Torchwood: Everything Changes
First impression: I really like Torchwood. It's dark, there's plenty of rain, there are good solid Welsh accents, it's much sexier than Doctor Who, and really, I do think it's better.
I know I'm going to get Everything Changes and Day One confused - not the plots, which are distinct enough, but which of the smaller details happened in which. But never mind, nearly everyone else will have seen them back to back as well.
The exposition effect wasn't quite as clear as it could have been, but I'm not at all sure that's a bad thing. Something that's immediately evident is that, for some reason, Torchwood doesn't suffer from the slightly claustrophobic feeling in Doctor Who, where it's evident that there are only 50 minutes in the episode, and that's a clear limit. In Torchwood, the pacing is much more smooth. Gwen's introduction to Torchwood is gradual and effective. I can't help contrasting it with Rose, and the suddeness of the Doctor's arrival in that.
The way in which we got to look around the Torchwood HQ stands in stark contrast, as well, to the brief flashes that are all we ever see of the Tardis interior. And there's the business-as-usual joke, which is endearing in itself. One has to wonder how many people have followed Jack Harkness home since he started working for Torchwood.
It's very plain that the series is going to be tied firmly to the Doctor Who continuity, though. Two charatcers we've seen before, the hand, and lots of small references. That's pleasing in and of itself; I'm enough of a geek to enjoy the cross-references and touches here and there.
Everything Changes was enough to convince me that Torchwood is going to be a series well worth watching.
Posted by Drew Shiel at October 23, 2006 10:30 PM
