The Ups and Downs of Torchwood

Compared to Who (both classic and new) and The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood has always been my least favorite Whoniverse show, and it really shouldn’t have been.  In series 1 of new Who, Captain Jack Harkness is an instantly entertaining character, hugely watchable and cutting a pretty unique figure within the genre of sci-fi.  A spinoff about him should have been a rollicking good time, fast and funny and nerdy and sexy, sort of a “Who after dark.”  And yet…

To start, I’ll say that when Torchwood works for me, it really works.  Unfortunately, big chunks of the series just don’t fire on all cylinders.  It begins on particularly rocky footing – I think it was a misstep to center on Gwen as the curious police officer who discovers Torchwood and joins the team, positioning Jack as the enigmatic leader.  First, it feels like a switcheroo after promising a series about Jack.  The good captain gets far too little focus in series 1, and much of what we do get revolves around how mysterious and inscrutable he is.  Plus, while there are hints of the dashing, omnisexual, former-Time-Agent rogue we know and love, Torchwood Jack is mucj grimmer and less fun than Who Jack.  He’s saddled with more of a “brooding hero” persona here, and the funnier, flirtier, livelier side of him is relegated to occasional seasoning.  This, for me, is the main hurdle, but it’s not the only one.  Series 1 is hamstrung by numerous episode misfires (the season finale being one of the worst – oy vey,) Owen, Tosh, and Ianto are pretty underwritten, and the sex/violence/cursing feels immature instead of adult, like the show is saying, “OMG, check out what we can show – they’re totally doing it!” 

Though series 2 is far from perfect, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the shaky first season.  (Not that series 1 has nothing to offer; “Out of Time” and “Captain Jack Harkness” are both very fine episodes.)  “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” opens series 2 on a wonderfully high note, delivering everything the title promises.  When I first saw it, my prevailing thought was, “There’s the Torchwood I wanted!”  Fast and funny and nerdy and sexy, with lots of focus on Jack – finally!  I wouldn’t say it’s an indicator of the entire season, but it gets things off to a good start and precedes more character-centric storytelling that spreads the love among the ensemble more.  Recent companion Martha provides delightful crossover, everyone’s characterization is adjusted or fleshed-out as needed (Ianto in particular is a cypher in series 1,) and “To the Last Man,” “Fragments,” and “Exit Wounds” join “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” as favorite episodes of the series.

Sadly, that’s when things start to dip again.  Series 3 and 4 are both “event” seasons centered around single plots – Children of Earth and Miracle Day – that just aren’t worth the extended focus.  Though there are some neat effects, cool moments and big twists, both arcs are riddled with logic holes and, what’s worse, crank up the “adult” stuff way too high.  Not so much the sex or the violence, but the actual plots themselves.  This is around the time that Russell T. Davies’s showrunning philosophy seems to shift from “Ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things!” to “Man is the greatest monster of them all!”  I don’t know what happened to RTD’s faith in humanity, but Torchwood suddenly becomes all dark, all the time.  Everywhere you turn, it’s Evil Bureaucrats! and Human Sacrifices! and Actual Concentration Camps!  It’s just an oppressive bummer.  There’s good emotional storytelling (see “To the Last Man,”) there’s good dark storytelling (see “Sleeper,”) and then there’s storytelling crammed with bleakness and emotional manipulation.  As with series 1, there are still good moments to be had, but it doesn’t touch any of the episodes I loved in series 2 – raise a glass for the Torchwood I could have had.