Torchwood episode 3

[sniffles]

So no new thread already? Guess I'll start one.

I enjoyed the episode but found it a bit unsatisfying at the conclusion. The development with Owen was interesting and could have been played up a bit more. I felt this episode might have done better to be broadcast later in the season.

And for Blake's 7 fans like me, it was a bit sad to see my hero grown old and fat.

 

[delericho]

I thought it was a huge improvement over episode 2, and in fact enjoyed it more even than the first episode. Very well done, very moody, and actually 'adult' what with the bad guy also seeming sympathetic at times.

I think I liked Jack better when he was on Who, though.

 

[sniffles]

I think I liked Jack better when he was on Who, though.

Yes, I liked his cheekiness on DW. I wonder if they'll eventually give some back story to explain why he's so much darker in Torchwood.

 

[Huw]

This is just the sort of story I was hoping to be written. A complex plot which left time for character development and a few jokes.

 

[Mark Hope]

In the other thread I made this insightful post:

Episode three (last night) was also pretty cool - a nice dark atmosphere without too heavy sf overtones. I am impressed by the way that the regular "earthling" members of Torchwood are so easily led astray by their desires, whims and general fallibility when it comes to abusing the alien gadgetry and the "insider information" that they have access to as part of the institute. Jack seems a bit more cautious in this regard (understandably so). It makes for a nice contrast between a pseudo-enlightened time traveller and a bunch of greedy 21st century humans.

The teaser for next week's show looked very cool indeed. Cyberbabe alert!

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Yes, I liked his cheekiness on DW. I wonder if they'll eventually give some back story to explain why he's so much darker in Torchwood.

From what I understand, they're supposed to. But, really, he died and came back- wouldn't that make you a bit moody?

(I wish he'd wear something other than the old military uniform, while we're at it. On Who he was only wearing that because that was the time period when they first met him. He had no qualms about adopting more appropriate garb when they left the past. On the one hand, I think it's kind of a cool eccentricity, on the other hand- it's not a characteristic of Jack as we came to know him during Who.)

 

[sniffles]

From what I understand, they're supposed to. But, really, he died and came back- wouldn't that make you a bit moody?

(I wish he'd wear something other than the old military uniform, while we're at it. On Who he was only wearing that because that was the time period when they first met him. He had no qualms about adopting more appropriate garb when they left the past. On the one hand, I think it's kind of a cool eccentricity, on the other hand- it's not a characteristic of Jack as we came to know him during Who.)

Maybe getting stuck on Earth in the 21st century made him feel a bit nostalgic for his past life, and hanging on to that attire is a way of maintaining the connection. Or perhaps he just likes to look quirky.

 

[Morrus]

I'm liking this show, although Indon't think it has the sheer charisma of Doctor Who.

One thing that keeps bugging me, though... Torchwood, the organisation. It's all secret and "above the government, above the police, above the UN". In Doctor Who, Torchwood (Torchwood 1, as we now discover) was a large organisation located in Canary Wharf.

Torchwood here comes across more like Buffy and her gang - they don't appear competent or professional to me. They don't seem to be the super-elite organisation they're allegedly supposed to be, just a bunch of 4 or 5 eccentric people who hang out in what looks like a junkroom.

I dunno. Maybe we'll find out more later.

 

[horacethegrey]

Well... that was certainly a bloody improvement. I had my doubts about the series, what with those substandard pilot episodes. But, if they can keep churning out impressive episodes like this one, I'm in for the long haul.

Obviously Russel T. Davies and the rest of the writing team got the message, and realized that being mature doesn't just mean having a bunch of sex scenes and naughty words strung together for an hour. I think Mark Hope hit it right on the head in his post, the human fallibility of the characters and their tendency to go astray as to what's right makes for a more adult sensibility. And the stakes are even greater when you realize such flawed peopIe have advanced alien tech in their hands. If the series writers can keep this philosophy intact for future episodes, then they've got a winner in their hands.

And I must say, the cast finally came into their own here. John Barrowman continues to impress, his Jack Harkness is ever the man in control. But kudos to Burn Gorman, who gives Owen some much needed dimension here. All they need now is a story that focuses on Toshiko Sato and it's all good. Oh, and I must say Eves Myles is just fine. And when I say fine I mean hot.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Cyberwoman episode next week. I'm curious to see how the show handles one the Doc's classic villains.

 

[Telsar]

I'm liking this show, although Indon't think it has the sheer charisma of Doctor Who.

One thing that keeps bugging me, though... Torchwood, the organisation. It's all secret and "above the government, above the police, above the UN". In Doctor Who, Torchwood (Torchwood 1, as we now discover) was a large organisation located in Canary Wharf.

Torchwood here comes across more like Buffy and her gang - they don't appear competent or professional to me. They don't seem to be the super-elite organisation they're allegedly supposed to be, just a bunch of 4 or 5 eccentric people who hang out in what looks like a junkroom.

I dunno. Maybe we'll find out more later.

My own theory is that Jack smooth-talked the upper echelons of Torchwood into letting him run the Cardiff branch his own way. And he immediately put in people who had little loyalty to those upper echelons. So it's basically his group, his "family", so when whatever big event(s) he expects to happen happens, his branch will be loyal to him and will do "the right thing", instead of clinging to any political agenda Torchwood has.

I would like to see some interaction with these upper echelons, though, so I'd have a clue if I'm right or not.