When they say it’s only the beginning, I truly believe it. The final episode before V’s long hiatus certainly ends on a high note.
Slice and Dice
One of my complaints about the show is its lack of originality. There’s something to be said about a show that has all the right ingredients for a hit, but lacks the extra bit of flare to really hit it out of the park. ‘It’s Only the Beginning’, however, is once again an improvement from the previous episode by giving us a few unique moments involving the Visitors. Sadly, viewers never get to see the skinning of a Visitor, but the implication is enough to send a chill down your spine. Anna (played brilliantly by Morena Baccarin) just gets creepier every week, yet her serene calm–as displayed during the bliss–is as intriguing as her manipulation. Indeed, Anna V’s trump card and so far, it’s been put to good use.
The Big Picture
Yep, there’s nothing like a big pullout to make the perfect cliffhanger. Pulling out several galaxies, however, is at a whole new level. If nothing else, the episode ends on a perfect note to attempt and draw back viewers come March. While I’m still frustrated over the horrible scheduling, I can’t really complain about the effort at hand. The characters are beginning to fall into place and the special effects get better and better. No, I don’t find the writing to be brilliant, but it’s stable enough for me to remain committed to the show.
“It’s Only the Beginning’ definitely has the punch of a finale. So far, the show has done everything it can to prepare for the coming hibernation. Only time will tell whether it has the staying power after the hiatus. For now, I will happily wait to welcome V back.
Rating: 9/10
Popularity: 12% [?]
“Yep, there’s nothing like a big pullout to make the perfect cliffhanger. Pulling out several galaxies, however, is at a whole new level.”
I don’t know how accurately you meant “new” here, but just so it’s been said, it’s been done before. Battlestar Galactica did it, and while I’m not able to remember a specific case of it, I’m pretty sure that Babylon 5 and Stargate SG-1 probably has done it several times as well.
That said, it is definitely a nice touch.
As to the show as a whole, I’m agreeing. The writing is decent, but not great, the premise is promising but not quite delivering, and so on and so forth. It’s still entertaining enough, though, that I enjoy it – I mean, I prioritised the new V over my still unwatched Fringe of last week. But there is definitely a lot of obvious room for improvement that I hope they’ll pounce on come March.
Thanks for the review!
I agree. It’s right on the scale of being great, but not quite…’tis frustrating to say the least. But, it has been improving so I’m willing to give it a chance.
Agreed.
By the way, dude, just so it’s been said, if a “9/10″ is something merely “on the scale of being great, but not quite” and “you’re willing to give a chance”, you seriously should consider the inflation in your ranking system.
Well, with V I’m definitely conflicted, but like I said, I usually watch what I enjoy so I rarely give out bad reviews unless it’s a surprise. Yeah, it’s inflated, but I hate it when–say–IGN gives out horrible reviews for no good reason. I’m the other way around.
I’m with you on only watching stuff you like – but if your scale is actually sensible, you LIKE anything that scores over 5, as that’s the top half of the scale. I know when I rate things on 1-10, I get a lot of inflation in my 7s and 8s, too, for much the same reason. But I sort of doubt that a show you’re this ambivalent about warrants being only one point away from perfection and I just figured I’d mention that. If the scale is 1-10 then 6 or 7 is by definition enough to call something “better than most” and give it a good review – and you’re steadily on 9. Little room for improvement from 9, is all I’m saying.