Torchwood Reviews

I would enjoy this more if the producer didn't keep coming over all fanboyish. Spotting which other shows he's a fan of by watching Torchwood is ridiculously easy. I enjoy this show, but I would like it so much more if he'd put more originality into it.

A spin-off of Doctor Who which revolves around a secret agency dealing with alien technology and supernatural activities in Cardiff, Wales.

If you come to this looking for a Doctor Who-type show you'll be severely disappointed. It's more adult, more violent but frankly, not as good as Doctor Who. While the story concepts are interesting, much of the plot execution happens as a result of convenience. There were a number of times when I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how an episode unfolded.

Also at times the show comes across as disjointed. The early episodes have different styles that makes it hard to follow. Is it scary?, is it action?, is it funny? All of the above?

In terms of character development, the only people we really get to know is the team newcomer, Gwen and Captain Jack Harkness. Even though the other team members, Owen, Tosh and Ianto all get their own episodes, I don't have a real feel for them, as though they are after thoughts with motivations that change to suit the story. This leads to some clunkers for episodes like Cyberwoman or Combat.

But it's not all doom and gloom because Torchwood starts to improve in the latter part of the season. In particular I enjoyed "They Keep Killing Suzie", "Random Shoes", "Out of Time" and "Captain Jack Harkness" which mixes good character pieces with really well-developed stories.

What I've noticed with most episodes is that things start off interesting but then taper to this "Oh, is that it then?" type of endings. Hopefully things improve in season 2.

It would be nice if there were more decent sci fi shows but unfortunately we get stuck with this tripe. I knew it would be a waste of my time to watch it just by seeing the previews. For starters the acting isn't up to par and the witticisms are embarrassing. Especially the ones made by Captain Harkness (John Barrowman) who is even more embarrassing because he gives the impression of an arrogant sleaze. Between Harkness trying to act like a sexy devil and the ridiculous faces Gwen Cooper (Eve Miles) makes, it's enough to make you cringe.

Besides do you really think a show is going to be worth watching when it comes up with a story line about a sex addicted alien? A sex addicted alien that doesn't have it's own body but must travel to another planet just to find a host body? I think not.