The second reason is Morena Baccarin, doe-eyed leader of the alien Visitors. The new Science Fiction Goddess for which expletive-free descriptions are inadequate. So bare with me as I try to compromise my opinions of her with the censorship that I intellectually realize is absolutely necessary. Just for a paragraph or so.

To begin: that beep fine as a motha-beep. She’s got that shaking going on like Donkey-Kong, and a way about her that makes a beep wanna beep. I don’t even know how she does it… but from Firefly to SG-1, she fits her characters like a beep-beep hand-delivered by Yahweh himself. Like Helen of Troy before her, I have absolutely no doubt that her face alone was enough to launch those twenty-nine, gargantuan space-ships. And however many they have hiding in high-orbit.

All the more interesting, this role in V isn’t her first decent into villainy. For those of you unfamiliar, as Stargate SG-1’s Adria, she plagued the Universe as a partially ascended super-being that could phase through walls, throw fireballs, and gracefully leap over gas giants in a single bound. All the while managing to keep her wonderfully comely appearance in perfect order. Somehow that all segue’s impeccably into this new role. Even knowing there is an alien-reptile peeking out from beneath that stoic, cutely-innocent expression of her’s, I can’t pull my eyes away. And her continued participation in this show more or less guarantees that I’ll watch it as long as she’s a part. Even if it back-slides in the direction Flash Forward already has.

But back to my first point. As much as I hate to admit it, there is more to talk about.

Overall, V was refreshing. As stated above, this is especially so with Flash Forward on hand to compare it too. Sure, the story proved a tad formulaic at times, and consequently predictable… but there are still a few twists hiding within the pilot’s plot that might pleasantly surprise you. Also, the progression of the story felt a little rushed at times… almost as if the show’s writers wanted to hurry up through the rigors of initial exposition and get right into the invisible war aspect. Which, I have to admit, I can’t really blame them for. This is just the beginning, after all.

One last element that pulsed frustration was the resonance the show’s writer’s attempted to force with current events. From the post 9-11 whackness to a counter-terrorism FBI agent as its central character. Even this show, it would seem, isn’t entirely cliche’ free. But for this day and age, it’s pretty damn close.

There was far more good than bad, however. The story has a definite hook, the characters have– for the most part– some depth, and even the special effects are top notch. Not once, for instance, did I get tired of those skyline shots of the alien ships above various cities of the world. Even if the Science Fiction genre has tortured that particular visual to hell and back.

The cast– just in case you didn’t get enough of my opinion above– is a big selling factor. Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost’s Juliet) seems to succeed in feeling far more natural then her Lost sister on Flash Forward does (Sonya Walger). And my man Alan Tudyk (Firefly’s Wash) being in it– and as a character with a bit of a surprise, no less– makes it all the more invigorating.

The Nazi-poster-boy looking Priest’s (Joel Gretsch) storyline came off a little contrived, unfortunately. From the moment he starts questioning the changing world around him, to his donning of street clothes in order to deliver a bloody envelope to a secret meeting, the character just wasn’t gelling with me. On the other hand, Morris Chestnut’s character Ryan has a whole lot of promise. Right from the get-go, it’s made abundantly clear that he’s a man trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and a dark past. A past I won’t ruin here, just in case you have yet to check the pilot out.

So let’s hope V continues to take steps in the right direction. And that the twists keep coming. The show, as it stands, is filled with potential… and it would break my heart to see it all wasted. Not to mention see Ms. Baccarin out of a job.

Open on blatant hook: the aftermath of a catastrophic event designed solely to snag viewers nice and early. Pretty, English, possibly eye-linered Joseph Fiennes pulls himself from a flipped over, ruined car and looks onto a city immersed in chaos. All the traditional imagery follows: woman calling for help while holding her dying husband’s head in her lap, shocked people stumbling around with wounded hands on wounded heads and/or wounded necks… even a screaming man on fire that seems incapable of recalling the old axiom of stopping, dropping, and rolling.

After this quick little taste of things to come, we jump back to four hours earlier. Naturally.

Here we’re subjected to Mr. Fiennes and Lost’s Sonya Walger–two gifted British actors–playing the typical American couple with painfully typical American accents. He playfully claims that he hates her, she calls him babe, and I throw up a little in my mouth.

A few steps later brings homeboy into an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting with what might be a hillbilly, and the real disappointment sets in. Network TV actually expects us to accept another tortured, AA hero. Now, I understand and fully respect the fact that all good heroes need character flaws, but isn’t this particular downfall getting a tad cliché? If the show’s creators were determined to spotlight substance abuse, why not try something a little more refreshing and gritty, like methamphetamine or cocaine? Imagine Joseph Fiennes twitching between action sequences… ‘nuff said.

Anyway, a clumsy series of character introductions later, and the show builds suspense for the oncoming mass black out. Car chase over here, above mentioned hillbilly climbing electric pole over there, just a dash of hospital operation room drama, a shore-side suicide, and a babysitter in mid-coitis…   boom! Fade to black and the beginning of some slightly contrived-feeling mystery, and we pick up where the show started: city in chaos. Only this time a fuel tanker explodes and a helicopter crashes into a high rise. All of this in just over eleven minutes. Ye gods.

Beyond that, I’m not even sure what else to mention. I guess the show does pose some excellent questions, such as, how the hell does it only take the FBI approximately five hours to accept precognitive visions as viable evidence in their investigation? Or why wasn’t Dominic Monaghan in the pilot? And why, in God’s name, is the show’s hero so into standing on top of ruined cars?

John Cho is in the show as well, and his acting is, of course, top-notch. Although (through no fault of his own) the most interesting thing about the character is the cool scar pattern on his face  he sports through most of the pilot. And you’ll love the closest thing to a nemesis the show’s heroes have–Suspect Zero–yet another cliché, tortured, and the one man walking around during the mass blackout.

Part of me wishes I could Flash Back and reclaim that hour of my life. But who knows, maybe there is potential here. I’ll at least check out next week’s episode in support of my man Dominic.