ABC’s V is a reboot of the 1983 two-part miniseries, about a race of technologically advanced race of aliens known as Visitors who come to Earth. The show chronicles how this event impacts the lives of FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), her rebellious son Tyler (Logan Huffman), businessman Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut), Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch), and television reporter Chad Decker (Sott Wolf). Mitchell and Gretsch are the sci-fi veterans of the cast, having appeared in hit shows Lost and The 4400 respectively. As the creator of The 4400, executive producer Scott Peters is no stranger to the alien invasion sub-genre of sci-fi either. Even if the series veers from its original source material, V’s pilot borrows heavily from other science fiction films and television shows. Not that each work is expected to reinvent its own genre, but it is troublesome and tiring to watch the pilot unfold with glaring similarities to current shows on its own network.

The pilot begins with a formulaic set-up — each major character reacts to what feels like an earthquake. Really the tremors herald the Visitors’ arrival to Earth in an armada of spaceships drifting over the world’s major cities. We’ve seen this collision of intergalactic civilizations in The Twilight Zone’s To Serve Man episode and more recently, Torchwood: Children of Earth, and District 9. The Visitors or V’s look human, though their leader Anna, ( played by Morena Baccarin, another sci-fi veteran from Firefly and Stargate SG-1) with her delicate elfin beauty looks more like one of Star Trek’s Vulcans than an actual human. She speaks calmly in a soft, syrupy monotone, and she’s never without scores of her fellow Visitors who stand eerily silent behind her.

When reporter Chad Decker asks Anna why all the Vs are so uncharacteristically good-looking, it’s easy for us to ask why all the humans are so good-looking as well. Do even the priests have to look like movie stars? After their landing, the Visitors attempt to win over mankind by pledging to cure diseases and clean up the planet in exchange for water, or minerals- it’s hard to remember what they claim to want. It’s difficult to believe that the majority of mankind could be so quickly and easily duped by the aliens, with their “we are of peace, always” sloganeering. But V barrels on with another genre cliché: the small group of skeptical humans arming themselves as a scrappy resistance to the Visitors. It’s been done before, and better, with everything from the Terminator franchise to Dune to even Lost.

The pilot attempts to grapple with the pressing issues of modern time. In post 9/11 America, the pilot explores themes of power. Who can the citizens have faith in after such a wide-scale event? Their secretive government? God, or those who claim to represent Him? Where V could have examined philosophical and political issues about blind trust in institutions with subtlety, it instead beats us over the head with a sledgehammer. When it addresses organized religion’s role, Father Landry expresses his doubts with V’s clunky dialogue after an older priest calls the aliens “God’s creatures”. Landry retorts, “Rattlesnakes are God’s creatures, too, but that doesn’t mean they’re good to us.” It’s all rather eye-roll-inducing and it only gets worse. Anna and her fellow Visitors promise to rescue mankind from its weary years of unnecessary war and economic meltdowns. Then she smiles sincerely promising universal health care. It’s not surprising that this forced moment has caused some to allege that V parallels President Barack Obama’s candidacy, especially considering the pilot aired on November 2. Where the Bush era is presented as tumultuous, here comes the smiling stoic Visitors promising mankind hope, change, and free health care. There may be another way to interpret the laughable healthcare reference. Perhaps this moment isn’t a ludicrous insinuation that sufficient health care will destroy us all, but an insinuation that the world is searching for a savior who will bring us back from the brink. Perhaps the brink is so disastrous that only an alien can save us.

It feels as if all these questions are crammed in to create meaning, when in truth, V’s problem is that underneath it all, the show is pure black and white – us vs them. V is more concept-driven, than character-driven. It’s difficult to say if V will improve over time. If it stays on the path of its human resistance and not its tense alien infiltration, the show will end up being a pointless cliché. In a show without much magic, perhaps a good mystery is all one can hope for.

BUY V: The Complete First Season (2009) DVD @Amazon

If you’re looking to get a Directv System, there’s now an excellent way to get genuine feedback from real people all over about DirecTV – simply search the social networking site Twitter, and see what people are saying about it. Below we’ve featured some recent comments about DirecTV by persons on Twitter:

honeybees7 said Get Directv We love it.

sassyradish said i never thought i’d say this but DirecTV’s picture is like eons superior to TWC – i mean, no comparison.

iphonefunaddict said DirecTV to offer live NFL games via the iPhone | Edible Apple

SySoni said DirecTV broadcasts in 1080p…cable in a million-80p…sign me up lol!

RPDuane said Enjoying the free preview of MLB Extra Innings on DirecTV…Worth checking out if you can.

There are lots of other people out there enjoying their Direct TV System. If you’re seriously looking to get one, do some looking and searching around to see the (mostly) good that people are saying about it.

In addition to that, as soon as our DirectTV was up and running, it was very obvious that it offers crisper sounds, brighter colors and sharper images than available through cable. Depending on the provider that you use in your state, you will have a number of packages to choose from, all dependent on your viewing preferences and pocket (what you can afford). Everything from the basic family entertainment package that’s under $30 to the ultimate high-definition (HD) package that’s just over $55 will be available for you.

Note too, there’s no need to worry about attaching a big ol’ dish to your house or in your backyard. Today’s Direct TV systems use reception antennas that are much smaller than the first generation services, as it uses more powerful modern-day satellite transmissions than previous satellites could produce. If having lots of channels at a low cost is your goal, then you definitely need to check out Direct TV.

Submitted by Lorie J., Los Angeles, CA.

Lovers of medical dramas have been pleasantly surprised by the show’s engaging quality, impressive writing and easy chemistry among main cast-mates. Kate Walsh (who originally appeared on Grey’s Anatomy), stars as Dr. Addison Montgomery. Sick of dealing with her ex-husband and ex-lover, she leaves Seattle Grace behind and heads to beautiful Los Angeles to join a private practice with her best friend and med school colleague, Naomi Bennett (Audra McDonald).

Rounding out the impressive cast are Tim Daly (as Dr. Peter Finch), Taye Diggs (as Dr. Sam Bennett), Paul Adelstein (As Dr. Cooper Freedman), Chris Lowell (as William Dell Cooper) and Amy Brenneman (as Dr. Violet Turner).

Will Addison finally find the proverbial true love she’s after and figure out a way to have a baby before it’s too late? Well, she’s not the only one seeking love, happiness and the good times. Everyone is, and the audience gets a front-row seat into their very private lives. What could be more interesting than watching some sexy MDs proving that, scrubs aside, they are just like the rest of us? These days, not much.

Private Practice is a stunning series and is quickly becoming one of my faves.

By Tyrone R., Miami, FL.