# "V" the original two mini-series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704 "2004-12-19T23:26:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/21 "2004-12-20T12:47:13Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Confession: My friend and I used to pretend play “V” in the schoolyard at recess. We pretended we were 5th Column human recruits (kinda like that Daniel Hilter-youth guy, only we were good-guys) who were really resistance fighters. We’d run around the playground equipment pretending it was a spaceship. Hey!! Me too! Those were good times… ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/22 "2004-12-20T12:50:59Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Isn’t this the show where the aliens coveted Earth’s water, but didn’t bother to go mine the ice on the various moons we’ve got in our solar system? They had _two_ basic shortages. Water and _food_. Sure, they could mine moons for ice, but our planet had the good eats. That’s why humans were getting packed away in frozen tins for later. That was a bit of a plot annoyance. All the ships retreated and high-tailed it back to their own planet. With all those hundreds of thousands of frozen humans to be eaten. No rescue. Now _that_ would be a good plot of V: The Next Generation. The human survivors of the untold horrors on the Visitors’ planet come home. And they’re not happy. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/23 "2004-12-20T15:22:53Z")
Since the Visitors eat people, would having sex with a human be a form of bestiality? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/24 "2004-12-20T18:30:43Z")
My question is, if the human form is just a costume, not plastic surgery, how could Brian impregnate Robin without her noticing that his penis was green and scaly? I know the girl was a virgin, but _really_. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/25 "2004-12-20T18:33:00Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > My question is, if the human form is just a costume, not plastic surgery, how could Brian impregnate Robin without her noticing that his penis was green and scaly? I know the girl was a virgin, but _really_. After eating a human, the Visitors made condoms out of their skins. Obviously another technology they had yet to master. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/26 "2004-12-20T19:29:56Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > My question is, if the human form is just a costume, not plastic surgery, how could Brian impregnate Robin without her noticing that his penis was green and scaly? If the lights are dim enough, he could tell her it’s a French Tickler… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/27 "2004-12-20T19:38:46Z")
You know, one thing I didn’t get until I saw the show again a few years ago was that the black dude was selling drugs to the Visitors. I won’t even go into the whole mammals and reptiles reproducing together thing. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/28 "2004-12-20T19:40:47Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > My question is, if the human form is just a costume, not plastic surgery, how could Brian impregnate Robin without her noticing that his penis was green and scaly? I know the girl was a virgin, but _really_. It’s an all-over costume that fits like a glove. You know they had details like eyelids that would blink normally and fake human eyeball type stuff – so presumably all the other parts were similarly detailed. Robin didn’t have to lay an egg for him or anything! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/29 "2004-12-20T19:59:32Z")
One part that made me roar with laughter from the series was when, for reasons I don’t remember, Diana had to marry another one of the aliens. He was a commander of some sort, and may have had rank on her. His human alias? Charles. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/30 "2004-12-20T22:55:45Z")
I’d worry about a mini-series with the same cast. I mean Faye Grant and Jane Badler were so hot back then, they’re probably not quite as appealing. Of course this is just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/31 "2004-12-21T01:50:20Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > The Nazi symbolism definitely seemed stronger when I saw it again than when I saw it the first time - almost overwhelming at some points. “But they are rounding up all the…SCIENTISTS!” I guess at eight years old, I didn’t catch it… > [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > True, true, that aged goofily. Also in “V: The Final Battle” when they did a lazer show for Julie’s “conversion” it was kind of silly, but worse were her “conversion nightmares” where they had really cheesy monsters chasing her, and at one point a real-life lizard breaking through a scale model wall – way too _Land of the Lost_ there.! In all fairness, it was cheesy even then! 😃 > [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Confession: My friend and I used to pretend play “V” in the schoolyard at recess. We pretended we were 5th Column human recruits (kinda like that Daniel Hilter-youth guy, only we were good-guys) who were really resistance fighters. We’d run around the playground equipment pretending it was a spaceship. > _hangs head in shame_ No shame for you. I, too, played V. My shame comes from the fact that I took my dad’s gardening gloves and cut the fingers off so I could have the fingerless gloves like Ham Tyler. > [@msmith537](#): > > Michael Ironsides did kick ass. No joke. Up until this point, I always wanted to play the good-hearted hero (like Luke Skywalker vs. playing Han Solo). Ham made me want to be the tough guy. > [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > I hated everything about Elizabeth. > [@ivylass](#): > > My question is, if the human form is just a costume, not plastic surgery, how could Brian impregnate Robin without her noticing that his penis was green and scaly? I know the girl was a virgin, but _really_. “Baby. Seriously. DON’T worry. It’s only herpes.” ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/32 "2004-12-21T01:55:18Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Ah, memories… How many times did I stand behind a fan, talking through it: “People of the planet earth, we come in peace.” I did this once in rehearsal for a drama presentation when I had long hair (up until a month and a half ago, when it started getting very excessive). I quickly ceased when the fan clipped a small clump of hair off. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/33 "2004-12-21T01:57:41Z")
Oops. I missed one in my multiple quote response. Under “Elizabeth”, I was going to add that I too hated her and wondered how much better it would have been had the original actress cast been available to play the part. > [@](#): > > Blair Tefkin, born in California, got her first taste of acting as the innocent Robin Maxwell in _“V” (1983) (mini)_ when Dominique Dunne was murdered. After the two “V” miniseries and the TV series, she starred in other movies such as Fright Night Part II (1989) and S.F.W. (1994). > [@](#): > > Was tapped to replace actress Dominique Dunne as “Robin Maxwell” on “V-The Miniseries” after Dunne’s tragic murder during the filming of the pilot. [Dunne](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001161/bio) was the daughter of famed writer Dominick Dunne. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/34 "2004-12-21T02:00:32Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > No shame for you. I, too, played V. My shame comes from the fact that I took my dad’s gardening gloves and cut the fingers off so I could have the fingerless gloves like Ham Tyler. Oh, yeah? Well my friend and I got matching grey coats and black baseball hats to look like we had uniforms to complete our infiltration of the 5th column. (We weren’t actually stupid enough to get orange outfits, that would have gotten us beat up in the playground) > [@watsonwil](#): > > No joke. Up until this point, I always wanted to play the good-hearted hero (like Luke Skywalker vs. playing Han Solo). Ham made me want to be the tough guy. Strangely, I always preferred to create my own additional sidekick kind of character. Because then I could _interact_ with the good guy. Being the good guy was okay, but… Take the darker aspects of Batman for example, he kind of has some mystery to him, right? Well, if I _was_ Batman, then I’d know all the deep dark secrets and there would be no mystery. But if I was some other invented character that was, of course, way cooler than that lame doofus Robin, I could be a really cool superhero that was friends with someone as mysterious as Batman. That was more interesting. And yes, I agree, Ham Tyler made the morally ambiguous bad-ass good guy a far, far more attractive option than the squeaky-clean do-gooder. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/35 "2004-12-21T02:06:18Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > We weren’t actually stupid enough to get orange outfits, that would have gotten us beat up in the playground Of course, nowadays, you’d be picked up as suspected prison escapees for wearing 'em! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/36 "2004-12-21T02:16:50Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > [Dunne](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001161/bio) was the daughter of famed writer Dominick Dunne. She was the older sister in the movie _Poltergeist_. She was strangled by her ex-boyfriend who showed up while she was running lines with one of hr “V” co-stars. He only served two years of a six year sentence. :mad: In the original “V” mini-series, there _is_ still some footage in the show of Dunne as Robin, but it’s the back of her head. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/37 "2004-12-21T02:47:32Z")
[My memories of the show are considerably less than fond](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=169941). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/38 "2004-12-21T03:19:47Z")
I loved the show. It was a good/bad sort of thing. It was bad, but you loved it anyway. Ham Tyler was my favorite. I’ll quote what I said about one of the series’ episodes (timely enough, it was the Christmas episode, or as I like to think of it, **The WORST Episode _Ever_** : > [@written by me in the last "V" thread](#): > > I’ll never forget the “Christmas” episode which was beyond awful. It was so laughably bad. I can’t remember it all, but I think there was a rip-off of the “Casablanca” scene where the evil aliens are singing their national anthem in some restaurant somewhere, and then the humans start singing “God Bless America” (or whatever) to drown them out? That was nauseating. And we can’t forget the “evil twin” thing with the alien baby Elizabeth, all grown up now and big-busted! The aliens grow an evil twin of her. I forget how it ended, but I think the evil twin (also big-busted) sacrifices herself to save Elizabeth. And then Ham becomes an old softy and he ends up dressing up as Santa at the end of the episode. Bah humbug. And this was ALL in one episode! It was so deliciously BAD, so horribly WRETCHED. I dunno, it should have won an award or something for being so horrible in a hilarous way. You know, I loved Ham Tyler, but the character took a serious nose dive in that episde; I tried to purge it from my mind so I could still respect him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/39 "2004-12-21T03:36:23Z")
The series just never did anything for me. The whole L.A. being declared an open city and human and aliens having a ceasefire in the city didn’t make too much sense to me. While the mini-series had battles and biological weapons, the show was trying to be cloak and dagger. I want my humans and human looking lizards to fight ferocious battles to the death damnit! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/40 "2004-12-21T03:53:24Z")
Looking at the reruns now, it strikes me as fairly obvious that Diana was hiding a reserve battle fleet in her hairdo. I mean, what other reason could there be for so much volume? My sister thought Charles was “pretty”. She was not being complimentary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704.md?page=3)