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Torchwood: Are we looking forward to it or not?

Started by LARF, 17 October, 2006, 02:25:57 PM

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Adrian Bamforth

Steven Moffatt is apparently working on a Jekyl & Hyde series ('Mr Hyde'), so considering the BBC's new enthusiasm for rejuvinating old characters in a contemporary style for their Saturday evening slot I guess that may well be the next.

ADE

wrighty47

You'll not get me arguing with many of those points. I too think that Moffat's stories have been the better ones in each season, tho I do think he played the manipulation of emotions trick too. I loved Girl In The Fireplace just as much as Empty Child, and when some hated parts of (the pretending to be drunk scene for example), I often thought them as some of the episodes strengths.

I honestly do think that RTD does indeed think that way, and you have to be honest and say that the success the show's had bares that out, whether you personally like it or not. Whether people would have still watched if done like the old series, or more seriously or darker, then we'll never know. I personally think that it wouldn't have had the success it has.

Like everyone, I don't think the show's above criticism however, and I too have episodes I don't like (as much as others) but I just accept that not everything works for me and just enjoy the show for what it is, rather than what I think it should be.

For the record, i'm a big fan of Doctor Who... and I mean a big fan, tho not to the degree that I don't see it as anything more than a tv show I really enjoy watching. My fave period being the 60's & 70's but I can also enjoy later periods, and just coz I didn't like say "Delta & the Bannermen" doesn't mean I thought the show as a whole was crap.

Alan!

DavidXBrunt

Ah - and there's a lot riding on this Alan - what do you think of The Gunfighters?

wrighty47

eeek Now the pressure's on!

The Gunfighters... hmmm. First time I saw it I thought it was awful, but watched it again recently and enjoyed it much more than I previously had. I could survive without the Linda Baron singing but the story as a whole has many redeaming points as well as number of things that don't work. I loved the scenes where everyone thinks the Doctor is Doc Holiday, certainly the shoot-out at the end is quite well realised (for a tv show of it's type and time), and I particularly enjoyed the early scenes where Steven is trying to act the part of the cowboy, much to Wyatt Eearp's amusement. That said, even ignoring the historical  innacuracies of this story, there are a number of things wrong with the story. A lot of the comedy elements don't always work for me, and the less said about the sets the better. The story really does drag in the middle, and the whole thing could have been told over 2 r 3 episodes,as oppossed to 4.

Erm, have I sat on the fence here?!  :D

I'd say that it just about gets away with things as an experiment, tho by no means is it a favourate of mine from the Hartnell era, and although watchable (tho mainly as a curio) I certainly wouldn't want every story to be done this way.

To sum up, i'd say that The Gunfighters was an experiment in storytelling for the series, that produced a mixed bag result.

Alan!

DavidXBrunt

You have narrowly avoided a killfiling. Let that be a warning to you all. Your god has spoken.

Filthy assistants to me!

wrighty47

I'm just glad you didn't ask me about Delta & the Bannermen!  :)

Alan!

Leigh S

i think in many ways the new series is too fannish for me - I know I'm having my cake and eating it here after lambasting RTD for popularism, but here me out...

The Doctor drunk scene plays to a fan audience I think, who like to see the Doctor doing something a bit outside what you'd expect of him - a "broader, deeper" doctor if you will. Sometmies that works for me, but more often, I feel they're trying to bolt stuff that has never been seen before on in order to justify their love of this old TV show as something more than just a nostalgia/kids thing

Though possibly, I'd have been less critical of the scene if it hadnt been staged with all the tension of an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine, and Timmy Mallett wasnt standing in for Tennant that day.

Quirkafleeg

Christ, it's getting worse... it was like some rejected Bill episode that someone's pulled out of a bottom draw and added a handy gadget to. Then padded it out with a pointless chuck on an evacuee. Oh and top goggled-eyed 'acting' towards the end along with some great psuedo deep stuff on 'ghosts'... but top marks for piss-poorness, 'let's add something that looks sort of cool but makes no fucking sense' the alien targets in the gun range. Jesus-wept...

wrighty47


JamesC

I think Torchwood suffers from the same thing as new-who; mainly that you're always conscious of how much better it could have been.
Personally I think that a reboot of U.N.I.T would have been more fun than the whole Torchwood thing. I'm thinking Ultimate Force meets the Sea Devils!

Rex Banner

As a perfect antidote to RTD UK Gold is showing Tom Baker Who.

Genesis Of The Daleks is on at the moment on UK Gold+.

Eric Plumrose

>> The typos in my last few posts have been horrendous!

Heh. That may well explain why I misunderstood what you meant, assuming I did.

If I were half as articulate as the Watcher or PVS, each post would be a wonderful deconstruction as to the failings of new Who: not only as a continuation of the old show but as a drama series in its own right. But I'm not, so I'll just stick to saying it's shit, and nod in agreement when someone voices an opinion I agree with.

Now let me be! I need to watch Ghost Machine so I can have an informed arsehole as to why it's crap.
Not sure if pervert or cheesecake expert.

paulvonscott

TORCH WOOD...

DARK WOOD...

DARK PLACE...

What a hysterical load of tripe.  I chuckled heartily through that.

Lentil's anguished cry was robbed straight off Rick Dagless MD when he had to crush the still living head of his decpaitated best friend.  With a spade.

The tetsuo style man was really a nasty touch, perhaps spoilt a little by too much lingering on it.

Really, it's too much to take seriously.  A Dean Learner production with a budget.



Cthulouis

My brother raised the point the other day that Captain Jack = Captain Scarlet.

paulvonscott

He might make a good Captain Scarlet.