Quote: Tursiops @ March 21 2012, 11:09 PM GMTProblem with this is that the central relationship between Gently and MacDuff doesn't have any ring of truth to it.
I would agree with that. It just doesn't seem plausible that MacDuff would put up with Dirk. There isn't anything redeemable about him.
Quote: Tursiops @ March 21 2012, 11:09 PM GMTProblem with this is that the central relationship between Gently and MacDuff doesn't have any ring of truth to it.
I think this is intended as there is a finacial wrangle between the two owing to the fact that MacDuff put a lot of money into the agency in the pilot (being 'sold' to him by Gently) and Dirk is always looking at new ways to part MacDuff from his money, so MacDuff is torn between walking away or staying and knowing that it will cost him more.
It's primarily Dirk's agency and so he doesn't acknowledge that MacDuff is a partner in the business despite it being MacDuff's money that is keeping it going.
Apart from that - episode 3:-
Burst out laughing when Dirk was suprised that Janice had been online to help with interpreting for the new Polish cleaner, and she yelled back (or was it MacDuff explaining?) that she was looking up the Polish for "skinflint tosser" 
Quote: Harridan @ March 21 2012, 11:31 PM GMTI would agree with that. It just doesn't seem plausible that MacDuff would put up with Dirk. There isn't anything redeemable about him.
Don't forget that in the pilot MacDuff was hynotised into parting with his £20K redundancy money to put into the business, so MacDuff is either still under that influence or thinks that one day he will get his money back if he sticks with it and helps to make the agency self financing.
I enjoyed this whole series. Liked it a lot. It's not like the books, as far as I remember (and The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul is one of my favourite books and much better than any of that Hitchhiker's Guide nonsense) but thought everyone was good in it and would watch more.
I am a bit bemused by the 'Created by' credit at the beginning. How is it 'created by' if it's obviously created by Douglas Adams in some books he wrote?
Also inexplicably saw 'created and written by' on the new Upstairs, Downstairs. No, you didn't create it: it was created by the person who *actually* created it!
Dan
Well who does it say it's created by?
'Created by Howard Overman', just after the credits
Dan
Ahh, thanks. Weird!
Quote: swerytd @ March 28 2012, 3:30 PM BST'Created by Howard Overman', just after the credits
Dan
Agree it's odd, same as Sherlock being 'created by Moffat and Gatiss'. I guess in terms of what they're doing with the characters on the telly they 'created' the TV show, and at least Conan-Doyle and DA are mentioned prominently in the credits as well.
The Dirk Gently credits state "Based on the books by Doulgas Adams / Created by Howerd Overman".
I think the idea is that the series specifically, as a TV programme in its precise formulation, was created by Overman, based on the characters and world defined in Adams' books. And given how wildly it veers from the books in many aspects, I think that's a pretty accurate description.
Little misleading with the exact way it's credited I agree, but not inaccurate.
Quote: Aaron @ March 28 2012, 6:01 PM BSTThe Dirk Gently credits state "Based on the books by Doulgas Adams / Created by Howerd Overman".
I think the idea is that the series specifically, as a TV programme in its precise formulation, was created by Overman, based on the characters and world defined in Adams' books. And given how wildly it veers from the books in many aspects, I think that's a pretty accurate description.
Little misleading with the exact way it's credited I agree, but not inaccurate.
Having said that, veering wildly from the previous texts is very much in the Douglas Adams formula!
Bloody good point!
Quote: Aaron @ March 28 2012, 6:01 PM BSTThe Dirk Gently credits state "Based on the books by Doulgas Adams / Created by Howerd Overman".
Created by Douglas Adams, script by Howerd Overman? You can't create a character that's already been created.
No, but you can remould a character to make it more workable for a potentially long-running TV series, and whilst still keeping the original spirit, redefine the precise dynamics of how the character operates and interacts.
In any case, I'm sure they'd argue that it is the TV series Overman "created", not the characters within it.
If he was alive I imagine the crediting might have been more precise. Or framed together as has been suggested.
The pilot finally aired here in Australia last night on ABC2. I guess the ABC decided to wait until the series aired so to show it all.
I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the rest of the series. I'm a fan of Douglas Adams but am new to Dirk Gently. The last time I laughed so much at a Detective show was Sherlock, so it was nice to be both amused and highly interested.
Quote: Aaron @ March 31 2012, 11:00 AM BSTNo, but you can remould a character to make it more workable for a potentially long-running TV series, and whilst still keeping the original spirit, redefine the precise dynamics of how the character operates and interacts.
Well I look forward to seeing that when it happens. Still it would have been tough to be exactly as good as Douglas Adams wrote it...
