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In case anyone was wondering what the new Doctor Who spinoff series 'Torchwood' is like (I know that it's going to be shown soonish in Canada, not sure about the US), here are a few slightly spoilery thoughts.
It's basically 'Angel'.
That's not a criticism, it's an inevitable comparison. This is a much darker, more disturbing spin off of a far lighter series. The main character (Capt. Jack from the mothership) is a man living in a foreign country in which he has come to feel at home, with a dodgy and mysterious past, who became a hero through his association with (love for?) the main character of the original series. He now runs a small crew of maladjusted and slightly odd people who work to help the hopeless. Although in this case, they're saving them from evil aliens (in latex masks), not demons (in latex masks).
Said main character spends a lot of time standing on the edge of rooftops, walking through rain at night etc in a long dark coat. Scenes are intercut with flyovers of the city at night.
Having only seen the first two episodes it's impossible to say honestly how good this is going to be, although it's pretty good so far.
There's the same mixture of epicness and ordinary everyday recognisable from DW, but this is absolutely NOT a children's show. There's graphic-ish sex, violence and gore, although not more so than Battlestar Galactica. The main problem that most people (and probably the US networks) will probably have with it is the amount of swearing. To be honest, it's probably not really overdone, but it is noticeable and acts a useful clue to those who might have been hoping to let their little kids watch it, that they might want to think again unless they want to explain to little Amy why that man just got his head bitten off. And then there's the same-sex kissing - everyone in this show pretty much snogs everyone else.
Storyline - the misfits work for a secret organisation which uses alien technology to fight alien crime. A little like if the Men in Black were amateurs.
The best thing about the show for me so far, is that the glamorous city we're seeing in those flyover shots is... Cardiff, capital city of Wales (if you don't know, think of the most boringly normal city in North America - I won't say where, don't want to get flamed by loyal residents ). The fact that it's set in Britain’s most ignored city, widely believed to be incredibly dull, makes me want to love this show. Many of the characters are Welsh, accent and all, which makes a refreshing change from London and Manchester.
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If you post twice together on a thread, six months apart, can you claim that thread as your own?
Anyway, the new series started tonight on the BBC, in case anyone's interested. It was a good, self-contained story with quite a few laughs.
SPOILERS.... * * * * * Ep 1. A London hospital is kidnapped by alien police. The Doc's new companion is a med student. She seems more relatable than Rose, to me. She's different, in that, so far, she seems to actually think and reason things out more, and yet still takes risks. Her family are awful, but she seems to have more of an actually productive, important life to leave behind. She’s got exams, a career, and yet she's lured by the potential for adventure...
This is such a likable show.
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I love the tenth Doctor, by the way. Perhaps it's a good thing it's not on all the time, since I'm married and all.
The actors and dialogue are what makes this show work despite the most ridiculous plots and even more ridiculous aliens. Whenever the aliens show up I just have to chuckle ... I actually like this show? But I do love the characters and the actors who play them.
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). The fact that it's set in Britain’s most ignored city, widely believed to be incredibly dull, makes me want to love this show. Many of the characters are Welsh, accent and all, which makes a refreshing change from London and Manchester.![[Cool]](cool.gif)
