V: Fruition Review - Mania.com



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  • TV Series: V: The Series
  • Episode: Fruition
  • Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Lourdes Benedicto, Scott Wolf, Logan Huffman, Laura Vandervoort
  • Written By: John Wirth and Natalie Chaidez
  • Directed By: Bryan Spicer
  • Network: ABC
  • Series:

V: Fruition Review

People are playing both sides against the middle

By Kurt Anthony Krug     May 12, 2010


V: The Series Review
© ABC/Bob Trate

 

SPOILER WARNING: This review contains spoilers that happened in this episode. Read it at your own risk. You have been warned.
 
The ending alone deserves an A– for delivering an excellent capper on an excellent episode as we move into the season finale next week.
 
As part of her campaign to sway the human race to her side, Queen Anna (Morena Baccarin) has her own daughter Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) brutally beaten and frames Kyle Hobbes (Charles Mesure) and Prof. Lawrence Parker, who is working on a bio-weapon that is a threat to the Vs. Anna shows up Lisa before the media, eliciting sympathy and revealing that her people will leave Earth. To make good on this, she orders one of her 29 ships to leave the planet.
 
FBI Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Anna appear for the first time on-screen together throughout the course of this series. It’s interesting to learn that Erica didn’t know Lisa was an alien, nor is she aware or unaware that her son Tyler (Logan Huffman) knows this. Speaking of Erica, it’s pretty gutsy of her to be calling her cohorts in the Fifth Column from FBI HQ. They can’t trace anything back to her? Just an observation.
 
What makes this show intriguing are how the characters’ loyalties are put to the test; you don’t know which way they’ll go, which makes for exciting television. In Lisa’s case, she’s developing human emotions and is willing to screw over an innocent man, fearing what her mother can do to her. This comes when you think she’ll do the right thing.
 
Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) realizes Anna purposely leaves him out of the loop, believing he’d make a desperate plea to the people about Anna and the Vs – and it works. Anna also wants Chad to give up his informant, who happens to be Fr. Jack (Joel Gretsch), a member of the Fifth Column.
 
Perhaps the best character arc this episode is Hobbes. He steals the hard drive from Parker’s computer, which contains his research on the bio-weapon, and informs Marcus (Christopher Shyer), Anna’s aide de camp, about it. In exchange, he wants the Vs to leave him alone and a boatload of money. Can’t blame the man.
 
There are a few more clever twists in this episode:
  • Val’s (Lourdes Benedicto) water breaks. Her unborn child is a half-human/half-alien hybrid, which is a threat to the Vs.
  • Erica plans on fighting fire with fire, using Lisa to become closer to Anna.
  • FBI Agent Sarita Malik (Rekha Sharma), herself an alien incognito, suspects there’s more going on to Erica than meets the eye.
  • Anna’s army of super-soldiers is ready to hatch, which could crush the Fifth Column effortlessly.
  • Anna’s “bliss” effect doesn’t affect members of her race with human emotions, which includes Lisa.
 
It would appear that a lot of the momentum V lost once it went on hiatus for a good five months is being made up for with a vengeance. Unlike FlashForward, this show has been cranking out some strong episodes and hasn’t turned into a convoluted mess like FlashForward has, sadly. If only one of the two can get renewed, it really should be V.
 
An open appeal to ABC: Please renew V for a second season. If you can’t do that, please make sure that the season finale ties up all the loose ends of an otherwise excellent and exciting but underrated series. You owe the fans that much.

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

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krakken 5/12/2010 4:54:19 AM

agree that this was a great episode of V.  I don't think people have given this show a chance.  It does have its flaws but its still enjoyable.  They need to fix the problem with Morris Chestnut's character who doesn't seem to know shit about his own people and their motives. 

disagree with your flashforward comment.  it seemed to start picking up with some revelations.  but it does seem to have too much to deal with, with all the subplots.

hopefully both are renewed.  especially now that i'm losing lost!

okonomiyaki4000 5/12/2010 5:42:02 AM

I didn't read for fear of spoiler but, seriously? A-? I think you are setting me up for some serious disappointment. I'm very close to being done with this show. The characters, the plot, the overall scope, just don't compare with V from the 80's. I have to wonder, who is the target audience for this show? It's way too dumb and full of obvious holes to be suitable for anyone over 11 or 12 years old but it hardly seems like a kids' show. There's some stuff they need to clear up before adults can give this show any consideration:

A) The V's reproduction. Wombs or eggs, pick one! 

B) Their skin. Why is it so bad to skin one if it's just fake anyway?

C) Their skin. It's living tissue so it needs nutrients. How does it get them?

Sorry, but I can't stand 'sci-fi' that requires you to turn your brain off and ignore obvious scientific issues. Same reason I hate Fringe. 

lracors 5/12/2010 11:17:31 AM

I was so mad at Hobbs at the end of that episode, but can i blame him... not really... but he has been really intelligent and observes the obvious fact that the humans are at war.  Does he really believe that they (the V's) will just leave him alone?  I hope he is smarter than that... please writers don't disappoint me... up until now he is the smartest one on the team... DON'T DUMB HIM DOWN.  I hope he has an alternative agenda to aid the resistance.

The whole Lisa Anti-Mama's boy is finally paying off and Erica finally (thank you writers) didn't act all melodramatic and weepy around her stupid son.

1 Hour left really sucks especially if they don't pick this up for season 2.  I really hope they do as i'm hooked into the show.

acidsquall73 5/12/2010 1:37:01 PM

I loved the subtle smile Joshua gave as him and Lisa were standing together while Anna was blissing. I just can't imagine Lisa will last long with Anna breathing down her neck, already suspecting her of having human emotions. 

I was thinking the same thing about Hobbs. He is the Ham of this version. The writers would be stupid to go the direction they hinted on in this episode. I think he has other motivations. Besides, he only has a piece of the research. He needs to find the rest that the other scientists have for it to even be worth anything.

Great episode.

ultrazilla2000 5/12/2010 4:23:13 PM

okonomiyaki4000 ...

A) In humans, the embryo developes from an egg after being fertilized and attaching to the uterine lining.  A human egg fertilized by a "Visitor" would not magically grow a hard outer shell...it would just be fertilized.  A visitor on the other hand, being reptillian, would have eggs that develope the outer shell after fertilization.  Though unlikely the two species would ever really be able to cross breed...the egg situation does make sense.  The same scenario was in the original series as well.  Knocked up humans gave birth, Visitors layed eggs.

B) The cloned human skin is supposed to be integrated with the alien's own nervous system, hence why they feel pain if cut.  How this works is apparently secret Visitor science, as we haven't been told.  ;)

C) They do bleed when cut, so obviously the skin is getting nutrients from the blood, just as our own does.  But the question is...if the Visitors have green blood (do they in the new version?  I don't remember...), then where does the red blood come from as it couldn't be from their own circulatory system...and how is the red blood circulating at all???  Plot holes or secret alien science...you decide! 

 

My question is, WHY are they even on Earth?  Maybe I missed the explaination somewhere, have they said?  Apparently they're not eating us like the classic...they don't seem to be interested in stealing the water...so what's the reason?

okonomiyaki4000 5/14/2010 5:23:18 AM

 UZ2K

I'll buy your explanations but I do need to know what happened to Lisa's 1000s of siblings. 

lracors 5/14/2010 8:45:34 AM

V got renewed for next season SWEET!

Hobbs 5/14/2010 10:20:09 AM

Any character with the last name of Hobbs in it has to be a cool.  :)

I don't wish the show to be canceled because so many of you seem to enjoy it but I gave it a chance, I kept an open mind and forgot the original series just like I did BSG when that show was remade.  And I have to tell ya, this is a really bad show.  The characters are just way too stupid to believe.  When you start hoping the main characters get killed off then you know its not that good of a show.  The writing is right up there with Smallville and I haven't watched that show in years.

But again, I have more than enough to choose from so I won't hope it gets the pink slip.  I'll not tune in next season if its renewed.  Based on my hopes for this series this was a huge disappointment.

okonomiyaki4000 5/14/2010 6:01:30 PM

 If there were unlimited time slots, nothing would ever need to be cancelled. But keeping trash like this, smallville, fringe, and heroes just eliminates the possibility that anything better could be put in their places. Nobody should be celebrating that this show got renewed. 

animefanjared 5/15/2010 9:32:03 PM

I for one like this show, and I'm glad it got renewed (mostly because I'm pretty certain the season finale will not wrap up all the loose plot threads).  Also, okonomiyaki, exactly what show do you think "V" is keeping off the air?  If "V" had been canceled, I can promise you it would not have been replaced with another genre show.  We would have probably gotten another procedural show, or (God forbid) more reality TV.  I can't imagine you'd find that any better.

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