V: The Final Battle (Part 1)
Original Air Date: May 6, 1984
Directed By: Richard T. Heffron
Produced By: Dean O’Brien
V: The Final Battle opens with a dream sequence — Michael Donovan and his son, Sean, are frantically running through corridors on the mother ship. In pursuit are several shock troopers, who take aim and fire. Sean is shot in the back — just as Julie Parrish wakes Donovan from his nightmare. They’re at Resistance Headquarters, and everyone is gearing up for an important nighttime strike...
The strike is against “Visitor Orientation Center #9.” As the Resistance surveils the remote facility, semi trucks arrive, their trailers packed with confused people. Steven supervises as the abducted people are led into a nondescript building. Later, they’re seen encased in plastic-like coffins moving on a conveyor belt into an awaiting shuttle. The so-called orientation center is really a food processing plant!
From their hiding spot in an adjacent tire yard, the Resistance attacks. But the Visitors are ready — several suddenly appear on the roof of the building to protect it. Bullets just bounce off the troopers’ armor; only Donovan’s laser pistol has any effect. Julie gives the command to fall back and retreat. It looks like things aren’t going to be easy.
Later, Julie and Elias Taylor are at the Los Angeles Medical Center obtaining medicine and supplies for the Resistance with the help of Fred King, a doctor there. Security is noticeably increased, making the task more difficult. Apparently the Visitors are gearing up for a big event to take place at the hospital — the televised announcement of a major medical breakthrough. It just might be the big break the Resistance needs to enlighten the public and turn the war around. King is reluctant to get more involved, but agrees to provide blueprints of the building to help the Resistance.
At the Los Angeles Visitor Security Headquarters, Ruby Engels has infiltrated the facility disguised as one of the cleaning crew. She is able to learn that the Visitor event will require special passes that will be difficult to fake. To crash the party, they’ll have to steal a pass, copy it, and return it before it’s discovered missing. They’ll need the help of the best counterfeiter around, a guy named Dan Pascal, as well as access to a pass. Donovan thinks he has an idea...
Perhaps due to her flirtatious status with Steven, Eleanor Dupres — Donovan’s mother — will be one of the special guests at John’s announcement. Donovan sneaks into her home, swipes her pass, and delivers it to Pascal in a fake delivery truck nearby. The counterfeiter is able to duplicate the pass — the only question is whether the copy will work. Donovan returns the original and is just about to climb out the window when he is discovered by Eleanor. She stops him at gunpoint, but Donovan pulls out a photograph of Sean he took from her as his reason for showing up. Eleanor fires the gun but doesn’t hit her son.
Later, Donovan arranges a secret meeting with Kristine at an equestrian park. He tells her how the Visitors took Sean, and that his son is on the L.A. Mother Ship. According to information from Martin, Sean is in something called Section 34. Donovan gives Kristine a Visitor key, and she agrees to check it out as a personal favor — but she’s not sure what to believe. She does not want to become involved in the Resistance.
While leaving the park, Donovan is discovered by two Visitor soldiers on horseback, and they give pursuit. A Skyfighter shows up and joins the chase. Donovan shoots one of the soldiers, and the other is caught by friendly fire. Just as the shuttle pilot has Donovan in his sight, the ship collides in a freak accident with a biplane.
On the Mother Ship, Kristine uses the key to access the lower, dark corridors. Being careful not to be seen, she enters one of the food storage sections. She’s in shock and can’t believe what she’s seeing — then she finds Sean in his suspended animation pod. As she’s leaving the corridors, she runs into Steven.
Steven interrogates her, but Kristine claims she was lost and sticks to that story. Suspecting Steven of using Kristine to discredit her, Diana takes over and dismisses Steven. Diana accepts Kristine’s explanation — even though she doesn’t seem to really believe it. In a thinly-veiled threat, Diana plainly states that unfortunate consequences would result if Kristine’s actions ever reflect badly on Diana...
On a seaside cliff, Donovan meets Martin to enlist his help. The Resistance needs to make sure the video feed stays on the air, and they need an escape route after they complete their mission. Martin doesn’t think much of their plan, and complains that security is so tight now that it’s hard for the Fifth Column to function. But eventually he concedes to Donovan’s demands.
Back at the medical center, Harmony runs into Willie again. He’s been relocated there along with many others for the big event. The two lovebirds hope to share a private moment in a supply room, but instead discover Caleb and Elias stashing weapons. The Resistance can’t risk their plan being found out, so Harmony and Willie are taken prisoners.
At Resistance Headquarters, Harmony and Willie are dragged in. Robert wants to kill Willie, but Caleb sticks up for the Visitor technician, mentioning that Willie once saved his life. Julie suggests they use Willie as a test subject to learn more about Visitor physiology. Meanwhile, Harmony tells Mark she doesn’t believe all the stories about Visitors being reptiles — it’s just makeup and special effects done by the terrorists, she believes. Mark then drags her to Willie’s side and and rips the Visitor’s fake skin off his hand, revealing green, reptilian scales. Harmony runs away in shock.
Later, Julie and Robert are performing experiments on a cooperative Willie. A large patch of reptilian scales are exposed on his back as different injections are used to test for allergic reactions. Harmony watches on, now looking calm. But Robin shows up and, seeing the exposed scales, suddenly becomes frantic and agitated. She screams that she wants an abortion now and reveals that her baby’s father is actually Brian.
Father Andrew argues the anti-abortion viewpoint, and Julie urges caution. Most others, including Maggie and Donovan, say it’s the girl’s decision. And Robin won’t budge: she wants it gone. At the medical center, Julie and Robert sedate Robin in preparation for the procedure. Using a laparoscope, Julie discovers lots of wispy fibers threaded throughout Robin’s abdominal cavity and through the uterine wall. The fibers tap directly into the bladder and liver. When Dr. King shows up, he tries cutting one of the fibers, and it causes Robin’s vitals to become unstable. They soon realize that an abortion will kill her before they could ever get the fetus out. She’ll have to carry the baby to full term after all.
Finally, it’s the big night at the L.A. Medical Center.
Kristine is reporting live from the invitation-only event. Doctors, politicians, movie stars, and royalty from around the globe are present. Security is tight: Steven and Brian are personally checking guests’ passes. The first Resistance members to arrive are Julie and Robert. Their pass seems to take forever to verify, but eventually they get the green light. Now knowing the passes work, other freedom fighters arrive, including Ruby in a wheelchair escorted by Father Andrew. Elias and Sanchez are also present. Caleb and Mark are in a control room disguised in Visitor uniforms.
On the mother ship, Martin and Barbara visit the control room, where an announcer is heard saying the broadcast is being transmitted from Los Angeles to all fleet ships. Kristine is heard making a special announcement to the at-home viewers — that John will announce a vaccine for all forms of cancer. John descends the stairs to the podium and basks in the applause. As he begins his speech, as small explosion in the Mother Ship control room distracts the crew while Martin swaps out a certain component from a computer system. They won’t be able to stop the transmission now.
Back at the medical center, John’s speech is suddenly interrupted by Andrew as he gives the signal — “Now!” — and the Resistance team springs into action. They grab guns from hidden locations and surprise the guards. Mark and Caleb override the special security doors, locking Steven’s forces out. Donovan shows up, taking Diana hostage. Kristine orders her cameraman to keep taping.
At the podium, Julie tears off John’s human face to expose him on live television. She urges the public to see the Visitors for what they are, and to fight back. Below, Eleanor still doesn’t believe the revelation and insists it must be a trick.
The Resistance then makes a quick retreat through the hospital hallways, just as Steven finally breaks through the security doors using a laser torch. Steven gives chase to the Resistance fighters, while Brian takes care of crowd control. Diana dispatches a humiliated John to the squad ship where he’ll be safer. She then orders Kristine to tell the viewers what they’ve seen is a terrorist hoax. Kristine cooperates and makes her announcement to the camera, but instead of attributing the event to terrorists, she suddenly tells the audience that the Visitors are monsters and the Resistance is fighting them. In mid-sentence, she is shot by Diana.
Julie and King are cut off from the rest of the Resistance, who make their way to the roof. But they appear to be trapped — Visitor soldiers and a waiting squad ship are already there! The Resistance fighters are forced onto the ship, but instead of taking them to the Mother Ship, the shuttle is actually under Fifth Columnist control and takes them home.
Meanwhile, Julie and King try to make their escape in a commandeered ambulance. Facing an armed road block at the hospital’s exit, they decide to make a run for it. But King, driving, is shot and killed by Daniel Bernstein. The ambulance comes to a crashing stop and Julie is captured. Diana congratulates the Youth Leader for his success, and Julie expresses her utter contempt for him. Diana orders Julie to be put on her ship.
The next day, a new broadcast shows what the Visitors wanted everyone to see — a staged event without any interruption. Orchestrated by Diana, this time the audience applauds at off-camera gunpoint. Eleanor provides the collaborative narration that would have been done by Kristine.
At Resistance Headquarters, people are packing up, just in case the Visitors are able to extract information about their whereabouts from Julie...
To redeem himself from the medical center fiasco, Steven tells John that he’s gotten the information he needs about the Resistance’s location, and they’ll be exterminated by nightfall. Meanwhile, at the Visitor Security Headquarters, Ruby watches as troops rush to board shuttles...
At the end of the episode, Julie is seen in the conversion chamber as Diana watches on. She plans to break the Resistance leader — Julie will be her masterpiece.
To Be Continued...
Notes
- The Resistance learned about the food processing plant thanks to an informant named Jenny. She had followed the Visitors to the location after her husband was taken. During the attack on the plant, Jenny is mortally wounded.
- Early on, Kristine runs into a Dr. Walker who berates her for collaborating with the Visitors. Shortly afterward, the doctor is abducted by Brian and sent to Diana’s conversion chamber. When Kristine next sees him, the doctor is friendly and doesn’t acknowledge their last meeting, which confuses Kristine.
Daniel Bernstein is now a Youth Leader in charge of the entire L.A. chapter of the Friends of the Visitors.- Maggie poses as a nurse at the L.A. Medical Center to seduce Daniel and gather information from him.
- The device used by Pascal to copy the special event pass sounds like a sensor viewer from the original Star Trek series.
- Diana and Brian are seen in bed together, watching the video of Brian’s seduction of Robin. Diana suggests that Brian show her how humans have sex...
- Willie notices the green patch around Robin’s neck and asks when her baby is due.
- The place and time of Donovan’s meeting with Kristine was the Equestrian Club on the Main Bridge Trail at 2 pm.
- Donovan remarks that the Visitors have increased people’s rations — perhaps to fatten them up?
- Security for John’s announcement consists of three levels: special passes outside; troops in the lobby and corridors; and new security doors that make the lobby impenetrable.
- The L.A. Medical Center was to be the first hospital to open its doors to people to receive the cancer vaccine.
- Father Andrew reveals that he once killed a man in his South African church to protect two children who were going to be killed as suspected guerillas.