You’d think I would know better.
You would think that after being burned time and time again, I would think twice before jumping into another relationship that is almost certain to make me crazy and leave me stranded and alone, cruising the Internet for other broken-hearted people who will commiserate with me.
But I have seen the first two episodes of the new show “Drive,” premiering this Sunday, and I fell head over heels in love. I can’t wait to see how this exciting, character-driven show unfolds.
Which is why it is certain to be cancelled quickly: I like it. The curse awakens…
“Drive” is the story of the contestants in a highly illegal, super-secret, cross-country road race. First prize is $32 million, which attracts a number of players, but some of them are there for more important reasons. The shadowy people running the race are not above coercion to get racers, it seems, and kidnapping loved ones proves to be an excellent motivator. (Why is it kidnappers never take the relatives you don’t like?) The show is fast-paced, as you’d expect, and has a great mix of down-and-dirty highway racing, character development, and surprising reversals to keep things hopping. Contestants follow puzzling instructions by cell phone to go from checkpoint to checkpoint, doing their best to sabotage each other along the way. It’s an absurd situation that works because the players realize how absurd it is and they come to it with different expectations.
I can feel the curse rising, its icy hands reaching out…
There are at least a dozen main characters to follow – and the first two episodes does an admirable job of letting nearly all of them shine, at least a little – but the one who makes it all work is Nathan Fillion as Alex Tully, a landscaper who is led to believe that he can find his kidnapped wife at the finish line. We learn about the race (or rather, we don’t really) as he does (or doesn’t) and his alternating outrage, determination, and wry humor draw you in even as you learn more about his competitors and their reasons for being there.
Fillion previously starred on “Firefly,” another quirky, cult-favorite show that was horribly mistreated by FOX executives. The pain is still fresh, and I still remember our anniversary with flowers and weeping.
“Drive” is a serial show, with lots of plotlines and sudden developments that reveal more mysteries, so you really can’t miss any episodes or you’ll fall behind.
FOX’s standard method of promotion has been showcased by “The Inside” (barely promoted, pushed off to make room for “So You Think You Can Dance,” cancelled), “Wonderfalls,” (barely promoted, 3 episodes run on Friday before being moved to Thursday opposite juggernaut “The Apprentice” and getting canned), and “Firefly” (run out of order, on Friday night, pre-empted regularly, with the pilot that explained it all shown only after the show was cancelled). Each parting left me ragged, vulnerable, and more afraid of commitment. Also, I listened to a lot of country and western music.
“Drive” is also using amazing CG techniques that let the viewer swoop in and out of the different cars in motion. Even the unfinished version I saw looked good; on I-4 this morning I found myself wanting to go look out another driver’s windshield.
“Sliders.” “Millennium.” “Point Pleasant.” “Futurama.” “The Ben Stiller Show.” “The Family Guy.” “Titus,” “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” “Undeclared.” “Dark Angel.” “The Tick.” “Greg the Bunny.” “Andy Richter Controls the Universe.” All these and many more gone, for various reasons, despite critical raves and active fan bases.
Then there are the other racers. The mysterious woman who wheedles her way into the race after it starts. A woman hoping to escape an abusive husband. Hurricane Katrina survivors in it for the money. An astrophysicist looking to liven things up. An ex-con with his newly met half brother. A soldier on leave from Iraq. An elderly couple on a motorcycle. The interaction between all of them is just fun to watch, especially when you know that not all of them will make it to the end.
Remember those three shows I mentioned, “The Inside,” “Wonderfalls,” and “Firefly”? Tim Minear, the mad genius creative force behind “Drive,” created or co-created all of them. That man is going to hurt me again, I just know it. “It’s not you, really. It’s them.”
And the creepy race liason, played to creepy perfection by Charles Martin Smith. You just want to hit him right through the screen, always a good sign for a villian. If he is a villain, of course.
It’s starting midseason, with only 13 episodes which won’t even get us to the end of the race. And viewers have already demonstrated that just copying “Lost” and “24” won’t cut it; just ask “Vanished,” “Kidnapped,” “Smith,” “The Nine” and “Day Break.”
The racing scenes are good. The character scenes are good. I laughed out loud several times, and gasped at some of the action scenes. The puzzles in the second episode were a little too easy but only because I’m a Floridian and that’s where the race started.
So far, FOX is doing the right moves. “Drive” debuts on Sunday night with the first two episodes, and the third comes right after that on their new regular night, Mondays at 8, just before “24.” Not opposite “Heroes” or any other competing serial drama that people are already invested in, good, good. I’ve actually seen commercials for the show. The Web site is up, mostly, and promotions are popping up around the Web. The director will be Twittering commentary during the premiere.
Which means, unusual though it is for FOX, that the success of this show will lie squarely on the viewers.
So watch it, because I really want to keep this relationship alive. You can see the first four minutes of online, to get you started. If you don’t, I’ll have to come to your house in my pajamas with a gallon of ice cream and cry all over your sofa, and nobody wants that.