What I’m Watching: V

V: Season 1, Episode 7 “John May” (B+)

I love flashback openings to episodes, and this one is no exception, especially because it provides us with what may well be our last glimpse of John May because it’s now been revealed that he’s actually dead. When I first heard weeks ago that May would be played by Michael Trucco, also known as Anders from “Battlestar Galactica,” I was very excited, and he lived up to it. It was cool to see Ryan as a bad guy, hunting Anders, and then to see him later discussing how May was his inspiration. Having May’s door open and seeing one of the V spies standing right next to his stepson was a great reveal, and this show seems like it excels at those kind of moments. What’s still not superb is the writing or the dialogue, as evidenced by the last scene with Tyler wailing and Erica trying to console him, which wasn’t anywhere near as moving as it should have been. Chad is revealing himself to be even more seedy and obnoxious than previously thought is interesting, and at least he’s somewhat intelligent and knows how to make a good argument. Valerie discovering Ryan’s many passports is definitely a bad thing, especially with that mutant baby inside of her. Watching Anna’s face as she sees John May being discussed on television is frightening, as is the idea of her birthing many evil offspring. The most intense part of this episode was the juxtaposition of Anna narrating her “we are of peace always” mantra with the preparation of torture for Georgie.