“(This show) doesn’t use scripts as a vehicle for social criticism. These are strictly for entertainment…if, by ‘important,’ you mean I’m not going to delve into social problems dramatically, then no, I’m not.”

So said Rod Serling in an interview with Mike Wallace, just before “The Twilight Zone” first aired on television. No, he was no longer going to be writing anything serious. Just some little stories about aliens and time travel. Nothing at all important.

Of course, Serling was full of it, and he knew he was full of it. “The Twilight Zone” would become one of the most celebrated and revolutionary shows of all time, not just for the quality of its writing and production, but because of the way the series used its sci-fi backdrop to tell parables about most every social problem it could. McCarthyism, racism, nuclear war, the Holocaust and more were all subjects of Serling’s muse, but because they were “strictly for entertainment,” he could get away with it.

The best science fiction usually follows in the same tradition, using fanciful backdrops to comment on an issue relevant to modern society. “Star Trek” discussed matters of racial and sexual politics. “The Next Generation” had shows about torture and the definition of humanity. “Battlestar Galactica” told parables about a post-9/11 world and conflict between the government and its military.

“I just want to remind people it’s a show about spaceships on ABC at 8 pm.”

So said Jeffrey Bell, one of the original executive producers of ABC’s remake of “V.” No, we’re not saying anything about current events. We’re just a silly sci-fi show.

Bell and his cohorts are as full of it as Serling was. The question is, are they being manipulative, or just oblivious?

For those who haven’t seen it, the show has much the same plot as the original 1983 miniseries. Aliens arrive from outer space with sinister designs on gulping down the human race like an intergalactic happy meal. The original had parallels to Nazism and concentration camps, delivered with the subtlety of a blow to the skull. This “V,” however, seems to have different goals.

In the show’s first hour, the aliens arrive proclaiming they are “for peace, always.” They exhort the world to not fear “change” and to embrace “hope.” They offer technological advances that will provide universal health care. Their representatives are strikingly attractive and make headway with a very pliant media. The human race responds by embracing them with remarkable speed as saviors. Only a handful resists.

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to connect many of these concepts to another cultural phenomenon — the rise of President Barack Obama. Peace? Hope? Change? Attractive? Biased media? Health care?

Critics have noted similarities between the “visitors” and “Obamamania” since the first trailers for the series aired, leading its creators to respond with quotes like the one above. The critics are just taking it too seriously, you see. It’s only a silly sci-fi show.

The problem is, it’s impossible to view these story elements and not see parallels to current events. These words and concepts are very prominent in the modern consciousness, and you can’t just claim that the two have no connection whatsoever. It would be like me making a show about a bunch of spoiled athletes called the “Yankees” and claiming there was NO symbolism implied at all. It’s only a silly sports show!

The show’s creators surely must recognize how certain “coded” ideas will be read by the audience, and use them accordingly. So either they know exactly what they’re doing and are simply feigning ignorance, or they themselves are remarkably ignorant.

When Serling used the same excuse, he was getting around guidelines set by networks and advertisers to make important points about the ignorance of hate and the power of ideas. Apparently, with their metaphor, the makers of “V” are saying, “Obama will eat your children! Run!”

Viewing the first show, I found it guilty of a much bigger fault: It was the some of most boring sci-fi I’ve seen in forever. Its first 15 minutes felt longer than the entire 4-hour “Battlestar” miniseries. In comparison, “24″ may also be called conservative propaganda, but it’s also tremendously entertaining — the best-produced show on television. If “V” continues down the path set by its first hour, any political commentary it airs will have the impact of the tree falling in the woods.

These factors may be why “V” is seeing such a massive creative overhaul before the second episode even airs. The aforementioned Jeffrey Bell is expected to be departing the series completely, and the show’s creator, Scott Peters, has already been replaced as creative head.

Whether these changes have a political or creative motivation, no one knows. But no matter what shape “V” takes under its new management, I hope its new show runners have more respect for its audience than the first batch seemed to.

If you’re trying to say something, say it. Don’t toy with issues you aren’t ready to deal with, and then hide behind the cop-out of “it’s only entertainment.” “V”’s creators are either too cowardly to stand by what their work says, or not bright enough to know what that is.

Special thanks to Heather Cloete for inspiring this week’s column.

Email Jeff at PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

Tags: V

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 7:21 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Pop Goes the Culture.
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