‘V’ debut makes its sci-fi alluring, mysterious

November 03, 2009|Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff

Like some of the best sci-fi, ABC’s “V’’ is bursting with allegorical possibility. The alien “Visitors’’ who come to Earth appear as attractive GQ models, and they try to seduce us into cult-like devotion to them. They promote peace and prosperity, glowing with the tranquillity of the “after’’ photos on antidepressant ads. They’re particularly interested in appealing to teenagers, as their ships hover over the cities of the world like ultimate video games. Among the Visitors’ promises: “Complete medical services to all’’ - yup, universal health care.

In the course of the compelling first episode, tonight at 8 on Channel 5, “V’’ got me thinking the Visitors could represent organized religion, or the commercial entities waging war on the souls of young America, or blind political loyalties. They could stand for any fascistic or destructive force that lurks behind a seductive face. And the health care comment made me wonder if “V’’ was also alluding to President Obama, casting doubt on his composed allure in the way “24’’ stokes suspicion about letting our national defenses down.

At one point tonight, the alien leader, a lovely but robotic woman simply named Anna (Morena Baccarin), tells an international TV audience, “Embracing change is never easy, but the reward for doing so can be far greater than anything you can imagine.’’ Doesn’t Obama own the trademark on the word “change’’? Hasn’t he been accused of the kind of dispassion that Anna, whose speech is as even-toned as that of a voice-mail operator, cultivates so effortlessly?

But no gold mine of symbolism is worth a damn when the show itself doesn’t have good old storytelling mojo behind it. And, based on the premiere, “V’’ has enough narrative drive and character definition to pull viewers into the creepy suspense of its dystopian world. While ABC’s “V’’ (led by writer-producer Scott Peters of “The 4400’’) may not persuade the reverent fans of the 1980s series and miniseries from which it is adapted, it’s the kind of science fiction that’s human-based enough to capture the imagination of a mainstream audience. This isn’t for tech geeks only. That the new “V’’ also incorporates “sleeper cell’’ language and 9/11 imagery into its mythology also adds to its contemporary currency.