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Review/Recap: V 1.07 “John May”

Written by Cory Barker
Follow Cory on Twitter @corybarker
Check out Cory’s TV-centric blog/podcast: www.idsnews.com/blogs/weekendwatchers
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Email: barkerc65@gmail.com

I really don’t know what to think about “John May.”

This episode was hotly anticipated just on the title alone and there were certain some elements and pieces here that worked on an individual enjoyment level. But as a whole, the episode got bogged down at times with the scenes that didn’t work and in the end, I felt like aside from a couple reveals, the episode did a lot of wheel spinning.

Most obviously, John May is dead. Well, he’s sci-fi dead, which means we didn’t actually see him bleed out or burn alive or whatever, leaving an opening for him to return triumphantly at the end of the season just when the resistance needs him.

Michael Trucco was more subdued as the episode’s title character and that was a bit surprising and disappointing. I didn’t necessarily expect John May to come through guns a-blazin’, killing a slew of Vs in one breath, but really, that’s it? Just a guy sitting behind a desk, working with models or something who sees a glimmer of humanity in Ryan during their flashback interactions? Seriously? This is the guy that all the Vs care about representing? He is the thorn in Anna’s side, even in death?

C’mon.

I understand the need to keep some things a mystery to keep people tuning in, but the sliver of info given to us about John May wasn’t enough. Not because I just need to know more, but because it doesn’t make any of the Fifth Column actions done in John May’s name worthwhile.

Plus, the execution of the episode’s biggest reveal – that Ryan killed John May – was mishandled horribly. Not only did they fall victim to the biggest problem in moving pictures by telling and not showing the events, but even the supposed effects John had on Ryan were barely shown. Oh, I get it. John told him he’d find a woman to take his breath away and he saw Val at the funeral. Touching.

It’s really too bad that those sequences were handled the way they were, because Ryan is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on television. Morris Chestnut brings such a depth to him, but even he can’t salvage some of the lines he had to give to May’s step-son.

The worst part of the episode – well, I guess the second worst part of the episode because any scenes with Tyler are always the worst – was that the resistance’s magic plan to save Georgie involved driving upstate to find a magic, glowing marble that communicates with other Fifth Column’ers. Ew. How heroic. I get that going full-bore onto the ship wouldn’t have been too smart, but damn, at least it would have been more interesting.

Thankfully, Scott Wolf’s Chad Decker helped me enjoy at least two scenes completely. It’s about time that Chad opened his eyes completely and tried to fight the Vs, but to have him simultaneously vow to help Anna in exchange for his silence was smart on the writers’ part. I’m guessing Chad will fight Anna in secret while still trying to get more famous and Wolf has been bringing so well that I’m very intrigued by that story.

Quick hits:

- How bad is the Tyler’s-dad-is-not-his-dad-but-Erica-swears-he-is story? So awful I refuse to even mention it more than this.

- Sad to see Georgie go, but it felt like they A.) had nothing to do with him and B.) aren’t sure to handle the aftermath, so that’s not good.

- That scene with Anna birthing all those eggs? Creeeeeeeeeeeepy. And cool.

- Hey, remember when Elizabeth Mitchell was the star of this show? What the hell happened?

Grade: 2.5/5

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