Never Fear, Fearless Destined For Greatness
Review of the unaired pilot
by Harmony
Perhaps the fall pilot with the most heavily debated storyline is Fearless, the story of a young FBI agent who was born without the gene that causes fear, based on the young adult books by Francine Pascal. Amidst criticism that it is a “rip-off” of Alias as well as vocal anti-show sentiment by some fans of the book series, the WB network announced the show as part of its fall lineup. The pilot will bring two realities home to viewers: one, that it is nothing like Alias and two, that it is surprisingly faithful to the spirit of the books.
The pilot opens with Gaia (Rachael Leigh Cook) in LA hot on the trail of a bad guy, while a voice-over and intercutting flashbacks bring us up to speed on why we’re all here. It is clear even from these first moments that this is the Gaia we know and love: she’s a loner, she doesn’t feel she fits in, and she has a secret. “Fight or flight. I wasn’t given the choice.” It’s also clear from Gaia’s contact with her SAC (Special Agent In Charge) that Gaia is considered a gamble, and references to her life in New York City are met with Gaia’s assurances that she’s changed her reckless ways. But has she?
One of the most promising portents of things to come lies in the Fearless cast – already there is a chemistry between the characters, and they work well together. More often than not it takes several episodes before a cast “clicks”, but this show has got it right off the bat. It remains to be seen, however, whether any cast changes will be made prior to the official premiere. We see Gaia’s detachment in her dealings with others – her evasiveness to questions asked about her past from her new partners, Ryan and Harmony. Gaia and Ryan (Eric Balfour), however, have a strong sarcastic banter going, not unlike that between Gaia and the Ed character from the book series. Harmony, portrayed expertly by Bianca Lawson, is a no-nonsense character, not one to take Gaia’s go-it-alone attitude, sensitive to her own safety and that of her team. Ian Somerhalder plays Jordan Gracie, who after being arrested on identity-theft charges makes a deal and is to assist the FBI on catching the big bad. Although the connection between Gaia and Jordan is there, my only criticism is that the Jordan character itself is too jittery, too fearful. This first episode is about Gaia learning to trust her new partners, and about her partners learning to trust her.
This episode was filled with action – and I would expect no less from Jerry Bruckheimer. Fight scenes are natural, not too rehearsed as is the current fashion, and the show included several demonstrations of Gaia’s “fearlessness”, which can only be described as “cool”. There is also an interesting use of technology in the show, with the agents using various gadgets and devices, as well as your everyday computer, but it succeeds in not being cutesy and adds to the reality of the show. The pacing was good overall and there were not any noticeably slow or confusing sections.
Fearless has the ingredients for success – a good cast, good dialogue, and a compelling storyline. A time slot that has proved successful for Smallville and the established fan bases of its cast members won’t hurt it either. This is surely to be one of the best new shows of the fall season, and the most likely to break the WB’s new show slump.
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Fearless OnlineI'm adding this to your post Mandi ;)This is a summary from the WB11:
Fearless - Summary from WB
"There are four basic human emotions. Joy, anger, grief and fear. They say, of all those, nothing clouds your reason like fear. I've never had that problem." -Gaia Moore
From the executive producer of CSI and Without a Trace, this ensemble crime drama uncovers the FBI's best kept secret: the Y Unit. Society is breeding a new class of young criminals and it will take an elite division staffed with the finest young agents to infiltrate and apprehend them. The Y Unit requires a special kind of operative to succeed - much less survive. Born with a genetic defect, Gaia, 21, lacks the basic instinct her partners Ryan and Harmony must fight to control: fear. Whether Gaia's handicap is an important asset or a deadly liability for the unit remains to be seen...
From writer/executive producer Jeremy Littman (Law & Order, Profiler), writers Vincent Ngo & Evan Charnov and Jeremy Carver with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. "
