Doctor Who Club of Australia

phase5 · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 246

I'm in two minds about Torchwood at the moment.

(Note: I've only seen episodes 1 to 4 to date).

I don't honestly know what I was expecting and I think a lot of people were expecting a show more along the lines of traditional DW, just a little bit more "adult" in it's approach and execution.

I am quiet enjoying it; but .............

I don't know if the swearing is necessary, not that I object to it, I just feel that sometimes it's in there for effect, rather than necessity. Adding swearing to a show doesn't make it adult.

And how many seeming bisexual characters can one show support?
I saw in one of the "Declassified"s that RTD was deliberate in doing this, but how realistic is such an approach?

It's obvious that RTD wants to show to go a certain way, have a certain identity of it's own. I just don't know if sex and swearing, (badly handled in my opinion), is necessary for the series. Again, not that I object to either, (I'm no prude), as long as it's well done and relevant.

The only other observation is that I think the show is going to be labelled as a "Buffy" clone at some point. Time Rift under Cardiff = Hellmouth under Sunnydale. Dark and gritty surrounds. (I was hoping the "hub" would be clean and white in contrast to the current gritty Tardis design). Group of people have weird and exotic encounters with the unusual etc.

As it's series 1 and we're only a few episodes in I'm happy to wait while the writers, producers, actors etc. get a feel for the show, the characters, the setting, and what they want to do with and about it. Most first seasons
have that "feeling their way" sensation to them and settle down later on.

So, what's your general impression of the series so far?

PS. Any guesses on how long it is before Gwen's defacto gets the chop?

dave · Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:56 pm Post subject:

Thus far I think Torchwood has displayed a fair amount of poor writing, and I see no evidence of building any long-term storylines, both of which I find disappointing. Of course, just cause I can't see such building, doesn't mean it's not there...I just don't think it's there.

McSmell · Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 10 Location: Holsworthy, Sydney

Orright, I moved to the Holsworthy area about 6 weeks back. Unfortunately where I live the aerial is buggered and I can't get ABC and can only get the commercial crap (I've been living on SBS programming)

Someone tell me PLEASE!, has Torchwood started already?

I seriously hope I have'nt missed it. If I have though, where can I watch it?

dave · Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:17 pm Post subject:

Torchwood hasn't started airing in Oz yet. It's possible to find on the net if you know where to look.

Voc76 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 15

Ohhh controversy.....ahh what the heck....
Now I’m going to say something that will make people’s heads explode.
I think Torchwood is better than the new Dr who.
I’ll give you a moment to pick up the pieces…
Yep it’s true and there are a few reasons for this

1. It doesn’t have so much history to screw up, you never expect Torchwood to leave earth so the fact that each week it fails to isn’t a disappointment.
2. It’s not aimed at children at all, being in a more adult time slot and having more adult themes benefit it greatly(except in the second episode where it’s just silly) by making it more realistic, for instance a character witnesses a rape and he’s traumatized for the rest of the episode, not cracking jokes the minute after.
3. It seems to have either a bigger budget or better set design than Dr Who, yep it’s true the Torchwood base is fantastic! (and they have a Pterodactyl)
4. The technobabble makes sence….ok I’m not sure why the Technobabble in Dr who is of such a poor quality and yet it’s of a really high quality here, after all they have the same producer and the same head writer! Yet the Sci-fi concepts here (apart from Epp 2) are miles ahead of what they were doing in Dr Who. Ie: Stuff actually makes sence and you don’t think, “Well that was a load of bolloks, they only did that because they’d written themselves into a corner.
5. The Alien tech is much cooler and the ramifications are much better thought out. And no-where is this more evident than in the first episode which was written by Russle T!!?!?

I still don’t like the music, and sometimes it does come off a little like CSI: Cardiff.
Now I'm not saying I don't like the new Who although there is one particular epp that I hate (and I believe I've posted my dislike on it's page) I just think that out of the gate Torchwood is running a great race so far.
But all in all not bad at all!
Oh and I nearly forgot, there's no superman device, no all powerful device that can get you out of any and every jam you get into so you never have to break a sweat, unlike a certain screwdriver I could name.
I suppose that Captain Jacks "non deathy" powers could count but as yet it could be finite and hasn't been overused. (unlike a certain screwdriver I could mention.) Having said all that It could never replace Dr Who, the concepts just not as strong but it is doing very well with what it's got.

McSmell · Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 10 Location: Holsworthy, Sydney

Overall I'm enjoying it.

Yup, I'm a fan. I like Cybermen too!!! I wanna be a Cyberman, YAY!!!

*shtomp* *shtomp* "Delete!!" <Muwahahahaha> Laughing

phase5 · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 246

I've seen up to episode 6 now.

It's watchable, but I'm just finding it all a little "unpleasant".
And it's not the violence, blood or gore.
It's the forced swearing and (almost) constant sexual references.

For comparison; I was watching "New Tricks" last night, an interesting story well told, and while the characters at times do come into conflict with each other they are at least likeable and do seem to like each other.

I'm finding with Torchwood that for the most part the characters aren't likeable and don't seem to like each other. After a while you just don't care. It's early days and I'll continue to watch but seriously, it needs some work.

phase5 · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 246

Having seen the entire series and all the declassifieds all I can say about series 1 of "Torchwood" is:

DISAPPOINTING

I'm not going to waste a lot of time with "in depth" reviews of each episode, you either like and enjoy a programme like this or you don't, it either says something to you or it doesn't.

Sadly after 13 episodes "Torchwood" comes across as a confused mess with no idea what it's doing or where it going. The episode pre-amble just doesn't happen.

Some interesting stories, but far too many "average" stories, and one or two just turn out to be plain awful, and yes I mean "Cyberwoman". A second viewing confirmed just how bad it really is.

Adolescent sex, swearing, gore, unlikeable characters and average scripts that fail to exploit some rather good concepts.

RTD & crew are going to have to work on this if they want me to waste another 780 minutes next year.

Tegan · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:43 am Post subject:

As a school report.

Has potential, but can do better.

Remember that Torchwood has more or less started from scratch, where the new Who had the advantage of a huge fan base and a well established canon to launch from.

I think series 2 of Torchwood will be more even, and better as well. So i'll be watching it, and expecting improvement if the show wants to graduate. Very Happy

Amano07 · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 84

i enjoyed it on the whole but i just found most of the characters to be unlikeable.... Captain Jack was the only reason i watched this show and will continue to do so.

oh and the Pteranodon vs Cyberman fight was a particular low point for me ...

uhumanite · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 89 Location: Sydney

Over all I like the show, naturally there are things within the program I personaly wouldn't think of creating within a story but that why I keep watching to learn what other people have imagined.

I've seen episodes 1- 13 now and I really do like the series and Captain Jack Harkness is as great as he ever was but the show (my personal view) would lack something if he was to leave the series. I agree the characters are unlikeable but most people in those sorts of jobs would be Wink

if i want likeable character I'll watch WHO and Torchwood i watch fro real drama and a bit of gore Wink

I'm sure we all know by now that Jack was taken by the TARDIS at the end of End of Days- how fantastic!

Tegan · Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:48 am Post subject:

Aryana · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 4 Location: South Australia

I love Torchwood, I have seen the whole of series one and think that it has its high moments and its low. Like most shows it has to have at least season where it can work out its teething problems.

But now i have to wait until Jan to see the second season which suxs because season one finished about May *sniff*, so I keep watching the episodes over and over.

Ohica · Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Karn

I have now seen the first 3 eps of Torchwood. I think it is ok and will keep watching. I think I like it because I had low expectations in the first place so it doesn't need to be that good to please me. From what I had heard about it [never been to a site to check it out because I wasn't interested enough] I thought it wouldn't be any good and didn't care if it came to Australia or not. I only watched it because of the Dr Who connection, but after ep 3 I am starting to watch for its own sake.

I really liked Jack in DW but when I saw him in ep 1 of TW I was not impressed with him much. He looked too much of a pretty boy and that disappointed me coz in DW I thought he was hot. But after ep 2 he grew on me again and after seeing him in the latest series 3 of DW, I like him even more.

I find TW interesting but I'm a bit disappointed with some of the blatent sex stuff that's in it because I'd like my older kids to be able to watch it. At the moment I'm taping and waiting for an ep I can show them. It's not a show that I'll be buying the DVD collection for because of that. I am finding that the homo/bi theme is getting quite tokenistic in both TW and DW. Sometimes I feel like cringeing because it's so unnecessarily in your face.

I am really happy to see that TW is based in Cardiff. That was a pleasant surprise. It's quite a nice looking city and I like hearing all those Welsh accents floating around. Makes a really nice change for a UK drama.

I'll keep watching......it doesn't have to be great for me. I find it an easy watching, entertaining show and my curiosity gets a boost each ep. Oh, and I like Jack.

Wink

Panecea · Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject:

I have seen the entire first season and found most of it to be highly neurotic. However, there were three or four well written episodes and Jack's character is developed particularly well (the others need a bit more work).

Generally, the series needs to focus less on the small details of the characters' lives (specifically their love lives) to avoid becoming another Home and Away or Neighbours. Otherwise, it has potential.

kangamac · Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 2757

So far, I have seen one Torchwood member killing people so she could practice on them with an alien glove, another member use a sophisticated date-rape drug upon a male and a female to coerce them into sexual acts against their will and yet another member hide and maintain a "Cyberwoman".

With the exception of the killer - who in any case committed suicide - the others seem to have gone unpunished for their crimes. Of course, so far, I am only up to episode 5...

Then of course, there was the explicit sex scene in the toilet at the nightclub, the scene of a guy masterbating whilst illegally watching the explicit sex scene in the toilet on CCTV, not to mention the distortion of the truth on several occasions by the members of Torchwood by altering or interfering with evidence.

In any case, they appear to be a bunch of morally bereft imbeciles with slightly less competence than a socially backward teenager on his first shift at the local McDonalds store. They appear to bumble through most episodes with no real idea of what they are doing and the fact that they survive each new adventure seems to have more to do with blind luck than any form of intelligent or rational thinking.

If this is the secret organization that was supposed to keep Britain great, then it is little wonder that Britain no longer has an empire to speak of. I feel that the poor unfortunates who come nd go from week to week in this program have more to fear from the Torchwood organization than they do from any alien menace...

Generally speaking, I find it to be a sub-standard program, created by a sub-standard producer and writer and that it has lost its way and has made a very dubious and questionable contribution to the Doctor Who franchise.

Panecea · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:43 pm Post subject:

Having seen the whole series, I will agree that all but one of the characters lack moral fibre and I will say that the human characters are always frustrating (as well as being intensely neurotic and self obsessed). Owen was of particular annoyance to me for most of this series (although he does improve slightly in
Out of Time). This was due to his highly promiscuous attitude.

I feel there are only four well written episodes in this series, they are as follows: Countrycide, Captain Jack Harkness, Random Shoes and Out of Time. These are in order of least liked to most liked.

KnottyEmily · Joined: 12 Aug 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Melbourne

I've seen every episode except the last one, and I was always disappointed by episodes like Countrycide, where the threat wasn't alien. I really liked the story in itself but it was very CSI: Cardiff [like Voc76 said]. I mean, since when was it Torchwood's job to solve regular mass murders?

Ohica · Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Karn

I had no expectations at all about Torchwood and only watched it for curiosity and the fact it was DW related. I had heard dreadful things about it......the raunch factor being one of them. But I was pleasantly surprised and have watched the whole of season 1 except the last one which I missed by mistake. I find it to be easy viewing. I just watch it for entertainment and having no expectations, I was not disappointed. It's not fantastic but it's ok and I"ll keep watching. What I liked best was that some things in both TW and DW were explained to me when watching both shows that would normally have left me still wondering. So, yeah. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Sutekh · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 23

I felt that the first series improved as it went along. The first few episodes veered wildly in quality and tone and for every Small Worlds there was a Cyberwoman. Characters were not particularly likeable because of their inability to operate as a team, callous treatment of others. I'm glad the sex has been toned down -it added nothing to most stories and looked forced. Out of Time was a pearler -I even felt a bit sorry for Owen by the end of it! The final episodes were also cleverly written.

If the direction they laid down towards the end of the first series is picked up in the second, then it should be a whole lot better, and I'll look forward to seeing it. Let's hope so!