08-24-2009, 09:16 PM
Torchwood: Children of the Earth (2009: Season 3 -- 5 episodes)
A friend turned me onto the British TV series Torchwood. I watched the first and second seasons and fell in love with the show. There were some weak episodes the first season, but it ended strong. The second season was more consistently good, and it finished very strong too. The thing about Torchwood is that each episode builds upon all past episodes. None of them are throwaways, and things keep building, getting more complex. The characters clash, and these clashes are never forgotten. By the end of the second season, Torchwood has become a landmine of emotions among the team.
At the core of Torchwood is Captain Jack Harkness, played brilliantly by John Barrowman. What a sensational actor. What a screen presence. And gay? He kicks butt being gay (though perhaps kick isn't the right verb). He's charismatic, funny, dashing. And kiss? He could kiss the lips off a sucker through ten-inch-thick aquarium glass. Back when Will and Grace was being casted, he was under consideration for the role of Will. But the producers rejected him for being "too straight." Christ. What they meant was that he didn't fit their gay stereotype. John Barrowman has done more for gay acceptance worldwide than all the sitcom gays combined and multiplied a hundred-fold.
But back to Torchwood. Two solid seasons, with lots of emotions building. Yet the show never loses its sense of humor. Humor comes in every conceivable form. Sometimes the credibility is sacrificed for a bit of humor. I laughed hard and often through the first two seasons, and I couldn't wait for the third season to come out.
Finally it came out, and despite the rumored "long wait" at Netflix, I got it right away.
Season three is a lot different than the first two seasons. There's really only one story, told in five episodes, each an hour long. The story? The Children of the Earth. I really don't know how much to tell you about it. It's actually quite good. But, well, this is not the Torchwood of the past. This is grim stuff. I mean, things get off to a gloomy start, and then they just get worse. There's government cover-ups, abuse of power everywhere, there's deceit and backstabbing, there's tragic losses… And at the center of it all are the children of Earth, who are up for grabs, thanks to the corruption and cowardice and cruelty of those in control. And Torchwood? They're under attack, being eliminated, and things go from dismal to hopeless. Yeah, I shouldn't say much more about this, except that it is dark, darker than you could ever imagine, bad things skidding into a black abyss that closes over you and, well, there's always the ending, you know, the ray of hope that things will all work out…
But don't bet on it.
This was the most depressing TV series I've ever seen.
A friend turned me onto the British TV series Torchwood. I watched the first and second seasons and fell in love with the show. There were some weak episodes the first season, but it ended strong. The second season was more consistently good, and it finished very strong too. The thing about Torchwood is that each episode builds upon all past episodes. None of them are throwaways, and things keep building, getting more complex. The characters clash, and these clashes are never forgotten. By the end of the second season, Torchwood has become a landmine of emotions among the team.
At the core of Torchwood is Captain Jack Harkness, played brilliantly by John Barrowman. What a sensational actor. What a screen presence. And gay? He kicks butt being gay (though perhaps kick isn't the right verb). He's charismatic, funny, dashing. And kiss? He could kiss the lips off a sucker through ten-inch-thick aquarium glass. Back when Will and Grace was being casted, he was under consideration for the role of Will. But the producers rejected him for being "too straight." Christ. What they meant was that he didn't fit their gay stereotype. John Barrowman has done more for gay acceptance worldwide than all the sitcom gays combined and multiplied a hundred-fold.
But back to Torchwood. Two solid seasons, with lots of emotions building. Yet the show never loses its sense of humor. Humor comes in every conceivable form. Sometimes the credibility is sacrificed for a bit of humor. I laughed hard and often through the first two seasons, and I couldn't wait for the third season to come out.
Finally it came out, and despite the rumored "long wait" at Netflix, I got it right away.
Season three is a lot different than the first two seasons. There's really only one story, told in five episodes, each an hour long. The story? The Children of the Earth. I really don't know how much to tell you about it. It's actually quite good. But, well, this is not the Torchwood of the past. This is grim stuff. I mean, things get off to a gloomy start, and then they just get worse. There's government cover-ups, abuse of power everywhere, there's deceit and backstabbing, there's tragic losses… And at the center of it all are the children of Earth, who are up for grabs, thanks to the corruption and cowardice and cruelty of those in control. And Torchwood? They're under attack, being eliminated, and things go from dismal to hopeless. Yeah, I shouldn't say much more about this, except that it is dark, darker than you could ever imagine, bad things skidding into a black abyss that closes over you and, well, there's always the ending, you know, the ray of hope that things will all work out…
But don't bet on it.
This was the most depressing TV series I've ever seen.
