Twittering the new Doctor and Demons

[matgb]

The thoughts that crossed my mind as the events happened.

• 17:37 So then, what can people tell me about Ruby in the Smoke and Party Animals? #
• 17:47 Ah, I forgot that. The actor has the surname of the character's cover name #
• 17:58 Gods, they're still dragging it out. Enough already, just announce it so I can hit post damnit! #
• 18:00 Finally. matgb.livejournal.com/346099.html OpenID or LJ loging required to vote #
• 18:19 hopes the new guy can handle the role, never heard of him before last night, so... Still, Demons on later, what do we reckon? #
• 18:34 is laughing at a comment about Matt Smith: "I think he looks like an emo otter" tinyurl.com/7fcrh2 #
• 19:25 Dear ITV: spending a fortune advertising the start time of your new series wih posters everywhere works better if you GET THE TIME RIGHT. #
• 19:28 Finally, it's starting. Will it be any good? #demons #
• 19:29 It's a Gremlin. It even sounds like a Gremlin. Gods, he's ugly. Indy Rock theme music, not even hiding the influence. #demons #
• 19:30 What is that accent Glenister's putting on? Mid atlantic idiot? #demons #
• 19:34 The accent's slipping already, that was New York Gene Hunt. Mysterious stranger act not really working is it? #
• 19:44 Mina Harker? Blind but very very pretty. Now we get the exposition. #demons #
• 19:47 "Bram Stoker stole your name". Right. Not exactly coming across as believable, is he? #demons #
• 19:51 "The Stacks"? FFS, blatent ripping off is fun but they could at least use original ideas. It's not even fun yet, is it going to be? #demons #
• 20:11 It's a bloke witha glued on birds beak. Why? #demons #
• 20:25 Nice message at the end there-ignore school, it's not relevent, rich daddy's money will give you a BMW At least Buffy valued school #demons #

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Comments

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Another example of writers running out of original ideas so they rehash existing stuff badly and try to put it in a modern context. Switch your brain off, and it's not too bad, a bit like Merlin.

In the demon pub/bar scene (where we see ugly henchman and his "furball"), did you notice someone familiar from the London alternative club scene? I don't know his name but he quite often wears a green pirate/frock coat and has a big beard and piercings?

[matgb]

Didn't really notice background characters, no. And also forgot to set up to record, I'm so used to watch again services I forgot it was on ITV.

It's fun, and I have nothing wrong per se with derivative works (Shakespeare, for example), but if you're going to just take ideas from elsewhere, you need to be really really good.

Not sure this counts.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

It's repeated on ITV2 at 8 and it's on the ITV player, too.

[getawaywithit.livejournal.com]

Just on the message at the end, consider the use of 'the stacks' - in Buffy, the library was a place that contained knowledge and information that had to be researched, learned and discovered. In Demons, it's just a cover for an armoury with information about the bad guys just appearing out of Zoe Tapper or Philip Glenister's head when the plot needs to be pushed along.

[matgb]

In the first episode, yes, but it's a pilot/setup story, so we'll see, maybe they'll develop a more research themed approach in the future.

Using the blind librarian.

Um, yeah.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

See - you watch crappy tv so I don't have to! I was wondering about Demons - but it sounded so much of a rip off of Buffy, and I couldn't quite see Gene Hunt as a librarian myself!

[matgb]

Gene's not the librarian, he's the action type former backup guy to Daddy Van Helsing.

The librarian is a descendent of Jonathan Harker. She's drop dead gorgeous. And very very blind.

Which is an interesting choice for a custodian of books.

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

I don't believe they actually say descendant, although the dialogue is clever. Illustrious family, yes. Jonathan was the first librarian, yes. Mina is as young as she appears? Doesn't necessarily follow; everything makes more sense if she is immortal.

[hazeljnutt.livejournal.com]

pleh, demons.

Gene Genie sounds weird.

[js84.livejournal.com]

Without really having seen an episode of Buffy, Angel or Charmed etc. and not knowing what it might be ripping off, I still think it wasn't very strong. They should have concentrated more on Luke's normal life and have him deal with one of the villains on his own before Rupert and Mena turn up. Instead, he believed Rupert almost in an instant and was practically spoon-fed instructions.

The fox demons (short hoodies with animal masks) reminded me of the crack fox character from the Mighty Boosh. The three hockey-playing teenagers from Dogma were more terrifying by comparison.

I'll try and stick with it and see if it develops. One thing I don't like is the way every British drama has to resolve its story at the end of each episode (with the exception of rare two-part specials), but I guess their way of thinking is that they'd loose ratings if it was something you had to watch every episode of to understand the evolving story.