by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Fox’s dramatic new road series Drive debuted without developing the characters beforehand. It started with the premise of the series–an underground illegal cross-country car race involving a diverse group of participants, some of whom have been coerced into joining and others are in it for the adrenaline rush and the $32 million prize at the end.
As the race progresses in each episode, the viewer learns about the characters and their reason for joining this quest, as well as their lives before the race. In this respect, it’s similar to Lost, because the character development is done on the fly and in flashback. Also, the producers of the race play mind games with some of the participants by placing detours and obstacles in their way.
Yes, it sounds like The Amazing Race, but the stakes are much higher and more dangerous. For example: In the pilot episode on April 16th, Let The Games Begin, one of the racers, Alex Tully (Nathan Fillion), is arrested by the police and dragged into jail. He is put through a tough interrogation, all of which was a hoax. The arresting officer was not a cop but one of the race officials upping the ante on Tully’s determination. He is given a new car and his morality is tested. Tully roars off in his restored vintage muscle car – a 1965 Dodge Charger – with his girlfriend, who he wasn’t about to leave behind.
The series has infinite story possibilities in the context of a road show, as each participant has a backstory. I was hooked right away by the scenario development in short vignettes, which happen inside the cars at gas stations and crossroads. In one scene, the racers meet at a drive-in theatre to see a film made by the race officials. Every racer is treated differently, leveling the playing field. In other words, having a fast car is not necessarily an advantage. Every type of vehicle is represented, even a minivan with two women drivers. Each leg of the trip is a challenge and the racers never know what will happen next.
Alex Tully (Nathan Fillion) is a major character. He is thrust into the race in an effort to find his missing wife. But the race organizers are messing with his head. Wendy Patrakas (Melaine Lynskey) is on the run from her husband and is competing for the safety of her newborn baby. Veteran character actor Dylan Baker plays John Trimble, a mild-mannered scientist who has a terminal disease but hasn’t told his daughter, who has joined him for the race. He’s using the race to bond with his daughter before he dies.
Winston Salazar (Kevin Alejandro), who is on a getaway mission from his criminal past, embodies the dark side of this cast. He endeavors to bond with Sean (J.D. Pardo), his half-brother who he has just met. In the pilot episode, a sexy female Bail Enforcement Officer captures Salazar for violating his parole, but his half-brother gets him off. Ivy Chatty (Taryn Manning) and Leigh Barnthouse (Rochelle Aytes) are using the race for a new start at life after surviving Hurricane Katrina. Ellie Howe (Mircea Monroe) and her boyfriend, Army specialist Rob Laird (Riley Smith), are trying to hold their relationship together. Ellie is in it for the money, but Rob is still thinking about his buddies back in Iraq. Corinna Wiles (Kristin Lehman) is Alex’s tag-along partner in the race. She may hold the secrets to the mysterious people behind the race.
The race liaison, Mr. Bright (Charles Martin Smith), has informed the racers that there are many other competitors, and each group does not know exactly who they are racing against or where the finish line is located. That information is fed to the racers in bits and pieces, which raises the tension considerably. The individual racer’s weaknesses are exploited to test their will to win.
The series was created, written and executive produced by Tim Minear and Ben Queen for 20th Century Television Productions. Greg Yaltanes is an executive producer and director.
Overall, the action is fast paced and the characters have eclectic backgrounds and motivations. It’s a continuing on-the-move scenario, which creates excitement. With $32 million up for grabs, anything can and will happen. It’s a fitting replacement for Prison Break, which is shooting new episodes for its next season.
|
