It isn’t online anymore and I’ve started watching with episode 2, but there are things I don’t understand because I didn’t see the pilot. Like, what specifically is the “Fifth Column”? I mean I get that it’s a resistance movement of Visitors, but there’s probably more to it than I’m getting. So if someone(s) could summarize any important stuff from the pilot that may help me understand so I can catch up, that would be awesome. Thanks!
The fifth column is a group of rebel aliens and their human allies. I can’t recall, though, if the show has explained exactly why they’re rebelling, but they had apparently been on Earth for some time before the main fleet of V-ships appeared.
Also, can someone remind me how the original V ended? I watched it sporadically at the time and don’t remember if I saw the finale or not.
They dropped some kinda alien killing virus from balloons.
Yup. Plus, they had broadcast a call for help into outer space in the hope that some other space-faring race might come to their aid. There was, IIRC, talk that it would take at least 20 years to know if it had done any good.
There was talk in the mid-2000s that V might be revived as the sequel, with the impetus for the new show being the payoff from that dialogue.
Which is where they should have stopped. If it had ended there, it would have gone down in history as a work of great beauty and glory. Instead, they brought in the Wonder Child to save everything.
I’ve seen all the episodes except this weeks and they haven’t really explained the Fifth Column in much detail. Just like you said, they’re V’s that don’t like the current leadership.
Another thing… have there been many threads about V? How the heck do you search for threads about it??
Search for “fifth column,” that should turn up most of them, Opal.
Well, even that’s not the end end
Instead Wonder Child advances in age to young woman, has some lower budget adventures for a year, then goes off to meet the real ultimate leader Leader of the Visitors
Or something to that effect. I haven’t seen it in a long time.
The term “Fifth Column” is a generic term applied to resistance movements in general.
It’s a group of aliens who oppose the leadership policy.
There was the first V miniseries, which ended with the humans hijacking a radio telescope and beaming a message out into space. They know that the aliens have an enemy out there who beat them before, and might be willing to help Earth.
This was followed by V: THe final Battle, which ended with the discovery of a Red Dust that would kill the aliens, but was harmless to Earth life. The dust is spread through the atmosphere leaving Earth poisonous to the aliens, except for the Fifth column, who have the antidote.
Then there was a weekly TV series. It started with the premise that weather patterns cleared some areas of the Dust, leaving them safe for the aliens, while other areas were still off limits. It ended when there was a change of government on the alien homeworld, the new leader ordered hostilities to cease. IIRC, in the very last scene, he’s coming to Earth, the alien military leaders await his arrival nervously.
Apparently, the V’s sent what seems to be a scouting party to gather information and to infiltrate various areas of society. At some point, many of these V’s went native, such as developing human emotions, rebelled and formed the “Fifth Column” under a V who went by the name of John May. Given the statement, “John May Lives” implies that the spirit he inspired continues, it’s likely he’s dead.
Thanks for that! It was very educational!