V - TV Fanatic

ABC Axes Six Shows

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:13:47 EST

ABC brought the axe down on a number of shows today, some new, others that were more established and popular. The six casualties were:

V
No Ordinary Family
Mr. Sunshine
Brothers & Sisters
Off the Map
Detroit 1-8-7

The network also announced official pick-ups for 12 new shows. They include Charlie's Angels and a new comedy from Tim Allen.

Visit TV Fanatic throughout next week, as ABC and all other networks officially present their fall schedules. We'll be posting new descriptions, scoops and trailers live from the Upfronts in New York!

V Second Season Finale Review: Who Died?

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:48:20 EST

So much happened on "Mother's Day" that it was almost hard to keep up. How did V bid farewell to this season? Let's break it all down...

Erica and the Fifth Column devised a plan to make it look like Lisa was captured and held prisoner so that she could finally put an end to Anna by killing her. Of course, Anna survived by playing on Lisa's human emotions. She pretended to care for her daughter in a way that Lisa so badly wanted to believe was valid.

In the end, though, we learned that Anna is pure evil.

Diana had such great plans for her kind. She believed that human emotion was a gift and her people should embrace it. All seemed to be falling into place until Anna came back and showed Lisa how to kill a mother by spearing Diana's heart with her tail. I was expecting more gore, but we got a fill of that later on in the episode when the replacement Lisa killed Tyler.

Poor Tyler. He truly loved Lisa and by the sheer look of horror on her face when her clone mated and then ate him, you could tell Lisa truly loved him, too.

Now Lisa is trapped in the same dungeon where her grandmother was kept for all those years. Why didn't Joshua kill the clone version of Lisa and bring the real Lisa to Tyler? Or, better yet, get the clone to believe that she belonged in the dungeon?

The Fifth Column may not have been the brightest terrorist group to fight against such a powerful force as Anna. Shouldn't they had realized that Anna had technological advances much higher than our species? It was easy for her to figure out who the traitor was. Chad Decker really should not have gone on camera as one of the terrorist. His fate doesn't look to be that promising.

Was I the only person who was clueless on where Kyle went?

Why did Kyle just disappear when he promised Erica that he would be there to follow and support her? I was really hoping that this one-night stand would last longer than an episode or two. Erica needed this type of emotional support and I thought that Kyle could have been that for her.

I was very sad to see that the second main character to die was Ryan.

From the pilot, he had been one of my favorites and to die by the hand tail of his own flesh and blood was sad to watch. All he wanted was a normal family life, but instead he never stopped running from one thing or another. Hopefully, Amy will one day find out the truth about who and what she really is.

Amy became the most surprising character on V. Besides her ability to rapidly grow, we learned in the last few minutes that she could control the human race with her bliss. What would this mean for humankind? If the whole world (minus a few underground) was mind controlled by Amy and Anna, how would anyone be able to stop them?

Erica's boss and partner weren't trying to spy on her for FBI purposes, but for the bigger picture: to recruit her into their underground resistance called Aries. At least Erica isn't alone in her ever-decreasing terrorist group. She is now a part of this other world of people who know that the Visitors are not of peace, always.

This was an epic episode for this series and I hope to see many more like it in the third season. If there is a third season, that is.

Elizabeth Mitchell Previews Major Character Deaths Ahead on V

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:31:09 EST

The spoilers are true: a slew of major characters will die on next week's V finale.

How will this impact Erica and others on the show, if it returns for a third season, of course? Elizabeth Mitchell tells Entertainment Weekly:

"The people who die are going to affect everyone in different ways. The people they chose, they chose for a reason because they will mean something. I think it’s going to create an entirely new dynamic for everybody. Nobody is going to be unscathed.”

What else can Mitchell tease about Tuesday's episode?

"There will be some interesting betrayals, which I always enjoy, and there will be tears and hopefully some fun. We’re all very active in this and everyone has an important part."

V Season Finale Preview: Who is Lars Tremont?

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:34:32 EST

V wraps up its season - and, very possibly, the entire series - with "Mother's Day" next Tuesday night.

The episode will feature the debut of Marc Singer, who played freedom fighter Mike Donovan on the original mini series, as the new character of Lars Tremont. Look for this secret organization member to play a key role in events.

Elsewhere on the finale:

Anna is all about having Lisa breed with Tyler.
Erica and Diana enlist Lisa's help to stage a coup against her mother.

Visit TV Fanatic soon after the episode concludes for a detailed rundown and watch the official trailer for it now:

V Season Two Finale Promo

V Review: "Devil in a Blue Dress"

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:55:59 EST

With only one more episode remaining this season, "Devil in a Blue Dress" really proved that this show should get a chance to return next season.

It began with Anna's plan to build Concordia in its first stage of construction.

If it wasn't for Sid, the Fifth Column would never have been able to put together that Concordia is a landing site for motherships around the world.

This boy genius even came back at the end to show his fellow Fifth Column members that the Visitors already have their other motherships waiting in the clearing to invade. He deserved more credit than his fellow mates had given him. It seemed like throughout this season, Sid had been picked on for being a dork, but that dork has kept The Fifth Column right on the Visitors' toes.

When Sid pressed the button to destroy the blue energy, I really thought shit would hit the fan. Alas, Ryan was there to deactivate it. This whole scene made me feel uneasy because I truly believed that if Sid would have completed the mission, Anna's plans would have been foiled.

I don't think it was a ploy when Diana pointed out to Marcus that she is not here to create peace, but wanted what is best for their kind. Diana desperately wants to be ruler again and won't stop at anything to become Queen, even if it means that she must become allies with the Fifth Column.

Both Diana and the Fifth Column want the same thing: to overthrow Anna.

Anna's plan to destroy the human soul did not go the way she had planned. But now she has the ability to mind control the human race... at what cost? Seeing the damage it did to her to mind control only one human, why would Anna believe she could control millions at the same time?

Oddly enough, seeing the softer side of Anna when she nestled Ryan's baby girl made me uneasily like her. Who knows? As doubtful as it would be, maybe Anna's human, emotional side will be able to defeat what I believe to be the bigger evil: Diana.

I was surprised to not see more awkwardness or sparks flying between Erica and Kyle. All we got was a brief moment when they talked about what happened the night before. I can't be the only one wanting to see more passion.

At first, I wasn't sure if I even liked Kyle, but after he was able to calm Erica down, I fell in love with the guy. There may be a dark secret side to him, but who doesn't love a man with an edge... and an accent.

Joshua was the highlight of the episode because he saved Lisa and, in turn, got his memory back. This was huge for the Fifth Column because out of all the Visitors, Joshua was the most trustworthy. He had already proved his loyalty to the human race by risking his life to end Anna's plan and I don't doubt for a second that he would do it again.

By far the best episode of not only the season, but the series. There is so much to look forward to in the season finale that I fear it will be anticlimactic.

V Review: "Uneasy Lies the Head"

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:26:19 EST

Erica Evans proved to be the leader that the Fifth Column needed on this week's episode, "Uneasy Lies the Head."

In order to stop Anna from moving forward with her plan, Erica infected a bunch of humans. She knew that there was no guarantee of what the virus could do, but she moved forward anyway.

Not many people could pull off the attack she did without feeling any remorse. And from the looks of it, Jack wasn't too pleased with her actions.

After Erica took an extreme chance by double tapping the security guard and then distinctly lying about the entire operation, I doubt Jack will ever look at her the same again. Might this mean Jack is opting out of the Fifth Column? Going forward, how will he be able to be okay with innocents loosing their lives because of their actions?

I am still unsure how I feel about Diana and whether or not the Fifth Column could really trust her. She claims to be against Anna, but does that really mean she is on the human race's side?

It was also rather shocking to find out that Marcus is on Diana's side. Having Marcus be Dianna's biggest ally only worries me that whatever she's planning isn't any better than her daughter's scheme.

Since last year, Marcus has been Anna's right hand man. Killing any Visitor that may be a traitor or show feelings. Now, we learn that he has stronger ties to Diana. Does this mean that he believes in human emotion? Now that he knows the truth about what happened to Dianna, which side will Marcus choose?

Lisa proved herself to be a good ally by helping Ryan escape. Ryan promised his daughter that he would be back for her, but when Anna gets word that Ryan is gone, why wouldn't she use her powers to cause his child pain again?

Kyle admitted that the Visitors killed someone he loved to Erica. This scene either proved that Kyle is a great liar or he truly believed that his wife was killed. I like Kyle, but I am still not sure if I fully trust him. He was the reason why Erica's ex-husband died, wasn't he?

Was I the only one shocked to see Kyle at Erica's door at the end of the episode? We all knew something was going to go down when he pulled out the bottle of liquor. What I wasn't expecting was how hot the scene would be. This was primarily due to their ridiculously in shape bodies.

I am glad the writers finally put in a love story for Erica, but I'd still like to see something go down with her and Jack.

The episode ends with Tyler getting the first dose of human DNA from Anna. This serum is imperative to Ana's plans to impregnate and rule the human race. Since this week's operation failed, I can't wait to see how the Fifth Column plans to stop Anna and her plans to move forward next week.

What did everyone else think?

V Season Finale Spoilers: Who Will Die?

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:08:27 EST

V will wrap up its season season on March 15. At this time, the odds for a third are unlikely, but one thing is certain:

IF the ABC drama is renewed, it will return this fall with a different cast. According to executive producer Scott Rosenbaum, only two characters are locks to be living following next month's finale: Anna and Erica.

Saying he chose his victims based on "what would be most devastating for the characters I want to continue," Rosenbaum says at least two of the following people will be killed off: Ryan, Tyler, Jack, Lisa, Diana and Chad.

Ryan and Jack may need to pray for their own lives at this point.

"People are going to be shocked," Laura Vandervoort (Lisa) told TV Guide. "When we read the script there was initially shock, then sadness."

It sounds from that quote as if Lisa is safe, but that's all we can say for certain. Who do you think V should axe?

V Review: "Siege"

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:00:48 EST

V viewers were treated to "Siege," this week, arguably the best episode in show history.

Not only were the actions sequences spot on, but I rather enjoyed the love/sentimental scenes, as well.

Photo: [ABC]

The episode picked up with Erica talking to her fellow Fifth Column buddies about Ryan being the traitor. Kyle wanted to strike vengeance against him, but Erica talked him down. They agreed that they should find out why Ryan betrayed them before doing anything hasty.

Ryan ended up getting himself caught trying to kill Eli. Anna got word and devised a plot to bring down Eli and the Fifth Column. All of this went down within the first couple minutes of the show.

What Erica didn't realize was that when she walked in on Eli and Ryan, she changed the course of all of their lives. The FBI soon closed in on Eli and Erica realized that she was purposely left out of the loop because they believed she was a traitor.

By setting herself as the hostage, Erica was able to get her FBI pals to believe that she was not a double crosser. As horrible as this situation was, it really did save Erica's neck. She had no clue that the FBI was so hot on her tail.

I couldn't decide what was more of a shocker: Joe showing up to the scene and getting killed in crossfire; or Eli allowing his time to come to an end and handing over his army to Erica as their new leader.

Now that Joe is dead, Anna has Tyler right where she wanted him to be: living aboard with them. I still don't understand the importance of Tyler being Lisa's mate. We know that Erica wasn't the only one that got tested on back in the day, so why is Tyler so special?

I didn't find it to be too surprising that Kyle betrayed the group and set the bomb off. We learned last season that he was secretly meeting with Marcus. It may be apparent to us that he is not one to be trusted, but Erica and the rest of the Fifth Column have no idea who they are dealing with.

My favorite scene had to be the ending, when bad ass Erica talked to the remaining few Fifth Column members. She is ready to kick some Visitor butt and is not taking any prisoners.

Elsewhere: Jack is no longer a priest and remembers quite well what it is like to be a soldier.

As sad as it is to see Joe gone, it looks like the window of romantic opportunity to form between Erica and Jack is wide open. I know many of you may disagree, but I think these two would be quite the pair.

V Review: "Concordia"

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:31:08 EST

Anna's diabolical plans to conquer the earth moved forward in this week's new episode, "Concordia."

From what Anna wanted us humans to know, Corcordia will be the first structure that the Visitors and humans will create together. A place to coexist in peace.

Photo: [ABC]

But, in reality, Concordia will be the structure that helps the Visitor's dominate the world. Anna said it best when she told her architect:

The humans think that their building their future, but in fact, they are digging their own graves. | permalink

For whatever reason, Anna also needs Tyler to move her plans forward. She mentioned that Lisa picked Tyler to be her partner, but why? What does Erica's high levels of phosphorus in her blood when she was pregnant with Tyler have anything to do with Tyler now? His chromosomes have to be the missing key.

Chad seemed really happy to find out that he's not the only source feeding the public information about the Visitors anymore. Hopefully, his new co-anchor will stick around. The human race needs to hear the truth, but from the look that Marcus gave her, I wouldn't be surprised if something bad will happen to this reporter.

The Fifth Column and Eli came together again to once and for all try to finish Anna. Everything was put into motion and going as planned, until Anna got word that the assassination would happen. This is the part of the episode that I didn't understand. Okay, so Ryan was the one who saved her, but why did he go through the trouble in contacting Eli and setting it all up in the first place?

I get that Ryan wants to save his daughter, but why is Anna the only thing that can bring her peace? Ryan's always been one of my favorite characters, but lately I'm having mixed feelings for him. I wanted to believe that he would be on our side, but something tells me that this wont be the only time he will turn on the Fifth Column.

Marcus literally took the bullet for Anna when he took the stand to speak in her place. They say he's in critical condition, but he's Marcus. There's no doubt in my mind that he will survive and be back to seek vengeance soon.

Erica finally came clean to Joe about the Visitor's intentions with their son. I don't think Erica ever would have if she didn't feel like this was her Hail Mary to save Tyler. Now that he is 18, there's no stopping him from leaving her. How can she protect him when he's constantly with Anna above the mother ship?

Did you feel like this was the beginning of a happily ever after family reunion? It seemed forced and I was surprised to see that Tyler fell for it.

I am still rooting for Erica and Jack to hook it up. Now that Jack may no longer be a priest, what's stopping them from getting it on? Am I the only one who sees these two as a pair?

The writers definitely get an A for the action/suspense scenes, but hot sexy scenes? Major fail. There's plenty of avenues the writers could take and I think putting Erica and Jack together would be a no brainer.

Since there was no Diana this week, I can't wait to see what we have in store for us next week. What did you think of this week's episode?

V Review: "Unholy Alliance"

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:41:38 EST

On "Unholy Alliance," Anna is set on finding the human soul and destroying it. She goes to the Vatican to find more answers and arrives at a partnership with the Catholic Church.

Photo: [ABC]

I love that this show has taken the religious road. If anything would be able to separate us humans from aliens, the soul is definitely at the top of the list.

But how in the world can Anna find the soul and destroy it? The soul isn't tangible. I bet there will be a lot more innocent people dying at the risk of her trying to find out.

When Chad was at Vatican with Anna, he met a priest who gave him warning of the type of evil that Anna possesses. Did you catch the look that Anna gave to them when she saw these two talking? It always seems like Anna knows what's up, but she never does anything at that moment.

Diana made her lovely and scary cameo by killing her only follower. It was a good thing that she did because that priest would have died a very painful and horrible death otherwise. Do you think Diana will ever escape the "hell" Anna imprisoned her in? For whatever reason, I don't believe Diana is that bad.

Meanwhile, Erica and her Fifth Column buddies were hot on the case of tracking down Eli. They used Jack as bait and that bothered me. It was pretty clear that Eli and his goons aren't the only ones paying attention to Jack's preaching when Erica's old buddy, Chris, came into the picture.

Right from the get-go I knew this guy had something up his sleeves. Chris wanted to look at the bigger picture and that included Erica. Why would Erica's boss want to watch her so closely? Just because two of her partners wind up dead doesn't mean that she was somehow involved. (Insert sarcasm here)

Eli may prove to to be the type of partnership the Fifth Column needs. But it is quite risky. This guy doesn't care risking a human life in order to fight the good fight against the Visitors. That's not the Fifth Column's MO, so I can foresee this partnership being doomed.

Tyler found himself to be upset that his peace ambassador buddies were killed. So he did what any testosterone filled teenage boy would do: trash the person he thought was responsible. That being Father Jack, of course. This wasn't my favorite scene, especially since the older priest fell when seeing what the boys were up to. It did show us a darker side to Tyler, though. He may be an idiot right now, but he has the fight in him that may save his life later down the line.

Anna mentioned that because of the Red Rain, humans are now fertile enough to maintain alien babies. Do you think this means that Lisa will get pregnant soon?