How To Be A Hero And A Villian At The Same Time

I don't really feel like I watch a lot of TV. By some standards, yeah, I probably watch too much. By other standards, I don't even begin to scratch the surface. But either way, we try to limit the number of shows that we watch because when I find a show I like, I am loyal to a fault. So loyal that time and space mean nothing. So that brings us to last night. Last night, the Visitors arrived. For my wife, this meant exactly that...nothing. For me, it was huge. The Visitors hadn't come for over 26 years and when I saw they were coming again, it set off a wave of nostalgia a mile high. For those who haven't figured it out yet, I am of course referring to the election results that actually had Republicans winning something on Fox News. Ok, just kidding, I am actually referring to the premier of V. See, I can actually remember 1983 when V came on and I had to fight and scream to get to watch some of it. In fact, I missed the first few episodes of the mini-series because my parents thought it was too grown up for my 10 year old self. My best friend Jared got to watch it and I was so jealous as he would fill me in on all of the amazing details of Diana and The Resistance...OOOOOHHHH I get chills just thinking about how much I had to see this show and plotting how to get my parents to let me in on this boob tube nirvana that was going on without me. Needless to say, I finally got to see the final episodes.

(Two things as an aside. First, it is interesting in retrospect how hollow my mother's objections to V really were. First off, the scary and violent cards were pretty much all she had, but the reality I can see now is that my mother hated all things Sci-fi. She just never enjoyed them. I think a lot of her misgivings had more to do with how much she didn't want to watch it but knowing she would have to just in case it was too violent. As it turned out, I missed the one truly "graphic" moment when Diana, the leader of the Visitors, unhinged her jaw and ate a hampster whole. Beyond that, pretty tame. I was bitter for months that I missed the hampster moment. AAAHHHH the things that are important to a 10 year old. Second aside thing, they have been replaying the old V miniseries on the ScyFy network leading up to this new version debuting. Wow, that was some pretty crappy TV. In fact, watching shows from the 80s is really sad because you see just how lousy the a)acting, b)special effects, c)acting and d)writing for these shows really were. If you don't believe me, go back and watch old episodes of some of your favorites like The A Team or The Dukes of Hazzard or The Greatest American Hero sometime. Once you have done that, come back and try arguing with me. (An aside to the aside: I recognize that an argument could be made for Remington Steele to be on that list, but I LOVED that show and refuse to accept its eightiesness. So don't go there.) How did those of us growing up in the eighties ever survive some of that stuff? We may never know.)

So all week, I have been pretty excited for V to come back with all of its lizard glory. As it turned out, I was pleased with the result. They did a good job with the story and also did a good job of taking a good idea and completely reworking it into a promising series. I hear a good comparison is what they did with Battlestar Gallactica (another old show you could go back and watch and then try to defend as good TV between dry heaves) but as I have not seen the new Battlestar, I can't comment. Anyway, that isn't so much my point.

Shannon was gone to Messiah practice (yep it is that time of year again already) and so I was home alone with the kids when it came on. The boys and Kate were happily playing in their room and so just Abby and I were in the front room. I asked her if she wanted to watch a possibly scary show. If you know Abby at all, you know the answer was immediately yes. So she watched it with me. She loved it! It was really cool to watch this through her eyes because she kept asking if the Visitors were really good guys or not. At the age of 36, it is nice to be reminded that there is an age where you can still be surprised by certain things. It is an age so far removed from my own that my bones ache while thinking about this simply out of principal. Anyway, when the big reveal of the lizard skin underneath the human exterior finally happened, she was so excited and kept saying over and over..."I am so telling all my friends that I got to watch this show!" It was cool. I got to be the cool dad. I even helped her with her kitchen cleaning duties so that she could watch it with me. I like being the cool dad every once in a while. It doesn't happen much anymore because of 1) her age and 2) too often I am "grouchy, tired, constantly nagging about cleaning up after herself" dad. So we had a good time and she was super excited for next week.

Well, when Shannon got home, I had had some time to think about what I had done. I knew if she would have been home, she would have talked me out of letting her watch it. So when she got back, she just rolled her eyes at me for my immature parenting moment. After Abby was in bed, she asked me, "What are you going to do when this show gets sexual or too violent? Because, you know it will." I think my stalling tactic of not saying anything and pretending that she hadn't asked that question went pretty well. The problem is I knew she was right, and I didn't really have an answer. I hope they don't do what just about every other show does these days, but it probably will. I guess I will live in denial until then and then just have the remote handy and ready to go to provide editing as needed. (The really funny part of this is that I would have been much more concerned letting my daughter watch the "Family Friendly" show that came on right after V...of course I am referring to Dancing With The Nearly Naked Stars.) But I didn't know how to explain to my wife that I was somewhat living vicariously through my daughter. As she sat there excited to see something "cool" and "grown up", I was taken back to watching the original V. Back when I knew aliens coming to earth with the purpose of harvesting humans for food would never happen...but what if it did? That would be so cool to join the resistance and fight those alien bastages. Today...I just know it would never happen...but if it did...being responsible for four young kids takes all the cool out of it. I would just wet my pants.

For an hour, I was ten again and being introduced to good story telling (not the kind you find on Zach and Grody or any other Disney Channel disaster) and the effect it can have on someone was real again. I don't know if V will be a great memory for my daughter when she is 36, but watching it with her will be for me for the foreseeable future.

So, sorry dear...but it was lizard aliens posing as humans. You just can't beat lizard aliens!