Torchwood: Adrift
Mar. 27th, 2008 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecatTorchwood moved to Friday. Nobody told me! I had to resort to other means (which in this instance were remarkably swift).
I feel there is a sort of pattern emerging to season 2 Torchwood. Torchwood 3 are no longer as egregiously incompetent as they were in season 1, on the other hand they fail to convince as an elite unit. They are no longer randomly mutinous - when they go against orders we see good reasons for them to do so; and the episodes have a much better hit rate in terms of delivering moving and interesting stories but still have more plot holes than a self-respecting TV show should rightfully expect to get away with. In particular the stories often hinge on people doing things for no reason other than to advance the plot, the plot holes are often not just bad SF but also plain bad characterisation.
So Adrift: beautifully shot, well-acted (especially Eve Myles and Kai Owen (Rhys)) with some nice characterisation of their relationship; moving; well-paced; with Gwen (mostly) being made to actually work for her information. On the other hand it all falls apart like a house made of cards when you think about it, and it falls apart at a characterisation level. Jack has absolutely no reason, whatsoever, to be concealing this facility from his own staff. None; nothing I can think of. It's not shameful (except, frankly, the conditions he's keeping these people in - again for no discernable reason - mental hospitals, you know, don't actually have to leak and it is possible to paint the walls occasionally), there's no separate agenda here that he doesn't want Torchwood or officialdom to know of, the only reason he's keeping it secret is because otherwise Gwen would have nothing to investigate. I also suspect that those who already have a problem with the depiction of mental illness in new Dr Who would be less than enamoured with the "he looked into a dark star and now screams primally for 20 hours a day, but is perfectly rational and lucid for the other 4" (for crying out loud). Nor was I ultimately convinced by the reaction of Jonah's mother Nikki. Obviously folk vary, but this is presented as a justification for secrecy - people are better off not knowing that their loved ones are mentally and physically scarred - and I can think of so many people who have fought for, looked after and loved terribly injured people that Nikki's response, presented as it is, as the everyman viewpoint is really terribly insulting.
EDIT: Oh, and so much for all those people complaining that Jack couldn't be shown having sex in Torchwood because he was also tied to the parent show :-)
I feel there is a sort of pattern emerging to season 2 Torchwood. Torchwood 3 are no longer as egregiously incompetent as they were in season 1, on the other hand they fail to convince as an elite unit. They are no longer randomly mutinous - when they go against orders we see good reasons for them to do so; and the episodes have a much better hit rate in terms of delivering moving and interesting stories but still have more plot holes than a self-respecting TV show should rightfully expect to get away with. In particular the stories often hinge on people doing things for no reason other than to advance the plot, the plot holes are often not just bad SF but also plain bad characterisation.
So Adrift: beautifully shot, well-acted (especially Eve Myles and Kai Owen (Rhys)) with some nice characterisation of their relationship; moving; well-paced; with Gwen (mostly) being made to actually work for her information. On the other hand it all falls apart like a house made of cards when you think about it, and it falls apart at a characterisation level. Jack has absolutely no reason, whatsoever, to be concealing this facility from his own staff. None; nothing I can think of. It's not shameful (except, frankly, the conditions he's keeping these people in - again for no discernable reason - mental hospitals, you know, don't actually have to leak and it is possible to paint the walls occasionally), there's no separate agenda here that he doesn't want Torchwood or officialdom to know of, the only reason he's keeping it secret is because otherwise Gwen would have nothing to investigate. I also suspect that those who already have a problem with the depiction of mental illness in new Dr Who would be less than enamoured with the "he looked into a dark star and now screams primally for 20 hours a day, but is perfectly rational and lucid for the other 4" (for crying out loud). Nor was I ultimately convinced by the reaction of Jonah's mother Nikki. Obviously folk vary, but this is presented as a justification for secrecy - people are better off not knowing that their loved ones are mentally and physically scarred - and I can think of so many people who have fought for, looked after and loved terribly injured people that Nikki's response, presented as it is, as the everyman viewpoint is really terribly insulting.
EDIT: Oh, and so much for all those people complaining that Jack couldn't be shown having sex in Torchwood because he was also tied to the parent show :-)
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-28 04:43 pm (UTC)During the titles, whenever I hear Jack utter his final "Torchwood is ready" statement, I always feel "Torchwood is woefully underprepared" would be more accurate.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-28 05:13 pm (UTC)