Monday, May 19, 2008
Torchwood
Torchwood is a BBC Wales spin-off from the popular Doctor Who series. The former Captain Harkness—John Barrowman stars. Describing it is a bit of a challenge, the series being one part sci-fi, one part horror, one part mystery, and one part detective series. I finished watching this series a couple days ago but I’m still working on digesting the experience.
Captain Jack Harkness struts the screen as if he owned it. John Barrowman who plays him is rapidly slipping toward middle age, but the character he plays bears the cross of being ageless. One of the issues this series is about is the ramifications of that state of being. This series has sexual tension but its characters are not inherently sexy. The young doctor Owen Harper spends much of his time looking very repressed with a look that betrays the emotions simmering inside. Toshiko Sato is the technical genius of the crew; Ianto Jones the gopher. Gwen Cooper, who joins the group as the series starts, represents our eyes onto the goings-on here.
The Hub, their operations centre, is a combination dungeon, science lab, computer centre and sewer. There is an air of unbelieveability about the way in which they waltz past police to conduct their investigations. This show is testimony to the abuse which flows from being above the law. No agency should be above some form of oversight. The Torchwood Mobile is as much a character in the piece as any of its human occupants. Despite my queasiness I found myself drawn into this series. We should be thankful that public television makes possible programming that would never see the light of day on a private network.
