Magic time...

Do you know what's a really cool series? The Dresden Files. It only lasted for one (short) season on Sci Fi but man was it awesome. I've been rewatching the series (only one and a half episode to go) over the weekend as an interlude between seasons two and three of Doctor Who.



I had forgotten how truly fun this show was. Based on the series of novels by author Jim Butcher, the show followed the adventures of Harry Dresden. Harry is a Wizard. He lives in Chicago and works as a "consultant" for the Chicago PD--helping out on the "unexplained" or "weird" cases that us mere mortals couldn't possibly comprehend.

Really it's just another supernatural detective series but Harry is an interesting character. He belongs to the Morningway bloodline--a powerful line of wizards who are primarily known to the High Council (the governing body of the wizarding world) for being "trouble." But his mother broke tradition and married a simple magician--with no magical talent. Harry seems to me to want to live in the "real" world but he, like his family before him, has a knack for finding trouble of the supernatural sort.

My favorite part of the whole show? Bob. Bob is the ghost of a sorcerer who centuries ago fell in love with a sorceress named Winifred. When she died he broke all of the rules and brought his lost love back from the dead. Of course, this is highly forbidden, so he was sentenced to spend the rest of eternity as a spirit trapped in his own skull. Bob's kind of the straight laced guru to Harry's laid back PI. It's a really entertaining combo to watch.

Throughout the series we get to see Harry face off against werewolves, vampires, an incubus, and even a dragon. There are also lots of perpetrators of black magic on the loose and somehow our hapless wizard always ends up right smack dab in the middle of things.

I haven't read the books (I have a self-imposed moratorium on buying any new books or starting any new series until I have finished my large reading pile) but I am planning to. I can only imagine they are as rich or richer than the series they inspired.

So, should you find yourself looking for a quick fix in the world of sci-fi/magic on television, I would highly recommend this one.

On another note, it looks like the WGA strike is now in full swing. I am curious to see how it affects the rest of the television season. I hope for the sake of all involved that the strike won't have to last too long. I do take heart in the fact that our friends the writers have been joined on the picket lines by actors, producers, and just average schmoes. They seem to be getting a lot of support--hopefully the studios will take that into account and decide to start looking for some way to at least try to meet the writers in the middle. Also, kudos to the folks at Whedonesque for delivering pizza to the picket lines. Jane Espenson and Joss Whedon have already expressed their gratitude and it just made me happy to hear about. Huzzah!

If you're looking for something to occupy your viewing time once those produced scripts start drying up, I have a recommendation for you. Check out the wonderful online series Sanctuary. They've got eight webisodes in the can already, and they are excellent. We're not talking mid-level, made in someone's basement, web series here--we're talking about a full on production. It stars Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne as well as featuring several familiar faces from the world of Stargate. It's good stuff.



Well, that's all I've got for tonight.

Wishing you all happiness and peace,
C

Recent acquisitions: Doctor Who season three; Opus 'n Bill in A Wish for Wings that Work; Ratatouille