TV Review: V: The Final Battle (1984)

V: The Final Battle (1984) created by Kenneth Johnson

A group of rebels led by Michael Donovan (Marc Singer) and Juliet Parish (Faye Grant) fight against the Visitors. The Visitors are a seemingly benevolent alien race that has come to Earth. Their benevolence has a very thin veneer, because they are really here to take Earth's water to drink and her people to eat! Though they masquerade as humanoids, the Visitors are actually reptilian and are also happy to eat mice, birds, and other Earth fauna. The resistance is a motley group, including a Catholic priest (Thomas Hill) and a teenager (Blair Tefkin) impregnated by a Visitor. They have a variety of internal conflicts as they oppose the invaders. 

The Visitors have internal conflicts as well. A "fifth column" of Visitors secretly help the humans at great risk to themselves. The coordinator of the Earth take-over, Diana (Jane Badler), is very ambitious but not overly competent. The Visitor director of security (Andrew Prine) connives against Diana, hoping to get her job. The Visitors also have some collaborators among the humans, including Donovan's mother. They are basically portrayed as evil but they have enough flaws to make them interesting and not overwhelming.

The show was a big hit back in the 1980s. It has the look of the 80s too. The hair is big, the soundtrack is synth (with every love scene getting a saxophone solo), and all the humans wear blue jeans. The special effects are not as convincing as they once were. The show has a lot of charm and sincerity, with the occasional surprise. The birth scene is particularly memorable. The ending includes some random magical power to get out of the corner into which the writers painted themselves. There's a mix of good and bad here.

This miniseries is a sequel to V, which set up a lot of character and the situation. A new viewer might be a little lost starting here. I watched The Final Battle on Hoopla, which did not have the first series available for streaming. I didn't find the first series on any of my other streaming services, so I wound up watching this on its own. I remembered enough to enjoy it and not be confused. 

Slightly recommended--it has a lot of sentimental fun, a good shot of 1980s sci fi standards.