There are certain types of fans who are never satisfied. Some of the so-called diehard fans of a show will cry and complain when even the most minor detail is changed. I can see plenty of "Torchwood" fans whining about how different the show is and therefore how bad it is (primarily because fans have already been whining from the moment the new filming location was announced). This perspective never made much sense to me in terms of this show because "Torchwood" seems to pride itself on being able to evolve with the times and adapt to survive. Can't afford a whole season? We'll do a miniseries. That miniseries, "Children of Earth," ended up being an excellent sci-fi thriller with more focused story-telling while staying true to the show that spun off of the famous "Doctor Who." As far as I'm concerned, fans got extremely lucky that 1) "Torchwood" survived to see another season and 2) found a home on cable instead of a basic network that would water it down. Indeed, the show is different. But that doesn't always mean bad. Lots of people love tuning into a show that is the exact same every week. Hence the success of procedurals such as "NCIS" or "Law & Order." But "Torchwood" is not that kind of show and this next step in its evolution is welcome to this fan.Probably my favorite thing about the new setting is the bigger budget. "Torchwood" was the kind of show that dreamed big, and now it has the budget to follow through with the heavy action it does so well. "Torchwood," in my opinion, was always meant to be the darker, more kickass, older brother of "Doctor Who." So imagine my delight when we have the Torchwood team taking down a helicopter with a rocket launcher!
This first episode was a whole lot of setting up - setting up the characters that some viewers know well and some viewers don't, setting up the plot of nobody dying (a simple yet horrifying idea), setting up the tone of a show that isn't a reboot but isn't the same animal as the last season. I love the possibilities set up with this plot and I am dying to know what and who caused the switcheroo on mortality. Was reversing mortality the only way to target Jack Harkness once and for all? He has made some powerful enemies over time (and this is my prime theory at this point.) Is it all some cruel lesson from some self-righteous humans who got their hands on technology beyond their comprehension? Or is it just a fluke in the space/time continuum? As long as the answer stays strictly science fiction and doesn't veer into magical/spiritual mumbo-jumbo (see: "Lost"), then I'm a happy camper. Now that we've brought the Torchwood team back together, I hope we see plenty more of the characters we know and love. While it was a good premiere, it had too little Captain Jack and Gwen for my tastes. Really, too little Jack. I was thrilled, however, to see Andy. Like Rhys, he's always been on the periphery of the cast which equals the best chances for survival - not so insignificant that they're glorified extras, but not so central that they get killed off. Of course, it would be Russell T Davies' cruel little joke to kill of Gwen, the last remaining team member. Or worse yet, Captain Jack Harkness. You've damaged our poor little psyches with all the character killing. Are you determined to be the British Joss Whedon or something?
All in all, a solid premiere. No sign of Lauren Ambrose yet as the evil journalist. I'm not sure if we're supposed to like Mekhi Phifer or not (guessing not considering that intro he got), but he manages to play a prick very well. Perhaps as he's burned from the CIA he'll come to appreciate and work with Torchwood and become a tragic hero (I don't see the mortally wounded coming out of this deal in one piece. After all, that would be the great sacrifice - say goodbye to your loved ones so we can all accept the necessity of death).
There were some great moments in the premiere. One came early, with a CIA agent correcting another that the Institute's name wasn't "Touchwood," a great reference to the series' sexual history. My other favorite moment came near the end, in the very quick montage of traveling to Wales. Mekhi Phifer's character hilariously describes Wales as "the British equivalent of New Jersey." In all seriousness, I was happy that they shot at least something in Cardiff. It would be odd to completely abandon their old home, so I'm glad they paid their respects. Another thing that stood out to me was that Jack used Owen Harper's name when posing as an FBI agent. I'm sure there wasn't much deep meaning to that and rather just a shoutout to the fans.
I'm very interested to see the terms of this eternal death thing. It clearly isn't like Jack's immortality, because as we learned in "Children of Earth," his body parts reassemble when detached and his wounds heal. Rather, this is more like Owen's eternal death, where he couldn't heal. Except he didn't have a pulse. But the factor that plagues me the most is the fact that the mortally wounded aren't dying and coming back to life, a la Jack and Owen. They just aren't dying at all. This leads me to believe that it isn't caused by some great time/space rift like in Jack and Owen's cases, but rather something artificial but powerful that is interfering with human life. Also, what was the Torchwood glitch in the CIA's computers? Is someone calling out for help to the one group who can solve this? Or is someone trying to call attention to the only group who can solve this in order to eradicate them once and for all? And on those overly analytical notes, I hope you enjoyed the premiere. I certainly did, and I am very optimistic about the rest of this season.
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