posted
Right... big fan of DW here.... way before Star Trek.
Bit of a rewind though......
Right throughout the second season of the new Doctor Who we were bombarded with and subsequently annoyed by the constant droll Torchwood references. For me, after all the hype, after all the build up, we finally get Torchwood.....
What an anticlimax....
I have given the series a fair chance, and waited for things to pick up, get better. In fact, all that has happened is that they have continued in a fairly dross way with a plot led series with two dimensional, flat, and quite frankly dull characters who seem to have nothing better to do other than whinge about how much they dislike working for Torchwood.
In fact if there was not a connection between DW and TW, the series would probably be canned at the end of its first run. Or possibly it would never have got made in the first place.
So, let me first start with the series....
1/ Why does every plot seem to be driven by sex of some description or have some weird sexual reference, sub plots or inuendo in it? I will say that fair enough, it is an adult series, but unless you are trying to appeal to the teen audience, why both with it to this level?
2/ Are they trying to be desparately unprofessional? There are scene in virtually every episode where you nearly burst out laughing as they do something that in the real world would just seem comical. For example, the Gwen learns how to shoot a gun bit.... Funny...
3/ Why does nearly every episode feature an overindulgance of Ketchup? I mean, seriously, have they bought shares in Heinz? But seriously, why is it that in every gorey scene, it just looks like someone when mad with several super soaker 500's full of blood. Its just squirted everywhere, randomly.
4/ And finally why is it that they can employ CGI specialists and still get the green screen stuff so wrong....? Take last week for example. Tosh watches as girlfriend turn in to alien. Taller and floating, she looks up. Girl turn back to human... where is Tosh looking..... the ceiling.... I half way expected the alien to say.... "eerrrr., I'm down ere luv...."
So, lets take a look at the props....
The Torchwood facility has been well designed, but at the end of the day, its a Sewer... Nothing more or less. It is dank, dull, and so badly laid out it is unreal. But in a way, I suppose it is in fitting with the series. And their fantatic "SUV" - Oh I really love that. Now as a lover of cars, this is a major gripe for me. Its a Landrover DISCOVERY with "bits" stuck on it. I just love it... Torchwood, the most well guarded secret in the UK.... driving round in a Pimp my Ride Landrover..... I mean you are sticking out like a sore thumb... there are two kinds of people who drive Disco's.... Farmers and people with little to no taste. And now it seems, Torchwood.
Okay, let look at the characters...
Captain Jack.. the most interesting one in the who series. But what happened to him? Gone is the defender of the Universe and it has been replaced by this mass murderer who is ever so happy to blow someones head off if they don't fit with his philosophy. All said and done, he is the only one in the whole series who is 3D....
Gwen... Welsh, ex-cop, unfaithful to her boyfriend.
Tosh.. Lesbian computer geek.
Owen.. Obnoxious medical guy who likes shagging.
Yanto.. Suicidal coffe guy who may in fact be gay?
Postage stamp character profiles there folks. And yet that is just about ALL we know of these characters from the way they have been portrayed in the series. They are dull, flat and two dimensional. The only common bond they share is that they work for Torchwood, and it seems none of them like working for Torchwood. Can you imagine their Christmas Party???
Finally, there is just one saving grace for the whole series. The writing. I have come to expect good things from the team that recreated the 21st Century Doctor Who and they have not disappointed. The plots are good. Twisted, devious and slightly warped, not to mention tackling many social taboos, they have done well. But there are some glaring problems. Humour is one vital element that made DW such a success, and Torchwood leaves you feeling flat and even depressed after watching it. Almost every episode ends on a sour and distasteful note which usually involves loss or death.
So.... my thoughts so far. Will it get better? We hope so.
posted
Well, you pretty much covered everything, and I can only agree. But some other annoying/nonsensical things:
What's with all the standing on rooftops? We thought we'd seen the last of it, but no, last week we find Jack standing on a roof again for no apparent reason. It's not clever.
Owen seems on the verge of raping Gwen and then what does she do? Gets in bed with him! Brilliant idea! I'm sure that's EXACTLY what would happen in real life!
Ianto, the most pointless character in the history of scifi? For a while I was holding out hope that he might have a secret ability, or maybe he was an alien.. anything would do.. but no, wrong again, he really is just the tea lady.
Oh and the sex is just stupid, it's like they think having some people fuck makes it a mature drama, but it just comes off looking crass and tacky.
posted
Torchwood is trying too hard, IMO. If they'd kept the Doctor Who style storytelling with more mature characters and a LOGICAL sprinkling of sex and violence, then it would have been an outstanding show. I didn't watch Buffy or Angel, but I've enjoyed Doctor Who thoroughly. Torchwood less so; I'll finish off the series, but if it isn't asked for a second, I won't weep too much about it.
As it stands, Captain Jack was an interesting character who here isn't given enough to work with. Everyone else may have had potential, but they just haven't been too likeable (not the fault of the actors, for the most part). Everyone likes flawed characters, but this is a bit off the deep end IMO.
On Doctor Who, as in the original, was cheap, low budget (translates as utterly naff). As in "we need an alien this week....." and then "I know, I will put a cardboard box on my head with a few milk bottle tops and presto, this weeks alien". When the new DW came through, with a more sizable budget, good special effect, etc, it was amazing. However, virtually all DW fans agree that there are moments.... utterly naff, low budget, cringe worth moments in the new DW. And yet, we, as fans, let them get away with it, because it IS Doctor Who. In fact, if it was a flashy, high budget, CGI filled romp, then in truth, it would not be DW anymore (much like the mini movie thing).
However the big wigs thought that they could do a "its not a spin off, but a stand alone series" spin off, and they could get away with it. Wrong.
And while the first series of DW left you teetering on your seat with the "what is Bad Wolf?", the second was Torchwood..... and by the end of it, you were ready to shoot the next person that said Torchwood. There was no mystery, no "oooh what is Torchwood?" Nope, this was a promotional gimmic.
So, what is Torchwood's "ohh" thing? Captain Jack cannot die.....
Sorry, but to be blunt, surely that makes him, oh, lets just say (spoiler)...
A Time Lord?
Have the Time Lords been reborn through the Human race? Is the Doctor no longer alone in the Universe.... Well, at least he could stop whinging about it....
And does that also apply to the others on Sat 5 who were brought back?
Sorry, but if that is the way they are going, which judging by the hap hazard way they are scripting the shows, then sorry folks, but no point in leaving us in suspense... we guessed it already.
Yawn.....
BTW - the series was fecking me off that much I had to write the original post.....
posted
Jack's no Time Lord. I don't remember the last time the Doctor shrugged off being shot like that. Also, there have been other immortal beings in the history of Doctor Who - Jack is simply now one of them.
posted
Um, if Jack was a Time Lord they'd have had to change the actor three or four times already. He'd have regenerated several times by now. He was resurrected by the time vortex, and presumably that must keep on happening (probably because Rose didn't really know what the hell she was doing with it).
Oh, and since when has Jack been defender of the Universe in any of his appearances anyway? First time we saw him he was a glorified thief and con artist!
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
The whole point of the Jack character was to show someone who was essentially a good one (if weird) who ended up getting involved in the dark side, and enjoyed it (the whole lost memory thing with the Time Agency). Since being with the Doctor, he changed to the point of self sacrifice in order for a cause (DW end of season 1), only for the Doctor to cut and run, therefore upsetting him.
Perhaps this was something the Doctor knew when he did it... did he know what had happened, and done his usual runner?
The whole point of Jack was to turn the character around to being a good guy..... And for what? To make a not so good guy out of him?
Anyhow.... progress report on yesterdays Torchwood......
(Spoilers if you dont want to read....)
Well, what a surprise and turnaround. No Ketchup.... (okay, there was a little) No plot revolving around sex...
It was a breath of fresh air.... They even chose a plot which was actually a fair premise.
And then promptly cocked it up big style.
Postage stamp plot profile.... Guy dies - become ghost - follows torchwood around - learns how pathetic his life was - goes in to light.
That is it. This could have been a fantastic story, except they based it around some hyped up looser whos life was absolutely rubbish.. dare I even say pathetic. By the end of the episode I had the following thoughts.... Why did I just waste 45 minutes of my life watching that.... Oh... I'm depressed again... Wonder if the actress that plays Gwen is going to get her teeth fixed? Why is it Jack does not pop a cap in Owens head... spiteful, horrible little s*it he is...... Will this series ever be good...?
Sadly, I have to say... another missed opportunity for Torchwood there...
posted
My major MAJOR gripe with TW is the complete unprofessionality of this supposedly highly classified agency. If this group of dysfunctional people is all that stands between us and alien invasion, then please let the Doctor come back!
And what the hell kind of secret organization drives around in a car WITH THEIR NAME ON IT. And what the hell are those tacky blue lights for?
I agree. Torchwoods needs to stop. Jack will be back on DW for the next season if I understand correctly, and that should be enough to finish his storyline.
posted
According to the latest scuttlebutt, Torchwood WILL be brought back for a second series, and the various BBC channels are fighting for the rights to air it. It currently airs on BBC3, which is apparently known as the "low end programming" channel of the lot (the flagship channel is BBC1, which shows Doctor Who). Now that Torchwood is a relative ratings hit (it beat a new episode of "Lost" this week, apparently), the BBC1 and 2 are angling to get the show promoted to where it can do better for them. BBC3, where it started, wants to keep their best show.
I agree with most of what was said here... Torchwood isn't coming off as well as it could, or ought to. A second series will hopefully better the thing, but as it stands, it's not hitting the ground running like its parent show.
And Torchwood ISN'T a super-secret organization, per se. Not if the police knows of their existence, and random people can find out oodles about them by searching on the internet. They're not SECRET, they just don't advertise themselves or where they hang out. They may have been super-secret in days past, but in the early 21st, they've been outed.
Still makes no sense to have "TORCHWOOD" on their car, though. And the blue lights? Ask any import car mod geek. They make the car go FASTER, silly!
posted
It's actually shown on BBC3 on Sunday and then repeated on BBC2(which has waaaay more viewers, I'd imagine) on the Wednesday. So it's more a question of which channel gets to show it first. I didn't know there was a fight over it, but usually when shows are successful they get put on BBC1. Scifi dramas are traditionally an exception, though.
Doesn't really make a difference on either side of the pond, of course.
I really liked the episode the other day; "They keep killing Suzie", I think it was called. The scene where Gwen and Suzie discussed death as Gwen was slowly dying was kind of chilling. That's probably the first time Torchwood's really lived up to its potential, in my eyes. Shame that last bit with the stopwatch and the wanking contest spoilt it all. Why do they always have to ruin it with crass sexual references?
quote:Originally posted by StationMaster: the whole lost memory thing with the Time Agency
I think it would have been better if they'd written it so that the memory loss business was due to Torchwood, not something that's happened in his past. As things stand, it just makes them look like they've forgotten about it.
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
The writers have said that Jack's memory loss will NOT be resolved in Torchwood, but will instead be addressed at least in part during Jack's forthcoming time on Doctor Who late in the third series. It makes sense, since the memory hole was established on that show in the first place, and not referenced there either after the first time.
After THAT, though, it looks like Jack will be back fightin' crime under the fountain, though probably with a character makeover once he meets the Doctor. Why? Because Torchwood has been confirmed for a second series!
It will also be moved to BBC2, and will doubtless be repeated on BBC3 afterwards. This likely means a bump in the ratings for next year, although the folks at BBC3 are probably mad at losing their star show...
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