V is for Vacuous

"V" in its new incarnation, landed on Tuesday. It was warmly received by critics but I found it plodding and uninspired. Perhaps, what was most lacking was any sense of suspense. The writers seemed all too ready to give up some of the essential plot twists in the first episode, possibly because viewers of the original series already knew them. Still, it was amateurish at best. In a word... predictable. Without giving too much away about the episode, one of its major flaws was to give away the clandestine operatives of the "V" in the very first episode. Why would you tell the audience that without giving them the opportunity to puzzle it out for themselves? At the very least, the audience could be made aware of some of these potential  opportunities for surprise while they remained hidden from the main characters. Nice VFX but wholly uninspired and unoriginal.

Why Syfy?

Recently, the Scifi channel changed its name to Syfy. But why? It all boils down to the debasement of sci-fi. Science fiction writers call their profession science fiction, sf, or speculative fiction. Sci-fi is universally frowned upon by professionals. Sci-fi apparently has the unfortunate connection with poorly written pulp fiction and though the public uses the term indiscriminately, in some circles it is used derisively.

Maybe Syfy was just a way to say, hey we aren't making laughable lowbrow fare here anymore but mature science fiction. With notable shows like "Battlestar Galatica, " "Santuary" and the "Stargate" series what's to worry?  Just don't watch their original movies, they are definitely sci-fi.