Also, the CG of the "city in the ship" was pretty good too. Some of the shots of the ship sort of doing its "transformers" thing was pretty cool as well. When mixing CG and live action, the CG often looks kind of fake. In this case, I think they did a very nice job.
I sort of scanned through the episode again last night to take a closer look at the effects and such. Now, I realize that as a pilot, they may have spent a little more time and money to get that "wow" factor, but, IMO it did just that.
In particular, during the arrival of the ships, one scene in particular where you see the reflection of the ship crawling across the sky in one of the tall glass buildings in Manhattan was, I thought, particularly good. Not easy to pull off effectively. Also, the CG of the "city in the ship" was pretty good too. Some of the shots of the ship sort of doing its "transformers" thing was pretty cool as well. When mixing CG and live action, the CG often looks kind of fake. In this case, I think they did a very nice job.
All that was good, but the scene with the F16 crashing was pathetic. It looked like a guy with a model hanging from a fishing pole, they way the plane was moving up and down and not, you know, forward like planes (other than Harrier like craft) do.
Guardian
11-05-09, 03:23 PM
I agree that these reveals should have come out in the first episode, so they can get on with the new. I just think they should have done it in a two hour pilot, instead of a one hour pilot. You wouldn't feel so much like you you need to watch it two or three times because you missed something because it all went so damn fast...
Cheers,
Ed
I agree. I think I am going to watch it again tonight to make sure I am up to speed* :bonk1: I really enjoyed it* I also enjoyed the original although I was younger then(dont remember alot)
cygnusloop
11-05-09, 04:13 PM
All that was good, but the scene with the F16 crashing was pathetic. It looked like a guy with a model hanging from a fishing pole, they way the plane was moving up and down and not, you know, forward like planes (other than Harrier like craft) do.
Yeah, I guess I blocked the F16 out. That wasn't great.
yosoyellobo
11-09-09, 09:36 AM
Finally watch on the internet this morning. The part about the resistence went over my head. Can someone explain why the FBI agent just did not call in the agency once the aliens were discover.
Stuart Sweet
11-09-09, 09:52 AM
Well, if her partner... was a visitor then she didn't know whom she could trust.
I finally watched it. I thought the acting was good but the writing only so-so. They seem to even acknowledge that it's a derivative work by saying it's like Independence Day and other previously aired programs, right in the program!
I am a lifelong sci-fi nut and I guess I don't understand... have all the good plots already been taken?
RunnerFL
11-09-09, 09:53 AM
Finally watch on the internet this morning. The part about the resistence went over my head. Can someone explain why the FBI agent just did not call in the agency once the aliens were discover.
you don't know how many other "sleeper" lizards are FBI agents...
redfiver
11-09-09, 01:24 PM
I finally watched it. I thought the acting was good but the writing only so-so. They seem to even acknowledge that it's a derivative work by saying it's like Independence Day and other previously aired programs, right in the program!
I am a lifelong sci-fi nut and I guess I don't understand... have all the good plots already been taken?
I think they were saying that Independence Day was a rip off of the original V.
As for good plots, there are no new plots. All have been done over and over. There are just new characters and interactions between characters.
Stuart Sweet
11-09-09, 02:01 PM
I think they were saying that Independence Day was a rip off of the original V.
As for good plots, there are no new plots. All have been done over and over. There are just new characters and interactions between characters.
Gotcha. So they're also saying that this iteration is also a ripoff of the original?
I get where people say, there are only four or five plots out there and it's all in the treatment. The problem is, unlike the early seasons of Battlestar Galactica for example, this new treatment doesn't give me a lot to hang my hat on. I'm not saying the old one was superior, but the only thing this has going for it seems to be better effects. Although, watching the leader of the Vs unhinge her jaw was pretty good back in the day.
Seems the Milwaukee Art Museum was an inspiration for the mother ship! :)
http://onmilwaukee.com/movies/articles/milwaukeeandv.html
armophob
11-10-09, 05:27 PM
I finally re watched all the old series and think that maybe they will relive the original series in the first 4 episodes. This would explain the quick reveal. Then settle down into the new writing in the continuation.
phrelin
11-10-09, 06:04 PM
Thought this story was kind of interesting relative to a subplot in "V" - Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091110/ap_on_sc/eu_vatican_aliens): "The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.
Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.
We finally watched the pilot last night and I'm ready for more. And I liked the early reveals. Kept me from thinking "when are they gonna tell us about..." As for audio problems mentioned I didn't have any in my OTA recording. Well, no more than usual from my local Disney owned ABC station.:p
Bluto17
11-11-09, 09:41 AM
Seems the Milwaukee Art Museum was an inspiration for the mother ship! :)
http://onmilwaukee.com/movies/articles/milwaukeeandv.html
*L* Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that when they showed the interior of the ship.
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