Dresden Files Discussion – “Birds of a Feather”

Dresden Files debuted this Sunday just before that other Sci-Fi Channel show. Is it worth another viewing?

11 replies on “Dresden Files Discussion – “Birds of a Feather””

  1. Pilot to No-Pilot…
    What we saw on Sunday was not the pilot. It was apparently the third numbered episode in the production order (although a two-hour pilot would likely have taken numbers 1 and 2, making this the first "regular" episode).

    From what I have read, the actual pilot, titled "Storm Front" (same as the first book) is supposed to air on Feb. 25th.

    I hope they know what they’re doing, and not going all "Firefly" on it…

    • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…
      Hey, airing out-of-chronological-order worked for Fullmetal Alchemist! Heh.

      Anyhow, should I attempt to find a source for Dresden? There were 4 shows on in the same time slot that I wanted to watch (that’s a serious rarity), and had to pick and choose what to record and what to watch. Dresden lost out this time. Do any of you that saw it approve of this show, or is it a "meh, wait and see?"

      • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…


        Dresden lost out this time.

        I was watching football, myself. But I checked and saw that SciFi is reshowing it like 6 times before next week’s new episode, so I just tagged a later showing. It should be waiting on my Tivo for me when I get home from work tomorrow.

      • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…

        or is it a "meh, wait and see?"

        I’d give it a wait and see.

        And what else is on Sundays at 2100 EST that’s worth watching?

        • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…
          Usually not much. I usually watch Rome and record Desperate Housewives (yeah, yeah, joke on me, but it’s funny and the wife loves the show), but now Dresden is getting in the mix and I just don’t have the ability to record 2 shows and watch 1.

          • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…

            Usually not much. I usually watch Rome and record Desperate Housewives (yeah, yeah, joke on me, but it’s funny and the wife loves the show), but now Dresden is getting in the mix and I just don’t have the ability to record 2 shows and watch 1.

            This is why living in the Pacific time zone and being on satellite is so magical. I get cable primetime at 5:00 and then broadcast primetime at 8:00. Add in the inevitable reruns of cable shows and the two never conflict. Now, when there’s two shows I want to watch on broadcast TV at the same time, THEN I start getting hosed (I haven’t seen any episodes of Smallville this year thanks to NBC’s excellent lineup of comedies on Thursdays).

            As to the show, I quite enjoyed the "first" episode. It provided enough elements that it looks to have solid potential going forward. It’s unfortunate if they’re showing things out of order, but I don’t think it’s as detrimental to this show as it is to a show like Firefly (really, anything taking place off Earth) where you need/want information about not only the characters but the entire setting…of course, Fox’s evil didn’t stop me from watching Firefly first run, but I was heavily into scifi generally and Joss Whedon projects specifically before it started.

    • Re: Pilot to No-Pilot…

      What we saw on Sunday was not the pilot. It was apparently the third numbered episode in the production order (although a two-hour pilot would likely have taken numbers 1 and 2, making this the first "regular" episode).

      That’s good to hear and gives me a little bit of hope for the series. I was pretty disappointed in the lack of backstory and development of significant plot elements. I’ll give it a little bit more time.


      Omeganon

  2. First episode is available on iTunes for free.
    You can download it free on iTunes. I am doing that right now.

    The episode available for download is "Birds of a Feather"

    Here is a description of the episode.

    When Scott Sharp, a frightened 10-year-old boy, begs Dresden to protect him and his mother from "monsters" that are lurking in their home, Harry at first dismisses the boy’s fears as the product of an overactive imagination. But when Scott is subsequently kidnapped by sinister beings, Dresden realizes that the boy is an innocent pawn in the supernatural contest between good and evil. The case triggers memories of Dresden’s own childhood, when young Harry lived with his father Colm, who performed low rent stage magic in community theaters and children’s parties. When Harry was Scott’s age, his talent for real magic began to emerge – which caught the eye of his uncle Justin Morningway, the brother of young Harry’s murdered mother. Morningway wanted to take Harry away so he could hone the boy’s talents in service of Morningway’s malevolent ambitions. Just as Colm had to protect young Harry from his uncle Morningway, so Dresden must now rescue Scott from those seeking to exploit him for their own nefarious purposes.

  3. Not Bad
    I’m currently reading the fourth book in the Dresden series and I thought it was halfway decent for an adaptation. A couple of things felt really off. The car he drives, a blue beetle, has been changed to a Jeep. More importantly, Bob the talking skull has been replaced with a full-bodied actor. Both of these changes take away two common sources of humor from the series. Where is the comic relief going to come from? An important aspect of the book series is the cheesy, slapstick stuff. Normal humans think Harry is a nutjob and other Wizards think he is a loose cannon.

    • Re: Not Bad
      I’ve only read two of them, but his usual helper is a demon, not a ghost, right? I can see why that changed happened, though I’m not that happy.

      More than the car change – his apartment looks completely normal and they ate at a regular diner. That detracts from the atmosphere a little bit.

      • Re: Not Bad

        I’ve only read two of them, but his usual helper is a demon, not a ghost, right? I can see why that changed happened, though I’m not that happy.

        More than the car change – his apartment looks completely normal and they ate at a regular diner. That detracts from the atmosphere a little bit.

        Bob is an Air Spirit

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