Torchwood

[Shane]

Is anyone else watching this?

[The Vicar]

Unless they're showing it in the states, no.

I WISH I were watching this.

[ONeillSG1]

It started?

[papalazeru]

Its on tonight at 9pm on BBC2. Its a double ep.

For anyone that doesn't know, its a spin off from 'Doctor Who'.


Could be a cash cow, could be a good show. We'll see.

[Fried Gold]

It started on Sunday night, I put my thoughts in the Doctor Who thread.

So we got to see the first two episodes of Torchwood yesterday and as it turns out, it was pretty damn good. A lot better than most of the last series of Doctor Who I think.

It had a more US, darker scifi feel to it, not the family friendly or comedy stuff the BBC tends to lean towards.

Plus a few nice references to the Doctor Who story arc.

[TonyWilson]

I caught the second ep, I thought it was pretty bad really. Sorry lads. I think making it adult was a bad move sci-fi/comedy is as tough balance on it's own but trying to skew it towards a defiantly adults only audience was one more juggling ball than the show could handle. So far.

[papalazeru]

I agree there TW.

Second ep is worse than the first. I thought the cheap titilation of 2 girls kissing was terrible. They brought it back later on when they showed the alien/girl looking for someone with all the sex adverts around the place.

I'll still give it a go but I don't believe they've got the balance right yet.

Still....God effort for the beeb but I think it needs to be more gritty instead of somewhere better then pre-pubescent teens and the nappy wearing generation.

[Shane]

I don't think it lives up to Who, but it is good. I like the Doctor who references, and seeing the Doctor's hand in a jar is cool. I want to know why Jack keeps it.

The sex alien was not too cool compared to the weevil or however you spell it from the first one. That thing was great.

It may not be as good as who or heroes, but I'm sold on it, I do like it.

[The Thin Man]

I thought the first episode suffered from the same problems most pilots do - trying to set up all the characters and the situation whilst trying to weave in a plot. The second episode seem to be trying too hard to show it was meant for adults and just got a bit silly. I will give it another go though. You shouldn't judge new series by the first few episodes.

[Fried Gold]

A thought occurred to me while watching the repeats...

It's quite similar to the setup of Angel - an immortal lead character who runs around saving the city from monsters. And if Gwen is connected to the girl from the Dickins episode, she might well develop some psychic powers, making it even more like Angel.

Not that it'd be a bad thing to emulate.

[papalazeru]

I think it would be terrible to emulate Angel. Wouldn't it be better spent, coming up with original material then chucking 'more of the same' at us.

I hope they use this license well. I think it should be setting a new mould for America to follow rather than aping their Sci-fi.

What would be next? Tucker the vampire slayer: Post grange hill.

Lost: in Albert Square, 24.....pints of lager and a pakcet of crisps, The west wing of toad hall?

[rhaps0dy]

I thought the first two episodes were pretty good, although i'm alittle lost as didn;t watch much of dr who, caught them on bbc3, do ya know when they show the third? And what the regular channel/time slot is for it?

[papalazeru]

Series 3 won't start till Christmas and it'll be a one off special before they being the series next year. Sorry guys, we have to wait just that bit longer.

[Shane]

I thought the first two episodes were pretty good, although i'm alittle lost as didn;t watch much of dr who, caught them on bbc3, do ya know when they show the third?

If you are lost on Jack here are the few spoilers from the first season...

The only thing explained in season one about jack is that he died fighting the Daleks and was resurected by Bad wolf in the 51st Century I believe, and he met up with the Doctor in WWII when they say he wwent missing. He was a time traveler from the 51st century. The Christmass invasion the Doctor lost his hand, it fell to earth. That was the hand he was worried about. Alot of jack was a mystery in Doctor Who. He has years of missing memory and was somewhat of an enigma there also.

If that helps I don't know how much you watched.

I assume that the badwolf resurection or the nano medic stuff from empty child is the reason he can't die.

[TonyWilson]

I would just have liked a less hokey more serious script. I think the casting is pretty good, Jack being the major standout, the direction is pretty good, the little fight between Jack and the nympho girl/alien was SHITE but everything else was well shot.

Plus the nympho alien story cliché is probably the worst, most boring and ultimately cheap trick in Sci-Fi.

[rhaps0dy]

Hey shane, cheers for the update mate, i'm from the UK myself in essex, only caught the odd episode of dr who but always liked it, as a result i've decided i'll watch the whole of torchwood! Just one quick question who/what is badwolf? Also, not to sound lame here but if jack was from the 51st century why is here still wearing wwII stuff in torchwood? Even though it does look pretty damn cool!! Hope this series carries on!

[Fried Gold]

YES. Other one from Essex. REPRESENT and so forth..

[Shane]

Hey shane, cheers for the update mate, i'm from the UK myself in essex, only caught the odd episode of dr who but always liked it, as a result i've decided i'll watch the whole of torchwood! Just one quick question who/what is badwolf? Also, not to sound lame here but if jack was from the 51st century why is here still wearing wwII stuff in torchwood? Even though it does look pretty damn cool!! Hope this series carries on!

Bad Wolf was Rose the Doctors Companion after absorbing the power of the time stream and looking into the wholeof time. She was like god or something, life and death were hers to control.

As for his garb, who knows. He was left in the distance future, and nobody knows how he got back, or where he was and what not. I think it's possibly just a matter of it looks neat on the show, and they are trying to make him more mysterious and eccentric like the doctor.

[rhaps0dy]

Ahh cool, now it all makes more sense, thankyou very much for the posts!

[Shane]

wow the third episode was much better. I loved it.

I hope it stays this good.

I like the rection Owen took in it.

[magicmonkey]

I found this rather amusing review of Torchwood, sounds fun.

[doglips]

I watched the 3rd episode last night.

OMG?WTF!?1?/!

The shooting range scene was probably the worst segment of television ever. I cried due to comedic pain.

It's sadist car crash TV, you sit there debating in your head why you are wasting precious minutes of your life watching Torchwood, but are unable to tear your bleeding eyes away. It's hypnotic in it's blundering absurdity.

John Barrowman is absolutely hilarious.

I'll watch it next week.

[The Thin Man]

It didn't get much better I'm affraid. I started watching last night but wandered off after about 25 minutes which is not a good sign. This series needs better plots. The trouble is that it is either a kid's program that is trying too be grown up or a grown up's program that is too childish; I can't decide. I will give it one last go next week and then may give up.

[Shane]

I watched the 3rd episode last night.

OMG?WTF!?1?/!

The shooting range scene was probably the worst segment of television ever. I cried due to comedic pain.

It's sadist car crash TV, you sit there debating in your head why you are wasting precious minutes of your life watching Torchwood, but are unable to tear your bleeding eyes away. It's hypnotic in it's blundering absurdity.

John Barrowman is absolutely hilarious.

I'll watch it next week.

No, the range scene was blocked from my memory. The cheese factor was overpowered by the fact that he was teaching her completely wrong. It was just something I wish they cut out. I loved the story though. I thought that Owen was the strongest. I hope it stays as good as this one, because I don't think the first two were that good.

[The Vicar]

Hope they get enough time to develope this, iron out the kinks & build an audience.

In the colonies, this would already be cancelled.
Ask Paul McGann....

[Shane]

Hope they get enough time to develope this, iron out the kinks & build an audience.

In the colonies, this would already be cancelled.
Ask Paul McGann....

I hope so too, and it would have not made it past episode 2 here. It is getting good ratings, so I think we will see the next season.

[rhaps0dy]

I thought the third episode was good fun, some good acting on show and the storyline was pretty good, this weeks episode looks pretty cool, so i'm looking forward to that! Although, sadly, i am totally with people on how bad that shooting range seen was....way to cheesy for me....and lol at her teaching her wrong that thought did cross my mind, along with how bad a series would be if all people shot at were targets! Perhaps he was training her incase there is an invasion of killer shooting range targets!

[Shane]

I am looking forward to the cyberman cyber woman episode. A cyberwoman is something I've always wanted to see and now I get to see it in an episode of something that is not Doctor Who. I want more classic Who villains in this. I read some of the old Comics and they had humans that were not fully converted to cybermen and I loved that. I think that's what this is about. It is cool to see stuff from old comics making its way into the show. It would be neat to see some of the stuff from Alan Moore's Doctor Who in this also.

[ONeillSG1]

There's something so attractive about this show. I don't what it is. But, I can't turn away.

It's like CSI meets The Keystone Cops.

I dig it.

The chick who plays Gwen is deceptively hot.

I'm very confused about how I feel about the show. I'll watch in the future.

[Shane]

Anyone think it is ironic how they play Age of steel in the U.S. the same weekend the cybermen related episode plays on Torchwood?

[Fried Gold]

It wouldn't be ironic but it might be coincidental.

It'll be interesting what we learn in Cyberwoman. Why, if Jack was around for the Battle of Canary Wharf, was he not trying to contact the Doctor and such?

[Shane]

He might have been busy fending off Daleks and Cybermen elsewhere, or could have just not known. He was pissed to get the e-mail late.

[Fried Gold]

He was talking about the battle in the first episode, and it was implied he was there.

[Shane]

First episode meaning Christmass invasion or New Earth?

[rhaps0dy]

Hey, watched the cyberwoman episode tonight, not sure what you guys thought of it, but personally i felt it was the best episode of the season so far! A very quick pace to it with an interesting storyline! The acting was wavey in parts but the charisma each character has means i'm willing to forgive. I also felt there was some nice character development for Jack. Saw the clip for next week again looks very good plus it looks like there gonna give us some flashbacks of Jacks past which is cool!

[ONeillSG1]

Just wondering: How long is the season going to last, episode wise?

[Shane]

I'd immagine 13 episodes like who but I may be wrong.


I loved tonights episode. I liked the Ghost Machine a bit more but the last two were much better than the first two.

The concept of being trapped underground with one cyberman was great. Or should I say Cyberwoman. I'm finally 100% sold on Torchwood. It's almost as good as Doctor Who and Heroes I think.

I was thrilled to see Who villains used in it. I want at least one more this season and hopefully something from classic Who we have not seen in a long time.

I think by the preview that Jack meets an old love from the 40's next week. I hope so. It looks like it is getting along nicely.

[MonkeyM666]

I have to say that this could take the title of 2006's worst new show. It's just so bad, espically the american lead agent... what an amazingly bad actor. I must say that I only watched half of teh first episode, but I just couldn't stomach any more than that. ewwwwwww.............

[rhaps0dy]

yeh, thats pretty week mate, half and episode and then you made a decision!? O well each to their own!

[MonkeyM666]

I know, I didn't have to admit that I've only watched half but damn it, it was just so bad. I've seen way too much good TV the past five years to excuse something, even if it is from the makers of doctor who. From contnuity to camera.... just a mess. But hey, I do understand the need for trash, hell I love stargate for god sake!

[Shane]

I have to say that this could take the title of 2006's worst new show. It's just so bad, espically the american lead agent... what an amazingly bad actor. I must say that I only watched half of teh first episode, but I just couldn't stomach any more than that. ewwwwwww.............

I had a hard time with the first two episodes. I don't like them at all in retrospect. I came back only because of the Doctor Who element expecting little. Episode three and four made a big difference. I loved them.

[MonkeyM666]

I'll have to have a sticky nose at them. Thanks for the heads up.

[papalazeru]

Just witnessed episode 5. What a nightmare show, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Everything about it smelt like rehashed and cliché material.

The whole 'Faeries are real' story, the pedophile who tries to talk the girl into a car outside of a school, the girl wearing a yellow flannel dress and socks pulled right up - not only that but she skips down the road, xylophone music played when she is around to create nursery rhyme music.

I haven't seen anything so by-the-book since "TV by the book" by John Smith, PH.D in conformity.

Was a terrible lest down. Russell T Davis is obviously trying to copy some American crappy formula where its;
Exposition, followed by a gritty story involved the characters past as development, then recap to original theme and end with some sort of resolution.

Absolute crap. Even if it was so formulaic, at least make it good.

Even though John Barrowman is a talented actor and musical star (and he's actually Scottish), he doesn't fit this role. The rest of the cast fall into stereotypes and geeky scientists.

I'm sorry America for this. Not only do we watch your crap crap but we have to package the same smelling turd right back at you.

BRING BACK FARSCAPE PLEEEEEEEASE!

[colonel_lugz]

BRING BACK FARSCAPE PLEEEEEEEASE!

Yeah, if the Yanks can't get it right, and the Brits mess it up to....let the Aussies have a pop!

[papalazeru]

The whole 'Faeries are real' story, the pedophile who tries to talk the girl into a car outside of a school, the girl wearing a yellow flannel dress and socks pulled right up - not only that but she skips down the road, xylophone music played when she is around to create nursery rhyme music.

I think I may have been quoting one of kirks fantasies here or something.

[The Vicar]

The whole 'Faeries are real' story, the pedophile who tries to talk the girl into a car outside of a school, the girl wearing a yellow flannel dress and socks pulled right up - not only that but she skips down the road, xylophone music played when she is around to create nursery rhyme music.

I think I may have been quoting one of kirks fantasies here or something.

Oh who in hell am I kidding.
I've lost the ability to actually be shocked in The Zone.

Mostly.

[ONeillSG1]

Just witnessed episode 5. What a nightmare show, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Everything about it smelt like rehashed and cliché material.

The whole 'Faeries are real' story, the pedophile who tries to talk the girl into a car outside of a school, the girl wearing a yellow flannel dress and socks pulled right up - not only that but she skips down the road, xylophone music played when she is around to create nursery rhyme music.

I haven't seen anything so by-the-book since "TV by the book" by John Smith, PH.D in conformity.

Was a terrible lest down. Russell T Davis is obviously trying to copy some American crappy formula where its;
Exposition, followed by a gritty story involved the characters past as development, then recap to original theme and end with some sort of resolution.

Absolute crap. Even if it was so formulaic, at least make it good.

Even though John Barrowman is a talented actor and musical star (and he's actually Scottish), he doesn't fit this role. The rest of the cast fall into stereotypes and geeky scientists.

I'm sorry America for this. Not only do we watch your crap crap but we have to package the same smelling turd right back at you.

BRING BACK FARSCAPE PLEEEEEEEASE!

I thought the total opposite. I liked the development of the Jack character through the meeting of his former lover and the flashback.

I like what they were trying to do with the Faeries, but they made them too uber-strong. I bet you the Doctor knows a way to get rid of them.

You know, sometimes a season/series have filler episodes. I think this is one of them.

Don't jump down the Davies throat just yet. The moment the Doctor comes onto this show via a crossover, everyone is going to love this show to death.

[Logan5]

Watched Countrycide today. Love the title. Didn't really love the episode. To me this episode was both the best and the worst of them all. The best because it had good suspense, good acting, the team wasn't inside Torchwood the entire episode like they usually are, and a great plot (reminded me of the beginning of Resident Evil 4 and BBC's The Nightmare Man) but the reason why I'm not really sure about it is IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH EITHER THE TORCHWOOD-UNIVERSE OR THE DOCTOR WHO-UNIVERSE!!!! Sorry about that.
Is Torchwood just going to be X-files for Doctor Who-fans or what? They could at least have given us a hint that there was something alien about the villagers or that some creepy alien thing was behind it all.
I just hope that Torchwood does a Doctor Who and at the end of the season wraps all, or most, of the episodes together showing us what really was behind most of the evildoing. Or something.

The preview of the next episode wasn't anything special, until this line:

Get me into Torchwood.

But I am certain it will be a let down next week. Like most of the episodes.
I'm just watching it to see it some connection with the Doctor Who-series. Maybe we'll see something in season three that will connect to Torchwood.
Maybe not.

I just have no idea where this series is going.

[ONeillSG1]

You know, now I'm starting to agree. I have no clue where this show is going.

But at least the Asian chick is hot and has nice boobies. Gwen is hot too.

[Logan5]

BRING BACK FARSCAPE PLEEEEEEEASE!

Fa'scape is absolutely gold. Would have loved a movie and then two or three new seasons. The best sci-fi show ever. No matter what the brownies say.