When i first saw the pilot i went in with an open mind. Having never read the books, I had no pre-conceived notion of what to expect.
Starting off with a short introduction by Gaia Moore (Cook) about herself and her life. How she was perfect for her job because she experienced none of the side effects that come with fear (i.e. vision impairment, shakes etc.) Except she's been assigned to LA where she is partnered with two other teen extreme hotties (Lawson and Balfour.) Gaia does not inform her partners of her "condition" and they are more than a little freaked when Gaia goes under cover to bring down a crime lord. Throw in Ian Somerhalder for sexual tension and you complete the Bruckheimer formula.
There was obvious money thrown into the pilot. Filmed in the trademark grainy green hues that CSI and Without a Trace made famous, and backed by an all star teen dream cast. But it just doesn't work. Everything seems 10x what it should be. The script puts in the extra effort to make sure that the show still has the feeling element, even though the one emotion drama and action relies on (fear), is not even experienced by the main character. This "push" ends up cranking everything else into overdrive and soon you are left with the feeling that you are reading a fifteen-year-olds diary/journal. That's if the fifteen-year-old were narrating the whole story from there perspective. Too much is put into looking cool and kicking butt than actual plot and character development, all other emotions seem over the top and silly. This formula works for the movies because it's a one shot deal, but a television series needs more structure. Which fearless lacks.
The pilot is obviously marketed towards teenagers. Perhaps Bruckheimer decided that it was time to dominate a new age group, having already seized control of the adult 18-45 bracket. Rumors are floating around that the WB will be picking this up for fall 2004. Here's hoping it has a better fate that "Tarzan."
