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llywelaSpent most of the double-bill first episodes jumping up and down squeeing, "That's my city! I've been there, I've stood on that spot, I walk down that road every day, I remember when that was a damp, mildewed disused dock, I saw them filming by there...!"
As for what I actually thought of the show...
I enjoyed it. Such a relief. It was a strong, promising start to a brand new show.
The narrative structure of the show is highly reminiscent of Rose, introducing us to the Doctor through the eyes of the eponymous Rose. In Torchwood, the narrative is also given to us through the eyes of an outsider stumbling upon a strange new world, in this case police officer Gwen Cooper. And it works because Gwen is a sympathetic character viewers can relate to. She's good at her job, plucky and inquisitive, and stubborn enough not to give up when a mystery proves tricky to untangle. She's got a nice, normal life, with a nice, normal flat and a nice, normal boyfriend. And then along comes Captain Jack and Torchwood and she's plunged into a strange new world. Starting her incredible new job, she stumbles her way through it much as any real person would - nervous and unsure of herself, fumbling with unfamiliar situations and procedures, making mistakes, antagonising co-workers... It works. It really does.
Watching, I remembered all the reasons why I loved Captain Jack when he was on Doctor Who. Here, as the head of Torchwood 3, he's more of a mystery than ever - to himself, as well as us and his colleagues. When the Doctor and Rose met him, he told them he was looking for answers, because two years of his life had been taken from him by the Time Agents - all memory of those two years completely wiped out. And now here he is in the Cardiff of today, presumably still with that two year hole in his memory, but also a new mystery about himself that he has no answers to - what happened to him on the Gamestation, Satellite Five. He knows that he died there that day; what he doesn't know is how he was brought back to life, or why that has had the effect it has.
Because, as a weird kind of side effect of Tardis!Rose's resurrection of him, Jack now cannot die, and he has no idea what that means. He's living in hope of one day finding the Doctor again, believing that only he can provide him with the answer.
...which kind of explains what Jack is doing working for Torchwood, an organisation that supposedly considers the Doctor an enemy. Just how he got to 21st century Cardiff from the abandoned Gamestation in whatever year it was is another matter entirely. Maybe if we keep watching we'll find out.
Oh, and he keeps a severed hand in a jar that's valuable to no one but him. That's the Doctor's severed hand from the Christmas Special!
So. Not perfect, by any means, and there were a number of things I had issues with. But I enjoyed watching it, which is a good start.
Lots more I could say, but that's enough to be going on with.
As for what I actually thought of the show...
I enjoyed it. Such a relief. It was a strong, promising start to a brand new show.
The narrative structure of the show is highly reminiscent of Rose, introducing us to the Doctor through the eyes of the eponymous Rose. In Torchwood, the narrative is also given to us through the eyes of an outsider stumbling upon a strange new world, in this case police officer Gwen Cooper. And it works because Gwen is a sympathetic character viewers can relate to. She's good at her job, plucky and inquisitive, and stubborn enough not to give up when a mystery proves tricky to untangle. She's got a nice, normal life, with a nice, normal flat and a nice, normal boyfriend. And then along comes Captain Jack and Torchwood and she's plunged into a strange new world. Starting her incredible new job, she stumbles her way through it much as any real person would - nervous and unsure of herself, fumbling with unfamiliar situations and procedures, making mistakes, antagonising co-workers... It works. It really does.
Watching, I remembered all the reasons why I loved Captain Jack when he was on Doctor Who. Here, as the head of Torchwood 3, he's more of a mystery than ever - to himself, as well as us and his colleagues. When the Doctor and Rose met him, he told them he was looking for answers, because two years of his life had been taken from him by the Time Agents - all memory of those two years completely wiped out. And now here he is in the Cardiff of today, presumably still with that two year hole in his memory, but also a new mystery about himself that he has no answers to - what happened to him on the Gamestation, Satellite Five. He knows that he died there that day; what he doesn't know is how he was brought back to life, or why that has had the effect it has.
Because, as a weird kind of side effect of Tardis!Rose's resurrection of him, Jack now cannot die, and he has no idea what that means. He's living in hope of one day finding the Doctor again, believing that only he can provide him with the answer.
...which kind of explains what Jack is doing working for Torchwood, an organisation that supposedly considers the Doctor an enemy. Just how he got to 21st century Cardiff from the abandoned Gamestation in whatever year it was is another matter entirely. Maybe if we keep watching we'll find out.
Oh, and he keeps a severed hand in a jar that's valuable to no one but him. That's the Doctor's severed hand from the Christmas Special!
So. Not perfect, by any means, and there were a number of things I had issues with. But I enjoyed watching it, which is a good start.
Lots more I could say, but that's enough to be going on with.
