Forgotten Villains: V the Mini Series’ Daniel Bernstein

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photos copyright Warner Brothers

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Most teenagers are lost and have no idea what to do with their lives right? They party, have fun and live life with no responsibility. Well, imagine a teenager so lost in the world where normality is a routine of sleep, work, sleep for the rest of their lives it stirs the worst in them. Many people look to the skies and wonder what else is out there so what if one day the sky answered you back?

When the Visitors arrived in our skies in their massive saucer ships declaring peace and friendship, they were quickly embraced by the world. They had the cure for cancer and were willing to share their technology with us in order to cement our future relations. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth as they say but this time it would have been a good idea. Covertly, scientists are going missing and the Visitors are suddenly playing the victim against hostile humans. To combat this threat they need young humans to sign up as part of the Visitor Youth Programme to help keep the world safe.

Daniel Bernstein had always been a screw up, lazy and forever in trouble. He performed poorly academically so when he saw a chance to join these great, wise visitors from space, he jumped at it. He is the son of Stanley and Lynn Bernstein and grandson of Albert Bernstein. Albert is a survivor of Nazi Germany death camps and he has an uneasy feeling about these space people. He sees parallels to the Nazi movement and the Visitors’ agenda especially in the establishment of the Youth Programme.

With previously respected scientists suddenly becoming enemies of the Visitors, it says a lot that the human race would believe the aliens so quickly. We have been conditioned over the decades by television and movies that aliens are more mature than us and will lead us to a better plane of existence. Their word is as solid as steel and typical of humans to attack what is different to them. So desperate are the governments to be friends with the aliens that they are blinded by their desire for technology and cures to strengthen their power bases.They would toss old friends to the wolves for that. It is no wonder the Visitors could easily manipulate people like Danew technology and cures for diseases. Now Daniel is turning on his own kind.

One family that are on the run for being scientists were the Maxwells. Part of Daniel’s job is to turn them in for treason but in this case Daniel has always had a crush on their daughter Robin (Blair Telkin). Power goes to his head quite quickly as he literally has the power of life and death over people he once called neighbours. His grandfather is hiding the Mawells and ensures his grandson does not find out but fails.

In order to keep her family safe, Daniel claims that Robin is his fiancee but she doesn’t know it yet. If she does not comply then Daniel will turn his family in to the Visitors. To this end he tries to force himself on to Robin but her father steps in and throws Daniel into a swimming pool. Daniel pulls his blaster but storms off in humiliation instead. He tells Brian, the Visitor that Robin actually has feelings for, about the refugees on the promise that his family remains untouched. They have long since stopped talking in front of him in case he reports them. Brian lies and everyone is taken for questioning. He manipulates Daniel with a promotion to his second in command. So little does his family mean to him that Daniel laps it up. A consequence of this is Brian seduces Robin and gets her pregnant as an experiment.

Daniel’s actions get him noticed on the Resistance’s radar as he is in charge of the Los Angeles Visitor Youth Programme. He kills Fred King and delivers Julie Parrish to Diana as her prisoner which elevates him in her favour or so he thinks. As Daniel is an arrogant son of a bitch that thinks of himself as invincible and indispensable to the Visitors, Daniel is again easy to manipulate. Resistance fighter Maggie Blodgett enters a romance with him in order to get information out of Daniel. Her husband tries to be understanding and it’s hard for both of them. Daniel repulses Maggie but when Diana confides in him that she is bringing important prisoners to Earth ie julie herself, Maggie gets it out of him while in bed.

He shows how evil he has become when on the night of the transfer he recognises one of the cleaning ladies. It turns out to be a disguised Ruby, a friend of his grandfather’s who dies in the interrogation. Daniel realises he has been used as a diversion tactic. Ruby reminds him of coming to her house as a boy and goes to walk away because she believes he is still good. He kills Ruby in cold blood by shooting her in the back.

The Resistance forget nothing and target Brian in order to test the Red Dust’s effectiveness against the lizard Vistors. They then leave an anonymous tip via phone that Daniel is responsible for Brian’s death. Brought before Stephen, Daniel is sentenced to death. The last we see of him is being dragged away to be processed for food for the Visitors.

We as an audience feel no sympathy for Daniel whatsoever. He felt nothing about his family being taken for questioning or the fact his grandfather never made it out of the Visitor interrogation cells. Sadly there are a lot of Daniels in the world looking for a cause they can immerse themselves in. Whether it be white supremacy, religious cults or an alien task force then be careful. Daniels are to be watched carefully. But Daniel is a prime example of how humans can be so easily swayed to turn on their own without a second thought. What are they lacking in their own minds and self esteem that allow them to fall down this path? Daniel Bernstein was brought up in a good family and despite their best efforts, he was just born to be bad. something the Visitors used to tighten their grip on humanity.