By Chris Ryall
July 1, 2003
"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
The WB network seems to think it's found its formula for success in their prime-time dramas. Take a young, "hot" actor and give him or her some sort of power or extra ability that us normal shlubs don't have. It worked originally with BUFFY, and CHARMED and SMALLVILLE have followed that same premise. Sure, it doesn't always work -- teen aliens just couldn't build a large enough audience with ROSWELL. But that just means tweaking the concept a bit, right? For this season, there's pulp hero Tarzan, reborn as a Calvin Klein model in New York City. And now there's this show, FEARLESS.
A bit more of a police procedural than the other shows listed above, this one seems to fit more into the mold of 21 JUMP STREET, crossed with some of the Bruckheimer flash of FASTLANE (he serves as exec-producer here). The central conceit of this show? That its heroine, Gaia Moore, a junior FBI agent, was born "without the fear gene." In other words, she, like, totally doesn't get scared and stuff? Which makes her do some reckless things that more rational people would never consider (because they're scared of what might happen, see). In the real world, a profound lack of fear might lead to JACKASS-like stunts and bodily harm, but here, it seems to mean one kick-ass agent.
Our heroine in question is played by Rachael Leigh Cook (who now looks more like Winona Ryder than even Winona Ryder). Cook plays the earth-goddess-named Gaia. Gaia's past is a bit of a question, we learn -- her employee file is sealed, causing distrust among her new partners. Nevertheless, she joins a group of young FBI agents, who seem to have the run of the bureau office they work at. Her new partners are Ian Somerhalder (the WB's YOUNG AMERICANS), Eric Balfour (SIX FEET UNDER, 24) and the distrustful Harmony (Bianca Lawson).
This hardy foursome sets out to infiltrate an after-hours club in order to shake down a drug dealer. Drug dealers in after-hours clubs are the TV show perp du jour. This way, said show can throw its stars into sexy outfits and drop them into the middle of a club full of sexy young extras and no one has to look at nasty old people on their show. Plus it gives the show a chance to blast some music from the inevitable soundtrack (of course, club music in TV shows is never actually the kind of music you'd hear at a real club, but there's soundtracks to be sold, dammit!).
Gaia, whose no-fear gene actually makes her quite pushy and stupid, infiltrates the club. Every generation gets their 21 JUMP STREET, I guess. The drug dealer is taken by her, especially after she shows no fear when they try to make sure she's not a cop. Our girl knows no fear, I tell you. In that, she's like a kid with no feeling in his hand who keeps touching a lit burner on the stove. He has to know he's being reckless and stupid, yet there's something appealing about it, since the consequences aren't felt immediately.
Gaia's partners, especially Harmony, don't trust the fact that Gaia keeps her past private and makes these sorts of reckless decisions (they don't know about her genetic defect yet). And while the show makes her look bad for doubting this wild and mysterious new partner, I think she's wise--this crazy chick might not have any concern for her own safety, but her disregard for anything and any situation is bound to get someone killed.
Not today, however; things, as expected, fall apart and Gaia ends up with a drug dealer's gun shoved against her temple. Her partners, guns drawn, aren't sure what to do. Gaia, as expected, demands that they shoot this guy. She's not afraid. Just shoot around her and take him out, she says. Sure, they could easily miss with their shaky hands and if they do hit him, his finger could jerk down on the trigger of the gun pressed against her head, but hey, she's not afraid. Shoot him. They do (not terminally). He's out, she's free and not shaken in the least. All in a fearless day's work.
She decides to build some trust among her two partners and opens up to them. Now they're a crime-fightin', tough-talkin', fearless (well, in her case) team of junior G-men/women. Bring on life in the FASTLANE.
The WB's FEARLESS airs this Fall on Tuesdays at 9:00 PM.
Next Week: CBS' JOAN OF ARCADIA
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