Torchwood: Season One - Sexy, Dark, and Dangerous

Spun off from the wildly successful resurrection of the Doctor Who series. Torchwood is the name of the series as well as the name of the secret (or it seems, not-so-secret) agency of the British government first developed by Queen Victoria to deal with the possibility of alien threats. By that, we do mean alien as in from outer space. Sounds strange? I'd recommend checking out the second season of Doctor Who, the episode titled: Tooth and Claw.

Anyway, the series Torchwood follows the adventures of agents of that British agency. This agency doesn’t answer to pretty much anyone. There are some hints that other government agencies know about them, and there us some indication that other government officials do have the ability to contact them, but unlike other government agencies, Torchwood pretty much is out there on its own. A character Doctor Who fans have seen before is at the center of the show, Captain Jack Harkness (portrayed by John Barrowman).

The pilot for the show has a British policewoman, Gwen Cooper (portrayed by Eve Myles) stumbling upon the organization. Trying to learn more about it and the mysterious Captain Jack becomes an obsession for her. Eventually, she is absorbed into the organization.

What follows is a season of odd happenings, all dutifully followed up on by the high-tech brigade that works outside of the law and government authority. In each episode, the team investigates some report of alien activity, usually around their base of Cardiff, Wales. On occasion the underbelly of society exposes itself and shows that humans are possibly the stuff of nightmares rather than aliens. Rather than becoming just the alien of the week, Torchwood uses humanity, aliens, and some neat gadgets to create a rather dark vision of the world we live in.

Torchwood builds on events from the Doctor Who universe, such as the Cybermen attack, and manages to deal with a few lingering questions and loose ends as well. It's more brutal and dark than it's ancestor, however. In Cyberwoman, the way Jack attempts to kill the titled character is particularly brutal, and some might argue it goes too far. It also speaks a lot to Jack's make-up. He is much like a soldier who knows his duty and won't let emotion, feelings, or humanity get in the way of what he believes needs to be done.

The Torchwood seen in Doctor Who episodes was a grandiose agency. What we see now is something much smaller although just as technically advanced. Was this the result of the events in the Doctor Who Season Two finale, Doomsday, or is it just that the Cardiff bureau doesn’t quite have the funding that other Torchwood branches have? That is never really made clear during this season. More about the status of the organization itself is revealed in the Third Season of Doctor Who and subsequent stories.

Does it hurt the series at this point? Not really. Torchwood: Season One is time to sit back and enjoy the ride, getting to know the characters better. In addition to captain Jack and Gwen, there’s Owen Harper (portrayed by Burn Gorman) who is a womanizing medical specialist, Ianto Jones (portrayed by Gareth David-Lloyd) who is something of a Guy Friday for the organization, and Toshiko Sato (portrayed by Naoko Mori) who is a technical specialist. There is a great deal of character development this season, which might account for the season being a bit lacking in the action department. If you’re expecting the fast pace of Doctor Who, you might be disappointed by how much of Torchwood is character driven.

That’s not to say it’s lacking for aliens. There are a wide variety of threats never seen before in the Doctor Who universe. There are aliens known as Weevils, faeries, scavengers, and a being that kills people during the height of an orgasm.

Yes, you read that right. The one major difference between Torchwood and Doctor Who is the nature of the stories. While most of the Doctor Who storylines are pretty family friendly, Torchwood is definitely adult themed. There are many storylines involving sex as well as gay and lesbian themes. Captain Jack himself is a bisexual and does kiss a man during the course of the series run. There are hints that he is conducting a relationship on the side with Ianto. Gwen and Owen also have a relationship, despite the fact that she has a man at home she professes to love and who loves her. There are a number of relationships throughout the season that are adult in nature. In addition, Torchwood doesn’t shy away from adult language at times.

Even the attempts at a light episode are more grounded. Out of Time starts out as a funny Christmas show where three people from 1953 fly through a temporal anomaly and land 50 years later. It goes beyond the normal things you would think they would have issues with. In 1953, London was just coming off food rationing. The two women seem freed by the advance into our modern time, while the man not only suffers for losing the family he left behind but also the social values that have changed. It’s sad in the end, and not at all what I was expecting.

However, as I was watching this for the first time, I couldn’t wait to see the next episode and for the next disc to arrive. The series is good, and if you don’t have issues with the sexuality and language, I think it’s something people will enjoy if they watch Doctor Who. It definitely doesn’t have the more whimsical and lighter nature to it that some of the Doctor Who storylines do.

The action factor is terrific, although I thought there was a lot of time devoted to the characters rather than action. It’s a different approach and in some ways doesn’t work as well as it should have. Although I felt like I knew the characters pretty well at the end of the series, I don’t feel like I cared about them the way I should have. Tosh’s loneliness is illustrated quite well, but for some reason it didn’t make me sympathetic. The same Is true of Owen’s and Ianto’s development as well. The characters evoking the most emotion seem to be Jack and Gwen - perhaps purposely.

The DVD release is loaded with special features, from various commentaries to ten minute long segments about each episode. These are all compiled together for the final disc titled Torchwood Declassified: The Complete Series.

Being a fan of Doctor Who doesn’t guarantee you’ll like Torchwood, but I know I did. I can’t wait to get started on the second season, which most have said is better than this. The first season might not have been perfect, but it was extremely good as a science fiction series definitely geared toward adults.


SPECIAL FEATURES

Disc One:

• Commentary with Russel T. Davies, Julie Gardner, and Brian Kelley on Everything Changes
• Commentary with Richard Stokes, Chris Chibnall, and Eve Myles on Day One
• Welcome to Torchwood
• Torchwood on the Scene
• Torchwood Out of This World
• Deleted Scenes

Disc Two:

• Commentary on Ghost Machine with Director Colin Teague, Burn Gorman (Owen), and Writer Helen Raynor
• Commentary on Cyberwoman with Director Michael James Strong, Writer/Producer Chris Chibnall, and Gareth David Lloyd (Ianto)
• Commentary on Small Worlds with Director Alice Troughton, Composer Ben Foster, Eve Myles(Gwen)
• Torchwood Out of This World

Disc Three:

• Commentary on Countrycide with Writer Chris Chibnall, Director Andy and Gareth David-Llloyd
• Commentary on Greeks Bearing Gifts by Producer Richard Stokes, Director Colin Teague, and Writer Toby Whithouse
• Torchwood: Sex, Violence, Blood, and Gore
• Torchwood: The Team and Their Troubles

Disc Four:

• Commentary on They Keep Killing Suzie by Director James Strong, co-Producer Chris Chibnall, and Brian Mitchum
• Commentary on Random Shoes by Producer Richard Stokes, Director James Erskine, actor Paul Chequer
• Torchwood on the Road
• Torchwood: The Team and Their Troubles
• Deleted Scenes

Disc Five

• Commentary on Out of Time with Eve Myles, Composer Ben Foster, and Director Alice Cramptons
• Commentary on Combat with co-Producer Chris Chibnall, Burn Gorman, and Director Andy Godnick
• Torchwood: Moments in the Making
• The Captains Log

Disc Six

• Commentary on Captain Jack Harkness by Producer Richard Stokes, Director Ashley Way, and John Barrowman
• Commentary on End of Days by by Producer Richard Stokes, Director Ashley Way, and John Barrowman
• Torchwood: Moments in the Making
• Torchwood: On Time
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes

Disc Seven

• Torchwood Declassified: The Complete Series





Doctor Who on DVD: 


The First Doctor (William Hartnell) 

The Beginning Collection ~ The Keys of Marinus ~ The Aztecs ~ The Dalek Invasion of Earth ~ The Rescue/The Romans ~ The Web Planet ~ The Time Meddler ~ Lost In Time ~ The War Machines

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) 

Lost In Time ~ The Tomb of the Cybermen ~ The Mind Robber ~ The Invasion ~ The Seeds of Death ~ The War Games

The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) 

Spearhead from Space  ~ Doctor Who and the Silurians ~ Inferno ~ The Claws of Axos ~ The Sea Devils ~ The Three Doctors ~ Carnival of Monsters ~ The Green Death ~ The Time Warrior 

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) 

Robot ~ The Ark in Space ~ The Sontaran Experiment ~ Genesis of the Daleks ~ Planet of Evil ~ Pyramids of Mars ~ The Brain of Morbius ~ The Hand of Fear ~ The Deadly Assassin ~ The Robots of Death ~ The Talons of Weng Chiang ~ The Horror of Fang Rock ~ The Invisible Enemy ~ The Invasion of Time ~ The Ribos Operation ~ The Pirate Planet ~ The Stones of Blood ~ The Androids of Tara ~ The Power of Kroll ~ The Armageddon Factor ~ Destiny of the Daleks ~ City of Death ~ The Leisure Hive ~ The E Space Trilogy ~ The Keeper of Traken ~ Logopolis 

The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) 

Castrovalva ~ Four to Doomsday ~ The Visitation ~ Black Orchid ~ Earthshock ~ Time-Flight ~ Arc of Infinity ~ Black Guardian Trilogy ~ The Five Doctors ~ Warriors of the Deep ~ Resurrection of the Daleks ~ The Caves of the Androzani 

The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) 

The Twin Dilemma ~ Attack of the Cybermen ~ Vengeance on Varos ~ The Mark of the Rani ~ The Two Doctors ~ Timelash ~ Revelation of the Daleks ~ The Trial of a Time Lord

The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) 

Delta and the Bannermen ~ Remembrance of the Daleks ~ Battlefield ~ Ghost Light ~ The Curse of Fenric ~ Survival 

The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) 

Doctor Who - The Movie

The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) 

Doctor Who 2005 - The Complete First Series 

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) 

Doctor Who 2006 - The Complete Second Series ~ Doctor Who 2007 - The Complete Third Series ~ The Infinite Quest ~ Doctor Who 2008 - The Complete Fourth Series ~ Planet of the Dead ~ The Next Doctor


DOCTOR WHO MOVIES

The Doctor Who Collection: Doctor Who and the Daleks ~ Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.


OTHER RELATED SERIES:

Torchwood Series One ~ Torchwood Series Two ~ Torchwood Children of Earth

The Sarah Jane Chronicles
 




© 2008 Patti Aliventi