Drive S01E01 (Fox)

Drive is a new series on Fox with Nathan Fillion.

It reminds me of the Gumball 3000, a illegal race that takes place every year.

It also reminds me of a story that I read years ago by Stephen King. The Long Walk was its name.

The Long Walk is a novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was included in King’s collection The Bachman Books after King revealed to the public that he was Richard Bachman. Set in an alternate history, the plot revolves around the contestants of a horrific walking contest, held annually by a somewhat despotic and totalitarian version of the United States of America.

In effect, people who want to race aren’t the only ones who are going to be there; there will also be people who are selected and coerced to race. This is the premise of the show, a mix of different people racing for different objectives.

I liked the pilot. It’s different than most shows and the mystery of the race is peculiar.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

//***************Spoilers*Ahead****************************

Alex Tully’s wife disappears. He believes she is kidnapped, but the police have trouble believing that because she seems to have packed before she left.

Wendy Patrakas is giving birth, but she doesn’t want to disturb her busy husband, or so she says. She has bruising like a woman being abused by her husband.

Winston Salazar is getting out of prison. He thinks that his dad sprung him, but he learns that he doesn’t want to talk to. All three of them get the same phone and a similar call.

They are all tasked to drive to Key West Florida, the Wayfarer hotel.

Tully is late and he missed the orientation. The object is a race, illegal, cross-country for $32 million. They have his wife.

Wendy’s son is missing, that’s why she is racing. Most of the people in the race do so to win the money. But some people are coerced to race. Her husband is on the way and the charges will be dropped.

Sean meets his brother Winston, but Sean didn’t know.

Tully and his new friend Corinna who hid in his truck bed are repairing his truck. The clue is about a lighthouse not far away. Corinna’s boyfriend isn’t her boyfriend, he works for the race organizers. Corinna has stolen a flashdrive from a race official. Tully has taken the guy with him.

Wendy arrived last and earned a penalty. She has to kill another racer, the young blonde girl with her friend.

Or more appropriately, she has to make sure that the other racer does not ride in her car anymore.