While ABC's soon-to-be hit series V is a Comic-Con virgin, its actors certainly aren't. Boasting such names as Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell, Firefly's Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, The 4400's Joel Gretsch and Smallville's Laura Vandervoort, honestly, how can you go wrong?
The fans were certainly pleased to see the reimagining of the early '80s miniseries that brought the Visitors to Earth. Lucky for the non-attending Comic-Con fans, the series is jumping from midseason to a November premiere date, so you won't have to wait too long to see it. Also lucky for those fans, we've now watched the pilot four times and can give you the lowdown on what's coming up, as well as scoop straight from the cast on who to trust on the show. Hint: No one.
One early morning, 29 giant spaceships settle over major cities all over the world. While the leader of the Visitors, Anna (Baccarin), says they're willing to share their knowledge and technology in exchange for resources needed to get them home, she's actually fibbing. Sure, they say they "are of peace, always," but there's a very dark and sinister ulterior motive, which includes gaining the devotion of the people of Earth before annihilating them.
Problem is, the Vs didn't just show up, they've been here for a while, possibly as long as 50 years. They have long since infiltrated our planet, obtaining positions from police officers and FBI detectives to government officials. While some find the arrival of the Visitors heaven sent—largely in part to their medical centers that cure 65 different ailments—others, like Mitchell's character, Erica, doubt their friendly nature. Mitchell's fears are realized when she's tracking a sleeper cell whose activity has spiked upon the Visitors arrival.
This is where the two stories converge. On the one side, Erica is trying to find out who is behind this mysterious sleeper cell; on the other side, Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) is recruiting civilians to take down the Visitors, including Morris Chestnut's Ryan Nichols, who—spoiler alert—is actually a V rebelling against his race and living in peace among the humans. This is where trust comes into play, because Ryan's not the only V hiding his identity. Alan Tudyk has a secret, too...he is a V and he's not a savory guy. Did we mention his character, Dale Maddox, is Erica's partner at the FBI?
Trust. Out. The. Window. (In case you're wondering, Tudyk won't be staying around long due to his obligations on Dollhouse, and also because he's a murderous alien.)
"Any of us could be [a Visitor]," says Scott Wolf. "Your high school English professor could have been a Visitor. Bob Dylan might be a Visitor. It breathes that sense of anxiety and mistrust."
Speaking of Scott Wolf, his character, a reporter named Chad Decker, has been chosen by Anna to deliver all messages through him. Just a little snag, though: He can't paint the Visitors in a bad light. So in Chad's claim to fame, he's willing to do anything to stay on top, including endangering the human race. Says Wolf, "Will he feel guilt? Probably yeah, but will he also see the opportunity and lose out to his better self? Maybe." If it comes down to a choice between humans and his career, though? "At this point, I'd say his career. He's that guy," adds Wolf.
So pretty much the human race is headed on a path of destruction unless the underground movement can tear people away from devoting their lives, literally, to the Visitors. It's not going to be an easy journey, we can tell you that much.