Well, as a Doctor Who spin-off goes - that was more bloody like it.
I loved it. It’s got everything - engaging characters, a mature woman as heroine (where else can you see that on TV these days?) A wonderful villainess (Samantha Bond). Kids that aren’t teeth-grindingly annoying for a change. Great gadgets - sonic lipstick! How brilliant is that? An attic full of wonders. A talking computer. Great monsters. Pathos - (Sarah talking about her life with the Doctor.) and lots of humour. ‘Drink it, drink it, drink it’. It's overall sense of optimism.
On the other hand -as it’s darker spin-off Torchwood has wound on - I’ve found myself getting more and more wound up. Last week’s episode 'Combat' -the yuppies doing ’Fight Club’ with aliens really annoyed me on many levels.
A quick rundown:
it’s obviousness. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of sci-fi, and that ’being kidnapped to be put in a fight club’ plot has been done before - I didn’t like when ST: Voyager did it, I didn’t like when Angel did it. It’s a really crap plot and there have been a few too many of those in the series.
That it was written by Noel (Mickey/Ricky) Clarke (he was probably given it to write as a favour). Sorry - but I’m never going to forgive him for naming his film ’Kidult’ - Kidult is the name invented for me and people like me thank you - it does not mean ’teenager’.
Why does everyone in Torchwood have to be so miserable and tortured? they’re all crying nearly the whole time. It’s a real downer. Remember me mentioning optimism in SJA - Torchwood has got none of that. The opening lines by Jack drive it home that everything is about to change and it’s not for the good. It can only mean more misery and crying is on the way. Oh spare us.
Doe-eyed Gwen is really starting to annoy me. If anyone else says how ‘special’ she’s supposed to be, when she so plainly isn’t - I might well scream.
There’s a relentless downbeatness and a dire lack of humour in Torchwood which I’m finding depressing -is that which is supposed to make it ‘adult’? That and all the bi-sexual bed hopping? Because it’s just not working.
Oh well, it’s got tonight’s double length episode to try and win me back… it had better be good.
There’s another part of the equation I’ve yet to mention, the thing is you see - I have to secretly admit sci-fi is a bit childish. So I’m willing to suspend belief a lot more and be more forgiving for things in a ‘kid’s show’. Whereas it’s harder for me to be bothered much about the weevils in Torchwood because I know it’s a bloke in a mask.
1 comment:
I've not watched the double-ep yet, but Sarah Jane was obviously much, much better than almost, if not all, of the episodes of Torchwood. Biggest disappointment ever.
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