Highly Recommended viewing: The Dresden Files

Filed by: Darren Turpin on March 23, 2007 at 8:47
Filed under: Miscellania

You know, I really wasn't convinced to begin with, but now I'm absolutely loving the SciFi Channel's adaptation of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

Harry Dresden and Karin Murphy, Sci-Fi Channel styleIt all started off rather horribly. The season pilot was - in this particular Dresden-fan's ever-so humble opinon - absolute dross.

Mind you, with the benefit of hindsight, I think I can see why. Imagine the scene at the production meeting, as the guys behind the show try to work out how to sell the series to the network...

"So, what are the major themes of this one again?"

"Let's see: black magic, horrific murder, ritual sacrifice, the occult, the undead rising..."

"A-ha. And the lead character?"

"Well, he's this guy who's an incredibly powerful wizard. He's a good guy at heart, but he's got a dark side, and he hides from his true nature on the grounds that if he unleashed the full force of his magical powers he could probably, like, destroy the world or something. So he's basically conflicted. Screwed up. Human."

"Aaa-ha. So, no clear-cut white hat, then?"

"Well, no. More kinda grey... and patchy... with scorch-marks..."

So, the guys behind the show make a special effort for the pilot. Harry becomes a good wizard, through-and-through. He works with the cops, he solves a mystery, he saves his cop-buddy from possession by a demonic body-snatcher (read: foreign hijacker) and an All-American kid from a really nasty kid-eating monster (read: paedophile) and comes out of it covered in glory, and in just enough of his own blood for a purple heart. Hoorah! Apple-pie for all! The network buys the series...

...at which point, thankfully, the script writers throw away all that crap and get on with telling the real story of Harry Dresden.

We're up to episode five (or six, I'd have to check the Sky+ box) in the UK and so far the rest of the series has been bloody fantastic. Elements of the back-story and plot from the books is gradually being introduced, with just enough of a twist here and there to keep things fresh and interesting. Bob is working really well as an all-English eccentric ex-sorceror. Which is good. I mean, Bob - this Bob, I wonder? - is meant to be several centuries old, so I'm glad they haven't given him a Brooklyn accent or something. And, most importantly, Harry and Lt. Murphy's relationship has been restored to its proper love-hate status, which has worked so well throughout the seven-book series to-date.

Having said all that, I can understand why someone coming fresh to the series without any prior knowledge of the books might find it a little inaccessible in places. The producers have made quite a few fan-nods in terms of back-story, so there are a few things that you know from reading the books that you might not immediately realise from watching the show. For instance, fan-viewers know that Morgan has the power and the authority to kill Harry if he so much as puts a black-magic flavoured footstep out of line... which adds a nice tension to their scenes, but might not come across so well if you're a newbie.

So, my advice if you're struggling: read the series, record the show. Then come back and see if your appreciation of its finer points isn't raised through the roof...

Filed on: March 23, 2007
Filed under: Miscellania
Tagged With: | |

Comments

2 Responses to 'Highly Recommended viewing: The Dresden Files'

  1. Joe on March 25th, 2007 8:28 pm

    I was enjoying this, until those eejits Branson and Murdoch got into their pissing contest and Telewest-NTL-Virgin_whatever-they-are-called-this-month dropped Sky... That nice Mr Branson has assured us this is all because he is fighting for viewers not to be ripped off, although I can't help but notice I am paying the gnome-faced one the same money for less now, which kind of undercuts that argument in my view. Oh well, new Jim Butcher Dresden novel to look forward to soon!

  2. Ariel on March 26th, 2007 6:35 am

    I heard that they signed a deal for Sky to carry all the Virgin Channels (Living, Bravo etc.) and then two weeks later, Sky came back to the table and told Virgin they were doubling their prices, which Virgin refused to pay. Which was nice of them.

    Whatever actually happened, the government should do something useful for a change and refer the whole lot to the monopolies commission. Bang some heads together and threaten to fine them both a hundred quid a day for every affected customer until they get a deal brokered. That should sort it.

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