Why do the advertisers of so many of the shows I love not the faith in them to give them a chance to grow, build, and become a tidal wave of excitement?

Yes, I'm talking Drive here. 4 episodes aired (if you count the two hour opener as the pilot and ep 2 which many do) and the show was FANTASTIC.

I sat down to watch all four episodes at once and was crushed at the end to know I wasn't going to find out more.

The conspiracy was a tiny bit "too grand" once or twice for me... the waitress in the diner... I mean, did they have waitresses hanging out in every diner around town to eavesdrop, bolster people's flagging courage, and generally poke about, or did mommie dearest just get lucky?

I enjoyed all of the characters, they were three dimensional and "real" where so many shows forget that every character arrives at the pilot with a past, as well as the present we are seeing, and assumptions/dreams for the future.

Nathan Fillion and Melanie Lynskey knocked the ball out of the park with their performances. Their characters were so complex, and so well played that I simply couldn't look away. There are so many shows these days that you can simply listen to, but with Drive it was the facial expressions, and the unexpected that kept your eyes on the screen to see just what bit of sublty they'd add.

And the cinematography going between cars in the race scenes was FANTASTIC! Please, someone, give an award to the people that brought that magic to the screen.

Oh, and while I'm asking for favors from folks on high, would someone please release every bit of film from this show on DVD so I can see as much as they were allowed to put together... I know you didn't let them tell the entire story, but maybe, just maybe, you let them fill in a few more pieces, and answer a few of the questions I've got knocking around in my noggin.

posted by Kay Wednesday, April 25, 2007

 
ABC has an amazing show on their hands with Brothers and Sisters. As a member of a "large family" that could only go to certain restaurants when I was a child, not because they were child friendly, but because they were the only ones that could seat such a LARGE family, I appreciate the dynamics and interplay between siblings.

I am kind of looking forward to Justin going to Iraq, not because I want him off camera, but because I want to see how the siblings deal -- and who stays in touch, and how. Justin strikes me as the type that you have to keep up with (I have a sibling like that) and I want to see who pulls it off. I kind of think it will be Tommy.

Rebecca won't want to get him down with her drama, and Sarah is busy balancing work and home, and Kitty... well Kitty is crazy busy and got politics thrown in for fun. And where will Kitty be living in the near future, she's finally come home, but if the Senator becomes a truly serious part of her life (and Bless Rob Lowe for his AMAZING portrayal of such a fantastic, charismatic and interesting character) will they be bouncing between LA and Sacramento, LA and DC... LA and who knows where? Then, finally, there is Kevin, who I think kind of wants to take a step back from his family for a little while because he is just starting to realize that all that drama is part of what keeps him from settling down in other respects, and yet he can't help but not only LOVE his family, but LOVE knowing that he is part of the drama because that is part of being the Walker family.

And Nora, of course, will stay in touch with him, but a mom's correspondence isn't really the same as a siblings... and then there is that difficult balance to find when someone you love is in the military. Do you only write to them about home? Try and give them a small part of what they aren't there to be a part of, of what they are missing. Or do you ask a zillion questions about what they are going through, about the life they are now living, and get so caught up in wanting to know about the life that you don't feel you are currently a part of that your letter doesn't give them the escapism they may very well need. The link to reality that a warzone lacks.

Justin going to Iraq may well prove to be the storyline the most people in America can relate to, if for no other reason than he is currently surrounded by a family that is truly a pack of loving characters, and we will get to watch how they go through this, how they cope and endure, and as an audience we will feel less alone, and perhaps gain both insight and new ideas.

posted by Kay Monday, April 23, 2007