Yeah, I thought the romantic interest was a little rushed, too. They had hinted at it in earlier episodes, but I think they jumped ahead a little too fast on that one. I'm not sure why Bob was not in the last one. His character sort of serves as a deus ex machina, there to answer the questions for the audience that Harry can't, and to help in the development of Harry's character, like the less Bob is involved, the more we know Harry is able to figure things out on his own. At least that's my theory. Either that, or Terrance Mann was on vacation. According to imdb.com, he is only in 9 of this season's 11 episodes, so there'll be at least one more that he won't appear in. On an interesting note, did you know that despite his prim and proper Shakesperian English accent on the show, he is from Kentucky? He reminds me of James Marsters/Spike, in that regard.

The Dresden series got me interested enough to read a couple of the Dresden files books, and I was surprised to discover that the books are actually pretty entertaining and much, much better than the TV show. The producers of the show really butchered (*groan*)a lot from the books. Murphy is a squat blonde karate expert in the books. Rodriguez is a hot latina brunette. On the TV show, Harry uses a hockey stick and a drumstick. In the books, it's an actual wizard's staff and a blasting rod. Magic is easy for him on the TV show; in the book, it takes preparation and forethought. They've done this to a point in the TV series, but in the books, one of the themes is that he disrupts anything electrical, whereas in the TV show he has electric lights and spends lots of time in Murphy's office talking to her by her PC.

Worst of all, several of the episodes are taken directly from the books (the last one's plot was roughly what happens in Storm Front, the very first book). But they completely screw up stuff that happens. It's really bizarre.

All-in-all, I'd probably like the show more if I'd never read the books. Now that I've read a few, it's very hard to watch the show. Although I still do.

In any case, it's no Eureka. I really dug the first season of that show.

As for season 3 of BSG, I know I'm in the minority, but I've never felt like there was filler. Virtually everything that's happened the entire season has tied into something that's happened before and lead to something that's happened later. And I have a feeling the lack of battle is going to serve to emphasize it when it returns (probably Sunday...). To me, it's just like season 1, where the imporance lies in the character interaction, rather than the external conflict. Except they did what I thought were a lot of really, really ballsy things, addressing the sort of political stuff that they have. It gives the show, the world of the show, a unique sense of reality. An uncomfortable sense in some ways, because like all of the best science fiction (I mean literary when I say that), it's a commentary on humanity as we are, set in another universe. And, I know I'll be in the minority on this one, but I love space battles as much as the next guy. I don't need them every week, however. That's what Stargate's for. To me, Battlestar Galactica has been a dramatic series from its inception, and I'm glad it continues to emphasize that. Maybe they've slid a little too far to the other side of the scale, but, again, I think that ends Sunday.

I'm one who has only watched the show and I do enjoy it. I was curious if they are planning a 2nd season. If so I feel they need to start taking the show someplace. Start an indepth mythology that links episodes. it doesn't have to connect every episode but try to do something like X-Files or Millennium. Otherwise I kinda like it. My feeling was that Harry Dresden reminds me of John Constantine a bit.

That's what I don't get about what they've done. There are (I think) 8 or 9 books. I've read 3 of them. So far, there is a mythology, from book 1 to book 2 to book 3, and it all seems to tie in to events from earlier in his life, and I'd expect it continues throughout the series of books. But they can't really do anything with it on the TV show, with regards to way things go in the books, because they're shifted so much around, changed things (plot & character both), or completely left things out.

I think at this point I will stick with just the show. I'm surprised this show gets any kind of following from the traditionalist crowd. If they have made this many changes from the book they might as well just run with those changes and try to make a cool original tv series with loose ties to the book. No matter how you cut it it will piss somebody off. Why can't these producers and directors just stick to the original material.

A lot of times material that is great in a book doesn't translate well into the compacted format of film, especially if they want an entire adventure or case to fit into one episode. In almost all cases, the book is much better than the show or movie, and inevitably a lot of changes will be made so that the lot of followers are going to like one or the other, but not both. Look at Queen of the Damned, the movie, compared to the novel. A lot of moviegoers who never read the book swore by the movie, thinking it nearly as good as the first one. Then you had people like me who had read the novel, thought it was the best of the series, and sat in the theater groaning in agony over the realization that the script writers apparently hadn't read beyond the first page! I dunno, I'll probably eventually read the Dresden books, but I'll wait until the show runs its course, so it doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the show. Same reason I've waited until after I saw the movies before I've read any of the corresponding Harry Potter books.

Yeah, I'm gonna go the same route as you and wait to read the books.

The Harry Potter movies are as faithful to the books as any series I've seen so far.

I understand the differences between the tv medium and the dramatic medium. The problem I have with the changes to the Dresden Files is that none of them make particularly good sense to me from a dramatic standpoint. I'd venture a guess that you'll see what I mean once you read the books. I'm not saying I think they should slavishly recreate the books.

Although I'm certainly glad HBO is apparently going to do that with A Song of Ice and Fire, translating each novel into a season.

On the subject of series, I am hoping that if they make the Dark Tower books into a series, which they are talking about, I hope HBO does it.

It'll be interesting to see what direction JJ Abrams et al take Dark Tower, if they ever take it anywhere.

Although I'd prefer they wait until King does his rumored re-writes of the last 4 books.

Diamond Age was the first of his books I read. I thought it was better than Snow Crash. Lots of neat ideas to ponder about the interaction of technology (Diamond Age is about nanotech.) and social institutions.

I'm supposed to start reading Diamond Age, but I just started reading The Sword of Truth series by Goodkind, so it may be a while. So many goddamn books to read, lmao.

Awesome, awesome, awesome news for Galactica fans:

Season 4 has been expanded from 13 to 22 episodes, and there will be 2-hour 'event' in the fall or winter.

Schweeeeet

Excellent. :thumb:

I still wish they'd move it to NBC, though.