It’s a brave new world in America, as Anna and the Visitors prepare to establish official diplomatic ties with the Government, thanks in part to a willing media led by the very bias reporting of Chad Decker (Scott Wolf). Meanwhile, the Resistance of Two – aka FBI Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) — continue their quest to find strength in numbers. Step one: find everyone who was at the warehouse that fateful night, including the AWOL Georgie (David Richmond-Peck). For his part, former V sleeper soldier turned human sympathizer Ryan (Morris Chestnut) goes in search of the remaining members of the V Fifth Column, a group of V rebels now scattered to the wind. As we learn toward the end of tonight’s episode, “A Bright New Day”, you just never know when those spunky Fifth Columns will show up next. While last week’s episode was a paranoid, tightly-wound continuation of the pilot, “A Brave New Day” opens up and takes a giant leap in story.

We learn that V sleeper agent Dale Maddox (Alan Tudyk), thought dead at the end of the pilot, is in fact very much alive and on the V mothership, though suffering from temporary amnesia from his encounter with Erica and her homerun swing. Marcus (Christopher Shyer), Anna’s right hand man, demands answers, so Dale is rushed through the process of trying to retrieve his memory so he can ID all the humans at the warehouse for snuffing purposes. They are very good at covering their tracks and ridding themselves of annoyances, these V’s. We also learn that ol Dale is one nasty piece of work, and though he did his job very well as a deep undercover V scumbag, he didn’t like a single second of it, but he kept on plugging away. Man – er, lizard – is committed, you gotta give him that.

Meanwhile, back on ground level, Erica is called to the Visitors Peace center, where a lone gunman walks among the crowd looking to do some V-huntin’. Erica is put into the position of having to partner up with a secretive V security officer to do her job. Our girl grins and takes it, knowing very well that the assassination of a V in such a public locale will do nothing to help her and Father Jack raise their resistance. Of course, just because this is how it has to be, it doesn’t mean she has to like it. Which she doesn’t. Not by a long shot. Though allowing herself to be used, Erica didn’t become a special agent of Hoover’s boys for nothing, you know, so of course some snooping around the V center is in the cards. She makes some interesting discoveries, too.

Back in Teenager Hormones Land, Erica’s son Tyler (Logan Huffman) continues to lie to mom about his V interaction. Keeping his word to stay away from the secret lizard people gets harder when the tempting Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) makes Tyler an offer he can’t refuse. Actually, he probably could have refuse, but being that Tyler is a teenager and Lisa is what you would call smoking hot and suddenly willing, it’s no surprise that our rebel in desperate need of a haircut doesn’t say No. Can you blame the guy? And I think his fat friend is still a Peace Ambassador, though you wonder why now that his best bud has been kicked out. Maybe he’s entertaining thoughts of the comely Lisa as well? Fat chance there, chief. No pun intended.

Overall, an excellent episode, and a perfect launching pad for next week’s fourth and final “V” episode of the year, the intriguingly titled “It’s Only the Beginning”. After that, we won’t get another dose of “V” until 2010, when the show returns with an as-yet-untitled fifth episode, set to air February 2nd, 2010.

At the end of “A Bright New Day”, the Resistance of Two becomes a Resistance of Four. A bright new day in the secret war against the space lizards, indeed.

And finally: Who is John May, and why do the Visitors fear him?

“V”: 1.03, “A Bright New Day.” Written by Diego Gutierrez and Christine Roum, and directed by Fred Toye.