Yeah, I figured something along those lines too. Seems like abandoning the “cross-country race” format after season one might present a bit of an issue. Would have been like 24 starting season 2 by ditching the real-time aspect and settling into your basic cloak-and-dagger show. I don’t think people would have bought it.
This season is is 13 episodes long, but will have a break in airing after episode 6. As a 13 episode run the pacing of the race shouldn’t be an issue and they shouldn’t have to contrive too many loop-backs in order to slow progress. This is probably good news and I feel like they should be able to build drama and intensity effectively as the finish approaches come episode 13.
I figured that somehow they will have to start a new race come season 2. This is one idea but I’d be surprised if the totally ditched Nathan Fillian since he’s presumably such a big draw. It’s likely the audience will be invested in him as well as several other characters. Perhaps the plan will be for the mystery-men to trap the same characters competing against their will for a second time and replacing all the simple thrill-and-fortune seekers with new characters. The challenge will be coming up with a believable motivation for the actors to go along a second time if they bait-and-switch on the promises at the end.
It’ll also be interesting to see if season 2 is a full run or another short 13 show one. I suspect pacing will get more difficult as the season gets longer.
You suggest that as though it would be a bad thing 
I watched the first hour or so, I Tivoed the rest so I’ll watch the rest tonight.
I thought it was pretty good. Seems like Fillion is pretty much the same character as the captain on Firefly. Not that that’s a bad thing.
One thing that bugged me was the scenery. At one point they were driving towards Cape Canaveral. Could someone tell me which Floridian Mountain Range was in the background? 
It’s just “Them” trying to confuse and disorient our racers.
-Joe
They could do both: replace the simple thrill-and-furtune seekers while at the same time Tully and his orphaned partner try to find their Killian.
Ooh, how about this: they are coerced into replacing BCD (Black Charger dude).
I’m hoping after the end of the race, Alex Tully (Fillian) gets thrown in suspended animation and wakes years later. He then joins the browncoats to fight the alliance, but after a massacre at Serenity, he gets a spaceship and a crew including his best friend and fellow freedom fighter, her husband who happens to be a pilot, a mercenary with a girls’ name, a super-gifter but unsophisticated female mechanic, an old preacher with a past, a high priced and high class prostitute, a genius doctor, and his equally genius, yet terribly mentally damaged sister.
God I miss Firefly…
Space Mountain, obviously…
This show is nuts, clearly they have plenty of Lost like character developments to reveal slowly over the next season.
Woah. Just saw tonight’s ep. I’m really getting into this. Maybe it’s just 'cause I want to, but I’m really seeing some Whedon/Serenity-esque elements here. Particularly characters suddenly revealing hidden depths. [del]Mal[/del] Alex turning out to be not a simple landscaper after all. Also the bits between Dylan Baker–One of my favorite actors, BTW. He almost made Happiness bearable–and his daughter were cool.
I’ve only seen the first hour so far, and the one thing that immediately worries me is that the Minear/Whedonesque quips seem a bit out of place for Fox’s typical hourlong dramas. Chloe gets off about four genuinely funny lines a season on 24. Anything more would be overkill.
That said, I happen to like the quips, so I’ll hang on for a while, at least.
I assume we’re using this thread for the 4/16 episode as well?
Whats-her-face who rides in the car with Alex called I-75 “the 75” when she was at the police station. That I know of, the only place in the universe that refers to interstates as “the (number)_” is California. Is the character from California, or is it a case of the writers slipping up? (The writers for Vanished did the same thing with characters who were supposed to live in Atlanta)
She could have lived in California during the 27 years since her parents were killed.
She could have, but unless they were specifically trying to make her specifically Californian for a plot point, I don’t see the point in having her use such a bizarre construction.
Bizarre construction? Bizarre construction?
My seconds will call upon you in the morning.
He’s too old for the role, but they really should have brought in the actor who played Adlai Niska on Firefly for the “cop” interrogating Tully.
“And now, Mr. Tully, we get to know the real you.”
“You want to know the real me?!”
I’m really liking this show - even the bits without Nathan Fillion are mostly good - although soccer-mom-lady annoys me. And I love that the guy playing the detective is the fellow who played Jubal Early.
Heck yeah. “The [insert number here]” sounds weird as crap to the rest of the universe.
Oh, we do that here in Phoenix, also. What the heck do you all call it in the other 48 states?!?
I thought the show was a lot of fun, and I’m fully invested, but I think it’s time for an intervention:
You’re not the first in this thread, and you’re not even the most recent as of this post (I’m looking at you, Larry). But for God’s sake, let go. Please. You’re only hurting yourself…