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The TORCHWOOD discussion thread

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  • #1

    The TORCHWOOD discussion thread

    Due to it's current limited broadcast range this may be off limited interest to non-UK viewers, but last night (Sun 22) saw the start of the new Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as Capt. Jack Harkness, former DW companion, now head of Torchwood Cardiff.

    Promoted as an 'adult' sf/crime series, the new show very much follows the template set down by the revamped 2005 DW series, with the opening episode (by Russell T. Davies) setting Eve Myles' PC Gwen Cooper up as a 'Rose Tyler' like character through whose eyes the audience will see the show. Starting off very much like a standard police drama like The Bill, things gradually get curiouser and curiouser with the arrival of Capt. Jack and the Torchwood team. Oblique references to the parent show are present but not too obtrusive.

    Whereas the second episode of DW showed off the future time-travel part of the show's modus operandi to new viewers, so TW Ep. 2 highlights the sex side of the show. A gaesous alien parasite crash-lands on Earth and accidently released into the atmosphere by Gwen proceeds to possess a woman who then goes off on a shagging spree resulting in the deaths of her sexual partners. Torchwood have to hunt her down before she kills again.

    Based on these two episodes the series is very enjoyable and looks very promising. Lots of great interaction between the main cast members both at work and off-duty. Some might argue that the show tries too hard to be adult in the same way that comic's approach to being 'not for kids' frequently only meant extra lashings of sex and violence. But TW is too much fun for that to be a genuine complaint imo. 11 more episodes to go and Sunday evenings look like they're going to be worth staying in for.
    _"For an eternity Allard was alone in an icy limbo where all the colours were bright and sharp and comfortless.
    _For another eternity Allard swam through seas without end, all green and cool and deep, where distorted creatures drifted, sometimes attacking him.
    _And then, at last, he had reached the real world – the world he had created, where he was God and could create or destroy whatever he wished.
    _He was supremely powerful. He told planets to destroy themselves, and they did. He created suns. Beautiful women flocked to be his. Of all men, he was the mightiest. Of all gods, he was the greatest."
    Tags: Torchwood, TV shows
  • #2
    This sounds like a good show, I just hope that the ABC picks it up and shows it over here. I dare say that they will, as they showed both the new Doctor Who series and tend to play quite a few British shows.

    Definately one that I will be keeping an eye out for.
    My signature is

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    • #3
      I enjoyed the double-bill opener. I did wonder about the "adult" content seeming a little forced at points (swearing! blood! shagging!) but overall it fitted pretty well, so no real complaints there. The Torchwood set itself was very convincing and impressed me by not seeming much like a set at all. It was good to see some seeds sown for further plot development (where is Torchwood 4, why is Jack so obsessed with the hand, etc). Also nice to see occasional references to the Whoverse (Xmas invasion, "a cyberman in every home" and the perceptual blindspot caused by the Tardis' chameleon circuit). All in all, a good start, and looking forward to next Sunday...
      The name that can be named is not the true name.

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      • #4
        Torchwood looks interesting and I hope to catch at least a couple of the episodes. Having missed most of DW series 2 I was puzzled as to what exactly was going on with TW until a friend explained where it came from, together with a certain anagramatical nuance.

        Seems like quite a contrast to the old military style Unit with the Brigadier.

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        • #5
          Not being blessed with the technical wonder that is digital TV, I just caught the analogue repeats on BBC2 tonight: hugely derivative; ludicrous plots which can only get more farfetched as wave after wave of aliens arrive in Cardiff city centre; gratuitous sex at every opportunity; and Captain Jack appears to have turned into Captain Scarlet. BUT as a piece of lightweight entertainment, I thought that it was wonderful and very funny in places

          Much better than the recent series of Doctor Who and well worth staying in for.

          Comment

          • #6
            Torchwood

            I also saw this last night by accident, watched the whole thing and really liked it. Didn't realise at the time it was linked to Doctor Who, I'll be back for more. Eve Myles is also a babe!!!


            , [Ok Emerson ...oot the motor !!!!

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            • #7
              Through 'questionable' means I have now seen the first two episodes of Torchwood and apart from the vague references back to Dr Who I have found both to be a tad boring (and I'm being kind). Capt. Jack would have made a great long-term companion for the Doctor, but on his own he (so far) doesn't seem to have 'it'. As a long term DW fan (saw the first episode live in 1963 - scary huh !) I was really disappointed in this 'adult' spinoff of Dr Who.

              I love both of the previous new seasons with Ecclecakes (thnx DM) and Tennant, but somehow the Torchwood series doesn't ring true. Both episodes seemed driven by formula (and weak at that) rather than any interest in the real Whoinverse. It almost seems like they're trying to cash in on the new generation of Who fans (dunno ?). I REALLY tried to get enthusiatic watching this but couldn't find any real substance with either episode. I'll keep an open mind, maybe it will improve.

              ps: I don't think I've been as critical of anything in my entire life. Sorry.
              Last edited by Muroc; 10-28-2006, 06:08 AM.

              and over in the big black booth near the edge of the fairground, the last band is playing...

              Comment

              • #8
                Well I've just finished watching the 3rd episode of Torchwood on BBC3. I think it was better than the first two, but it was more like a cop show with a bit of S.F. tacked on than say a regular Dr Who programme. Still the trailer for episode 4 looks promising.
                Arioch, aid me! Blood and souls for Arioch!

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by silverhand
                  ...it was more like a cop show with a bit of S.F. tacked on than say a regular Dr Who programme...
                  I think that's a fairly good summary of what TW is actually. Last night's episode showed that life in Torchwood is not all about fighting alien invaders all of the time. Sometimes its just dull (boring) detective work. RTD* has said that some stories will be sf-centric, others - like last night's - are just crime stories with sf elements. As you say, next week's episode ("Cyberwomen") is more firmly planted in the Doctor Who universe that we're more familiar with.

                  Nice treat to see Gareth Thomas in last night's episode as well for Blakes 7 fans. :)

                  *RTD = Russell T Davies, creator, writer & Executive Producer of Torchwood.
                  _"For an eternity Allard was alone in an icy limbo where all the colours were bright and sharp and comfortless.
                  _For another eternity Allard swam through seas without end, all green and cool and deep, where distorted creatures drifted, sometimes attacking him.
                  _And then, at last, he had reached the real world – the world he had created, where he was God and could create or destroy whatever he wished.
                  _He was supremely powerful. He told planets to destroy themselves, and they did. He created suns. Beautiful women flocked to be his. Of all men, he was the mightiest. Of all gods, he was the greatest."

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Having now seen the fourth episode (Cyberwoman) I am really feeling this series is a really going nowhere. It's not a patch on the new Dr Who series, although it occasionally throws references in to keep the ‘die-hards’ interested (yes, I’m one of those).

                    The acting is poor, the plot, at best, is questionable and the camera work – if I may digress here … one of the main reasons I stopped watching ‘The Bill’ was because they started using that stupid documentary style “it’s a live action camera out there in the real world !” shaky, cheap and hard to watch camera style…

                    I could say here that the whole concept is unbelievable, but I would (of course) sound stupid (given that the whole concept IS fictional) – but it really IS unbelievable even in a fictional setting.

                    I hate it !.... hate it !..... HATE ITTTTTT…..!!!!

                    But I guess I’ll be there next week (and the week after….) to see if the Doctor flies in for a visit !

                    Damnit.
                    Last edited by Muroc; 11-21-2006, 01:23 AM.

                    and over in the big black booth near the edge of the fairground, the last band is playing...

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Muroc
                      But I guess I’ll be there next week (and the week after….) to see if the Doctor flies in for a visit !
                      If it's any consolation, he won't (although we have seen his right hand).

                      Torchwood really seems to have divided the fans like nothing since, oh, the last two series of Doctor Who.
                      _"For an eternity Allard was alone in an icy limbo where all the colours were bright and sharp and comfortless.
                      _For another eternity Allard swam through seas without end, all green and cool and deep, where distorted creatures drifted, sometimes attacking him.
                      _And then, at last, he had reached the real world – the world he had created, where he was God and could create or destroy whatever he wished.
                      _He was supremely powerful. He told planets to destroy themselves, and they did. He created suns. Beautiful women flocked to be his. Of all men, he was the mightiest. Of all gods, he was the greatest."

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Torchwood cont.

                        Well episode 6 recently screened & was by far the best one. Despite hints to the contrary it actually involved no aliens or anything supernatural. The embarrassing sexual puns were absent but there was a greater emphasis on the (survival) horror element which really worked.

                        The sexual nuances of the show, while initially amusing, have really getting really irritating (the creator, & main writer of the last 2 dr who series previously wrote 'Queer as Folk', & he just can't seem to let it lie). There are other ways to define a show for an adult audience.

                        I think it could have been a lot worse (after all, the last spin-off from Dr Who was 'K9 & Friends'), but i can't help feeling it's a uk version of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Still, if the next episodes continue to improve then i'll be happy.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by David Mosley
                          If it's any consolation, he won't (although we have seen his right hand).
                          DM - Don't tell me the hand shown in the first episode (or was that the second?) is the Doctors ! ...ok I give in - how the hell do you know that

                          and over in the big black booth near the edge of the fairground, the last band is playing...

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Magog
                            Well episode 6 recently screened & was by far the best one. Despite hints to the contrary it actually involved no aliens or anything supernatural. The embarrassing sexual puns were absent but there was a greater emphasis on the (survival) horror element which really worked.
                            I agree - 'Countrycide' was the best episode so far, and that's coming from somone who really doesn't like the whole Texas Chainsaw Massacre/Hills Have Eyes/Saw type of horror. The BBC did say before the series started that some episodes would be alien/fantasy-based and others would be ordinary crime-narratives and this was very much the latter, although Torchwood did initially think the disappearences were related to the Rift.

                            There's been a lot of (quite venomous) criticism of TW in certain DW 'fan' quarters since the series started, particularly of Chris Chibnell, the series producer and writer of 'Countrycide' - as well as the earlier 'Day One' and 'Cyberwoman' episodes - but equally the Sunday night ratings have settled down to 1m+ viewers (which is good for a digital multi-channel show) and the Wednesday BBC2 terrestial broadcast seems to be holding firm as well. So someone must be enjoying the show.

                            Originally posted by Muroc
                            DM - Don't tell me the hand shown in the first episode (or was that the second?) is the Doctors ! ...ok I give in - how the hell do you know that
                            It was mentioned, I believe, in the Radio Times. I think Doctor Who Magazine also had this information. In either case, it has been established that the hand is the one that was severed by the Sycorax leader in 'The Christmas Invasion' episode.

                            Fans have speculated about why Jack is so interested in the hand, with theories including that he
                            _"For an eternity Allard was alone in an icy limbo where all the colours were bright and sharp and comfortless.
                            _For another eternity Allard swam through seas without end, all green and cool and deep, where distorted creatures drifted, sometimes attacking him.
                            _And then, at last, he had reached the real world – the world he had created, where he was God and could create or destroy whatever he wished.
                            _He was supremely powerful. He told planets to destroy themselves, and they did. He created suns. Beautiful women flocked to be his. Of all men, he was the mightiest. Of all gods, he was the greatest."

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Sorry, but I felt that episode 6, "Countrycide", was beyond poor. It started off OK, with the spookiness in which the girl in the car was taken, but rapidly plunged downhill into a morass of unbelievability. Why did the team have a bunch of ancient scout tents? Their technology is so new, yet their basic equipment was rubbish! Why did they separate at the village, before they even knew what they were dealing with? They really need some training if they're going to run around with guns as well! Why didn't they use the radio in the police range rover? There were bits of bodies all over the show! And as for taking a shotgun blast in the stomach at very close range, then running around afterwards! Believable - NOT. Perforated bowel is fairly serious - but she managed to have a bonk soon afterwards? Bah! Humbug!
                              I really enjoyed Episode 5, with the fairy links and the quick visit to Jack's past. I hope the next episode improves.
                              He's well smoked

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