So I’m going to try watching Torchwood again. I first watched most of Series 1 back around 2010/2011. I was about 18 and, having discovered Doctor Who with Series 5 and having gone back and watched most if not all of the Modern Series up to that point, decided that because I enjoyed Captain Jack Harkness in Series 1 of Doctor Who would try Torchwood since he was in that. I didn’t have anyone to warn about the adult content at the time. I think I skipped Episode 2 entirely and had to fast forward through bits of I think Episode 10 (what ever number Out of Time was). I finished the season and enjoyed most of it, but never went past it. So I deceided to try watching the series again. As I watch, I’ll post my thoughts. (Note: This will not be all in one go. There will probably be gaps between chunks of episodes fairly often.)
Ooh! Exciting stuff. Good luck!
I’ve always had a kind of mixed opinion of Torchwood. I wish that it was better than it is,but I can see potential there, even when it is being… very Torchwood. Excited to hear what you think!
So I finished Episode 1: Everything Changes. It’s good. I like the idea of darker, grittier series in the Whoniverse. It definitely has potential. Whereas Doctor Who is about wonder of the universe and about hope all mixed up in fun adventures where everybody usually gets a happy ending, Torchwood is much more realistic. It’s no wonder that they’re all messed up. Given access to alien tech that you don’t really understand, watching a friend commit suicide because the “job” has turned into an obsession/addiction. It’s mentioned that this stuff is kept out of the hands of the government because they’d abuse its power. And yet in this episode, we have a character corrupted by the power offered by an artifact who pays for it with her life. There is a lot of potential for interesting storytelling that the main show just can’t do. I highly doubt I’ll bother with the Torchwood audios from Big Finish (I have already listened to couple though) as there’s way too Doctor Who that I want to get through. Anyway, I’m definitely intrigued and am interested in keeping going.
Episode one is one of the Torchwood episodes I always go back to. The opening sequence in the rain is so compelling, and I love the mysterious feeling as Gwen searches out Jack.
That must have been a bit of a shock then! Haha.
Enjoy! It definitely has its ups and downs but series 3 Children of Earth is absolutely stunning.
Good luck. I did the same a couple of months ago. Seasons 1 and 2 are a bit uneven but it is worth it for seasons 3 and 4.
I remember reading about it when Torchwood was first coming out and initially I was worried that the adult nature would spill into Doctor Who. Its not unheard of for a ‘reboot’ to ‘adult up’ a show, like Battlestar Galactica, to appeal to the now adult fans of the original. Thankfully that didn’t happen for the most part.
I enjoyed Torchwood for the first 3 series. While I admit for the first series it seems to be trying in some ways to be ‘edgelord’ for the sake of it, that does ease off by the end of the 1st and actually has some really sweet moments. (Original Captain Jack)
For the second and third series they manage to find that balance and become a mature scifi show rather than an adult one. Not having to hold back and cater for a Saturday evening leads to some interesting stories while keeping within the ‘rules’ of DW.
My only downside to the show is the fourth series. While the concept was solid I personally found it too long and too ‘American’.
Also as a bonus: I remember them advertising Suzie Costello as a main character to hide her turn and death.
I don’t agree with your takes on seasons 2 and 4. I think the second season has a lot of the same problems as the first one. If it was not for all the talk about season 3 then I might have quit during s02 (probably not but I was struggling). But I loved a lot of season 4 it feelt like it expanded the world of Who.
I suppose it’s different tastes. When 1+2 were coming out I was in my early 20s and by the time the 4th came out I had moved on with my tastes. Maybe it is also Rose Tinted Glasses that help me with the looks back as it has been a loooong time since I watched them. My previous post is purly based on recollections from a decade ago.
idk, I think season 4 kind of loses the charm of seasons 1-3 a bit, it feels too americanised for me personally, and while I like the concept, there’s so many things with it that they just drop as ideas and then never pick up on again
Still think season 1’s the worst overall, but I think the highs of 1 are better than the highs of 4
Season 3 is definitely the best, I’d put season 2 in second, I think it’s got some of the same problems as season 1, but it’s much less so, and they find a way to do actually mature stories instead of super immature ones (cough cough day one cough cough)
Actually thinking about it though, I probably would put season 4 as my least favourite.
For season 1, Day One is awful, and End of Days is a letdown, but other than that there’s something to like in every other episode, and some of them are genuinely really good: Countrycide, Out of Time, Captian Jack Harkness
Apparently I have some controversial opinions here. I love Torchwood, it’s what got me back into Doctor Who, and I’m a big Miracle Day apologist. It has its issues, but I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as most people make it out to be. I also dislike S2 more than S1 - I’m just not a big fan of the Owen arc, so there are more episodes in S1 that I keep coming back to. Yes, the highs of S2 are higher (I’m a John Hart lover), but there are many more lows for me, personally. Then again, Cyberwoman is my second favourite episode (after Countrycide), so maybe my opinions shouldn’t count.
Personally I think most of S1 is not super good, but it’s got its good moments, especially in the back half of the season. Season 2 is a definite improvement, but still nothing great. Children of Earth is very good, although I personally don’t think it’s quite as good as people usually make it out to be. Miracle Day is also really good overall IMO, but man every episode is like an hour long and all of them should have been cut down a bit because somehow they all feel even longer than that and it took us 2 months to finish the season because we just rarely felt like we had the mental energy to watch even one episode. I’d probably say 3>2>4>1 for my rating, but I think I’m a little lower on Torchwood than a lot of people are, and it’s definitely my least favorite of the 3 major spinoffs
Finally got up the drive to jump back in with S1: E2 “Day One”. And, it’s not as terrible as I’d thought. It’s the best I’ve seen, and I still hate that they went for the “we’re adult so we’ll put a lot of sex in it” trope. That said, there’s some interesting character development in it and we get to know the main cast a little better. It’s actually a really good episode for Gwen. That said, it’s not one I’ll ever return to.
Early season 1 is strangely rough
There’s somereally solid character stuff in there, and episodes that are so close to being good but there’s just one glaring fault.
Cyberwoman is great… but the costume is so bad it ruins the episode
Day One has some great character stuff for Gwen… but the main plot is an alien that kills through sex
etc etc
Yeah. It’s an interesting side of the universe, not necessarily a favorite one (I don’t plan on delving into the expanded stuff much), but one I want to give a second chance.