Jack Vasen
During the heyday of the Tenth Doctor came this spin off. This show is nothing like Doctor Who. This review deals almost exclusively with season 1 and 2, not the specials.Torchwood is dark and melancholy. While Sci-Fi is probably the best classification for it, it really doesn't fit any typical classification. There are elements of fantasy, but I wouldn't put this in the fantasy genre. There are elements that are closer to pure magic. While Torchwood deals with existential themes, it stays away from any religious doctrine. I find it interesting how it deals with resurrection in both season 1 and season 2. It definitely doesn't go the route of zombie shows. And while it hints that there may be a price for resurrecting someone, in season 2, there really isn't a price other than for the walking dead person.In season 1, many of the episodes are melancholy. The show deals with many of romances, but more from a conflict standpoint than any hope of happy ever after. The episodes are more about the stress and difficulty of finding hope in the protagonists fight against alien invaders. In season 2, some of the episodes are a little brighter, but many are not.Despite what you might expect after seeing the Torchwood organization appear in Doctor Who, these guys are a bunch of amateurs who often have no idea what they are doing and often don't even use common sense in dangerous situations. This is definitely not Unit. Except on rare occasions, their most potent weapon is a semi-automatic handgun. They usually rush in with little intelligence gathering and little planning. In one episode, they rush into a warehouse filled with armed and hostile humans and spend several minutes standing around staring at the alien while the hostile humans discover they are there and then gain tactical advantage. High-school kids could do a better job.Especially in the first season, the show is really a chance to talk and tease about sex and sexual innuendo. While there is no nudity, and few sex scenes, there is plenty of it happening and being talked about and lots of kissing especially between men. What's more is that none of these people have any scruples about fidelity. Gwen claims to be devoted to Rhys but it is clear that she doesn't think that precludes relationships with other men both physical and emotional.The acting is good. The characters are mostly complex. It is too bad that we really don't learn detailed backstories for Tosh, Owen and Ianto until near the end of season 2. I find Tosh particularly compelling. I wouldn't call the actress, Mori, glamorous, but as you watch her over time she is incredibly sexy. And Tosh is probably the one who displays her emotions, and even more, is honest about them.The characters deal with difficult existential issues. From the beginning, Gwen challenges the boss, Jack, to see the lives of the humans they deal with, not just the fate of humanity. What do they do when an alien is enslaved by humans and even tortured? How do you deal with the family of a human who has had their life ruined by effects of the rift and can't ever realistically be reunited with that family? How do you deal with that individual when they become a danger to society and must be stopped or even eliminated?Yes despite my criticisms, there is much to this show. And many of those criticisms are not as much about the quality of this show as they are about my personal dislike of how they are handled. My show rating is always based in large part with my enjoyment and that is the case with Torchwood. If you like dark and melancholy this show may be for you.
wagner624
I've read a couple reviews for this show and believe that most negative criticism must be coming from folks who aren't registering that this is meant to be satirical in nature. Granted it's definitely not meant for all audiences, but if you are expecting too much then of course you will be disappointed. Clearly the show takes a queue from Dr. Who in terms of formatting, and may borrow from The X-Files from time to time for reference material, but that's exactly what makes it great. The writers intentionally poke fun at those that follow too seriously subject material that should never be taken seriously to begin with. Oh, and yes I do agree the sexual innuendo is quite liberally applied throughout the show, but I don't think the writers intend it for children...Keep a light frame of mind and I'm sure you will enjoy it, it's a fun ride!
gigglymimi
At the beginning, Torchwood was an interesting show with a really long plot, we couldn't figure out what was going to happen - or who was going to show up. At first, it was pretty much like Doctor Who just with Gwen Cooper on these long journeys with the "gang" throughout the city, fighting monsters - and figuring out alien lifeforms. As we get to the second season, there is VERY LITTLE sci fi, and more drama. I, personally, could predict everything that was going to happen in the drama fest - it felt like high-school to me, not a sci fi show about aliens. One of the main characters who barley talks dies (no surprise!) and some new character shows up in the next episode that is some alien life-form who controls minds. REALLY??!?!?! Is that all you could think of?!?!? This show turned for the worst, it's like a soap opera with drama aliens. I suggest watching Dr. Who if you want to watch anything good.
