V: The Series was a very odd television show. First, The Final Battle ended and it was a very satisfying end to the 10 hour miniseries. We really didn't more to this story. However, this weekly series did actually made some interesting points to the ongoing story but it was soon abandoned as well as most of the originally cohesive cast.
The series starts out about a year later and we soon see that Diana and the fleet wants revenge over the red dust. As we soon find out, the dust loses its effect and really can't be used anymore, so the visitors patiently wait for the dusts effects to cease. This sets up many good episodes about the visitors regaining control. However, gone is the Nazi allegory and it therefore goes for power and corruption plots all the while the resistance is back to fight the Visitor's once again.
I found myself really enjoying many episodes. It was a little uneven at first but it began to pick up. Yes, it was filled with "cheese" (especially the first 2/3 of the seasons opening credits music) but it was often engrossing. The FREEDOM NETWORK added a sense of continuity to the show and it was a nice touch. The acting was solid, Diana was as nasty as ever and they took chances and killed off regulars and that added to the dramatic impact. The Nathan Bates subplots were actually interesting and you really began to hate Mr. Chang. Michael Ironside was also very fun to watch. And the "soap opera" of "Charles and Diana" was also very entertaining.
However, as it went on toward the last 1/3 of the season, the series started falling apart by the seams. While the series was starting to find its groove, they took too many chances and kind of dug themselves in a hole and they ran out of creative juices. The idea of the resistance always winning and episodes ending with showing Diana dejected began to run thin. And poor Willy. They just beat us over the head with his butchering of the English language and making him the buffoon which was a shame, because he was such a charming character and performed well. The special effects were reused over and over again. The campiness factor of eating rodents was way over done and all originality that they could have tried for just went away.
Then, when we get the new (and improved) credit sequence, the show pretty much became a chore to sit through. Gone are some of the better and well acted characters. And the plots became paper thin and were filled with "filler" scenes where you just feel they were making it up as they went along. Add in "romantic flashback" scenes, illogical situations, cheesy actors making guest appearances and you can see that because of the daring chances they took with the series at the first, they were left with pretty much nothing. The acting also suffered, especially Faye Grant, in which she gave very uneven performances toward the end, especially in the dreadful episode "The Secret Underground". That episode was the worst in the entire run. The show ended with the Episode "The Return" and it actually felt like it would redeem itself but by then, it was too late. There was no saving "V."
This DVD collection of V: The Series is no frills. They put episodes on both sides of the DVD, making this a 3 DVD collection. Box is nice looking with good shots of some of the cast but nothing extra comes with it. The picture and sound quality of this collection is about as good as you would expect from an early 80's show.
I had a good time with this series and it was fun to see how it played out up to the unresolved cliffhanger. If you are a V fan, this is still a must have.
The series starts out about a year later and we soon see that Diana and the fleet wants revenge over the red dust. As we soon find out, the dust loses its effect and really can't be used anymore, so the visitors patiently wait for the dusts effects to cease. This sets up many good episodes about the visitors regaining control. However, gone is the Nazi allegory and it therefore goes for power and corruption plots all the while the resistance is back to fight the Visitor's once again.
I found myself really enjoying many episodes. It was a little uneven at first but it began to pick up. Yes, it was filled with "cheese" (especially the first 2/3 of the seasons opening credits music) but it was often engrossing. The FREEDOM NETWORK added a sense of continuity to the show and it was a nice touch. The acting was solid, Diana was as nasty as ever and they took chances and killed off regulars and that added to the dramatic impact. The Nathan Bates subplots were actually interesting and you really began to hate Mr. Chang. Michael Ironside was also very fun to watch. And the "soap opera" of "Charles and Diana" was also very entertaining.
However, as it went on toward the last 1/3 of the season, the series started falling apart by the seams. While the series was starting to find its groove, they took too many chances and kind of dug themselves in a hole and they ran out of creative juices. The idea of the resistance always winning and episodes ending with showing Diana dejected began to run thin. And poor Willy. They just beat us over the head with his butchering of the English language and making him the buffoon which was a shame, because he was such a charming character and performed well. The special effects were reused over and over again. The campiness factor of eating rodents was way over done and all originality that they could have tried for just went away.
Then, when we get the new (and improved) credit sequence, the show pretty much became a chore to sit through. Gone are some of the better and well acted characters. And the plots became paper thin and were filled with "filler" scenes where you just feel they were making it up as they went along. Add in "romantic flashback" scenes, illogical situations, cheesy actors making guest appearances and you can see that because of the daring chances they took with the series at the first, they were left with pretty much nothing. The acting also suffered, especially Faye Grant, in which she gave very uneven performances toward the end, especially in the dreadful episode "The Secret Underground". That episode was the worst in the entire run. The show ended with the Episode "The Return" and it actually felt like it would redeem itself but by then, it was too late. There was no saving "V."
This DVD collection of V: The Series is no frills. They put episodes on both sides of the DVD, making this a 3 DVD collection. Box is nice looking with good shots of some of the cast but nothing extra comes with it. The picture and sound quality of this collection is about as good as you would expect from an early 80's show.
I had a good time with this series and it was fun to see how it played out up to the unresolved cliffhanger. If you are a V fan, this is still a must have.