Episode Report Card LuluBates: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Georgie Porgie
By LuluBates | Season 1 | Episode 6 | Aired on 04.06.2010
Kyle has popped out in the open to swap information for money with an unnamed woman in a trench coat. The two stare in opposite directions during their conversation, which, while allowing them to keep a look out, also makes them look all kinds of suspicious. Like, who innocently holds a conversation like that except for geckos? And I bet even they accidentally make eye contact every once and a while. Anyway, Kyle has purchased some intel on his co-workers: Georgie claimed his family was murdered by aliens; the priest served two tours in the war and testified against his superior officers for breaking the rules of engagement; Erica's partner is missing and was presumed to be working with terrorists and has some serious personal baggage; and Ryan is a stock broker with a knocked up girlfriend. Kyle is grateful (or as grateful as an information-buying mercenary named Kyle can be) for the information. When the woman asks if they have something on him, he claims that they won't for long.
Erica has decided that the only person who can keep Tyler from going V-rrific is his Dad. So despite the bitter divorce, Erica has sucked it up and taken Tyler to see him. The weird thing is Tyler looks really surprised to see him, like Erica didn't tell him where they were going. Like any teenage boy would get in the car with his mom for what appears to have been over an hour and not annoyed her into telling him where they were going. Maybe he was too busy listening to Nickleback and sexting his alien girlfriend. Tyler's dad sends him out back to look at some bike or something so he and Erica can talk. She has some 'splainin to do.
Ryan's shuttle has landed on the mothership with only a slight delay due to a guy trying to sneak 4 oz of conditioner through TSA screening and people stowing their carry-on bags with the wheels facing in instead of out. Now he just has to get through customs. He doesn't look super happy to be back onboard the ship, so don't expect him to send any postcards or pick up any souvenirs. At first Ryan's visa doesn't clear, but then it does. Drama! Except, not. But, not knowing about Anna's newfound interest in empathy, when a baby cries, soon-to-be-papa Ryan turns to look at it, and he catches the eye of a V in Black spy. Speaking of empathy, Anna's testing of all ship denizens has been rolling along. Unfortunately, a lot of Vs have been failing the test. No. 2 finds it troubling that one of his most trusted advisors failed and Joshua moves to re-test him, because he has found a roughly 2% margin of error. But Anna stops him. There is no reason to re-test even if there is a supposed margin of error. She will personally deal with everyone who fails. Even No. 2 finds this decision hard to swallow.
Back on Earth, Tyler and his Dad talk mano a mano over a grill (as all father-son talks should involve some form of barbecue sauce) about the Visitors, motorcycles, the Peace Ambassadors, and the divorce and its aftermath. Tyler apologizes for the divorce, because obviously it was all his fault. If he hadn't gotten in a motorcycle accident (that we don't know about) they definitely would still be a happy family eating take out Chinese, cuddling, and playing touch football on the weekends or whatever it is that happy families do. The Dad (I don't remember hearing his name; alternatively, I don't care) swears it was not Tyler's fault and gives him a half hug on the head thing that passes for affection between mens. So wait...are all of Tyler's annoying adolescent traits just...daddy issues? Gah. I think I would prefer he was just kind of a dick.
With a loud crashing gong sound, we see the V ship and Ryan aboard it. Like, thank god they don't play that every time the ship is shown. Ryan walks in slow motion through the ship looking for what he needs. The V in Black follows him. Ryan looks around and enters a room where he whips up some of Val's phosphorus pills. The V in Black demands to know what he is doing with the pills and Ryan coolly explains that his supervisor sent him for them. The V in Black tells him to follow him. Wait, no: It's a trap! The V in Black explains to Ryan that members of the rebel alliance are falling prey to human emotions and are immune to her Bliss (dammit, I always think of Starbucks' Bliss Bar) and so every V is being tested for their reactions to, like, I Sleep with Danger and Old Yeller. Ryan has no choice but to comply. Even when the V in Black explains that failure = death.
Chad Decker is wrapping up his report on the upcoming V slumber party and signing a few autographs, when Father Jack approaches him. As he is a priest, Chad can't turn him away. I think dissing a priest is a venial sin, not a mortal one, right? Anyway Father Jack opines that due to all of Chad's intrepid Journalism (yes, that is a capital "J"), people are losing their fear of the Vs and their healing centers. Chad wonders if he's getting Punk'd by the Pulitzer committee, because, what is there to be afraid of from the Vs? He snarkily asks, "Miracles?" Father Jack mutters an ancient Aramaic balding curse he picked up in the seminary and then asks Chad to please be sure that the healing centers are safe before he convinces everyone that they are. You know, to be a Journalist with a capital J. Chad looks stunned at the scandalous suggestion.
Erica is starting to get worried about Ryan because he hasn't checked in yet. She's pretty sure a nagging message will convince him to call. When she hangs up, Tyler's Dad finds her. He wants to know what is really going on. Erica puts on her Botoxed Best and manages not to make a single facial expression while explaining that her work has been especially hectic lately and he has to take Tyler. She needs him to do that. He looks at her suspiciously, but she holds her ground and he happily agrees to take custody of Tyler. He then tells her about his man to man with Tyler and how Tyler blames himself for the divorce. Erica doesn't wince or even react to the news, but the mere thought of a troubled Ty is really hard for dear old Dad to handle and he is emoting all over the place. (Hey, Erica, that's how a caring parent is supposed to act! Well, maybe a tetch less than that.) He doesn't want Tyler carrying that weight around. He wants to tell Tyler the truth about who he is. Erica just cocks her head to the side and stares at him in a wide eyed expression of bovine blitheness. Good grief, Erica, ACTING!! Look into it sometime. Or maybe just lighten up on the Botox so your forehead can move and your eyebrows can express concern. YOUR KID THINKS YOU HATE HIM! Get the sads or something!
Ryan is still M.I.A. (sadly, not as in the Vs have turned him into a bad ass short Sri Lankan singer married to a Bronfman scion, because THAT would really shake up this show, probably for the better) and Georgie is starting to get nervous. Since Ryan gave his address (and apparently not his phone number), Georgie decides to do a very un-New York City thing and stop by Ryan and Val's apartment. Val then does an even more un-New York City thing and LET'S A STRANGE MAN INTO HER APARTMENT. He's an old friend of Ryan's -- pinky swear! Yes, writers, it is extremely likely that a pregnant woman alone would let a man who looks like Georgie into her apartment. Anyway. Val pretends that she is always delighted when one of Ryan's old friends just stops by. Georgie wants to know if Val has heard from Ryan, but, no, she hasn't. He did say he would be working all day and she is a good and well-trained fiancée who wouldn't dream of bothering him with a call or a text or anything. Val suddenly realizes that her house is so messy it looks like it has practically been ransacked. Or, at least, the books on the coffee table are out of alignment. She goes to organize them before Martha Stewart drops by and Georgie goes to help, but stops short when he sees a pregnancy book. He stares at the book and asks Val if she is pregnant. She smiles and admits, yes, but that they aren't really telling people yet. Georgi