Blood Drive: Episodes I and 2

I've now watched the first two episodes of Blood Drive. SyFy's homage to VHS grindhouse flicks is quite entertaining. I don't know if I'd call this a review, but here are my thoughts (some spoilers ahead).

The main racers, "Saint" Arthur and Grace are a nice pair. He's a ken-doll hero cop (in a world where heroes don't exist) and she's a woman on a mission to save her sister. They don't have to like each other (though they are definitely attracted to each other) though they probably will.

I'm glad the show didn't just kill off Arthur's partner Christopher and using him and Aki to reveal more about Heart Industries is really interested (and damn is Aki adorable in the this cute-little-bitch -is-going-to-kill-me way).

Now on to Julian Slink. I was interested when I heard about the show. The trailer made me decide to give the first episode a shot. It was this motherfucker though that sold the show for me. He's just the perfect MC and I want to know more about him. His scenes with the brief case in the second episode are phenomenal.

This glorious bastard!

The first episode does a great job of setting up the world. In the far off future of 1999, fracking has created a giant rift in the world. Gas is super expensive and water is scarce. Arthur and his partner are good cops that find out about mysterious stuff happening at a warehouse. In an earlier scene we also see Grace feeding a fuckboy into her car for fuel. At the warehouse, Arthur gets spotted and is forced to be Grace's race partner. They have electronics put in their head that will shock and kill them if the come in last or get too far a part. 

My only complaint about the first episode is the use of a Christian rock song, Skillet - Back from the Dead. It's not a bad track, but it doesn't fit the vibe of the scene and the fact it's a Christian rock song in a grindhouse flick inspired series makes me laugh a lot.

The second episode starts with the end of the second check point and the racers coming in to the Pixie Swallow Diner and Motel. Of course, it's no ordinary diner and is actually ran by cannibals. In this episode we learn more about the drivers and Heart Industries.

As far as the plot, it's entertaining. Basically we get a secret (but for how long) death race with an oddball cast. Each episode focuses on a grindhouse theme. There's also an overarching mystery that I think is doing a good job of tying the stories together.

The gore is ridiculous and what you would expect from a grindhouse flick. The language is as harsh as you can get away with on SyFy. There's a bit of censorship with some of the sex, but the black bars they use are amusing.

I can't wait to see the rest of the series. 

If you don't like the show you can always call the complaint line 1-325-400-DGAF (3423).

Game Material 

(For now I'm adapting this to the Army of Darkness RPG)

Blood Engine: No one, but the engineers at Heart Industries, the Scholar, and some really nerdy Kandarian demons know exactly how the blood engines truly work. All folks know is that if you put a regular adult into the engine, it will most fill your tank. You may need to add an arm or two to top it off. Feeding someone into the engine always invokes the Buckets o' Blood rule on page 97.

Pixie Swallow Cannibals - Hellbillies will do nicely for the fine folks of the Pixie Swallow Diner and surrounding areas. Just ignore the appearance drawback.