Whereas watching Mad Men for another Virgin Diary series is at the suggestion of others, tackling Torchwood is something I’m looking forward to. The buzz surrounding Torchwood: Miracle Day has got me interested, and I could use a little science fiction in my television schedule.
However, I’ve not seen too many British series before. I think I got though the first season of MI-5 before losing track, but I have watched all of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes and Sky1’s Strike Back in recent months, and enjoyed both. To answer the obvious Torchwood-related question at this point, no, I’ve never seen Dr. Who. Not even a second’s worth. I have a feeling that I’ll be able to jump in without the backstory, but if there is anything I should know, drop the knowledge on me in the comments, will ya?
“Everything Changes”
The first hour was standard “Through the Looking Glass” fare, substituting Gwen for Alice. In fact, it is such a trope, I’m sure it is listed at tvtropes.org (The latest example of the trope I saw was Alcatraz, but that’s a story for another day).
I absolutely adored the scene where all of the Torchwood team members took home artifacts to play with. I know very little about these guys at this point, or how strictly they are managed, but this was pretty telling. Which was fine by me; if they aren’t government, then they would be a little more lax. And lax around alien artifacts, boys and girls, equals fun and games … until someone shoots their (proverbial and literal) eye out.
It was nice to see at least one familiar face, even if she’s not sticking around. I’m a fan of Indira Varma from Rome. Rome was awesome, and anyone who doesn’t think so … well, phooey on you. Seriously, go check it out. I’ll wait. Or, probably not, since it was 22 episodes long. But trust me. It is probably the best show you know very little about.
When Suzie shot Jack, I instantly had flashbacks to last summer’s watching of Season One of The Shield, when Mackey shot Crowley in the Pilot. This apparent death came with the same “out of nowhere” feeling. Just for the quick second, and I “remembered” that Captain Jack is a big part of the show. But seeing Suzie kill herself? I like that the show didn’t pull that particular punch.
“Day One”
“Period military is not the dress code of a straight man.”
If I thought Suzie’s death was explicit, then the first death in this episode was equally so for very different reasons. And when Jack dropped the “came and went” line? Yeah, this show definitely couldn’t air at 8:00 PM in the States!
I’m still trying to figure out the team dynamic. We’ve not seen enough of Toshiko, Owen, or Ianto for my tastes, considering they’re full team members. Plus … Ianto? Very cool name. That Gwen knows more about Jack now than the team does is interesting in and of itself. What does it say about their investigative skills that Gwen’s police friends found out about World War II’s Jack Harkness where the Torchwood team members did not?
The guest star of the week, Sara Lloyd-Gregory, reminded me a bit of Hayley McFarland, but I doubt anyone will agree with me. Speaking of which, I guess that my irrational love of identifying weekly guest stars will be completely worthless when I’m so unfamiliar with British actors … at least those who haven’t yet appeared in the Harry Potter movies.
Notes & Quotes
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jun 03, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
If you ever watch Doctor Who, you´ll get used to seeing british actors you recognize.
Enjoy “Torchwood”. You have a wild ride ahead of you.
BTW, watching select episodes of the modern “Doctor Who” would give you the backstory on Jack, would explain the hand in the jar, the RAF greatcoat, why he can’t die, etc. “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” would be where to start. Darn fine episodes as well. Eleven episodes total, they’re probably on Netflix
*POST AUTHOR*
Perhaps. I’m assuming then, that those questions won’t be answered in the confines of the Torchwood narrative?
Most aren’t, to my memory. You don’t HAVE to know things like this to enjoy “Torchwood” if you’re willing to accept some things as given. For instance, I remember Jack saying that he couldn’t die (and that figures prominently throughout the series) but he never explains how that came about. Now that I think about it, all of the crossovers that I remember are Jack to “Doctor Who”, and none are of The Doctor to “Torchwood”. Maybe they wanted to keep “Torchwood” more stand-alone.
Well, Doctor Who has always been a family show while Torchwood was designed to be very, very adult oriented. I don’t think the producers want to “taint” the Doctor’s reputation by having him in anything more lurid than his own show, but Jack got his start there so he pops in every so often.
Ivey, if you ever want to get into Doctor Who alex’s suggestions are great. Hell, anything written by Moffat is worth the time and Doctor Who is just all-out fun with a nice dose of creepiness tossed in every so often for good measure. Mostly in Moffat’s episodes. The man can make your skin crawl like nobody’s business.
The idea of Doctor Who being a family show is taken very literally in my house. I have one child in high school and another in college, but we all gather here at my house on Saturdays to watch it. Always have and I hope we always will.
Torchwood, in my opinion, gets better as it goes along. I didn’t find the first series all that great, but I still enjoyed it. Some might disagree, but I thought the third series, “Children of Earth,” was fracking great. My college-aged daughter comes over and we watch it together after my wife and youngest go to bed. It can really be a lot of fun and just keep with it until the end, I think you’ll find “Children of Earth” to be one seriously intense ride.
While I do agree that Doctor Who is more family friendly, there sure are some adult episodes when it comes to scariness. Actually, Jack’s first appearance has one of the most horrifying Doctor Who foes ever. I’ll never see gas masks the same way again.
Doctor Who has always been filled with very scary moments, the only difference is the special effects and makeup have gotten better. The old series is filled with plenty of those moments, hence its reputation for getting children to watch from behind the sofa. I was an adult before I discovered the show, but my kids grew up watching classic Who. They were often scared, but Doctor Who always ends with the good Doctor being victorious through mostly non-violent means and many times what began as an enemy ended as an ally. I think it’s very good at showing kids that a lot of what we’re scared of is only because of misunderstandings and that through the use of intelligence we can overcome both the fears and the differences we have with those we might have otherwise considered fighting.
I watched the first 2 seasons of Torchwood before I saw Doctor Who and I understood everything fine. But then there was a no more Torchwood for a while so I went on to Doctor who to get more of the stories I loved in Torchwood. They do refer to each other and it is fun when you know the background but not required.