Demons 1:02

So I watched episode two of Demons tonight. Actually, I'm writing this as I watch, so I don't miss anything.

I've noticed our first problem - Luke (our protagonist) is a Mary Sue. For those who don't know what a Mary Sue is, we're basically talking about a flawless character who is there purely so people like them and want to be that character. They're very popular in kids' fiction. Harry Potter is a Mary Sue. For a better description, check this link.

This limits the character. Yes, we like him (actually I think he's a little shit and I suspect other people do as well), but we are unable to relate to him. That's the key to characters.

Already, in the second episode, Luke seems perfectly at ease with the whole demon world. That's too much for me to believe. He would still be freaking out; still wanting out of the whole sitch. Or at least be asking more general questions that he is.

Our mentor character (Galvin) has a terrible American accent. Why does he have it at all? Why can't he be a Brit? Could it be because then he really would be ripping off Rupert Giles from Buffy? Ultimately, I think it's to make him different from the other characters on TV - it's an attempt to trick us into thinking he's not a rip-off. But that's just my opinion.

I'm pretty sick of the scary little girl in TV. Can we please have a change to the 'classic' scary kid thing? It's not scary anymore!

What I did like however, is the hints that Galvin has inner depths. It was hinted that he's more of a 'grey' character (like everyone is), as opposed to a simple mentor character. That's always important in TV. You have to hint that your characters are more than they appear, while not giving too much away early on. The key is to reveal just enough when needed. In my opinion, a smaller hint may have been better in the last episode, so it could be reinforced in episode two.

My other beat is the act-outs (the last scene before a set of adverts). Act-outs are meant to be suspenseful so that we tune in again after the ads. That's simply not the case here. There is no suspense in the scene. Instead, there is more of a resolution of the suspense.

For example - ah, look; a little girl who may or may not be dead. This is where the act-out should come. But instead, we spoke to the girl, and any viewer could work out that it was the other kid's sister. So we realise this, then the mum gets all suspense. Here comes the act-out. But we already know!!! Without that suspense, the viewer doesn't want to come back to the show - a very major flaw in the structure. One that even I could rectify, so what is their excuse?

Another (minor) flaw was the emergency stop in the driving test. Examiners no longer hit the dashboard (cos that's idiotic); they say "stop". Only a little thing, but would it kill people to be up-to-date?

There was a bit of comedy in there though (just a second ago as I write this) -

Luke: I freaked.
Mina: Good choice.

Simple, yet effective. More stuff like that, please.

It kinda annoys me that the evil kid keeps trying to tempt kids with "would you like to see an angel?". No, kids don't want to see an angel. They want DVDs, games, cars and possibly booze, fags and sex. It's becoming increasingly clear that this episode was written by someone....over 50...shall we say?

And does anyone else think it highly improbably that Galvin would be wearing a suit while fighting demons? Give the guy some jeans, for crying out loud!!!

I do like the music though (not the opening credits - that's awful). It creates a fair bit of suspense and adds to action. The demon was pretty well done as well - good creature effects. But he was killed way too easy! Something like a 20 second fight and that was all. For a demon who was hyped up so bloody much, he was killed pretty easily. And things were back to happy family-friendly life.

Anyway, that concludes my rant about Demons. I doubt I'll be tuning in again, and I don't expect it to last very long. But then what do I know? I mean, if my own father doesn't care to listen to my opinion or trust that I do have some knowledge in the area, then what can I expect from anyone else? Sorry people, a bit bitch, I know, but feel free to give me your shiny opinion.