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« Drive
April 15, 2007: The Starting Line and Partners
"For as long as there have been cars, there has been 'The Race.'"
— Mr. Bright
Drive is the latest project from Tim Minear. Who exactly is Tim Minear? He was a coproducer and writer for Angel and Firefly. He also was the creative force behind the series Wonderfalls and The Inside. With the exception of Angel, all have aired on the Fox network and all were cancelled before their time. Cancelled? Sadly, yes. Yet, even though they were only broadcast for a short period of time, fan communities for his shows developed, later to be heartbroken over their cancellation.
So here we have Tim creating yet another show for the network that likes to cancel his series. Is Tim a glutton for punishment? Is this show even worth your time? How will it appeal to the fans of his other series?
At first I thought the concept behind Drive wouldn’t, well, drive — take The Gumball Rally and The Amazing Race, sprinkle some Deathrace 2000 and Season 7 into the mix and voila!
Huh?
This was the same reaction I had when I heard what the Firefly and Wonderfalls concepts would be (cowboys in space and talking wax animals). What are the creators of these shows smoking? Of course, much to my pleasant surprise, the two shows I mentioned turned out to be among the most original series on TV at the time. After watching the pilot, I have the same opinion about Drive.
Although there is an ensemble cast, the show seems to concentrate on Alex Tully, played by Nathan Fillion, who discovers that his wife has gone missing or has possibly been kidnapped. He receives a cryptic message on a cell phone to immediately head to Florida (he lives in Nebraska) in regards to his wife. Of course, he arrives late for the meeting, held in, of all places, a conference room in a hotel. As all the attendees file out, Tully confronts the speaker of the conference, Mr. Bright, and discovers the reason why he has driven all the way there: He has been selected to participate in an illegal, secret cross-country road race with the winning prize being $32 million. It’s also suggested that some (maybe all) participants may have special incentives for getting to the end: in this case, Tully finding his wife. From there the race is on, and the participants speed off.
What made the pilot interesting were the interactions between the various contestants and the reasons why they are in the race. Besides Tully’s, the story lines that stand out to me (so far) are the ones involving Corinna Wiles, the stowaway on Tully’s truck who is on the run from a thug working for the race organizers, and Wendy Patrakas, the quirky mother who just gave birth five days earlier and seems to be running from her husband. At the end of the first hour, I wasn’t too wrapped up in the plots involving the two Salazar brothers, the three Hurricane Katrina survivors (note: this fact isn’t exactly made clear in the first two hours), the AWOL Army dude and his girlfriend, or the father and daughter duo. Based on what happened in the second hour and what was shown in the preview for the next episode, it looks as if all of these story lines may intermingle throughout the series, helping with the character development.
At the end of the first hour, I was struggling with the concept of the “race” and how’s it’s officiated. A few examples: Wendy is released from jail by someone impersonating her husband and working for the race organizers; Corrina stole a flash drive with data about the race; and when Tully reaches the end of the first leg, he isn’t disqualified. By the end of the second hour, it did make more sense and yet there was just enough mystery surrounding it to keep me questioning.
Some lingering questions, ruminations and observations that I still have (in no particular order):
— The race organizers seem to have insiders everywhere, and I can imagine (based on the quote at the beginning) a weird, fictional, secret society (think Illuminati) actually runs the race. Instead of trying to take over the world (or whatever the secret society's goal), their real secret is to run this race ever since the concept of racing for competition was thought up. Heh.
— Where is Wendy’s baby? Did she hide it on purpose or do the race organizers kidnap it like Tully’s wife? What is the deal with her husband? Maybe she is hiding the baby from him? From her attempting to get away from the cop that pulled her over, to her being arrested and in the police station, Wendy is just adorable.
— I wasn’t quite sure if the race folks did actually kidnap Tully’s wife, Alex. She was seen leaving with a man, not in distress, but then again, there appeared to be a struggle in his house. At one point I thought that Corrina was the one responsible in some sort of plot twist. As it turns out, the race powers-that-be are behind the kidnapping. Tully must have been kicking himself for not realizing that Alex was in the freaking truck that he got a ride in.
— Penalties? Wendy got a nice surprise when she arrived in last place at the end of the first leg. One wonders what would have happened if she did, in fact, kill the other contestant. Also, in Corrina’s flashback, we discover that she was kidnapped and her parents were killed trying to win the race (sort of the same sitch that Tully is in). Does Tully have to actually win the race or just get to the finish line? Yes, the missing flyer Mr. Bright shows Tully has “win” printed on it. But is that just incentive to get him to participate?
— Not sure about anyone else, but when I heard the father reasoning out what the clue “Jupiter” meant, I could not help but think of Lost fans (myself included) trying to reason out all the hidden meanings within that show.
— Ugh! The rollover car crash and deaths of Corrina’s parents was probably one of the most vivid and original displays that I’ve witnessed on broadcast TV.
— Besides a picture of Tully and his wife, did anyone else see a picture of Tully posing in front of a race/sports car? A classic bit of Nathan (aka Captain Reynolds) humor when he attempts to steal the car and, after an impressive start, it breaks down. Hey! How to the heck do they keep their phones charged? Purists may cringe, but I loved the remixed version of The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues."
As you can see, I really loved the two-hour pilot and can’t wait to see the next episode. Thankfully we only have to wait one day. Hopefully, Tim Minear will be able to break with tradition and have a series that isn’t cancelled. Here’s hoping! Go break a leg, Tim. Errr. Go get a flat tire?
Some humorous dialogue spoken by Nathan Fillion, whose delivery is dead-on:
(Tully on the phone)
“Where the hell are you?”
“Uhh, I’m driving.”
(Tully, again on the phone and after his car gets bumped/rear-ended)
"'K, got to go. Kisses!"
“How do cheat in a game that has no rules?”
“I don’t know. I missed the orientation.”
Finally, Angel, Firefly, and Wondefalls fans have not been forgotten! Besides the creative talent working behind the scenes (example: the company, Zoic, is responsible for the special effects), the two-hour pilot had at least five appearances of former cast members from these series that I personally spotted. Here are the main ones: Nathan Fillion; Amy Acker; and Richard Brooks, the actor who played our favorite bounty hunter, Mr. Jubal Early (if you close your eyes, his dialogue sounded 100 percent like Early’s… in fact, his character’s name is Detective Ehrle). Can you list the other two actors and which shows they appeared in? There was also one obvious visual reference to one of those shows. What was it? Hint: a similar reference was included in the pilot episode of The Inside. Anyone else notice something that I missed?
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Apr 16, 2007 2:41 AM
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You forgot to mention another show that our talented Mr. Minear worked on. The X-Files, the cult show which became a mainstream hit on Fox, and that's perhaps why he holds out hope for his shows on that particular network.
I was also pleased with this first showing of Drive and I can't wait for the next episode tomorrow. Now, if there was only a way I could convince Tim to get his former collaborator Joss Whedon to write/direct an episode. I really feel his absence in my TV lineup.
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Apr 16, 2007 3:18 AM
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My only complaint--I would have liked to have seen more of Amy Acker. Sweet brainy Fred was my favorite character on Angel, and her turnaround as first Illyria on Angel & then cold-blooded killer Kelly Peyton on Alias was absolutely amazing. Please, more Amy flashbacks! And how about some more Angel & Firefly guests (I'm thinking Alexis Denisov, Alexa Davalos, Christian Kane, Ron Glass, etc)? Even David Boreanaz in a brief Bones cross?
That said, I am intrigued by the thought of a race going back more than 27 years. I think that there's much more to Corinna's story, and I'm looking forward to hearing it. It's amazing how ubiquitous the people involved with the race are, including the waitress, the truck driver, Wendy's faux husband. Just what other than a few thrills for someone is being this race. Is it just a bunch of millionaires betting on the outcome as in Rat Race? I'm already hooked.
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Apr 16, 2007 3:37 AM
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well, the waitress was phantom dennis's mom on angel, right. and she's also a regular on jericho at the moment if i'm not mistaken.
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Apr 16, 2007 4:10 AM
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I loved it. I can't wait till the ratings show up, because this has to be a keeper. I've gone through too many Minear cancellations already.
I want to add another appearance from the Minear "family". Tully was talking to his sister Becca on the phone in those bits you mentioned. She's played by Katie Finneran; she was Sharon Tyler on Wonderfalls and Mel Sim on The Inside. It was just an audio appearance, but I recognized her voice right away.
I hope they give her some funny lines because she's hilarious.
So far, my favourite characters are Alex, of course, Wendy and John Trimble.
I'll watch the 2 eps again today before the new episode.
Edit:
That's right!
The waitress was also on Wonderfalls. She was that lady who made muffins in the trailer park where Jaye lived.
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Apr 16, 2007 4:20 AM
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The premiere was ok. The only characters I find compelling so far are the ones played by Kristen Lehmens and Nathan Fillion (oh, and see below).
To make it better? My solution would be to see much much more of Brian Bloom, the guy playing Bill (i.e. guy with gun). He isn't a series regular and this disappoints me greatly.
All of his fans from the '80s, many from his stint on As the World Turns as the original Dusty Donovan, want to see way more of him, anywhere!!
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Apr 16, 2007 4:46 AM
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Besides the waitress, the man who impersonated Wendy's husband guest-starred on Angel as a conspiracy theorist in the 4th season.
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Apr 16, 2007 6:14 AM
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I liked the premiere. The plot is interesting, the action is quite good (yes, the inside look at the wreck that killed Corinna's parents was quite wrenching). And so far seems well cast.
So far the stories that interest me are Tully and Corinna, The Salazar brothers (I loved Winston as Justin's Dad over on Ugly Betty), The Father and daughter (although, since Dylan Baker is listed as a guest star, I suspect we won't be seeing him for long, but I liked his character's struggle to embrace and live life as he's dying), and new Mom Wendy. I'm in a wait and see mode about The Katrina survivors, and the army guy and his girlfriend. But there's a myriad of plot posilblities with a cast this large. Plus, there are PLENTY of racers we haven't met yet that could spice things up.
Nathan is an awesome leading man and I hope this show is FINALLY his breakout role! He deserves it!
Looking forward to tonight!
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Apr 16, 2007 7:27 AM
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I too liked this show... I agree with Robert that the 1st hour was a bit rough to watch... But then the 2nd hour kicked in and I got into it... I want to see if it will live up to my Monday night expectations (sp, bigtime) cause I am a Prison Break fan and would like something that will keep me on the edge like that show...
I have a couple of questions tho... More along the lines if a character was from a different show and such... I have to say right on to nsgal Brian Bloom, wow those eyes... Anyhow... Corinna, isn't she the same woman who played (cant remember her name) on the show Profiler? Wendy, is she the same girl Tweener from PB hitched a ride out to Utah with??? And the girl she was supposed to eliminate (good way to get around that without killing her, mind ya) I've seen her before too, just cant remember where...
I am looking forward to tonight's episode... I have to say, I did watch the previews after last night's end, and was disappointed that they nearly summarized the whole season... There were some things that would have been nice to disclose later on... I'll leave it at that!
Have a great day...
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Apr 16, 2007 9:29 AM
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JustMe33020-- To answer your questions, Corinna is played by Kristin Lehman, and she was Jane on Prison Break. And Wendy is played by Melanie Lynskey, and no, she was not who you are refering to. And Ivy is who she was supposed to eliminate, and she's played by Taryn Manning. She was in the movies 8 Mile, Hustle&Flow, Crazy/Beautiful (those are where I've seen her at least).
So I watched the episodes for a second time, and I'm going to add more thoughts.
I think that the old couple in the motorcycle is working for the people behind the race. Did you notice that when Tully gets to the hotel late, he passes the old couple at the hotel door, and then bumps into Corinna. Corinna wasn't on the race at that point, so it makes sense that she's missing the orientation. But the old couple, weren't they supposed to be in the orientation?
I think they're just there to keep an eye on the contestants, maybe someone in particular (who knows).
Apart from Tully, Wendy and John Trimble, I'm also liking the army guy, Rob. With his connections it's going to be interesting to see what he's able to accomplish. And I like Winston too. I don't like his brother, though, but as long as he mistreats him (like that slap he gave him in the first ep) it's going to be fun. 
Tonight I'm looking forward to see Becca, Tully's sister. And more of that detective Erhle.
And that visual reference to The Inside, I couldn't find it. And I've watched every episode of The Inside like 5 times already. The last time was a month ago. I'll have to watch the pilot again.
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Apr 16, 2007 10:14 AM
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I thought the road scenes looked good and Nathan is yummy, but there is too much bending realty with this series. So, I'm on the fence about it.
Also, I'd like to know what happened to the "winners" of previous races. I'm thinking either they ended up like lotto winners and lost everything or like the winners from the movie, The Running Man, i.e., they're dead.
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Apr 16, 2007 10:28 AM
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It is starting off great and I kept thinking that the Amazing Race should also have that "switch teams" option! What a great idea! I love the humour in the show and the mysteries! Who arranged for Wendy, the brothers and Tully to enter the race and what are the criteria to qualify for the race.
Isn't Wendy's baby at an abused woman's/family shelter?
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Apr 16, 2007 10:41 AM
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I think Wendy's baby is at a race-sponsored daycare. Remember when she called Cindy Williams to have her put the phone up to baby Sam? Wendy tells Cindy that she knows she shouldn't call but is calling on the cell they gave her, so the line must be secure. The race people gave out the phones.
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Apr 16, 2007 11:00 AM
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The waitress was on Jericho but she was killedway back in the fall. I loved the show but felt they introduced too many people too fast.
It took me a few minutes to place the actress playing Corinna but then it hit me She played Courtney Karuthers(sp) on Port Charles. I thought it was interesting she was partnered with Nathan Fillion since he got his start playing Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live.
This show sure has a lot of eye candy. Yet the cast can act. That is a rariety. I agree so far the show focuses on Tully and Wendy the Trio we really din't get to know but I like the blonde who ended up partnering with Wendy. I did find it odd tht of all the racers we met Tully and Wendy were the only two with out partners and now they each have a partner.
How could you not mention one of the best scenes from the premerie. I loved the scene of Tully and the brothers racing to the red light at the light house. Then the fight over who got there first only to cut to a sea of cars and even aa elderdly motorcycle couple tha had all beat them there.
I'm onfused about the "rules" as well. Since Tully missed orientation so did the audience. Can people quit the race? From the prieviews it looks like the girls who's tires Wendy shot out are told they are out of the race but refuse to accept that and try to re-enter by following the other racers.
If you are going to list dream quest stars from other series how can you not mention Charisma Carpanter. Cordie was alwys my favorite and was so pissed when she was fird from Angel for getting pregnant.
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Apr 16, 2007 11:23 AM
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I have to say that the show was much better than I expected. The chase/driving scenes were good and all the people seem interesting right from the start. I was confused about a few things. Wendy was supposed to eliminate the girl from the other team, instead she joins her. How did they know that would be ok? If they wanted her to be eliminated why would they just let her join someone elses team? And why would they want just one person taken out of a team of three? Wouldn't they want to whole team gone? I also have to agree the wreck scene was best (or worse depending on how you look at it) I have watched. The mom getting thrown around the car, then flying out the back window!
Where was Amy Acker? I don't remember seeing her! I guess this is another show that I am going to have to pay very close attention to.
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Apr 16, 2007 12:00 PM
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