In the last week before "V" goes on hiatus till March 2010, Anna and the aliens revealed quite a bit more than just the power behind their engines.

ABC had a lot at stake with this episode, needing to capture the fickle attention span of the American TV viewer and hold it over a long absence. The network might have succeeded.

Having hashed out in the first episode of the remake that 'yes, remember, the aliens are lizards' part that we all knew before--the part that was drawn out and intriguing about the original series--the writers needed to recreate some mystery about the aliens to keep our interest.

Last episode we got some references that deserved a second thought, and those were delivered on this week, including the almost-divine awe of the "bliss," a personal motivational moment delivered directly by a near-naked Anna and her technology to each Visitor who is still connected. (The effect seemed to be the same on both male and female, so it wasn't clear what the lack of clothing had to do with it, other than as a symbolic lack of barrier between Anna and those who received her gift.) While clearly a delight to the Visitors, it also seemed to be a rather obvious effect they could not resist-- will the resistance be able to ID Visitors on the street when they suddenly stop and light up from within?

The local resistance members pull together, now four strong. Ryan catches a broadcast from Anna that announces not only new healing centers that the Visitors will provide for the benefit of humankind, but a brand-new vitamin supplement, "super-charged" to help prevent many diseases such as cancer. She apologizes for being unable to prevent the common cold, however, with her trademark--surely well-practiced--creepy smile.

Ryan remembers back in the day that the Visitors had some kind of plan to infect humans with bad bad things, and he pulls the Scooby team together to go find a V scientist he knows. Georgie, wanting a little more action, threatens to dissect the scientist and remove his skin. Ryan goes ballistic and warns him never to bring up skinning a Visitor.



At first, the threat seems like a big guy trying to keep a little guy in line. Then we see how Anna metes out punishment to traitors. Not good.

When Ryan, Erica and Father Jack (with his secret past) follow the chemical trail to the source of the V vitamin distribution, they find the vitamins, designated as R6, disguised as flu vaccine destined for delivery to points all around the United States. Erica is overcome that humans are so predictable that the aliens can get their poisons into people with this simple sleight of hand, and they take care of the warehouse.
 
Erica's son Tyler, meanwhile, wanders unsupervised all over Kingdom Come while Momma is off saving the world. While he tries to have a talk with her, he gets frustrated when her work intrudes and heads off for playtime on the V ship instead. Lisa introduces him to her mother Anna. Anna gives him a tour of the ship, especially of the machines he adores. Lisa and Anna agree: Tyler's the One.

Apparently Ryan's squeeze Valerie must be one, too. The therapist comforts Tyler, who gets her a special look-see at the Visitor healing center, since she can't seem to locate a doctor in New York. Anywhere. The advanced diagnostic equipment finds the heart condition she's already treating for, as well as something else: cue the new arrival! Finally, one expectant dad who can legitimately say, "How did that happen?"

As the episode wraps up, Father Jack and newsman Chad Decker have important choices to make; Erica needs to examine her priorities if she wants to keep her son; people across the country will be rethinking their flu shots; and we have to wonder just who all those hundreds of waiting spaceships belong to, and what their intentions are.

Buzz around the blogosphere is that with a shift at the helm from Scott Peters to Scott Rosenbaum (if/when) the show returns, that the action will continue to build up each episode as it did in this one. Although there were many threads to follow, each had interesting material and upped the ante for next time. Continuing on this track will definitely bring the audience back after they've had their fill of Winter Games. V for Victory!!