It begins with a CSI-style sweep over Cardiff, and a crime scene. There's blood, a corpse, rain, forensics and the police.
Before anyone can do pretty much anything, they're all cleared out. Torchwood, apparently, have told them to clear the area. Who are Torchwood? The attending officers are as in the dark as we, the audience, are. Special Ops, they say. As one Welsh accented forensics officer says in the opening five minutes of Torchwood's first ever episode: "There's no procedure any more - it's a f**king disgrace". Thankfully, the episode isn't.
Over the next few minutes we're treated to the temporary resurrection of a murder victim via some form of mystical gauntlet, a bar fight, and a snarling creature with a nasty habit of biting people in the neck. With spurting arterial blood spray, and everything. 15 minutes in, and it's clear that this, if anything, is a distant relative of Doctor Who, at least in terms of content. Swearing, blood, adult humour, sexuality, and Welsh accents abound in Torchwood.
Torchwood is, unapologetically, aimed at the adult audience. Perhaps this is why the BBC have chosen to air the series on its more cult focused, and digital only, BBC3 rather than going for a prime time BBC1 slot. It seems that they want to keep this as far from Doctor Who as possible, lest it be mistaken for cuddly, tea-time family entertainment.
For those that don't know, the series is a spin off from the first and second seasons of the BBC's new Doctor Who. Taking the Captain Jack Harkness character from the first series, and the Torchwood institute from the second, it takes place in modern day Cardiff, and features a team of, essentially, misfits in their hunt to track down aliens. And presumably any other nasties that the script writers decide to toss their way.
One other thing that links the series to the new Doctor Who is actress Eve Myles. She's previously appeared in the first season episode "The Unquiet Dead". At this stage there's no apparent link between the character she played in that episode and the character she plays here, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility. As Gwen Cooper (her previous character's name was Gwyneth, fact fans), Myles manages a likeable level of bemused confusion in the first episode. As the audience is discovering many of Torchwood's mysteries at the same time as she does, it's important that they can identify with her. Also, as she's given quite a lot of time on screen, it's quite important she's not irritating. Thankfully, she achieves both things well.
Article comments
1 - media_lush
personally I was very disapointed.....it was just like Dr Who with added sex and violence and ludicrous swearing...that is it maintained the level of writing at the same target audience of Dr. Who but seemed to add "adult" elements as an after thought. If you're going out after the watershed you can expect to have adults as your audience, not kids staying up past their bed time!
2 - Andrew Ian Dodge
I was tempted by that the bloke who plays lead really irritated me in "What to do about a Problem like Maria? However I will give it a chance based on this. I would rather it have been more Millenium than Angel but you can't have everything.
3 - Dirty Idea
Not impressed. The worst part comes first: the team. Their manner of introduction reminded me of the Spice Girls. This is Sporty Torchwood, Posh Torchwood… This much achieved, the episodes use any available plot twist to ensure that yes, we are still aware that Jack is Sexy Torchwood and that annoying little twat is ‘boyish but clever for his age’ Torchwood.
We are also to believe that they are so used to living surrounded by aliens that they don’t pay attention to a dinosaur flying around. I wasn’t able to join Gwen’s sense of awe and wonder, nor was I able to smirk at “how cool” these wild Torchwood guys are. All I could think was “Smack the conceited little mare” for her flippant copmment about the flying beast. This juxtaposition between the newbie’s sense of wonder and the seasoned pro’s complete ambivalence works with Doctor Who, though it wears thin. Here, with four people non-plussed by these amazing happenings, it grates before the end of episode 1. There’s only so many times you can hear “a transmimensional, blood sucking doo-dah…. so what?” before you start thinking “Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re hardened to this, she’s new, you’re a pro, yadda yadda”.
Also painfully crowbarred in is the Jack/Gwen thing. It’s such a terrible cliche. She’s devoted to her man, who’s a bit boring, Jack’s gorgeous and exciting, but wait, she’s not leaving her man, but he must have her, he’s attracted to her like he never has been, blah, blah and I woke up and it was all a dream. For something that’s tagged as adult sci-fi the long term plot is transaprent and the characters are cardboard cut-out poor. Likewise, the Weevil is in place for later happenings, no doubt, as we are constantly reminded of it and Jack ensured we are aware of an open plot line by rubbing our nose vigorously in the fact that “we don’t know why! Eh? Eh?”. And “Twat-Kid… don’t you go taking that trap out again! Eh? Eh?” Oh please.
That said, there were some nice parts. The guy’s final remarks before his 2 minutes were over. The rough shagging in the toilets. Well, actually, that’s about it… not up to the mark yet.