Well, we've seen the first episode of The Dresden Files TV series this evening and the verdict is in: "a solid B". It was certainly good enough to hold my interest, but then I was pre-disposed to like it; however I'm still not sure if there was enough 'meat' to hook a more casual viewer. Sure, Fred Hicks on The Butcher Block says "give it three or four episodes", but us Brits are a very fickle lot - especially when it comes to things that are a bit quirky.
This story juxtaposed the tale of a 'gifted' young lad who seeks Harry's help because he is being pursued by 'monsters' with flashbacks to Harry's youth, his own developing powers and his father's desire to keep them secret. This was a good introduction to the character - even if it wasn't originally intended to be the first episode screened. And here's the rub: this all seems a very familiar pattern to those who remember Firefly's mistreatment and eventual cancellation by the networks. Let's hope The Dresden Files doesn't suffer the same fate!
Paul Blackthorne is excellent as the disheveled wizard-come-private eye, capturing that hang-dog 21st Century Sam Spade spirit; he doesn't always get things right, but when he gets them wrong he does his best to correct his mistakes.
Birds Of A Feather also introduced us, with typically crafted scriptwriting shorthand, to a couple of Harry's supporting characters (namely Bob, his ghostly assistant, and Murphy, his police contact and good friend), who both held their own.
The hour-long show had a lot of info to dump on its audience, as well as the central story, which resulted in a lot of fast cuts and, according to some on the Interweb, a "deus ex machina" ending. To be honest I felt it had been sufficiently foreshadowed to avoid that tag, but, again, it might have been rather confusing or a cheat in the eyes of a more casual viewer.
Overall, Birds Of A Feather was a good episode, but, even from a brief investigation of the source material in the last few weeks, I know the series has the potential for so much more.
This story juxtaposed the tale of a 'gifted' young lad who seeks Harry's help because he is being pursued by 'monsters' with flashbacks to Harry's youth, his own developing powers and his father's desire to keep them secret. This was a good introduction to the character - even if it wasn't originally intended to be the first episode screened. And here's the rub: this all seems a very familiar pattern to those who remember Firefly's mistreatment and eventual cancellation by the networks. Let's hope The Dresden Files doesn't suffer the same fate!
Paul Blackthorne is excellent as the disheveled wizard-come-private eye, capturing that hang-dog 21st Century Sam Spade spirit; he doesn't always get things right, but when he gets them wrong he does his best to correct his mistakes.
Birds Of A Feather also introduced us, with typically crafted scriptwriting shorthand, to a couple of Harry's supporting characters (namely Bob, his ghostly assistant, and Murphy, his police contact and good friend), who both held their own.
The hour-long show had a lot of info to dump on its audience, as well as the central story, which resulted in a lot of fast cuts and, according to some on the Interweb, a "deus ex machina" ending. To be honest I felt it had been sufficiently foreshadowed to avoid that tag, but, again, it might have been rather confusing or a cheat in the eyes of a more casual viewer.
Overall, Birds Of A Feather was a good episode, but, even from a brief investigation of the source material in the last few weeks, I know the series has the potential for so much more.
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