V Pulls Back the (Lizard) Layers in Season 2

When ABC's Vreturns for its second season, the days of sitting around waiting for the Visitors to get the upper hand are over. Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) and the ragtag group of resistance fighters called the Fifth Column are on the offensive. 

Season 1 followed FBI agent Evans, often the moral compass of the Fifth Column. The group, however, was small, and their journey was slow and arduous. Because of the ethical lines Erica refused to cross, she often kept the group from waging the war that should've begun in Season1.

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When Season 2 kicks off (Tuesday, 9/8c), the series will dive right into the action with the introduction of a global Fifth Column, who take radical measures to ensure humanity's safety. On top of that, we'll finally learn more about the Visitors, including why they're really here and what they were doing before they went public. Hint: Erica Evans now has a real reason to be angry.

"We needed there to be a reason why she would be so ruthless, which she does become," Mitchell says. "I think she's going to have to cross the line a lot. She's passed the point of redemption and that makes for a really dark season."

V will also strive to nod to the 1983 miniseries in hopes of bringing back the fans who loved the original. While Season 1 lacked homage to the miniseries — we barely saw what a V looked like and there was no gerbil-eating — executive producer Scott Rosenbaum insists it was about finding the right moments to infuse, and "not feeling like I'm just doing it for the sake of doing it."

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"We're definitely going to get more," Rosenbaum says. The producer notes, in particular, the additions of original castmembers Jane Badler and Marc Singer. The long-awaited reveal of what the Visitors look like will be a major nod to Singer's original fight on the mothership when he ripped off the human skin of a Visitor, Rosenbaum says. And definitely keep your eyes out for rodents.

Upping the pace in Season 2 sits well with Mitchell. "We have all of these fantastic iconic moments, why not use them?" she says.  "I think we needed to up the stakes, if only for our own joy and amusement.  It's V — it's an alien invasion story, it's not War and Peace. It was much more fun to play, for sure."

The changes for the series are crucial because V has been on the brink of cancelation for some time. The series debuted to 14.3 million viewers, but fell sharply in subsequent weeks. The drop was due, in part, to a long absence from the airwaves. After four episodes in November, the series went on hiatus until March and never gained back its viewership, hitting rock bottom at 4.87 million viewers in Episode 9.

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That meant going all out for Season 2, Rosenbaum says. "When you're in danger of being canceled, you have to put your best foot forward."

As such, expect more cliffhangers. "If at the end of each episode, the audience says, 'How the hell are they going to get out of that?' then you know you're doing something right," Rosenbaum says.

Will you be watching V's second season?