Saturday, December 01, 2007

Torchwood

I watched the last episode of the first season of Torchwood tonight. Now I have to wait until January 26 for the second season to begin. I intend to get the DVD set for the first season; maybe I can talk someone into getting it for me for Christmas (though, since the DVDs won't be released until the end of January, that's probably not practical). In the US, Torchwood is broadcast on BBC-America. A description, from Wikipedia:

Torchwood is a science fiction drama television programme, created by Russell T Davies and starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles. It deals with the machinations and activities of the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, who deal with supernatural occurrences. An initial 13-part series was commissioned by the BBC as a spin-off from the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who with which it is closely interlinked. ...

The series is set in Cardiff and follows the Wales branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. To paraphrase Torchwood Three's commander-in-chief, Captain Jack Harkness, the organisation is separate from the government, outside the police, and beyond the United Nations. Their public perception is as merely a 'special ops' group.


I very much enjoy the series and I'm looking forward to the start of season two. If you like good science fiction, then you will probably like this series. But a warning: it is a dark and disturbing program. There is sex, of all sorts (though nothing is shown); the characters are damaged people. The issues it covers are intense, the emotions are intense. Language is rough. It is NOT, under any circumstances, something children should see.

Here are the first nine minutes or so of the first episode from YouTube; they give a good introduction to the nature of the series. If you like it, you might like seeing more episodes. BBC-America is doing a marathon next weekend of past episodes.

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