And here I thought this was going to be an easy pass

[rj_anderson]

Question: Do I want to watch Torchwood? It would be very helpful if someone on my f-list would tell me that it is smutty self-indulgent crap so that I no longer have to be tempted by the surprisingly good reviews I'm seeing elsewhere on my f-list. Thank you.

Comments

[alawston.livejournal.com]

It's very good indeed so far, although I imagine mine isn't the most surprisingly good review you've read, given how hungover/drunk I was when I wrote it :)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I hadn't actually seen your review, but now you've made me curious... *goes to look*

[alawston.livejournal.com]

Well, not a review as such. I find it very hard to write a review of stuff I really really like. And I did really really like Torchwood.

[tybalt-quin.livejournal.com]

It's smutty self-indulgent crap.

...

Well ... it's not complete crap. It's got potential. And Captain Jack is teh hawt. And some of the one-liners are v. good. But for a darker, more adult sci-fi show, it seems to equate "adult" with "lots of nookie and double entendres" rather than mature themes like dealing with the consequences of your actions. Also, you can see the flesh coloured knickers during one of the sex scenes, which made me snigger for all the wrong reasons.

I also think that Gwen is basically a Rose-who-actually-does-love-Mickey-substitute and apart from Jack, the only other character I was drawn to is Iando (who I suspect will be the firm fan favourite because he's geeky cute and seems to have a dry sense of humour). You'll see the 'twist' in Episode 1 within the first 5 minutes and Episode 2 had a cop out ending (in my ever so humble opinion).

You're better off working on Knife and ignoring the favourable reviews. Go - edit. Edit now!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

*bows gratefully*

Thank you, that was just what I needed to know.

[doire]

It’s finding its feet.

I need to watch it again, telling myself firmly, that it’s not Doctor Who, but some thing new with links back.

And it’s smutty and foul mouthed and very funny in places where you wouldn’t expect combined with flashes of “that hurts”, I had wondered if it was 50 minutes rather than the 45 minutes of DW because they were expecting to need cuts on export.

[cryptile.livejournal.com]

Only seen first one so far, but . . . editing is nice, camera work nice, protagonists (mostly) okay. There's a bit of emotional distance but Jack looks very very nice and the opening scene is really good.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, it was your review that really threw me. I thought, "Oh rats, if cryptile likes it, then it's probably actually good..."

[cryptile.livejournal.com]

Shucks :D

-- however, the second episode is crap, having just watched it. Self-indulgent smut that isn't terribly fun. I'd compromise and just stick with Ep 1; the teaser for next week looks good though . .

[yunitsa.livejournal.com]

It is smutty and self-indulgent, rather, but I'm not yet concluding that it's crap :) The second episode was a bit of a let down, I'm not sold on the main character, and they need to let those aerial shots go already, but I'm sure I'll keep watching.

[the-gentleman.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's like Angel. Right now, they're forced to concentrate on the plot of a single episode to introduce new viewers to all the characters and concepts, but once they've got a decent backstory in place it should give writers more stuff to play with. Russel T. Davies only wrote the pilot, and the rest of the writers seem to be mostly new to Doctor Who in general, so it seems like it could go either way- although the BBC have probably sunk enough money in to it that they'll commission a few series, which should hopefully give it the time to find its feet.

[infiniteviking]

Eh, not watching it. The Doctor using *gasp* SWEAR WORDS is adult enough for me.

(Helps that I don't have a TV. ^_^)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I know! What's up with that? That is one of my major beefs with the new series. The Doctor was so much more alien-seeming when he didn't swear.

[infiniteviking]

Exactly. (And that's a perfect icon for the subject. You always make such good ones.)

[tkurogrym.livejournal.com]

Definitely not going to defend swearing in a 'children's show,' but I have to confess it didn't seem completely inappropriate coming from the darker, post-traumatic stress disorder Nine, at least.

[--kali--.livejournal.com]

Try the first episode and see if you like it. As I was taught: there is no better review than your own views.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend the first ep. Haven't seen the second, but have heard nothing that inspires me. It's ... I dunno, like Alias without SpyDaddy?

(Man, that's what Torchwood needs. Dear Victor Garber...)

I want to punch Jack in the face, and Owen needs to be raped and eaten by bears, but the rest of the cast seems awesome. That's ... not inspiring you to download, is it? *grin*

[tkurogrym.livejournal.com]

Eh, good advice here already. But I'll toss in a stranger's perspective, just to waste more time here at work.

I was fully prepared to dislike it; after all, I found Captain Jack amusing but not overly compelling in Season 1. Now, after episode 4, I find that I'm enjoying it immensely and even warming toward Jack -- despite the smutty self-indulgence, plot holes, and Angel-wannabe syndrome. It's not high art. No way. But the little references to Doctor Who, the potential for character-driven subtext, and the transformation of Jack into a somewhat darker hero all contribute to making it worth the downloading and the viewing hour.

It reminds me of fanfic, in a way. Self-indulgent but still a bit of a romp. (Some of the visuals of episode four made me laugh uproariously, but I thought the emotional arc was intriguing in spite of the goofy visuals. Old Skool Who is a *great* training ground for that, eh?)