I've finally started reading the source novels of Jim Butcher and I'm enjoying doing so so much that I decided to rewatch the to date only television adaptation of the adventures of his creation, the wizard Harry Dresden.
In this first episode, which although it shares the name of the first Butcher novel, has a completely different narrative, we get the first-hand narrative by Harry himself, as he tumbles into an adventure centring on the magical abilities of a floppy-haired young boy with special powers, the adopted son of a single parent mum. The boy is in demand, being sought by a villainous shape-shifter who's already brutally slain and taken the form of his school teacher and who turns up at the boy's door looking for him where thankfully a repellent spell cast by Harry keeps her at bay.
When the teacher - demon (there are two words I find surprisingly easy to juxtapose!) visits Harry in his apartment, we're introduced to Bob, a waspish old spirit with powers of his own who's encased in an old skull, but occasionally manifests himself in human form. We also get flashbacks to Harry's own youth when his magician father, knowing his son to be a true wizard, tries to protect him and keep him on the right path.
Finally we get to meet Murphy, the female cop who uses Harry's services whenever there's a suspected supernatural element to a crime in the city, which of course turns out to happen more often than you would think, although like in the books, their relationship can get a bit testy at times.
It naturally winds up in a big showdown between Harry and the demon, with our hero being pushed to his limits but naturally survives, to at least move onto the next episode.
I only got into the books now because I remember enjoying this 2007 series so much before, starring the likeable Paul Blackthorne in the titular role and this first episode was as good as I remembered it the first time I saw it.
In this first episode, which although it shares the name of the first Butcher novel, has a completely different narrative, we get the first-hand narrative by Harry himself, as he tumbles into an adventure centring on the magical abilities of a floppy-haired young boy with special powers, the adopted son of a single parent mum. The boy is in demand, being sought by a villainous shape-shifter who's already brutally slain and taken the form of his school teacher and who turns up at the boy's door looking for him where thankfully a repellent spell cast by Harry keeps her at bay.
When the teacher - demon (there are two words I find surprisingly easy to juxtapose!) visits Harry in his apartment, we're introduced to Bob, a waspish old spirit with powers of his own who's encased in an old skull, but occasionally manifests himself in human form. We also get flashbacks to Harry's own youth when his magician father, knowing his son to be a true wizard, tries to protect him and keep him on the right path.
Finally we get to meet Murphy, the female cop who uses Harry's services whenever there's a suspected supernatural element to a crime in the city, which of course turns out to happen more often than you would think, although like in the books, their relationship can get a bit testy at times.
It naturally winds up in a big showdown between Harry and the demon, with our hero being pushed to his limits but naturally survives, to at least move onto the next episode.
I only got into the books now because I remember enjoying this 2007 series so much before, starring the likeable Paul Blackthorne in the titular role and this first episode was as good as I remembered it the first time I saw it.