V: The 80's Alien Show You Should Watch

When alien Visitors land on earth and declare peace, most people embrace them, excited at the prospect of newcomers from outer space. After all, the only thing they want is a certain chemical only we can manufacture - and they're prepared to trade their vast knowledge to get it. They're friendly, helpful, and they look just like us! What could go wrong?

Everything. Enter Mike Donovan (Marc Singer), a television journalist who makes a living filming wars in other countries. He has his suspicions about the Visitors, and his suspicions grow when scientists begin to disappear. When he discovers that underneath their human prosthetics they're actually reptiles, with a plan to gather water and food (food = humans) for their leader, he enters an underground battle to save the planet. Julie Parrish (Faye Grant), a young scientist, becomes the leader of the underground rebels, and they're joined by Ham Tyler (Michael Ironside), an ex-CIA operative and the star of the show (in my humble opinion.)

What makes this series so great? Well!
- The plot, for one. It rings truer than most alien invasion stories, as it closely parallels the Nazi takeover and gives us a threat that, while sometimes cheesy, feels very real.
- Tyler. He's one of my favorite characters in existence, hands down. If pressed, he would probably make the top 10 - possibly, the top 5.
- Marc Singer's acting. Oh, he's not bad most of the time - but probably once per episode, there's a moment that's so over-acted it will make you laugh out loud. Fortunately, it does nothing to ruin the enjoyment of the show.
- There are just as many women as there are men, and their roles are just as important. (Granted, you'll want to string Robin up by her hair every time she opens her mouth, but other than that.)
- Diana. The real villainess of the show, the alien Diana, is a truly excellent antagonist. You hate everything about her, from her guts to her perfect 80's hair.
- It has everything. Humor? Check. Action? Check. Romance? Check. Aliens? Check. Intrigue? Check. People you hate? Check. People you love? Check. People you ship? Check. Tyler? Check.

I bought this show six months ago, almost as soon as we discovered it and watched the first miniseries. I bought the beginning - 'V: The Miniseries,' - the middle ('V: The Final Battle') and the show which has the same cast ('V').

I'll give you fair warning, though - After the miniseries and episode 12 of the show, Tyler is no longer, um, part of the show. After that, I didn't enjoy the show nearly as much. But I'll say this - I adore this show. (Obviously.) And you should watch it. It's impossible to find online, but it's on Netflix - go forth! (But it's really cheap to buy on Amazon, too, so there's that.)