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- BBC-1
- Jul 8, 2011
- BBC-1
- Jul 8, 2011
Summary Torchwood, a spin-off from the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who, follows a group of investigators working for the secret organisation of the same name. Set in Cardiff, Wales the team specialise in alien technology that has landed on Earth, and crime, whether it be alien or human. The mysterious Captain Jack Harkness is the leader of the eq...
- BBC-1
- Jul 8, 2011
- BBC-1
- Jul 8, 2011
Summary Torchwood, a spin-off from the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who, follows a group of investigators working for the secret organisation of the same name. Set in Cardiff, Wales the team specialise in alien technology that has landed on Earth, and crime, whether it be alien or human. The mysterious Captain Jack Harkness is the leader of the eq...
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
70
71% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
29% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
70
71% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
29% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A summertime winner here on the strength of strong acting, engaging writing and an immediately gripping premise.
The story line is expertly structured, especially after the first hour's exposition, as potential explanations emerge and the pieces begin to fit together. And the writers maintain an all-important sense of humor, not just with the one-liners among the team members but with shrewd social satire.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 50 User Ratings
6.5
62% Positive
31 Ratings
31 Ratings
18% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
20% Negative
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 50 User Ratings
6.5
62% Positive
31 Ratings
31 Ratings
18% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
20% Negative
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
A thrill ride that actually makes you think. Torchwood is a British show that has lived a charmed life over the years but remains to be as resilient as its immortal lead character. After the hit and (largely) miss first two seasons the show exploded onto a much bigger, and critically acclaimed, scene with the five-part mini-series 'Children of Earth' in which the British government conspired to surrender 10% of its children to an alien species. Captain Jack Harkness (the immortal hero played by John Barrowman, star of Desperate Housewives among others) was forced to sacrifice his grandson in order to defeat the invaders in a shocking twist in the final episode. Torchwood had finally found its feet and discovered how to create shocking, thrilling, chilling and thoughtful drama and it hasn't looked back since. 'Miracle Day' starts with Oswald Danes (played by the thoroughly magnificent Independence Day star, Bill Pullman) being dosed with a lethal injection as punishment for the sexual assault and murder of a twelve year old girl but something goes horribly wrong. After a few minutes of writhing agony it becomes clear; he won't die. Mekhi Phifer's CIA character Rex Matheson suffers a similar fate when his is impaled after a freak car accident as it becomes clear that this issue has become a global one. Dark themes are explored here with solders, of whom are blown to bits, remain alive (even after being beheaded by a surgeon in a chilling/funny scene halfway through the premiere). Danes, the now immortal murderer, argues that he has been punished for his crimes and that now should be released; a wish that is granted by a local governor threatened by legal action. The Torchwood team, in ruins after the events of 'Children of Earth' come back into the fold to unravel the mystery in explosive fashion as Captain Jack leaps from a suicide bomber out the top floor of a tower block and Gwen Cooper (Welsh actress Eve Myles) blows up a helicopter with a bazooka, obviously. Torchwood is a mix of fascinating intrigue, sound acting, mind-blowing action sequences, chilling themes and impressive writing (from the likes of Doctor Who's Russell T Davies, House's Doris Egan and Buffy's Jane Espenson). Despite a few questionable moments, Torchwood is unashamedly magnificent madness which you'd be a fool to miss.
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SEASON 4
It manages to remain faithful to the tone and lively style of the original. Newcomers really don't have to be well-versed in Torchwood lore or "Doctor Who," the series that spawned it, to get a kick out of sci-fi craziness of it all.
As a straight-ahead sci-fi tale, it's engrossing: how is this happening, who is doing it to us, and how does it relate to Captain Jack's own blessing/curse of immortality? The social aspects, however, are handled more hamfistedly so far.
As the series proceeds, the fiction of the bigger events--e.g. global immortality--is made believable or at least compelling by tiny touches that perfectly anticipate how society would respond.
The Miracle Day mystery itself feels, at least at first, hopelessly tangled. Viewers may be willing to give it some time, though, because the action provides an entertaining ride.
The show has been slowed down this season and stretched out to fill those 10 hours, which means we spend too much time thinking about the story as it develops into a not very interesting allegory involving health care, death lists and big pharma.
The first episode ****. But they have been getting better. I am really enjoying the new americanized Torchwood. The have made the transition very well. I do wish they'd stuck with the first two seasons idea of monster-of-the-week but that's just personal opinion. The cast and crew have done a fantastic job of this season and I can't wait for the next episode.
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SEASON 4
I've loved the direction this show has gone since the first two series. I loved that it has moved from it's "Alien-of-the-week" format and into the miniseries/One-Big-Global-Issue format. This series is more slower than usual but I'm enjoying the story more and how the plot is laid out seems real and relevant. I'm not happy with the "Americanization" of the show but in order to reach the American audience I understand the decisions they made.
The distance from Doctor Who is a nice touch too as it is quite clear that the two shows are completely independent of one another. I would like to see Capt. Jack on Doctor Who again though. but that is neither here nor there. The John Barrowman plays of Mekhi Pfeifer well and I can't wait to see more of it.
Loved it so far, can't wait for the finale tonight.
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SEASON 4
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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SEASON 4
Being a die-hard Torchwood fan, I had rather high expectations for this fourth series. Unfortunately, there were entirely too many different **** to mention double the number of needed episodes to portray such positively atrocious writing. Mr. Davies completely tossed out three years of established canon and I was left more than a wee bit disappointed. There were a few bright spots, but on the whole, they were few and far between.
Personally, I'd recommend fans who've been there from the beginning of series 1 to give this Americanised version a pass. Stick with what Torchwood is supposed to be: Wales, the Hub and Captain Jack Harkness.
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SEASON 4
I confess that I started watching the 4th season without having seen any of the previous seasons, and without knowing much about the show's background (something about an anagram for Doctor Who?). So it's possible that I'm watching this show without the correct context.
However, as a NEW viewer, and under the impression that the seasons were more or less self-contained, I was intrigued by the premise. A world where no one dies, and the agents that had to track down the source of this mystery: it sounded like it could be interesting.
So boring.
So ridiculously bland and uninspired, I was amazed at how much they'd spent on the marketing. With that kind of budget, you'd think they could have hired some decent writers.
The revelation "miracle day" event is really dry, and the exposition is completely unimaginative. A nurse tells a CIA agent that she's checked with other hospitals, and no one's died. People just won't die. Even in the UK, no one's dying. It's a miracle. I thought it was luck, but obviously something is interfering with life. No one's dying. And on and on and on for a few more minutes.
No one bothered to do any kind of fact-checking, so you're continually "taken out of" the show by the obvious inconsistencies made by the production team. A CIA agent spells Torchwood over the phone (to another agent), letter by letter, rather than using the phonetic alphabet (which I'm pretty sure the CIA uses). The fluid in a lethal injection IV is neon green, since we're all too dumb to understand that clear liquid could be poison. A rifle with a gigantic suppressor on it is just as loud as the rifle firing back at it (without a suppressor). The list goes on.
Did I mention how boring the show is? The dialogue is wooden, the actors try way too hard (or not at all), and any sense of danger or suspense that might be generated by the many action scenes is lost because we don't know who these characters are, so there's really no reason to care if they live or die. And they can't die, so now there's even less of a reason.
The characters are lifeless, all attempts at intrigue or suspense fall flat, and even the "what if no one could die" premise starts to feel played out by the end of the first episode.
If you're new to the show, do yourself a favor, and don't waste 51 minutes of your life on this.
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SEASON 4
