This review may contain spoilers.

The new adapted series took a chance in the fall to air only four episodes before going on hiatus for over three months. Garnering a lot of attention in the beginning, the ratings began wavering by the fourth episode. How would the show compensate in its first episode back? It did so by starting with action and carrying that frantic tension all the way through. Theres a war brewing, and both sides are taking action.

Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) -- who is torn between her role as a mother, her job at the FBI, and discovering the truth about the Visitors -- starts the episode by fighting off an attacking V. She killed him, and realized that it was the same one that stabbed Father Jack (Joel Gretsch). Ryan (Morris Chestnut) was concerned about his wife, Val (Lourdes Benedicto), and her unusual pregnancy. Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) helped to find the missing Jack so that they could all get together and decide what to do.

On the V ship, Anna (Morena Baccarin) and Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) had Tyler (Logan Huffman) in some brainwashing chamber. Their intent was to drive a wedge between him and Erica so that they could become his family. Anna continued with her constant conniving throughout the episode, but her plans for Tyler and Lisa were still not revealed. When Erica came to the ship to take Tyler home, a holographic version told her he didnt want to go with her.

Jack was taken to one of the Vs healing centers. His possibly fatal wound was quickly healed, but at a steep price. He knew that he was injected with R-6, although he didnt know what the effect was. Instead of feeling grateful for being healed, he rightfully felt paranoid.

At the FBI, Marcus (Christopher Shyer) was sent by Anna to help identify a print found at the warehouse where Erica and Jack first met Georgie and the beginnings of the resistance. In a tense moment, Erica expected the print to be identified as hers. Instead, it turned out to be from known terrorist and mercenary Kyle Hobbes (Charles Mesure). Knowing that it was a plant by the Vs, Erica decided to use it to her advantage. With Ryan, she approached Hobbes to help train the resistance. Later, with Jack and Georgie with them, Ryan helped convince Hobbes of the true need for his assistance by revealing his true nature to him.

In her other role as mother, Erica welcomed Tyler back home. Trying to assert himself as older and in need of independence, Tyler recited what seemed to be his brainwashed message to Erica that insisted on no more lies. Of course, the whole exchange was seen from the camera in his jacket, much like the transmission of Jack from the effects of the suspected R-6.

Suspicious of the Fifth Column resistance rising again, Anna was on high alert. Her plans for Earth were consistently in motion, including using Chad (Scott Wolf) to continue doing good PR for her. As she realized that Hobbes escaped the FBI, she knew that she had to take drastic measures. In an interesting version of selection of the fittest, she chose a V to mate with, and then ate him to nourish her eggs.

Anna is creating an army, and the Fifth Column resistance is growing. There was no sense of peace or a moment of rest in the shows return. With this pace, the show is hopefully promising future episodes that are packed with more action, more questions and answers, and more excitement.

What Worked

The subtle details were what made this episode fun. The two-prong fork looked strangely like a lizards tongue when Anna was eating. Val had a strange pregnancy craving and almost ate a mouse. Erica had a couple of really nice one-liners like that the V who stabbed Jack was, a pair of lizard skin boots now. The special effects continued to make the world of the Vs look technologically cool, although they need to be careful to make the visual effects necessary to push the plot and not just to show off.

What Didnt Work

It is nice that the writers are staying true to the original V series and the miniseries. Fans of the original should have been cheering for Val to eat that mouse. But it begs the question of just how much they are planning on emulating the original? It is not word for word, and the hairstyles and effects are much better now. But we dont want the show to become too predictable or get to the point where we could just watch the DVDs instead of the new episodes.

Also, ratings for this first episode were not what the network or fans would have wanted. Sci-fi shows are struggling to stay alive and get renewed. It was a big gamble to wait so long to return, and its one that may cost the fans more than the network.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

V stars Elizabeth Mitchell, Joel Gretsch, Morris Chestnut, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf, Logan Huffman, Mark Hildreth, David Richmond-Peck, Lourdes Benedicto, and Laura Vandervoort. Welcome to the War was directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Scott Rosenbaum

Vairs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC