Retroblog

The Visitors Are Back!

The Visitors first arrived in 1983 in “V,” a two-part mini-series that spawned a second mini-series and then one season of a regular series. Initially, these alien travelers seemed surprisingly like us, and we welcomed their overtures of peace and their gifts of technological advancement.

As it turned out, of course, their true intentions were far from peaceful. In fact, they were here for our water… and… for us! (Yes, Virginia, “To Serve Man” is a cookbook!)

Wait, hold on… we can suspend our disbelief long enough to accept that they want to eat us… but our water? Did they not pass three different gas giant planets on the way to Earth, each with enough water for three or four visiting alien races? What’s up with that?

Well, heck, if writer Kenneth Johnson had studied his planets too closely, we might not have had two mini-series and nineteen episodes of “V” to entertain us with its themes of fascism, identity and freedom, all dressed up with eighties big hair and Halloween lizard masks. For that, we’re willing to believe whatever you want. The Visitors are our friends!

Here’s a taste of the original series:

On November 3rd, 2009, the Visitors return for another shot at, well, taking a shot at us, we imagine. We’re setting our DVRs here in Retroland Central, for sure — preliminary reviews are very good! Here’s the first eight minutes of the pilot episode:

We just hope they’re not here for our water. Seriously.

Will you be watching “V?” What do you think of television “re-imaginings” like this, “Battlestar Galactica,” “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” and others that have come along over the years? Let us know in the comments!