Why you should watch: Torchwood’s first season
“The 21st century is when everything changes… and you’ve gotta be ready.”
How could a whedonite not fall in love with this show? Really.
I mean, it’s taylormade, just the right size. This screams Jossverse so loud at times I wondered if Russel T Davies was conscientiously trying to pull off those similarities. And I don’t mean any disrespect to RTD’s work with these statements. BBC’s Torchwood is anything but a stolen copy. It stands on its own and walks proudly blowing kisses to homophobes along the way. But the winks… well, they are definitely there. And on occasions they’re just full-blown survival waves.
Torchwood revolves around a British organization in charge of dealing with alien affairs and shenanigans. They’re above the law, not associated with the government and work under the authority of one Jack Harkness, a mysterious man with a hidden past. After a few events on Doctor Who’s season two, reality’s fabric is teared up pretty bad and things can slip through from different times and planets. So their main responsibility is to keep an eye on a hellmouth rift in time and space located in Cardiff, Wales.
This first statement is far from flawless, but it is undeniably entertaining. The series gets it right when it mixes some good amount of Doctor Who’s craziness with a little bit of a darker tone. So let’s jump to the good, the bad and the ugly of Torchwood.
[white review. only pilot spoilers]
Jack Harkness is the tough but charming leader, who would “sleep with anything that moves if it’s pretty enough”. Throughout the first season his past remains as the series main mystery. All we know is that he’s got this cool bracelet and… oh, he also can’t die. Rose Tyler sends her regards.
I saw a lot of a few characters I love in the Captain Harkness’ mix. The old-western hand gun, the long trench coat, the gloomy look, the haunted past, the honorable mission. I just would have never imagined that that’s what Jack would turn out to be as the head of a secret organization. Of course he still harness some of the lighter, laid back side we first saw in his earlier appearances on Doctor Who, but those moments are very rare now, and I confess I missed it a bit.
Gwen Cooper is the second-in-command. An ex-cop dragged to Torchwood’s world of secrecy when she witnesses the team working some mojo on a murder victim in the pilot. She’s got a steady boyfriend named Rhys, and their relationship turns out to be a lot more crucial to the show’s balance than we come to guess at first. Gwen has the right amount of curiosity, impulsivity, compassion and stubbornness to make this work. She pulls it off as a key – and needed – addition to the team and, for the most part, Eve Myles’ acting skills don’t disappoint. Although I gotta say, during the first season, she does suffer from the Rose Tyler’s Damsel In Distress Syndrome and, yes, it bothers me a lot. I guess, if RTD is consistent, this too shall pass and be gone right on time for season two.
We also have a doctor in the house – even if he’s one of those of a less interesting kind: Owen Harper, the Asshole. Really. He probably has every single annoying flaw of character in the book. He was made to be an asshole and, oh man, do they succeed. I really didn’t get what exactly is he supposed to add to the team, apart from his expertise, of course. Because, if you stop to analyse, you’ll see that every main character he interacts with turns out be a little less of themselves after his done with them. Gwen had her turn, so does Tosh – oh, dear – and even Jack pays his toll by the end of the season. As to my impressions, he’s the dispensable one.
For tech we’ve got the mentioned Toshiko “Tosh” Sato, the lovely but frustratingly weak, expert on all things binary. Tosh had an uneasy first season and I did expect a lot more from her character than we got at the end. I guess my biggest problem was that, at times, she’s a bit too cliché to handle and when she’s got the cue to show some strength they usually just let her fall to the background. Okay, she’s the geek, but please, every single stereotype they throw at her often seems too out of place. Mostly because she’s gorgeous for starters, wicked talented and fully independent. So really, why, God, why on Earth would she drool so profusely over Owen or even have such a shamefully low self-esteem? Except for pure and simple cliché, of course. Tosh frustrated me when her writing failed to expose what we see so many times on Naoko’s acting but is never displayed with the merit it deserves. Fingers crossed for a better second season.
And to close it off there’s Ianto Jones, the crucial gear of balance that keeps Torchwood running smoothly. Or… a glorified tea guy, take your pick. Thank the Lords of Kobol for Ianto Jones! I was happily surprised with his development throughout season one. He starts off as an uncertain character with a confusing job description [really, I still don't know exactly what it is that he does in there] but slowly, and with a crafty touch of subtlety, Ianto claims his rightful place inside the show. Gareth’s acting chops are remarkable and, of course, his look doesn’t hurt either. His chemistry with Jack is surprisingly good. The way Torchwood deals with sexuality, by the way, is another big plus on the show. This creative decision is a direction I’ve only seen taken before on Ronald D. Moore shows. No fuss, no lecture, just storytelling. Move ahead. Pretty refreshing.
Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness, Tosh Sato and Owen Harper
All in all the show closes off with a really solid start. The characters are strongly settled, the plot is paved satisfactorily and the potential for enough story to go on is exciting. Season two sounds promising!
3 out of 5
Posted in TV
Tags: cooper, doctor, gwen, harkness, jack, should, torchwood, watch, who, why, you
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