The lead character of the show is a teenager who lives with their mother. A mysterious figure enters this teenager's life, and awakens them to their true destiny : they are to be the latest in a line of demon fighters, and they have latent special abilities which will help them to perform this role. The mysterious figure will be a mentor to the teenager, helping them to develop their skills and to fulfil their destiny. However, they must keep their life as a demon fighter a secret from their mother.
Okay then, at first sight this seems very much like a British take on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. The producers have even cheekily acknowledged this fact by calling the teenager's mentor 'Rupert' !
However, I think that the best way to approach this show is to forget about the 'Buffy' connection and to enjoy it on it's own terms. To judge from the first episode, it has a lot to offer.
The most striking part of episode one was it's appearance. Unlike American producers, the makers of British programmes don't usually care much about making their shows look visually attractive. So, most British dramas are filmed in unappealing locations and look fairly dull and grey. 'Demons', however, looks beautiful and stylish, with most of the first episode being shot at night. This certainly gave a very cool and atmospheric feel to the show.
As you'd expect, the first episode was used to set up the basic premise of the show. 17 year old Luke (Christian Cooke) is told by his American godfather Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister) that he is the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, who was a real demon fighter and not just a character in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. He is also told that it is his destiny to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious forbear. In the course of telling Luke about his heritage, Galvin takes him to meet blind pianist Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper), a descendant (?) of the wife of the original Van Helsing's assistant, Jonathon Harker.
We then move onto a plot where Luke's not-yet girlfriend Ruby (Holly Grainger) is kidnapped by demons (or 'freaks', as they're apparently to be called in this show).
All in all, the structure of this first episode seemed well worked out, and it also moved at quite a pace.
The acting in the show was fine too, though the dialogue would have benefited from a tweaking in a few places, as would have Philip Glenister's American accent !
And, despite the criticisms that I've read from other people, the special effects and make-up also seemed to be quite good to me.
So, I am going to defy what seems to be the majority opinion and say that this was a very promising first episode, at least on a par with the openers of other recent British fantasy series such as 'Doctor Who' and 'Merlin'.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Okay then, at first sight this seems very much like a British take on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. The producers have even cheekily acknowledged this fact by calling the teenager's mentor 'Rupert' !
However, I think that the best way to approach this show is to forget about the 'Buffy' connection and to enjoy it on it's own terms. To judge from the first episode, it has a lot to offer.
The most striking part of episode one was it's appearance. Unlike American producers, the makers of British programmes don't usually care much about making their shows look visually attractive. So, most British dramas are filmed in unappealing locations and look fairly dull and grey. 'Demons', however, looks beautiful and stylish, with most of the first episode being shot at night. This certainly gave a very cool and atmospheric feel to the show.
As you'd expect, the first episode was used to set up the basic premise of the show. 17 year old Luke (Christian Cooke) is told by his American godfather Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister) that he is the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, who was a real demon fighter and not just a character in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. He is also told that it is his destiny to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious forbear. In the course of telling Luke about his heritage, Galvin takes him to meet blind pianist Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper), a descendant (?) of the wife of the original Van Helsing's assistant, Jonathon Harker.
We then move onto a plot where Luke's not-yet girlfriend Ruby (Holly Grainger) is kidnapped by demons (or 'freaks', as they're apparently to be called in this show).
All in all, the structure of this first episode seemed well worked out, and it also moved at quite a pace.
The acting in the show was fine too, though the dialogue would have benefited from a tweaking in a few places, as would have Philip Glenister's American accent !
And, despite the criticisms that I've read from other people, the special effects and make-up also seemed to be quite good to me.
So, I am going to defy what seems to be the majority opinion and say that this was a very promising first episode, at least on a par with the openers of other recent British fantasy series such as 'Doctor Who' and 'Merlin'.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
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