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1[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/serial_posetiteli_4852.jpg]]
2
3->''"We are of peace, always."''
4
5A [[TheRemake remake]] of the [[Series/{{V 1983}} original series]], airing on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]]. Massive spaceships appear over many of the major cities of Earth, and simultaneously broadcasted images of "Anna", the leader of the Visitors. She claims that her own species is 'delighted' to find another intelligent species and want to trade their own technology for water and a "common mineral".
6
7Mankind is eager to embrace the help offered by the "Vs", especially their clean energy and universal health care. A handful, however, are aware that the Vs are not as benevolent as they claim, and that lurking under their beauty is an ''ugly'' intention.
8
9Erica Evans is an FBI agent who is tracking multiple terrorist cells. Upon the arrival of the Vs, she notices that one cell's activity suddenly spikes, and her investigation leads her to a man who claims the Vs are here not as friends, but as conquerors. Through this meeting and the events that follow, she meets both Jack Landry, a Catholic priest who is questioning the effects of the Vs, and Ryan, a member of the half-legendary Fifth Column.
10
11Stars [[Creator/ElizabethMitchell Elizabeth Mitchell]] as Erica Evans and has [[Creator/MorenaBaccarin Morena Baccarin]] as Anna, in a role equivalent to Diana's in the original.
12
13ABC cancelled it after the second season.
14----
15!!This series provides examples of:
16
17* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: There's the obvious Erica, but in "A Bright New Day" it's revealed that [[spoiler: Anna]] is [[spoiler:Lisa]]'s mother. How that works isn't clear, but it helps that their real age doesn't have to be the same as they appear.
18* AbusiveParents: Anna as of "Hearts & Minds". She backhands [[spoiler:Lisa]] then has her legs broken to make it look like she was attacked by Fifth Column members, thereby [[InvokedTrope invoking]] a WoundedGazelleGambit on both Tyler and ''the entire human race''.
19* AccidentalMurder: Poor [[spoiler:Joe]] who got caught in the middle of the fight between The Fifth Column and forces of law.
20
21* ActorAllusion:
22** The Pilot begins with a close up of [[{{Series/Lost}} Erica's pupil contracting when she opens her eyes.]]
23** Anna gets the line "[[Series/StargateSG1 Hello, mother]]."
24
25* AliensAreBastards
26* AlienInvasion: Anna's secret plan.
27* AliensSpeakingEnglish: They actually speak every language thanks in large part to some sort of UniversalTranslator and the fact that [[spoiler:the Vs have been on Earth for decades prior to their official arrival]].
28* AmericaSavesTheDay: Inverted. The Vs go after America's support so they can screw everyone.
29-->'''Anna:''' The US is the linchpin. Once they grant us freedom, the remaining countries will follow.
30* AnyoneCanDie:
31** Didn't think [[spoiler:Georgie]] would die, did ya?
32** [[spoiler:Episode 8]] introduces a potential supporting character but kills him off by the last 10 minutes.
33** [[spoiler:Subverted with Joshua, the leader of the Fifth Column]], in the season 1 finale. He's shot by ''Erica'' to avoid suspicion that she's Fifth Column, [[spoiler:but gets revived by Marcus.]]
34** [[spoiler: Val]] by the order of Anna, subverting DeathByChildbirth.
35** [[spoiler: Eli and Joe to begin season 2... ouch.]]
36** In the series finale, [[spoiler:Ryan got killed by his own daughter. That's just cold.]] Later it's [[spoiler: Diana by Anna and Tyler by [[EvilTwin Fake Lisa]]]]
37* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
38** Apparently, [[spoiler: Tyler's DNA is ''half missing''.]] In fairness, the first thing someone says about this is "how can he ''live'' like that?" and the answer is "I have no idea." So at least they're aware of the absurdity.
39** The DNA of Vs has become 1000 times more complex over the span of 50 years. The scientist claims that that surge in complexity should have taken 5000 years. Based on what? He doesn't know enough about V evolution to deduce that pattern from their history and if he's basing it off life on Earth then he's just plain wrong. Anatomically Modern Humans have been around for about 200,000 years, that means our genes have not changed much since then. If Vs separated by 50 years have that much difference in their genetic complexity, not only would they no longer be the same species, they probably wouldn't even be in the same biological kingdom. Somewhat justified by the V's evolution being artificial and designed to take genes from other species to improve their own durability, resistance to disease, etc.
40** [[spoiler: The Fifth Column plans to tamper with the DNA of live-aboards-to-be so that their genes mess up the whole V DNA reserve.]]
41** Despite Ryan being a Visitor, he somehow [[spoiler:manages to ''accidentally'' get his human girlfriend pregnant. ]]
42* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: The Visitors realise far too late that they have ''severely'' underestimated humanity. Granted, the majority are accepting their false claims as genuine, but it only takes ''half a dozen'' humans on the war-path to completely screw up the Visitor's plans.
43* AwesomeButImpractical: The Visitors employ what amounts to a floating sphere that shoots spikes out in a 360-degree radius. Problem is, it only does so on a horizontal plane, meaning the important characters only have to duck to avoid it. [[StuffBlowingUp Wouldn't it be better if it just exploded?]] It doesn't help that its so-called "surveillance" function lacks the photographic resolution of a cheap cell phone. This is especially strange since we later see that they have floating bombs that are closer to what you'd expect. The only semi-logical conclusion is that the spike-sphere was made of ice, designed to melt away untraceabley afterwards. It makes...''some'' sense.
44* BadAssPreacher: Father Jack was an army priest in the Iraq war, and one of the reasons he's joined the resistance is to protect his congregation.
45* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Since this show never got a third season, "Mother's Day" was ''indeed'' a good day for Anna.]]
46* BatmanGambit: As we've seen in "Siege", [[spoiler:Anna sets up the bomb in the "hostage" situation, and has Joe killed in the crossfire so Tyler has a reason to return to her.]]
47* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Decker comments at his first meeting with the Visitors that they are all what humans would consider attractive; he asks if there are any ugly Vs. Anna makes the charming "You're not so bad yourself" rejoinder, which means the Visitors could very well know humans react positively to that which they find attractive. And that they would not react well to finding out that Visitors are reptiles underneath.
48* BeePeople: Played believably, but not quite straight: The Vs are bred for different jobs, but they are all still intelligent. So far we've seen the queens (Anna and presumably Lisa), workers, trackers, soldiers, and possibly doctors, although they may just be workers.
49* BeliefMakesYouStupid: "Heretic's Fork" makes mention of a potential "Church of the Vs". When Erica rightly points out that Anna is not a god, Tyler's counter is that the Vs haven't done anything bad. Unfortunately, Erica does not point out that this has ''nothing to do'' with the original argument. Comes up later when Jack speaks out against the Vs at his church, calling them false prophets since people are worshiping them instead of God.
50* BettyAndVeronica: The LoveTriangle is only hinted so far, but Jack Landry is obviously the Betty, with Hobbes as Veronica.
51* BigApplesauce: Alien ships have landed simultaneously in major cities all over the world. All the characters you have to keep track of happen to be in New York City however.
52* BigNo: [[spoiler:Anna after she sees her destroyed eggs.]]
53* BloodierAndGorier: Season 2. The pilot episode alone has [[spoiler: [[BodyHorror Tyler's face slowly melting off]] in a dream sequence, Anna graphically murdering a Visitor with her scorpion-like tail, and ''blood raining from the sky''.]]
54* [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Bratty Teenage Son]]: Ever since his dad left, Tyler has constantly been getting into trouble, consistently mistaking Erica's reasonable attempts to keep him safe as holding him down. To make matters worse, he gets a Visitor girlfriend who recruits him into their Peace Ambassador program. For a less "bratty teen" and more directly assholeish example, [[spoiler: blamed Erica for his dad's death because he thought she wasn't doing her job, properly even after he thought she was a hostage and he saw that she was visibly hurting]]. This doesn't really justify [[spoiler: [[AbusiveParents Erica hitting him]]]], but both of them were under stress and she usually doesn't act that way. He eventually wises up [[spoiler: but Anna has figured out how to Bliss humans by then and slams the door on that.]]
55* BreakTheCutie:
56** While it's been slowly building since "Hearts and Minds", [[RebelliousPrincess Lisa]] now qualifies as of "Laid Bare". [[BigBad Anna]] [[spoiler: ordered her to kill a test subject, and later that night [[TheWoobie she broke into tears]] in Erica's arms]]. And now Lisa was forced to [[spoiler: watch her double have sex with Tyler and then see the fake Lisa kill Tyler]]
57** As of "Siege", [[TheHero Erica]], with [[spoiler:her ex dead and her son leaving her for the V]] also qualifies.
58* CartwrightCurse: Practically at epidemic levels here, but one character may end up standing out more than the others.
59* CatchPhrase:
60** "We are of peace, always."
61** "'''[[color:red:JOHN MAY LIVES]]'''"
62* ConceiveAndKill: Visitor queens mate only twice in their lives (once to produce more Queens, and once to produce another caste), and each time devour their mates to provide their eggs with nourishment. This is shown with Anna when she has her second and last mating in season one, and later with her spare Queen daughter's first mating in the series finale.
63* ConsummateLiar: Anna.
64* ContinuityReboot
65* CrazyPrepared:
66** Anna. Daughter and future Queen of the V's starting to turn against her? [[spoiler:Keep one egg in stasis so she can try again.]] Tyler isn't working out exactly as necessary? [[spoiler:Have 28 other candidates prepared for possible breeding.]]
67** Then there's [[spoiler:Project Ares]]. [[spoiler:Their base is specifically stated to be built deep enough below ground to survive the impact of the New York mothership both crashing and exploding if it was ever hypothetically shot down somehow. And also protected them from Amy and Anna's Bliss.]]
68* DefrostingIceQueen: The reason [=Vs=] rebel against Anna in the first place. Their race shows very little in the way of emotion, apparently being fed happiness by Anna's "Bliss." Any V that discovers emotion becomes immune to Bliss, and almost inevitably rebels.
69* {{Determinator}}: Georgie. His ability to resist ColdBloodedTorture is all based around his utter rage and hatred of the aliens, and his ability to ''not'' break comes as a surprise to the aliens' torture experts.
70* DisappearedDad: Erica's son is a troubled teen due to lack of father, and [[MissingMom mother who works long hours]] because of the nature of her job as an FBI agent.
71* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
72** An [[http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-tvcolumn-v-1102-1103nov03,0,7062976.story article was written by the Chicago Tribune]] comparing humanity's initial support of the aliens to [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Obamamania]], particularly given they phrase the help they offer humans to "a message of Hope" and they are offering ''universal health care'' to Earth's citizens. Others say that its simply a coincidence, and the series is simply pressing the political hot buttons of the week.
73** The episode "Laid Bare" had the extreme misfortune to air 10 days after the Tucson shooting that led to the deaths of six people and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords being hospitalized. There was considerable media buzz following the shooting and many accused right-wing pundits like Glenn Beck and UsefulNotes/SarahPalin of encouraging violent behavior through rhetoric. Keeping this in mind, "Laid Bare" has a scene involving a [[spoiler: fake]] relative of a victim of an anti-V suicide bomb blaming ''protagonist'' Jack's rhetoric for the bombing. Of course, this episode aired so soon after the tragedy that it was obviously completed before it occurred, making this a case of ''extremely'' bad timing.
74** In "Devil in a Blue Dress" Anna is [[spoiler: giving Bliss to Tyler]] while looking like she is having sex with him. That happy smile on his face afterward doesn't help either.
75* DownerEnding: In season 2. [[spoiler: Lisa is locked away in a dungeon, while her impersonator kills Tyler. Diana is dead, after failing to retake her place as queen. Ryan was murdered by his own daughter. Hobbes has vanished. Chad is exposed and caught by Anna. Jack, along with the rest of the world, has been brainwashed by Amy and Anna's Bliss.]] Damn.
76* DramaticIrony: The [[spoiler: FBI investigation concerning]] Erica's involvement in the Fifth Column ended due to the [[spoiler: setting up Erica as a fake hostage, a situation that ended with Joe's death]]. The [[spoiler: investigation ended]] because of the supposed [[spoiler: hostage situation]], but as soon as [[spoiler: the investigation ended]] Erica [[spoiler: [[TakeUpMySword took Eli's sword]] and became the sole leader of the Fifth Column]].
77* EnemyMine: LaResistance recruits Terrorist for Hire [[AntiHero Kyle]] by convincing him that it would be the best way to get back at the V for framing him. With the death of [[spoiler:Georgie]], they've traded up from a tragic SociopathicHero to a genuine TokenEvilTeammate.
78* EvolutionaryLevels: [[spoiler: Apparently, the Visitors are here to steal the best of the human race's DNA, so they can "speed up their evolution". The characters stop using particular phraseology rather fast though; when they do things make more sense.]]
79* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The second season has Anna partially fixated on removing the human soul from humanity, as if it's some chemical or bodily function that can be quantified, without considering for one moment of the philosophical nature of the soul.
80* EvilDetectingBaby: Well, a child. Jennifer Hartswell retreats behind her mother at the sight of [[BigBad Anna]].
81* EvilTwin: Not technically an evil twin, but [[spoiler:another "Queen daughter" that hatched and upon which Anna immediatedly put human skin on; human skin that looked just like Lisa]]'s
82* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Ryan]],as a result of [[spoiler: [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Daughter]]]] and [[spoiler: Joshua]] thanks to TraumaInducedAmnesia. [[spoiler:Both seem to be turning back as of "Devil in a Blue Dress".]]
83* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: The protagonists develop a [[spoiler: fool-proof plan to [[NoNonsenseNemesis assassinate Anna]]]] in ''Concordia.'' WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong? And what do you think happens by the end of the episode?
84* FanService:
85** Lisa (Creator/LauraVandervoort) in her underwear. [[JustifiedTrope Quick thinking by her]], as it allows her [[InfractionDistraction to hide]] her [[spoiler:V uniform from Tyler's mom]].
86** Tyler (Logan Huffman) without a shirt. Same scene as above, but his thinking was less quick. And, in context, really didn't make sense. So, yeah, fan service.
87** Anna in her altogether.
88** Father Jack [[ShirtlessScene shirtless,]] greased up, panting and gasping. That is one well-built priest.
89** Erica and Lisa's HurtComfortFic scenes in "Fruition".
90** There's a reason why Kyle wears so many tight black shirts. He must find a lot of time to hit the gym between Merc gigs.
91** Erica and Hobbes bare quite a lot in "Uneasy Lies the Head".
92* FatalFamilyPhoto: [[spoiler: Erica]] basically [[TemptingFate tempted fate]] by looking through her iPhone of photos with [[spoiler: Joe and Tyler]].
93* ForTheEvulz: Getting a DNA sample doesn't usually entail [[ColdBloodedTorture screaming]], but the Visitors don't care enough to give their victims any anesthetics before injecting them with dozens of needles.
94* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: They call it "Bliss."
95* GoryDiscretionShot: In Season 2's opener "Red Rain", Anna uses her tail to slash open one of her lackies' disguises. There is much splattering of blood but it's done off camera. However, the impaling afterward is onscreen.
96* GraffitiOfTheResistance: It was [[InvertedTrope inverted]]: instead used by pro-Visitor youth groups as a form of propaganda, undermining the resistance. Instead "[[ArcWords John May Lives]]" was scrawled as graffiti by the Fifth Column resistance.
97* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: Horribly, horribly subverted.
98* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler: Ryan's daughter.]] Anna's goal is to populate Earth with half-Visitor, half-human hybrids. And it is implied that they did it to other sentient races as well.
99* HeelFaceTurn: The V's that are part of the Fifth Column have done this, and by extension any who go through the DefrostingIceQueen process are likely to. [[spoiler: Ryan and Joshua as well..]]
100* HeroicSacrifice:
101** When [[spoiler: Joshua kills Maddox]], one of his staff takes the blame. It's especially heart-wrenching in that [[spoiler:Joshua]] has to perform the execution. The ''incredibly painful'' execution by ''skinning.''
102** [[spoiler: Georgie's death]] in "John May".
103* HorrorHunger
104* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Anna's reason for betraying Diana.
105* IdiotBall: The vast majority of the human race.
106* IfJesusThenAliens: [[PlayingWithATrope Reversed]], in that people become more religious ''after'' the Visitors arrive. Also, possibly {{Subverted}} in that Father Landry is the '''least''' credulous when it comes to the Visitors' intentions.
107* IHaveBrothers: Erica's explanation for her boxing skills.
108* IHaveYourWife:
109** Anna has [[spoiler:Ryan]]'s daughter.
110** Anna also has Sarah, whatever her relation with [[spoiler: Hobbes]].
111* ImpairmentShot: When your friends can't trust you, they poison you.
112* InvincibleVillain: Even called attention to by Erica. No matter what the Fifth Column does, Anna always comes out on top. Either through DiabolusExMachina or just good PR, every supposed win they've had is thrown right back in their faces. Manages to go up to eleven in the season 2 finale. The Fifth Column decides to take out Anna. Result? [[spoiler:Anna uses Bliss on pretty much all of humanity; the Fifth Column is basically defeated; Diana, Tyler, and Ryan are dead; and the queen egg hatches to replace Lisa.]] Coming back would be impressive...if the show wasn't cancelled.
113* IronicEcho:
114-->'''Erica:''' He left ''me''. I did not leave. I am here for you.\
115'''Jack (next episode):''' You walked away from me last night! What the hell was I supposed to do?
116** [[spoiler:John May [[strike:Lives]] Was DeadAllAlong]].
117* KickTheDog: If you still had any doubts that Anna is capital-E EVIL instead of just wanting what's best for her species, then [[spoiler:forcing Lisa to watch as Lisa's sister has sex with Tyler and then ''kills'' him]] certainly removes them.
118* LaResistance: Both humans and the Vs' Fifth Column.
119* LeftHanging: Assuming it's not picked up by another network, it seems like [[spoiler: we'll never know if Erica's discovery of another resistance movement succeeds in finally overthrowing the V's.]]
120* LegoGenetics: The Vs plan seems to rely on this.
121* LetsGetDangerous: [[spoiler: The Fifth Column at the end of "Siege".]]
122* MadeOfIron: Anything short of complete immolation doesn't appear to be fatal to Vs, as seen with both [[spoiler:Dale]] and now [[spoiler:Joshua]].
123* MamaBear: God help us if someone threatens [[spoiler:Anna's unhatched children.]]
124** Then subverted in the season 2 premiere: [[spoiler: Anna was disgusted with herself for feeling maternal towards her children that survived the explosion, so [[OffingTheOffspring she turned their life support systems off]]. She tries to hold her tears as she walks away.]]
125* ManipulativeBastard: Anna has shown herself to be a master of this, in "A Bright New Day".
126* MarsNeedsWomen: [[spoiler:The Vs' true purpose for invading Earth is to use us for breeding stock.]]
127* {{Matricide}}: From the season 2 finale:
128** [[spoiler:After a HopeSpot which saw Diana take power back from her evil child and declare an era of peace with humans, Anna then returned, claiming that she now understands human emotion like love and caring. However, she then sneeks up behind her mom and impales her with her tail to cement her status as queen.]]
129** [[spoiler:Anna's daughter Lisa almost became one in the same episode, as the Fifth Column used her as a Decoy Damsel to lure her evil mother out so she could stab her in the back and end the war. However, the ManipulativeBitch convinced her that she had changed her ways and now cared about her and her TooDumbToLive daughter actually believed it. After murdering Diana, Anna even boasts about how she manipulated her own child, telling her "now that is how you kill your mother".]]
130* MileHighClub: In "We Can't Win" between Tyler and Lisa. Actually in space but [[AvertedTrope with]] [[ZeroGSpot gravity]].
131* MirroringFactions: The episode "Laid Bare" has both sides of the war doing similarly [[BlackAndGreyMorality questionable acts]] in order to accomplish their goals. These acts are the [[LaResistance protagonists]] [[spoiler: torturing and subsequent killing of Malik for information]] and [[BigBad Anna]] [[spoiler: having [[RebelliousPrincess Lisa]] kill a test subject to "extract a human soul."]]
132* MoodWhiplash: Oh, cool, [[{{Fanservice}} a sex scene with Morena Baccarin]]! Wait, you call ''that'' sex? Man, that was over fast--OHSHIT''TEEEEEEEETH''!.
133* TheMole: [[spoiler: Maddox, Erica's first partner]], is one of these, along with the other sleepers. Also, [[spoiler: Malik, Erica's second partner.]]
134* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Anna after providing more soldiers.
135* MythologyGag:
136** Jack's speech to his congregation ends with him declaring "Let V stand for Victory!" which is what it also stood for in the original miniseries.
137** Anna's mother, Diana, is played by [[Series/{{V 1983}} Jane Badler]]. [[Series/{{V 1983}} Marc Singer]] also returns in the finale.
138* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
139** Erica's entire group in "Hearts & Minds", and Jack in particular. He subtly warns [[spoiler:Decker]] of a potential attack on a V shuttle, [[spoiler:Decker]] in turn warns [[spoiler:Anna]], and she makes [[spoiler:Erica's group]] look like monsters by [[spoiler:filling the shuttle with humans]]. Moreover, it results in the formation of a taskforce to hunt the Fifth Column down, with a [[spoiler:V spy]] as one of the members, though they catch a break when [[spoiler:Erica]] is put in charge.
140** Also in "Devil in a Blue Dress". Their attempt to [[spoiler: sabotage the Blue Energy reactor]] ends in [[spoiler: the Vs making it look as if they restored power after a human failure, getting them ''even more'' public approval. Admittedly, the alternative would have been destroying an entire city.]]
141* NoOSHACompliance: Though they're aliens, the Vs are guilty of this in the construction of their Concordia reactors. When one reactor is made to go unstable through the addition of a second batch of unstable blue energy, the reactor has to be shut down ''manually''. Mind you, there's enough there to wipe out a city.
142* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler: In the season 2 finale "Mother's Day", Erica's afraid she's becoming as cold as Anna.]]
143* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Anna]] as of the season one finale, after discovering that the majority of [[spoiler:her eggs]] were destroyed.
144* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Ryan]] survived the events of "Siege".
145* OminousFloatingSpaceship
146* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Sid is an expert or atleast knowledgable at whatever scientific stuff Erica's group needs him to do. He started out as a biology expert and in "Devil in a Blue Dress", he has a good understanding of how the Visitors' blue energy works.
147* OrbitalShot: This is done in episode 5.
148* OnlyOneName: The Visitors not undercover.
149* OnlySaneMan: The Secretary General in "We Can't Win" counts. While most higher-ups appear to be dropping trousers and bending over, he's more suspicious of the Vs' agenda. Of course being an experienced politician means that he doesn't need to know that they're lizards to suspect that something is up.
150* OutrunTheFireball: [[spoiler:Erica]] does a variation with the blue energy "freeze ball" grenade in the season one finale.
151* OneWomanWail: Anna pulls this off regarding her offspring being flash frozen. An angry sorrowful wail that surprises the audience, as well as herself.
152* ParentalSubstitute: Erica for Lisa.
153* ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime: Episode 3: Erica comes home and Tyler greets her [[ShirtlessScene half-naked.]] Justifiably suspicious, Erica opens his bedroom door and Lisa is there, and she's stripped down to her underwear since we last saw her.
154* PlayingWithSyringes: the fate of the humans in the "live-aboard program".
155* PlotRelevantAgeUp: The V's age [[spoiler: Ryan's daughter as a test to perfect the technology for use on a new Queen Egg.]] Somewhat subverted in that she's still very much a child, as opposed to an adolescent who'd be a new character.
156* ThePowerOfLove:
157** John May turned against the V and started the Fifth Column because he discovered that human emotions are "beautiful" and got married to a human woman with a son. Ryan also discovered this [[spoiler: at John May]]'s funeral, leading to his HeelFaceTurn.
158** Lisa is going this way for Tyler, up to and including being immune to her mom's Bliss treatments.
159** Unfortunately for the Fifth Column, Anna is also aware of ThePowerOfLove and manages to manipulate [[spoiler:Ryan]] into a FaceHeelTurn back to her side in the season finale. It doesn't stick, but she made the most of it.
160* PowZapWhamCam: When Tyler [[spoiler: goes to the Visitors' ship]] at the end of the pilot.
161* ProductPlacement: Have you bought an iPhone yet? Because V would really like you to buy an iPhone.
162* PsychicNosebleed: Anna has this TearsOfBlood-style when [[spoiler: she is using Bliss on humans]].
163* {{Pun}}: A V supporter's sign reads "Give Vs a Chance".
164* TheQuisling: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] with Decker. He's willing to toe the line for the Visitors on-camera, but once he's off the set, his journalistic integrity kicks in, and he decides to investigate them. Yet even with the apparent knowledge that they are up to something, he's still being more helpful than his standard work ethic would dictate. Once he sees what the Visitor's are really up to he permamently throws his lot in with TheResistance as TheMole, using his reputation as this trope to stay in Anna's confidence. It does almost get him killed by other members of TheResistance who weren't aware of his status.
165* RapidAging: Anna does this with Ryan's hybrid child, who in a matter of weeks (or at most months) appears as a 7 year old child.
166* RebelliousPrincess: Lisa, who [[spoiler: is now secretly fighting alongside the protagonists]].
167* RedEyesTakeWarning: Anna in the birthing pool.
168* RedSkyTakeWarning: Subverted. Anna pumped some sort of gas or dust into atmosphere causing the sky to turn red. This scared the crap out of people, but didn't seem to have any negative effect. Of course, Vs being Vs, it probably does have some horrible use that will become apparent when Anna is actually supposed to do it (she jumped the gun in a moment of rage).
169* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Duh, but also the V use machine-induced visions of snakes to torture a human [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes who fears snakes]].
170* RevealingHug:
171** Ryan hugs Valerie when she tells him [[spoiler:she's pregnant]]. Ryan fakes happy to her face, but during the hug looks rather distressed because Valerie doesn't know Ryan is [[spoiler: both a V and a member of the resistance]].
172** Another happens with Anna, where she hugs her recently-abused daughter as if concerned, but smiles because [[spoiler:she's the one who did the abusing as part of a ploy]].
173* RevengeBeforeReason: Anna jumps to the [[spoiler:paint the sky red]] part of her plan when [[spoiler:her eggs are destroyed]], despite the fact that they weren't ready to implement it yet.
174* RuleOfSymbolism: The Jesus icon falling in the earthquake, symbolizing the decline of religion. Lisa holding the apple and smiling at the boys, symbolizing Eve and/or the Serpent. Cutest Lilith ever!
175* SacrificialLion: Poor, poor [[spoiler:Georgie]]
176* ScreamDiscretionShot: In the fourth episode as [[spoiler:a Fifth Columnist is ''skinned alive'']].
177* SexyDiscretionShot: In the Season 2 premiere episode "Red Rain", Lisa and Tyler make out on the bed and embracing each other in her room on Anna's ship while Anna herself watches both of them and then switches off the monitor.
178* ShoutOut:
179** There's a quick one to ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred''. The first resistance meeting the characters go to is held at 4400 Pier Ave.
180** A V protester in "There Is No Normal Anymore" is holding a sign that reads [[ComicBook/VForVendetta "V For Violation"]].
181** A V who wants to be "reconnected" and is named [[Film/TheMatrix Cyrus]].
182** When Anna unveils 'blue energy', one of the delegates has a placard indicating they represent the [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Weyland-Yutani Corporation.]]
183** Erica's dream sequence in "Red Rain" has her walking through [[Series/FlashForward2009 a city full of bodies and crashed cars.]]
184** The V "tracker" in the same episode looks and acts like a [[VideoGame/Left4Dead Hunter]].
185** And in a ShoutOut to the [[Series/{{V 1983}} original series]], Anna opens wide and swallows a rat. Still looks fake.
186* SixthRangerTraitor. Or should it be fifth?
187* SmugSnake: Anna. You saw that coming.
188* SnakesAreSinister: Anna, the leader of the Visitors in the reboot as played by Morena Baccarin, has some noticeable serpentine features, such as very short hair, a long neck, and a very slender frame. Of course, underneath her human skin she's really a member of the ReptilianConspiracy.
189* SpaceWhaleAesop: Apparently, universal health care will lead to lizard aliens killing us all. Or alternately, the world's inability to guarantee health care to all citizens makes Earth more vulnerable to takeover by lizard aliens. Remember: the aliens had been sowing dissent, war, and other problems on Earth for decades, so it's possible that they had ''prevented'' humans (or at least America) from creating universal health care so that they could step in, steal their thunder, and present themselves as the saviors of humanity.
190* SugaryMalice: Anna. So sweet and innocent. And of course she is of peace, ''always''. Even when she incites civil unrest, has people tortured to death and generally plots the destruction of mankind. ''Especially'' when she does those things.
191* TakeThat: A kid remarks upon seeing the Vs spaceships for the first time, "Dude, this ''is'' ''Film/IndependenceDay''", to which his pal responds, "[[OlderThanTheyThink which itself was a ripoff of any number of alien invasion films]]."
192** It's another ShoutOut to the original series - Independence Day's vast round ships hanging in the sky were a ripoff of it.
193* TakeUpMySword: [[spoiler: Eli Cohn makes Erica the new leader of the Fifth Column in ''Siege''.]]
194* TooDumbToLive: Tyler, to the core. Chad Decker seems like this at times, but he's smart enough to see that Anna isn't on the level about her intentions without forcing the issue in a way that would get him killed. To some extent, most of the good guys get into this territory at one point or another...if not a lot more often.
195* TrailersAlwaysLie: The next-episode previews will occasionally show a particularly shocking scene completely out of context, but when the actual episode airs, the scene in question was just a nightmare. Usually involves Erica dreaming about something terrible happening to Tyler.
196* TranslationConvention: Implied with the Visitors whenever they're alone. It sounds like English to us, but we never see humans listening in, and at one point, Ryan mentions that one of the reasons a human couldn't infiltrate a ship: "What happens when they start speaking in our native language?"
197* TraitorShot: Every single scene featuring Anna ends with this. It's been long since established that she's the villain, but just in case anyone forgot...
198* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Joshua gets one after being shot by Erica in season one finale. Leads to a FaceHeelTurn. However towards the end of season 2 he gets his memory back and in fact protected Lisa from being discovered by Anna's goons]]
199* TroubledButCute: Tyler.
200* TurnTheOtherFist: Tyler Evans turns away from some anti-Visitor protesters before swinging around to punch one in the face in order to impress Visitor Lisa.
201* UncannyValley: Intentional. The mothership-based Vs are presented through a glaringly obvious CG filter to make their skin appear ''too'' flawless and plasticky, and Visitors who are inexperienced with humans are a bit stiff and emotionless. The later becomes a plot point in the 6th episode, when Anna comes up with a test to use this emotionlessness to separate loyalists from Fifth Columnists.
202* UnresolvedSexualTension: There are hints of this between Kyle and Erica. He's thrown a couple of flirtatious comments her way, though so far she only seems to take them in stride rather than reciprocate.
203** Second season ups the tension and finally resolves it in "Uneasy Lies the Head".
204** There's also a lot of Erica/Jack, and they apparently filmed a few [=USTier=] scenes that were later cut.
205** Erica can be shipped with everyone and everything.
206* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: You'd think that ''someone'' would complain about the Motherships hovering over nearly 30 cities.
207* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Anna, naturally. By means of Decker which leads to several MyGodWhatHaveIDone moments post-HeelFaceTurn.
208* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Anna]] has a positively '''''epic''''' one at the end of the first season after [[spoiler:Erica]] destroys nearly all [[spoiler:her soldier eggs]] culminating in her [[spoiler:going "RocksFallEveryoneDies" on the entire planet]].
209* WeaponizedOffspring: The Visitors, having the characteristics of BeePeople in this regard, used this trope: Anna (the Queen) spawned a huge number of eggs to raise an army of warriors.
210* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Erica]] seems to be headed down this road. [[spoiler:Hobbes is encouraging this while Jack is doing the complete opposite.]]
211* WhamEpisode:
212** The season 1 finale. [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore Oh boy]]...
213** "Concordia".
214** "Siege". [[spoiler: Eli and Joe die, and it's all because of Kyle! Tyler decides to go live on the V ship! Erica is now officially in control of the entire Fifth Column!]]
215** "Mother's Day". [[spoiler:Diana? Dead. Ryan? ''Dead.'' Tyler? '''Dead.''' Chad? Caught. Lisa? Imprisoned like Diana was. Humanity? Blissed. HopeSpot? Erica is recruited into Project Aries, which is a cabal dedicated to preserving humanity from the Vs. Series canceled? [[TheBadGuysWin Oh, hell yes]]!]]
216* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "I believe [[BigBad you've]] just experienced your first human emotion."]]
217** And as of the season 2 finale [[spoiler: " Now, ''that's'' how you kill your mother."]]
218* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: John May's stepson wasn't seen or mentioned again after ''John May''.
219* WoundedGazelleGambit:
220** [[spoiler: Anna had Lisa injured and blamed the Fifth Column for the attack in order to manipulate Tyler and keep him close.]]
221** Erica and Eli also invoke this trope when Erica has Eli slap her so she could appear as a hostage and convince her suspicious FBI colleagues that [[BlatantLies she's not Fifth Column]].
222* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Played with. Anna implies that this is Tyler's ultimate fate, once whatever undefined task that they require him for is completed. Thus, [[spoiler:Lisa]] is trying to preempt it by getting Tyler out of the picture first. [[spoiler: It is, [[EvilTwin Not-Lisa]] mates with him and then rips out his throat with her teeth.]]
223* YouOweMe: After saving [[spoiler:Lisa]]'s life by altering her empathy test results, Joshua tells her that he will ask her to do something someday to repay the favor and that she ''will comply''.
224* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Kyle, a {{Western Terrorist|s}}, is recruited for LaResistance specifically because of his unsavory background.

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