Torchwood Song Trilogy

[bcholmes]

I think I like Torchwood, even though a number of my friends have dissed it. I don't think it's Battlestar Galactica, but, hey, what is?

I think the show has weaknesses (but I also think that Dr. Who has weaknesses). But I think I like what I perceive to be the overall theme: that when you're fighting monsters, it's kinda hard to not become a monster. Especially if, at the same time, you're forced to avoid talking to your normal support outlets.

Here's what I haven't liked:

• The pilot was pretty weak
• The actor who plays Ianto really wasn't up for the acting challenge in "Cyberwoman"
• I can't stand the moody shots of Jack standing on very tall buildings
• "The SUV needs more winky-blinky lights. Torchwood is so secret that we've written our name on the car!"
• "Let's have a dinosaur for a pet!"

On the other hand, I've really enjoyed:

• Bi characters!
• I enjoy Gwen all-around. I think the actor is great, and I like the character.
• "Day One": Gwen's position ("you've been down here too long; you're forgetting that this is a person") highlights one of the key themes of the series: that the characters are going through some amount of dehumanization
• "Countrycide": especially the ending scenes, where Gwen talks about how all the things that she sees are changing her, and how she can't tell anyone about what she's going through.
• I like that Ianto is still damaged by the events of "Cyberwoman". There's long-term consequences to bad stuff and, unlike the Doctor, the Torchwood team has to stick around and deal with all the consequences
• Tosh's meditation on the same themes in "Greeks Bearing Gifts"
• I like the little bits of continuity between Dr. Who and Torchwood. I like that Tosh was an alien expert on Dr. Who, and I like all the little devices in the Hub.

In the pilot, the Suzie character was a little hard to take; having seen the rest of the series, I can see how each of the main characters is in danger of becoming the next Suzie. Torchwood is, in some respects, the secret origin of all the villainous weirdos that we've been seeing on Dr. Who for years.

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's Battlestar Galactica, but, hey, what is?

I don't think there's room in my life for two shows as depressing as BSG. I live in fear that they will hire James Ellroy to do scripts.

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

this is so true. i am now rereading the miles vorkosigan books simply because i can't even abide reading serious SF right now, and all because BSG is so depressing.