First - Ryan Nichols, the black guy buying a ring in the store for his girlfriend, turns out to be a visitor. I suppose reconsidering the beginning of the episode, he wasn’t nearly as jarred by the appearance of the visitors, and he was quick to act when the fighter Jet went down in the middle of the street to avoid being struck by.. well.. a wing of the disabled and (by then) exploded craft. This foresight makes me now think that it was more obvious that he was aware that the craft would not right itself, and even more so, it was obvious that he would understand why - the craft had experienced electrical failure. But the conundrum I am facing is, if he was a visitor, and a member of the resistance, why wouldn’t he choose to fight the visitors? I realize that he did, but why would he even think twice? As a visitor, he admits that he is a traitor to their cause, presumably because he doesn’t agree with their tactics. In this aspect, he’s sort of like an intergalactic tea party protester, only seemingly more reluctant (realistically, it would be fun if Glenn Beck refused to sponsor the next wave of Tea Party protests, and then Rush Limbaugh came to him to tell him that they needed him, and he refused in the same way that Ryan did). Considering that the reason Ryan didn’t agree with the visitors tactics was because he knew what they were up to, he already knows what they are capable of. I mean, there’s no other reason for him to be a part of a visitor resistance group. He obviously knows they are correct in their assumption that the visitors arrived to annihilate humans. He says he’s “not that guy anymore”, and that he can’t be a part of the group, because he has to protect his new fiancee. The problem with this is, if he knows what the visitors are capable of, and what their intentions are for earth, then he should surely know that the visitors will not spare his human bride.
So, logically, he knows what the visitors will do, and chooses to not assist in the only organized resistance group known, and share his vast knowledge of the visitors’ abilities and technologies, as well as any possible weaknesses they may have, which may be the only real defense he has against the destruction of himself and his wife. Smart move, Ry.
The second plot point that bugged me was the lack of any fear once the aliens said “Do not be afraid. We come in peace, always.” Lets start with the obvious - the first sighting anyone has of an alien spacecraft - definitive proof that we are not alone in the galaxy, and humans were legitimately terrified. But, then when this almost angelic face comes on the screens on the bottom of the ship, no one questions why she knows english. This seems like a minor plot point, and something that can be quickly dismissed since she speaks in french to the french, and presumably in every other language above those major cities (it must’ve been completely terrifying to be a non-english speaker in New York, just like about half of New Yorkers are - you’re confused, scared, AND you don’t understand what Anna is saying). But, lets consider this: she opened by speaking about a level of excitement when the visitors discovered a new colony. This connotes a level of happenstance, but how would they know the languages of the world if they were in such desperate need of basic supplies (which they apparently cannot carry on their massive ships). It seems like they are trying to present this sort of case in which they are refugees. Why else would they be so far from home and without necessary supplies. They claim to have thought they were the only intelligent life in the galaxy. They also claim they don’t subdivide themselves into separate countries. They are one people. It should stand to reason, then, that they don’t have separate languages. So, if all they know is one language, it should stand to reason, they wouldn’t have language recognition software. So to say that they are extremely advanced and had this technology is a fallacy - they only had presumably one language, and never considered there would be any other civilizations. Obviously, then, this is a lie from the Visitors. My question would be, why is it that this wouldn’t occur to anyone? They all just automatically took the visitors at their word. Obviously, there was discussion of protesters, but the scared populace applauded the visitors message, in what is probably the second most awkward clapping scene in entertainment history - the first being the scene at the end of “A League of their Own” when all the old women sing the AAGPBL theme song. It’s also just ahead of the scene in Rudy when Charles S Dutton comes to see Rudy play. He sees the sack on the QB, claps twice, almost angrily, and then walks away. That one was bizarre in it’s awkwardness. But I digress. Hopefully the writers address this.
The third thing is the apartment that Juliet (I think her name is Erica, but I know her better by her LOST name) has. Or, rather, her house. I know they aren’t explaining where her house is - she could absolutely live in westchester or Long Island, and her son could relatively easily make it to SoHo for a party. However, the house she’s living in seems huge. Why is it that no one seems to ever live in a dumpy studio? Everyone in New York based movies seem to be poor, out of work, or in low paying jobs, and still have fantastic apartments. The characters from friends often wavered between levels of employment (really? Could Rachel afford that apartment while working at a coffee shop on friends?) and still has a three bedroom, ornately decorated and full of designer clothes/furniture. The one concession these people always seem to make is that the fridge will be out of food, supposedly to show how hard the times are getting. Well, maybe if the poor starving artist in a ridiculously expensive apartment could sublet one of the other bedrooms he’s not using, he could afford something to eat. This always bugs me. In the case of V, Juliet/Erica is an FBI agent. We have to figure she earned at least a little bit of money for herself, but she is a single mother, and we’re in an economic downturn. Her husband/boyfriend/Tyler’s father left her, seemingly about a year and a half or two years ago, so she must be really stretched on that mortgage payment. Plus, her partner just tried to off her. So she’s probably a little broken up, emotionally.
But other than all that, I like the show.
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