Fore

[threemonkeys]

I have commented about expectation before. It is a tricky thing. How your expectations are set going into something colour your resulting opinions. Coming into Drive, my expectations were all over the place. First it is a Tim Minear show starring Nathan Fillion - that just has to be great right? But it is another show for Fox, disappointment awaits. Also it isn't SF - not necessarily a minus at all but I tend to give genre shows a bit longer. The premise seems a bit hokey - a cross country race seems so lame. But then again it promises all sorts of mysterious Lost type stuff. Actually, that may not be a plus - derivative is not usually good. So I really didn't know where my expectations were at so that I could allow for them. Why not just watch the show.

Two episodes in. I am so hooked. Forget the rest, this is now my #1 priority.

I bet Fox cancel it after 5 episodes.

Comments

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

So Nathan Fillion trumps all?

I need to watch out for Drive. Though it might not hit free-to-air here at all and I might have to wait 5 years and borrow the DVD from someone. I'm getting very good at waiting five years and borrowing DVDs.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Nathan Fillion is, as always, very cool although Tim Minear's involvement was the primary selling point initially. Having said all that, now having watched it I think that Melanie Lynskey may provide the most entertainment of all.

You need to cultivate more people with broadband connections and a dubious grasp of the copyright laws amongst your local circle of friends.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

The trouble is my own sense of copyright. Do you know how much easier my life would be right now if I didn't watch Heroes on the night of the week I am most likely to have meetings? Mind you, I don't mind asking someone to copy something for a oneoff watching - it's whole series I baulk at.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

If it helps at all, remember that Drive is broadcast on free to air TV. By watching it via a download, you are not depriving the broadcaster of any revenue. It isn't therefore as bad as watching something that is a cable show or a movie where you have to pay to watch, let alone making a copy of a book. You are just watching free TV via a very indirect route.

OK, a rationalisation, but it works for me.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

I don't know why it doesn't work for me, but it doesn't. Maybe I just like making my life more difficult?

What I really need is someone to fix my VHS so it will record heroes for me *and* play it back.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. You should try to live by the moral code that you feel most comfortable with.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

it's a nuisance, though :).

[jack-ryder.livejournal.com]

Starting watching it last night (I'm always intrigued by title sequences so I wanted to see what Drive's was like.)

murasaki_1966 told me to stop watching it, as she wanted to see it as well.

I can't see it lasting longer than 6 episodes but then, I've only watched up to the title sequence.

My big hope is, if it does take off, that it turns Nathan Fillion into the level of star he deserves to be.

I always thought Tim Minear's shows were made for bittorrent, now that we're in the auteur phase of television (where you can follow writer/producers around and get a similar payoff from each of their projects.)

Battlestar took off in the UK due to the bittorrent effect - enough people turning Drive into a virtual hit, maybe able to get it more of a real showing.

And I'm so glad Melanie Lynskey's in it.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I like that - "the auteur phase of television". I might just have to steal it.

I do have some hope for more than 6 episodes based on:
-It is better than Minear's previous show The Inside and they showed all the episodes of that one (12 I think) even if it didn't get picked up further.
-It has more immediate impact than The Inside. I.e. more action right from the start - Fox like that.
-It does not have the political sensitivity and timing issues that Wonderfalls had.

This may just be wishful thinking however.

[jack-ryder.livejournal.com]

Steal away.

It certainly could be a break-out hit (I understand they've been giving it a fair amount of promotion in the States.)

I wasn't a fan of "The Inside" because I just found it too depressing and nasty (well, the first two episodes.) I also felt very uncomfortable about the "magic victim" character, but I was intrigued with the Peter Coyote character.

The problem is that there's two much good (or at least above average) material available. A show's got to have something special for me to follow it. "Drive", at least, has Tim Minear, Nathan Fillion and Melanie Lynskey but the real test is if my wife wants to watch more of it.

At least it should see us through until "Heroes" starts up again.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

New Heroes is only a week away now. These in-season breaks are frustrating.

[cricketk.livejournal.com]

My copy of the first ep broke about 30 minutes in. I have strong fangirly impulses towards Tim Minnear (mostly inspired by you!) and Nathan Fillion. But at the 30 minute point I was getting distracted and bored.

The woman with the baby has caught my attention most of all.

I'm guessing from your reaction that if I get a full copy of the first two eps and watch them back to back, this will be a good thing? :)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

It is worth giving it a shot up to the end of ep2 - by the end of that second episode the whole structure is laid open and the characters established - there are some twists you haven't seen yet. I can only speak for my impressions, but that was enough to hook me - Fillion and Lynskey (woman with baby) are very powerful. Of course your mileage may vary - I won't take it personally if it does not work for you. :-)