I’ve been watching Demons, cos apparently I have some sort of masochistic tendencies which make me watch any old crap on the telly (see ‘Fringe’, ‘Leverage’, and uh, ‘Greys Anatomy’) Also Philip Glenister is in it, which made me think ‘well it can’t be that bad - can it?’ I’d read some reviews before the show started which really should have raised the alarums. Comparing anything to a Whedon creation is as good as sounding the death knell, hell comparing Whedon to Whedon is dodgy as well, given his apparently toxic relationship with Fox (Please let Dollhouse be good not cancelled) especially when the comparison is made with everyones favourite kick-ass blonde.
‘Demons’ is the ‘British Buffy’
- oh dear.
Well thats not raising expectations much is it? I’ve watched up to episode 4 now and I can say with quite certain certainty that ‘Demons’ is NOT the British Buffy. It is actually a complete Buffy RIP-OFF! Consider the following:
1. Buffy is a young girl from California who finds out that she is the Chosen One of her generation - ie. the Slayer.
Luke is a young man from London who finds out he is the chosen one of his generation - ie. the last Van Helsing.
Ok, an unoriginal premise, average joe finds out they are anything but average - theres lots of shows you can say that about. Fair enough, lets move on.
2. Buffy was a 16-year old high-school student.
Luke is an 18 year old college student.
Ok, so thats a difference says you, except that Buffy started out as an 18 year old in the movie version. No, I’m not clutching at straws - well, maybe a little, but point 3 more than makes up for it. Its an utter CLANGER.
3. Buffy has an English Watcher named Rupert Giles. Giles is referred to by his last name, is single, and plays English folk guitar in coffee shops.
Luke has an American Godfather named Rupert Galvin. Galvin is referred to by his last name, is a widower and listens to American country and western music.
Giles and Galvin are both responsible for training their respective charges to fight vampires, demons and anything else that happens along from the Sunnydale Hellmouth (Buffy) or possesses half-life blood (Luke). People, LOOK AT THOSE INITIALS, and the first name. Seriously, they used the SAME first name and the same initials. Seriously.
4. Buffy is an only child who lives with her Mother.
Luke is an only child who lives with his Mother.
Both characters have lost their fathers - Buffys parents are divorced, Lukes father is dead. Neither mother is aware of their childs extraordinary calling - although Joyce later became aware of Buffys calling and boy was she pissed at Giles.
5. Buffys best (male) friend is Xander.
Lukes best (female) friend is Ruby.
Xanders role in early episodes was to provide comic relief, exposition and also he had a crush on Buffy. Ruby also provides comic relief, exposition and she also has a crush on Luke. There’s no ‘Willow’ character in Demons, however if Ruby becomes an Adept who decides to destroy the world after her girlfriend is killed (or a builder)in a future ep I’ll eat my Hand of Glory.
6. Buffy and the Scooby Gang had their HQ in Sunnydale High Library.
Luke and his gang (no cutesy nickname yet) have their HQ in an underground library \ vault called ‘the Stacks’.
After Sunnydale High was flattened when the Mayor turned into a massive serpent and ruined graduation for everyone Giles bought the Magic Box. I expect that the Stacks will cave-in in some equally horrific event in Demons leaving Galvin to become a genial sex-shop owner in Soho.
7. Buffy was a Slayer. Luke is a Smiter
oh dear, oh dear, oh dear - Phil Glenisters American accent is bad enough but hearing him slur ‘First we Grade ‘em and then we Smite em’ is possibly the worst sound in the world. EVAR. Also SMITE? I understand they couldn’t use the word SLAYER due to copyright infringement or whatever, but SMITE just sounds - well lets be honest - its too close to SHITE isn’t it?
8. Angel is a ‘good’ vampire who helps out the Scooby Gang.
Mina is a ‘good’ vampire who helps out Luke, Ruby and Galvin.
Angels excuse for not going all fangy on the Scooby Gang (except for the times when he did) is due to a gypsy curse which gave him back his soul many years ago. Mina was bitten by Dracula but gets her blood cleaned to stop her from going fangy on Lukes gang. No word yet on how she lost her sight.
Angel and Buffy had the whole ‘tortured’ love affair thing going on and I kind of get the feeling that the Demons folks are trying to do the same with Luke and Mina. I can’t see it happening myself - Angel was tortured, depressed and moody (apparently girls like that) Mina is just a bitch.
Ok, so I only got 8 points of comparison and not the normal ‘Top 10′ list - but I think the evidence here is pretty damn obvious. There are another two eps to go and yes, I will watch - partly because I don’t think it can get very much worse - but I’m also a glutton for punishment.
Went to Copenhagen for a few days last week. Its a nice city, although I didn’t take as many pictures as I normally would - or rather I wasn’t very happy with a lot of the ones I did take so just a small set on flickr. 
I’ve been scanning old family photos for the last while, which is another reason that things have been rather quiet in this neck of the woods. (I’ll go into that in more details later.) My aunt gave me a bag of photos and letters that were from my maternal grandmothers things and because I (unthinkingly) offered I have now become the unofficial family archivist. I’ve gotten about halfway through the pics on my mothers side of the family - at least the ones I know about, I think another uncle has another heapum of photos somewhere in his attic as well.
