Torchwood in the NYTimes

[ivyfic]

(I'd like to point out that this post was written before I watched CoE, which I have now seen.)

Torchwood was on the front page of the NY Times Arts section this Saturday (Gay Heroes and a Reptilian Monster, from the BBC). This is what baffles me about this article:

America these days gets its televised science fiction in a narrow spectrum, from serious to grim. (Hello, "Battlestar Galactica.") Even relatively lighthearted fare like the "Stargate" franchise strives for a certain level of surface plausibility.

Which may explain why the British series "Torchwood"...has been such a success with American audiences and critics. Maybe we have a hankering for aliens who appear to be wearing our old Halloween costumes and for stories of such giggly impossibility that we’d be embarrassed to watch if we had a second to stop to think.

Wait...Torchwood is the lighthearted antidote to serious sci fi like BSG? Uh...I do not think this person has been watching the same show as me. Because Torchwood has such a complex about being angstier/grimmer/more "adult" than thou.

I think the reviewer has mistaken poor execution (schizophrenic writing, hammy acting) for earnest, intentional farce. I just...don't think "giggly" is ever a word I'd use for Torchwood. Except maybe for the cyberwoman/pterodactyl fight. But make no mistake. I am laughing at them, not with them.

Comments

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

Ah, so you did get to see it? Cool.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed. Post will probably follow.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think the reviewer has mistaken poor execution (schizophrenic writing, hammy acting) for earnest, intentional farce.

Bingo. I was gonna say that just because Torchwood fails to be serious as it thinks it is doesn't mean it's not, essentially, trying to be serious. It's probably not helped by the joking that goes on a lot that is not just gallows humor.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

The article says that the show is about derring do and witty banter. No, I'm sorry, that's Andromeda. Well, the later seasons. The earlier seasons still tried for serious moral dilemmas.

There is action in Torchwood, yes, and there is some banter, but really? It's not exactly fluff. They killed a main character in the pilot, for fuck's sake. And introduced another one as a step up from a date rapist. And had their moral touchstone cheat on her husband. They've had whole episodes about how what they do just fucks people up and makes them commit suicide. And that's just season one. This isn't exactly Buck Rogers.

I would even say that they're mistaking Torchwood for Doctor Who, which is occasionally light-hearted fun spacey stuff. But Doctor Who is also pretty frickin' dark at times. The more I think about it...the more I realize almost every sci fi show I know has dealt with heavy duty morality stuff and had seriously grim episodes. I don't even know what the reviewer thinks he's looking for.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I know. I was trying to recall plots of season one on Torchwood and the first thing I lit on was Suzie. Who basically murders people to bring them back to life because she can then, when she gets caught, leaves herself a way to get back to life (through the deaths of others, naturally). Yeesh.

Doctor Who is mostly goofy. It's hard to say with Old Skool Who a lot of the times because it's just so dated. But there are a lot of really good serious ethical debates to be had there even so. I think the fact that Who encourages a laugh is worse than those that don't--laughter is a good way to hide some really fucked up shit. (Just look at Pushing Daisies.)

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

The lesson of the pilot of the series was that access to alien technology corrupts people--everyone in Torchwood, not just Suzie.

The thing is, sci fi is a genre created for examining moral dilemmas. Even the most ludicrous of the genre still have episodes wrestling with moral issues. And in this case, I would put Torchwood squarely in the same category as BSG. Both are about the sacrifices people make to survive; the morals and ideals you give up when you have no choice. It's just that one was really well written (well, the season and a half I saw, anyway). And the other is not.

The reviewer has clearly seen the whole miniseries (since they spoiled the damn thing), but how they could watch even the first episode of this, which is all about setting up an Eichmann-like character to demonstrate the banality of evil, and come away merely with an impression of "giggly impossibility"... They've mistaken plot holes for the intent of the show. Idjit.

Also, cat spent all day sitting on Barrowman's face.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Aww, kitty. She, like most creatures, has a vested interest in being closer to John Barrowman.

As for the rest of it, WORD.