Torchwood Episode 1

[mllelaurel]

What did I think of it? You know, I'm not sure. My main problem seems to be that I just can't warm up to Gwen. Maybe - hopefully - that'll change, but for now, she's too much of a cypher. She's supposed to be a trained, professional policewoman, and Rose, a nineteen year old shopgirl, has proven herself more resourceful.

And I like her boyfriend. He may be a bit of a lump, but he seems like a sweet, decent guy. Mickey parallels?

I also kinda resent that she's the 'humanizing influence' in Torchwood, especially after seeing what Jack is capable of, in Parting of the Ways.

Which brings me to an upside: Jack. Fabulous in every scene he's in, but that's no surprise. And I have to give it to the writers. They must have thought good and hard about 'what else can we do to Jack?' Boy have they found a something! Thank you Rose. You not only raised him from the dead, but made him immortal. Handy, yet a great source of angst.

...Also, the writers seem to totally be pushing the Doctor/Jack ship, by making Jack immortal. What's the Doctor's main issue with getting into relationships? Having to outlive his lover. What won't Jack do anymore? Die on him. See me not complaining.

On to the controversial stuff: I've seen people make the rohypnol association to that pheromone spray Owen used. I admit, it did bother me a bit. For me, though, the association came through more strongly with the amnesia cocktail Jack wound up giving Gwen. I know how it was necessary, and I know enough about Jack to know he means no harm, but of the two scenes, that one unsettled me more. Analyze that as you will.

And yes. It's very clear Rusty's mainlined Angel at one point or another, and ideas stuck. I won't say the two series appear identical, but damn can it get close. ...Actually, this explains why I dislike Gwen, at least in part. She's basically Kate, whom I could not stand until her final episode. And hell, Rusty even did that thing Joss has always wanted to do - introduce a character as a lead, then kill her off in the first episode. Which is a damn shame. I liked Suzie. She was an interesting character and Indira Varma gave one of the episode's best performances.

In conclusion: Not entirely worth the hype, but first episodes are very rarely the best of the bunch. Give us more Jack, less Gwen, and more of the rest of the cast, and we'll talk.