V 2.3 meets 24

Jack Bauer and 24 were lambasted in some quarters for their "glorification" of torture.  Actually, torture was never glorified on that show - it was only shown to work in some circumstances, and usually at a very high price.   Indeed, in the fictional context of that show - the need to prevent a nuke or whatever from taking out LA or New York - I thought Jack Bauer's methods  made some sense.  V went the same route in episode 2.3 tonight.

The subject of the torture is Erica's partner Malik, who is a Visitor.  She has information on the abduction of a young woman by the Vs, and possibly some knowledge of what the Vs intend to do with Erica's son Tyler.   Is this information worthy skinning Malik - the only way to inflict real pain on the Visitors?  Is torturing a Visitor justified to save a human life?  I'd say so, with no necessary applicability to any other hypothetical or real situation.  In other words, each much be judged on its own pros and cons - including the profoundly dehumanizing effects of torturing, which certainly included Jack Bauer.

And the Visitors are worse than ever, now putting in motion, as per Anna's command, a plan to round up and kill hundreds of thousands of humans.   Anna hopes that by stripping away everything, literally, from her human captives, she can lay bare the human soul.  This, at least, is Joshua's hypothesis.  The Visitors have no compunction at all about torture - do we make ourselves more like lizards every time we use this technique?

The search and destroy mission on the human soul also unleashes Anna's use of Chad to undermine Fr. Jack's public image.  Chad knows what Anna wants, but has no choice but to go along with Anna's plans.  He needs to maintain his cover, and at the end of the episode is welcomed into the 5th column.

But every gain for our side is matched by a gain for the Visitors.  Ryan's loyalties, in particular, are still not clear, as he walks the crooked path of maybe a triple agent or more.   And the three-dimensional chess game with these aliens in the skies of Earth continues...

See also:  V is Back and Badler ... V 2.2: Do Beings from Planets Have Souls?

And reviews of Season 1:  V Returns to TV ... V 1.2: The Effects and The Characters ... V 1.3: Multiple Twists and Lizard Visions ... V 1.4: Good Medicine for Television ... V's Back in 1.5 ... V 1.6: Floating Witches ... V 1.7: Ryan's Story ... V 1.8: Is Lisa Becoming 5th Column? ... V 1.9: Moral Complexity and NonStop Action ... V 1.11:  Lisa's Loyalties ... V 1.12: Complex Chess and Red Cloud

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The Plot to Save Socrates

"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book