Monday, April 16, 2007

Cap'n Tightpants goes vroom


Dear gods of network television, please put Nathan Fillion on my TV screen every week forever and ever and ever, especially if it’s in something as good as Fox’s Drive, which debuted in a two-hour long hail of nerd bliss last night. Produced by Ben Queen and dork god Tim Minear, whose past credits include X-Files, Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Wonderfalls, this show’s pedigree promised good things and so far it's exceeded expectations with its frenetic energy and humor.

Part Cannonball Run (sadly sans Menudo soundtrack), part It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and part Lost, the show follows a group of people on a cross-country road race in search of a $32 million payoff. Some of the competitors have been coerced into competition, like Fillion’s Tully who is searching for his kidnapped wife (played by Angel’s Amy Acker) and mother Wendy whose newborn son apparently is being held hostage. Others, like a father and daughter team and an Iraq War veteran and his wife, seem to be racing just for the cash…and, of course, valuable life lessons. The cast is almost uniformly appealing, especially Fillion who is years overdue for superstardom. His pants, however, should be tighter. I’m just sayin’. Melanie Lynskey, who plays mom Wendy, is also terrific, despite freaking me out by looking way too much like Marisa Tomei.

The show’s only flaw rests in its attempts to be a bit too Lost-y for its own good. The premise is goofy enough without trying to make things too convoluted, making me wish for more racing and less plot. Then again, I am kind of a simpleton. For right now, though, I’m totally onboard for Drive. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out episode three tonight on Fox, starting at 8 EST.

4 comments:

Mickie Poe said...

I could NOT find an unattractive photo of this guy. Le ROWR!

Jamie Alcumbrac said...

I squeed last night. Out loud. My mom. My boyfriend's mom. And my boy friend. all *squeed* when we saw him. I don't think we could be more nerdy.

annie said...

THANK YOU for the heads-up!

I'm through with Entourage, and need something new to torren-- I mean watch.

Shan said...

While my appreciation for Cap'n Tightpants is decidedly different than yours (Alex Tully is a badass. And so is his new car), I agree that Drive is awesome. I'm anxiously awaiting the Monday night ratings, with a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. I'm drawn to almost all the characters, with the exception of the GI and his wife (not him necessarily, but the wife is annoying).

Other than her, the only complaint I have is the convenience and frequency with which people get "knocked out." Small quibbles, all in all.

And speaking of his new car, I had one of those! Pix on my blog for curious.