UK Dopers - Torchwood?

[elfkin477]

I read something about this show a few months ago, and was a bit surprised to see a commercial on BBC-A for this show beginning next month. It looks sort of interesting. However, so did Hex, and that never drew me in.

If you've seen Torchwood, do you like it? And does it actually compare to Angel and The X-Files? Favorably?

[sandra_nz]

I hated it. It used gratuitous swearing and sex scenes (members of Torchwood either getting it on with each other or with aliens they encounter) in an attempt to be adult. It didn't work.

Also, there is no overriding story to the series, it's just a random set of 'meet alien, someone screws the alien, alien causing trouble, deus ex machina rescues mankind at the last minute'.

It's nothing like the X-Files, but I'm not familiar enough with Angel to compare it.

YMMV.

[Captain_C]

Save yourself the time and don't. Go watch Dr. Who again instead.

The first couple episodes were good enough to keep me watching. I got sick of the show about episode #4. Really, I only finished it because Captain Jack reminds me of a shiny version of Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly.

[Quartz]

I too was less than impressed.

[Small Clanger]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

. . . do you like it?

No. For the same reasons the previous posters gave. Wait for the new Dr Who series, there are some cracking episodes there.

And does it actually compare to Angel and The X-Files? Favorably?

Good lord no. Well, I haven't actually seen Angel but if it's anything like Buffy it has orders of magnitude more atmosphere. Torchwood is definitely not in the same class as The X-Files.

[Harmonious Discord]

I didn't like Torchwood's excessive use of sex as a main plot point. It's like watching a college skin flick comedy, with old people instead of sororities and jocks, but less entertaining.

[glee]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

I hated it. It used gratuitous swearing and sex scenes (members of Torchwood either getting it on with each other or with aliens they encounter) in an attempt to be adult. It didn't work.

Also, there is no overriding story to the series, it's just a random set of 'meet alien, someone screws the alien, alien causing trouble, deus ex machina rescues mankind at the last minute'.

It's nothing like the X-Files, but I'm not familiar enough with Angel to compare it.

YMMV.

The sex scenes were of course English, so you didn't see much flesh.

I agree that most of Torchwoood's employees need some training, preferably starting with 'don't secretly take alien artifacts home and play with them'.

There are sometimes story links between episodes, but you need to watch many episodes before this happens. (One episode was entirely based on previous events.) There are also references to Dr. Who.

Angel was certainly better, although I thought that started to run out of steam eventually.

[Pushkin]

There were one or two attempts to break into the "adult" market by UK soap operas that ran spin offs with lots of mild swearing and the odd bit of sexual innuendo. They weren't successful and came across as rather juvenile.

Torchwood is one such show, it fails to come across as adult and loses some of the Doctor Who charm in the attempt. Nor does it come with any of the atmosphere of the X-Files or the wit and kinetic energy of Buffy and Angel.

In short avoid. Doctor Who has the same fantasy SF setting and manages to be funnier and more touching.

[Mangetout]

It's OK - ish. I just find it... I dunno... naive in some way - it's like SF written by someone who doesn't really know the genre and thinks they're being clever when they throw around a bit of technobabble.

[Baron Greenback]

I reckon they'll definitely have to cut down on the laughable sex scenes and bad language next season, given the casting announcement that

SPOILER:

Martha is joining the team

[An Gadaí]

I liked some episodes more than others, the finale was ridiculous. It's weird that it's meant to be an adult show set in the Dr. Who universe, it seems kind of juvenile (albeit with swearing, shagging etc.) whereas the darkness and maturity of some of the Dr. Who shows makes it seem quite adult. I believe both shows are written by the same guy. It's been taken up for another season I think so it must have been popular with some people.

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by An Gadaí

It's been taken up for another season I think so it must have been popular with some people.

It did pretty well on BBC 3, and it's been promoted to BBC 2, so somebody is obviously happy.

[Sean Factotum]

Originally Posted by Struan

I reckon they'll definitely have to cut down on the laughable sex scenes and bad language next season, given the casting announcement that

SPOILER:

Martha is joining the team

Could you please explain why your spoiler means a reduction in the sex and swearing? I don't understand your reasoning.

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by Sean Factotum

Could you please explain why your spoiler means a reduction in the sex and swearing? I don't understand your reasoning.

SPOILER:

It's just a WAG with no basis in fact, but I reckon that having a companion from the main show turn up in Torchwood will lead to an increase in the numbers of youngsters viewing, and the BBC will be keen to tone it back a bit. Of course, this applies to a lesser extent to Captain Jack himself. Or I guess the ratings draw of some hot Martha/Toshiko action will prove too good an opportunity to pass up.

[Peter Morris]

It was okay. Not brilliant, but worth watching. Nowhere near as good as Angel. Not quite as good as Life On Mars. Better than The X-Files.

[MJinks]

I'll agree with those that said it was okay. It's definitely not something I would go out of my way to watch though. The 'adult' parts feel incredibly tacked on, as if someone has gone through the finished script and forced them in just for the sake of it.

Hopefully series two will be better. I'm still willing to give it a chance.

I just wished we had some more 'smart' sci-fi. I'm getting very tired of the deus ex machina endings.

[WhyNot]

I've got a 14 year old boy who watches things like Buffy and Angel and Firefly and Farscape and Painkiller Jane and Supernatural and, of course, Doctor Who with us. He handles fantasy/sci fi violence and sexuality just fine. I draw the line at some of the other things his parents watch, like Rescue Me and Medium where the sex/violence is just a bit too "real" for me to be comfortable with him seeing.

Which category would y'all put Torchwood in? Granted that it's not very good, would it be utterly embarrassing for a 14 year old boy to watch with his mom? Given that he's already watched Spuffy sex* with his mom?



*The Spuffy sex did bother me a bit as it combined sex and violence, and we did do some judicious editing of those at air time when he was considerably younger, but he has them on DVD now and they're not off limits.

[dangermom]

We quit watching it. Too much sex, not enough story. Everyone was annoying, even the people I wanted to like.

[ArizonaTeach]

It was Doctor Who slash fan fiction.

[NailBunny]

I had no problem with the sex or language or violence (in fact, I'd expected a lot more) - it was the painfully bad writing and acting that got to me. Laughably bad. Still, it was a lark, and I've read in interviews that the makers of the show feel they learned a lot during the first season about things they need to change/improve, so I'm hoping it will get better.

Temporal disruptures in the timeline and fissures in space create enormous plotholes that we just have to deal with!

In regards to Struan's casting spoiler above and what effect that might have on the show's content:

SPOILER:

I read somewhere that it is confirmed that Martha will not be swearing/shagging other Torchwood employees or aliens, so maybe the entire show will be toned down somewhat. Then again, I think she's only coming on for 1/2 the season.

[Crusoe]

It was very poor. Painfully unlikeable and self-obsessed characters (with barely an ounce of professionalism between them for a top-secret, world-saving organisation) and worn-out plots in an apparent attempt to make Doctor Who an "edgy" show, well, just didn't work.

[seosamh]

I am afraid I agree with most of the above - it wasn't great. But like Dr Who itself it was filmed mostly in Cardiff, so it was quite fun spotting the locations (I lived in nearby Newport for a few years).

[chowder]

Torchwood = Doctor Who .........anagram in case nobody noticed

[An Gadaí]

chowder, I never noticed that. I wondered why it had the stupid name. I liked Torchwood as it was in Dr. Who, defending the British Empire.

[SmackFu]

Originally Posted by Struan

I reckon they'll definitely have to cut down on the laughable sex scenes and bad language next season, given the casting announcement that

SPOILER:

Martha is joining the team

Hey! That's a spoiler for Doctor Who! I think.

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by An Gadaí

chowder, I never noticed that. I wondered why it had the stupid name. I liked Torchwood as it was in Dr. Who, defending the British Empire.

As I understand it, 'Torchwood' was the anagrammed codename for the new Doctor Who series while it was in development and under wraps - and that a cover story for it had been written that somewhat resembles that of the current series, then later someone decided that the cover story was good enough to warrant actually trying to make.

[Rhythmdvl]

Ayyyeeeeeeeeeee................aw, CRAP!

Mrs. Dvl and I were so geared up for T'wood.

"By the makers of Dr. Who!" So it must be good, no? And...and... and Captain Jack is back!!! Woot! What, no help? Aw, crap.

Hex had us all psyched up too, but that drivel didn't last long 'round these parts. We'll still be giving T a shot, but we're a wee bit deflated now.

In the meantime,
Thankyou Jekyll
Thankyou Mi5
Thankyou Murphy's Law
Tankyou BBC-A

...now when the hell is Life on Mars going to return?!

[An Gadaí]

There's a sequel series to Life On Mars coming out I think. Ashes to Ashes or some other Bowie title is the name of it.

[NailBunny]

Ooh, speaking of Life on Mars...can someone tell me: I've just started watching it, and I acquired what I thought was the entire run of the show, but it seems to only be one season. Is there only just the one? I was pretty sure there were at least two...?

Great show, love John Simm - these English actors can work a battered leather jacket, can't they?

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by NailBunny

I've just started watching it, and I acquired what I thought was the entire run of the show, but it seems to only be one season. Is there only just the one? I was pretty sure there were at least two...?

There were two seasons of eight shows apiece.

[NailBunny]

Thanks, I thought so.

[andros]

Sorry to bump, but I have just read that

SPOILER:

Freema will be in four eps of T'wood before rejoining the Doctor

.

And while I agree that Torchwood is not nearly as good as Life on Mars or most of Dr Who, I found it a diverting and enjoyable show. At its worst, it's almost unwatchable, granted. But at its best it's better than much of the middle-season Angel and Buffy dreck, and well above the last couple seasons of The X-Files. I'll watch series 2.
.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Just another bump for any fans that have HDNet on their cable box. They will be showing Torchwood in HD on Monday evenings, starting on Monday 17th.

_{If only HD improved the script quality as well as the picture quality}

[Bridget Burke]

Originally Posted by ArizonaTeach

It was Doctor Who slash fan fiction.

Captain Jack Harkness was a great gift to Slashers.

And I'll be watching Torchwood, despite the criticisms. BBCamerica is running it, along with The 10th Doctor's first season. Hey, it's included in my cable bill.

[kelly5078]

Originally Posted by andros

But at its best it's better than much of the middle-season Angel and Buffy dreck

That may or may not be, but at its best, "Buffy" was outstanding. Now leave her alone. The woman was a saint.

I've only seen the first episode of "Torchwood." It was entertaining enough to stick with for a while, but it's hardly a must-see.

[elfkin477]

Being a glutton for punishment, I watched the first episode anyway. You were right, it is pointless.

So...there must be a lot of good british shows, unlike this or Hex or that Clatterford show. Why does the BBC-A not want us to see them? There are other british scifi shows other than those two and Doctor Who on the air now, aren't there?

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

There are other british scifi shows other than those two and Doctor Who on the air now, aren't there?

I can't think of one, unless Life on Mars or Jeckyll count.

[Steve Wright]

Let us not speak of Hyperdrive. (Seriously. Let's not speak of it. If we all ignore it, maybe it will go away.)

Torchwood had lots of shots of John Barrowman posing in his RAF surplus gear, and apparently hoped we would all be enthralled by that and wouldn't notice the plot holes. Sorry.

(Though I will say this much; if the new series features an episode where Owen falls under a steamroller and is crushed to death, painfully and slowly, over the course of the whole forty-five minutes of the episode, I will watch that.)

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

Being a glutton for punishment, I watched the first episode anyway. You were right, it is pointless.

So...there must be a lot of good british shows, unlike this or Hex or that Clatterford show. Why does the BBC-A not want us to see them? There are other british scifi shows other than those two and Doctor Who on the air now, aren't there?

I watched the first episode on BBC-A and it was not good. I will give tonights episode a watch, if it is as bad, I doubt I will watch another.

I will say for good Brit shows to watch on BBC-A, look for/record and watch Coupling. It is a great comedy. One of the best shows I have seen in years. Season 4 was very good, but season 1-3 were incredible.

If you have not watched them, you could look for the early seasons of Red Dwarf in a Video store or Netflix. This was a good humorous Sci-Fi series. I think it ran from the late 80s into the early 90s. It then had a comeback a few years later that was not as good.

Of course the newer Dr. Who is on the Sci-Fi channel, it is only a half year behind the BBC. The last 3 episodes have been incredible good.

Jim

[jackdavinci]

I've seen the first two episodes now on BBC-A. Watching it back to back with the Dr Who episodes on Sci-Fi, which are astonishingly good lately, of course it pales in comparison. But it has an interesting premise and it looks like it has someplace to go. The series starts with the original Torchwooders so involved in their duty that lose sight of their humanity. The newbie cop is teaching them to value saving not just the world, but the common person affected by the strangeness going on. And of course all the characters have flaws, like bringing home the alien tech and certain characters being somewhat snide and arrogant. Jack has his various secrets. The show seems like it has potential. How well it plays out the rest of the season others know all ready and remains to be seen for me. The alien-sex thing was fine with me for the second episode, but if that's the theme of every episode as some have suggested, it could get old quick. I'll definitely watch a few more episodes and unless it gets really bad probably the whole season. I do love my Jack!

[Leechboy]

My wife dutifully watched the entire run of the shite. I gave up after episode four, which contained some of the worst acting & writing I've seen in a long time. It singlehandedly managed to destroy one of the more interesting characters in the crew.


Captain Jack is wasted in this series.

[cerberus]

It's a bit like Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight, or rather like MTV's The Hills - pretty, but stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid. As in stoopid. Well, more careless than stupid.

Hell, even from Day One on, careless plots, plot-holes the size of planets...Still, it has potential.

As for toning it down, no. First, it's "Doctor Who with sex". Second, it's specifically designed for showing after the "BBC Watershed," or whatever, where they're specifically allowed to include the naughty bits.

They need to darken it a bit, include less gratuitous sex, and add a couple of SD to the script IQ.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Originally Posted by Steve Wright

Torchwood had lots of shots of John Barrowman posing in his RAF surplus gear, and apparently hoped we would all be enthralled by that and wouldn't notice the plot holes. Sorry.

Funny, it's working for me.

Seriously, John Barrowman is so goddamn cute I'm fine watching this for now. Though from this thread it seems that the show gets worse as it goes on, and there's a metric ton of new shows coming on in the next few weeks that I want to see, so this may fall by the wayside. At the moment though, eye candy and occasional laughs are enough.

[ScareyFaerie]

'im indoors looked at Torchwood, muttered "gay Dr Who" and wandered off. It was amusing, nowhere near as good as Dr W, but a pleasant diversion on a Saturday afternoon (when I watched it on the TiVO).

[ArizonaTeach]

Originally Posted by Steve Wright

Let us not speak of Hyperdrive. (Seriously. Let's not speak of it. If we all ignore it, maybe it will go away.)

I liked Hyperdrive.

[Lute Skywatcher]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

Of course the newer Dr. Who is on the Sci-Fi channel, it is only a half year behind the BBC.

It's also on BBCA, thankfully, and I've finally been able to watch "New Earth" and "Tooth and Claw". Still haven't seen "Christmas Invasion" though.

[NailBunny]

Originally Posted by Lute Skywatcher

It's also on BBCA, thankfully, and I've finally been able to watch some of the episodes that I missed. Still haven't seen "Christmas Invasion" though.

Last week on BBCA they played Christmas Invasion like 20 times, I'm sure they'll play it again at some point...if at all possible though watch it on DVD, as they cut out a good 20 minutes or so of pretty important plot.

[kelly5078]

I'm still with it after Day One. Maybe Brits are immune to it, but Eve Myles's accent melts me. I'd share a plot hole with her any day.