Torchwood: "Everything Changes"
Torchwood: "Everything Changes" Advance Review
The 21st Century is when everything changes, you'd better be ready.
by Travis Fickett
September 7, 2007 - If you didn't know better, and were only half watching and missing some of the subtle differences, you might think Torchwood is Doctor Who. It's science fiction, it has John Barrowman playing Jack Harkness and is written by Doctor Who revitalization master Russell Davies. There's alien monsters, futuristic gadgets and other trappings of the seminal Who. However, there's a moment when things take a markedly different turn and inform us that we're not in the family hour anymore.
The scene comes in the first third of the pilot and is a testament to how Davies is a master of this genre (and others for that matter). Sure we've heard some dirty words (perhaps not as many on American television, but still more than you've ever heard in Doctor Who), and the whole tone is a bit more "grown-up." But Doctor Who itself manages to hit some pretty adult notes itself, and so that's not too extraordinary here.
The scene has Eve Myles as Gwen, a beat cop in Cardiff, encountering her first alien. She doesn't scream and go running off, yelling "monster" to everyone. She tries to rationalize it. Is it a deformity? A mask maybe? And she's trying to talk to this "person" who has a grotesquely enlarged head and fearsome fang-like teeth. There's something interesting about this reversal on the typical close encounter scene - it establishes the realistic and grounded viewpoint of the Torchwood series. It's entirely likely that if you saw an alien, you wouldn't really believe that's what you were seeing and would explain it away in your head. Another man, a security guard, comes down the hall and says "That's fantastic, like Hellraiser!" And then it happens - the beast lunges for the man's throat, tearing into him with a sickening crunch and spraying arterial blood all over the wall. It's in this moment that Jack appears, grabs Gwen and takes off running (which works as a reference to the first moment The Doctor met Rose and said "Run!")
- BBC.com
There are other terrifically clever moments in this pilot, which works not only as an extension of the Doctor Who universe, but a more frank and subversive treatment of the themes found in that more famous series. It's akin to how Harry Potter learns more and more disturbing and complex things about his world as he grows up. Jack Harkness has arrived to tell you about all of the dark and horrible things that The Doctor was keeping from you so that you could still sleep at night.
There are some rough patches here. For instance, it's not exactly believable that the Torchwood institute in Cardiff has only five people. Wouldn't you want to maybe staff up if you're helping save the world from alien menaces? Also, the dialogue and a few shots here and there get a bit too precious with their attempt to immediately turn Harkness into an icon. Barrowman certainly a star, and icon-worthy - but don't rush things, let it happen on its own. Nonetheless, it's an ambitious show with great science fiction, complex and interesting characters and enough mystery to keep you coming back for more. If Doctor Who's family-friendly goofy side kept you away from that series, this one might be more your cup of tea and it's unlikely you'll be disappointed.
http://tv.ign.com/articles/818/818761p1.html