Torchwood Season 2

[Slaine mac Roth]

I don't know if anyone else watched it, but Season 2 of Torchwood started last night.

 

Here are my thoughts on the episode:

 

As one who quite enjoyed Season, I had high hopes of the new Season pushing Torchwood into 'must see' territory. Sadly, if Ep 1 is a taste of things to come I'm going to be sadly disapointed.

 

I think the episode was put in a nutshell with a poster on a SF forum who declared that...

 

QUOTE

... the whole episode ... came across as RTD's bisexual lifestyle propoganda show.

 

More specifically:

 

1) I've found James Marsters to be an actor of such charisma that he can tend to rise above the shortcomings of the script and direction shortcomings. Here he managed to do that and, even if he didn't retain his dignity, al least he didn't come across as a complete prat.

 

2) The idea was intriguing - an old associate of Jack's turning up out of the blue and launching the story. However, the chance to explore Jack's history was squandered by some trite comments about the two of them being partners in some sort of plot device.

 

3) The idea of the rest of them forming a cohesive whole in Jack's absence was another plot idea that was squandered. Maybe it would have been better to keep Jack's return until episodeallowing an exploration of how the team operated without him and providing some much needed character development.

 

4) A couple of amusing moments ("Bloody Torchwood being the one that sticks in the mind) but, for the most part, the attempts of humour were clumsy and, simply, not funny.

 

5) The fight between John and Jack was pretty good but, then again, James Marsters, while in Buffy, excelled in a lot of the fight scenes.

 

So, on the whole, a pretty poor and insipid start to Season 2. However, don't think the crew should be hung, drawn and quartered, like some people because, to be honest, it didn't stir that much emotion in me.

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (Slaine mac Roth @ Jan 17 2008, 01:40 PM)

I don't know if anyone else watched it, but Season 2 of Torchwood started last night. Here are my thoughts on the episode: As one who quite enjoyed Season, I had high hopes of the new Season pushing Torchwood into 'must see' territory. Sadly, if Ep 1 is a taste of things to come I'm going to be sadly disapointed. I think the episode was put in a nutshell with a poster on a SF forum who declared that... QUOTE ... the whole episode ... came across as RTD's bisexual lifestyle propoganda show.   More specifically:   1) I've found James Marsters to be an actor of such charisma that he can tend to rise above the shortcomings of the script and direction shortcomings. Here he managed to do that and, even if he didn't retain his dignity, al least he didn't come across as a complete prat.   2) The idea was intriguing - an old associate of Jack's turning up out of the blue and launching the story. However, the chance to explore Jack's history was squandered by some trite comments about the two of them being partners in some sort of plot device.   3) The idea of the rest of them forming a cohesive whole in Jack's absence was another plot idea that was squandered. Maybe it would have been better to keep Jack's return until episodeallowing an exploration of how the team operated without him and providing some much needed character development.   4) A couple of amusing moments ("Bloody Torchwood being the one that sticks in the mind) but, for the most part, the attempts of humour were clumsy and, simply, not funny.   5) The fight between John and Jack was pretty good but, then again, James Marsters, while in Buffy, excelled in a lot of the fight scenes.   So, on the whole, a pretty poor and insipid start to Season 2. However, don't think the crew should be hung, drawn and quartered, like some people because, to be honest, it didn't stir that much emotion in me. My wife is going to be very disappointed, she loves that show.

[rushbass]

I have all of Torchwood Season 1 episodes, but I have not watched them yet... I also have all of the Sarah Jane Adventures Season 1 (same deal - haven't watched them yet)... the past year has been a busy one for me!

 

I am a really big fan of Doctor Who, and have loved the return to TV series with both Christopher Eccelston and David Tennant... I did "keep up" with this series, and have seen all the episodes through season 3, including this past Christmas episode, Voyage of The Damned... isn't the internet a great thing?!

 

I really need to watch the Torchwood Series 1 episodes and get caught up... one of the main reasons I never really did watch them when they came out, was because I heard that the whole show was more or less a vehicle for promoting a certain "lifestyle" as you have illuded too... but, as I have all the episodes, I guess I will give them a shot... luckily, the Doctor Who episodes have had a lot less of that element...

 

[Mandalorian Hunter]

QUOTE (Slaine mac Roth @ Jan 17 2008, 05:40 PM)

3) The idea of the rest of them forming a cohesive whole in Jack's absence was another plot idea that was squandered. Maybe it would have been better to keep Jack's return until episodeallowing an exploration of how the team operated without him and providing some much needed character development.

There wasn't really much point in doing that. In 'The Sound of Drums' from the recent Who series, we'd already learned they were sent on a wild goose chase across the Himalayas, so they wouldn't have had much time to become a fully cohesive unit. Especially as Jack was picked up by the Tardis sometime before Saxon election, and the doctor meeting martha, which I think was around four days, and was dropped off a couple of days after Saxon won the election.

 

I thought the episode was quite good. There's more opportunities to explore his past as Marsters is back later in the series, and I think the involvement of Martha should be fantastic.

 

Of course, I'm bouyant from the news that Jack'll be in the upcoming Who series. I'm hoping he becomes a permanent companion for the 2009 specials.

[Slaine mac Roth]

Having missed the last half of Who S3, I din't know about that