Last Episode of V- Anti vaccine commentary.

[Belle]

I mentioned this on the V thread but nobody had responding to it. It seemed like an interesting topic to discuss. On the final episode of V (Until spring) a couple weeks ago there was some very anti-vaccine commentary about the flu shot in particular and the media and government hyping everything up to the benefit of the drug companies.

I thought it was interesting that they would vaccines in a mainstream show in the light of anything but "Go get your flu shot now or you and your children will die!" This is the route that most TV dramas take if they touch on the topic at all.

I had trouble finding a suitable clip of the whole commentary on the vaccine but you can see the full episode here. http://abc.go.com/watch/v/240273/242...-the-beginning

[delightedbutterfly]

I think the show is attempting to follow some mainstream concerns and worries that are current

I think if I added more it might violate the UVA so I will stick to that

[Belle]

I don't think its against the forum rules to discuss things that were said in a tv show in the television forum. I'll rewatch the episode to get an exact quote of what was said.

[Belle]

Okay, here's the summary.

The leader of the V’s announces that they will offer a new “super vitamin” to help with preventative medicine. The interviewer asks her if they will cure the common cold. The leader of the V’s (Anna) smiles and says that our flu vaccine will have to suffice for that.

A group of resistance fighters is watching this and the one who is a renegade fighter (Ryan) says that this new vitamin shot is dangerous but doesn’t specify why. Later the three of them raid a warehouse hoping to destroy this new vitamin shot at the source. They find a science lab with grotesque looking human corpses that have been injected with some drug. They discover that the vitamin shot is really just a vitamin shot but they’re mixing this “R6” drug into the flu supply.
They say (paraphrasing here)
No government agency’s going to evaluate the flu shot when they’ve got this new vitamin to evaluate. They knew how to play us, media bombarding us with scary images of pandemics, so we all run out to get our flu shots to protect ourselves. That’s what they’re counting on. Our predictable human nature. Very calculated, isn’t it?

[delightedbutterfly]

Ok I will expand and try and keep on topic (I know we can discuss shows but what I want/ed to say would have been WAAAY off topic...

I definately think they were playing off some of current fear. There has been speculation that the H1N1 was leaked on purpose and speculation that the vaccine was going to be used as population control... And it mirrors this thought in the show.

By using the sheeple mentality (I am not saying every person whom gets a flu shot is a "sheeple" just refering to what is saying) it is a very smart move on the part of the V's to put the harmful stuff in the flu vax and put out a harmless vitamin drug.

People WANT new stuff tested. And they feel safe with the "old/known stuff", I think the writer(s) maybe like the conspiricy plots lines and wanted to mimic it...

Maybe they just want people to think? Art often imitates life, no?

I hope that is what you are getting at... I get it IS weird to see on TV. But lately I am seeing A LOT on tv that is sort of pushing the envelope. I don't think that it is always a bad thing.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by brymommy

I hope that is what you are getting at... I get it IS weird to see on TV. But lately I am seeing A LOT on tv that is sort of pushing the envelope. I don't think that it is always a bad thing.

I was just saying its refreshing to see the perspective of the questioning of vaccines. In most mainstream tv shows anyone who questions going with the flow is portrayed as ignorant and usually proved to be wrong by the end of the show.

[nia82]

I saw it too and was quite happy about the reference. I do think they are referring to the current hype and fear mongering in the media. It is rare these days on TV when all TV "doctors" push every drug out there. It was refreshing - considering recent SVU and Private Practice episodes.

[thtr4me]

So happy to find this thread! I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who caught the reference there. Even my fairly mainstream DH got it!