The other day I had the rare opportunity to actually sit down and watch some of the shows on our DVR. After a few hours of catching up with shows I looked at what was left on the recorder. All I had left was V. I was shocked considering how much I was looking forward to the show when I heard it was getting a reboot. So why after all of this was I not motivated to watch V? It didn’t take long for me to figure it out and it probably didn’t take other people very long either. More after the jump.

Fair warning: Spoilers follow…

The reason it didn’t take me very long to figure out why I haven’t watched the rest of V on my DVR is… they spoiled it for me.

By the end of the first episode of V I knew that the aliens were actually reptiles with some hidden agenda. Not only that, I knew that the romantic interest of one of the main characters was an alien that had been planted on earth. AND I knew that one of the main characters was an alien who had rebelled and was going to fight the aliens.

Cue suspenseful music. No wait… don’t cue suspenseful music………… because there’s no suspense!

I remember watching V when it first came out in the 80’s. (Yes, I know I’m dating myself.) Now it’s been over 20 years since the mini-series first came out on TV, but I remember how they took their time with the story. We all wondered what was going on with people using opposite hands, persecution of scientists and the gradual control by the Visitors. Who doesn’t remember the moment when Diana eats the live guinea pig? It was mind-blowing and no body expected it. No such spectacular reveal in the new version of V.

Guinea pigs iz tastee

There’s no spectacular reveal because all the questions are answered in the first hour of a show. We can’t squirm as we wait for the moment when they discover that the aliens are reptiles with a darker purpose. Why? Because you have resistance leaders that are organized before the Visitors arrive that kindly take the time to lecture us about what the Visitors are and what exactly they’re doing. Isn’t that the job of a great hero? Shouldn’t we let our characters show what makes us love them by working hard against all odds and finding it out on their own? Apparently not in the new V. It was all just too easy and that is disappointing.

One of the things that drives me crazy is when shows refuse to let the audience discover the story. They just reveal it so they can move on. That level of knowing on the part of the audience doesn’t really serve to create tension. (Think of the scene where you know there’s a bomb under the table but no one on screen knows it. You feel anxious as you know the clock is ticking away while they engage in casual conversation. That’s good tension.) Such an early reveal actually destroyed the tension and suspense in the story. We knew all the answers to the questions. So why keep watching?

Anybody remember Nikki and Paulo? From LOST? Anyone?

It’s a really fine line between a good level of suspense and keeping too much from the viewers. Most people will agree that LOST fell victim to that during its run. They kept asking questions and rarely answered any of the old ones. That got a little too far the other direction.  At the same time, we as an audience need a little question to keep us coming back for more. Fortunately for us all LOST learned and started answering their questions. We never got that in V. While I can’t guarantee that it was the cause, the second week ratings seem to agree.

I’m sure that I’ll end up watching the episode still sitting on my DVR. But I’m not sure when. I was really looking forward to a great retelling of a story I grew up with. But they spoiled the surprise. I can only hope that when I do take the time to watch then, they’ll give me a couple of new twists so I can go back and really look forward to seeing it again. I really want to like this show, but so far I can’t even bring myself to clear it off my DVR.