Torchwood 4.04 Escape to L.A.

[selenak]

Back during BTVS's seventh and AtS' fourth season, I reached the point where I was more an Angel than a Buffy fan. Not in general for the shows in totem, either then or looking back now, and no, I didn't hate the seventh season (it had a lot I appreciated but I think it undeniably showed the signs of narrative exhaustion whereas AtS' fourth season

Comments

[crossoverman]

Whereas I have decided to stop watching Torchwood until I've got all the episodes - so I can watch them all at once, because this week-to-week thing is making me dislike the show because after each episode I'm shrugging my shoulders and wondering "So, I guess Children of Earth is the best TW we'll ever get?"

[buffyannotater]

Have to say I agree. If I didn't commit to reviewing it each week for my site, I would probably do the same thing. Each week, I feel more and more distant from the show, and more perplexed by what it is trying to accomplish. And I'm also not sure if I care any more.

[ffutures]

I still can't figure out who is behind this - my top five candidates so far are

Cell 114, the aliens who infiltrated using sleeper agents (Torchwood S2) - "They're already here"
The Time Agency (trying to create the timeline they come from in some way)
The ghostly invaders from the Dickens episode of Dr Who.
The Slitheen (Dr. Who and SJA) - another attempt to get rid of the human race and make a profit.
Abbadon.

I think Cell 114 are most likely, given that story was left open-ended. It seems a little subtle, but maybe their normal techniques are more devious.

[selenak]

:) I'm very happy to hear you say that. When one is enthusiastic about something it's so good to share the fascination and enthusiasm!

[zahrawithaz]

You raise a really interesting point on how one's interest in a show and its spin-off can fluctuate, especially when there's plot exhaustion on the first show, or the second sufficiently distinguishes itself, or your own emotional life journey brings you to a different place...Glad you are enjoying the Whoverse in some guise!

And you grow ever-more persuasive on the case to watch Torchwood. Alas, I shudder at the thought of sitting through some of the earlier episodes. (Memory shivers, as I did shudder through some of the early episodes and, well, am not quite over it yet.) And yet it doesn't seem like the type of show you can jump into mid-stream. Is there a place you recommend beginning, in the unlikely event I have time to catch up?

[selenak]

Actually, you can start with Children of Earth (i.e. the third season, so to speak, though it consists of "only" five episodes), because that is a miniseries of its own, and all the information you need is given on screen. It has additional layers when you know the entire show, but by now several friends of mine have watched it who haven't seen any earlier Torchwood and had no problem following. (Some were inspired to go back and watch the first two seasons, others didn't but continued watching with Miracle Day.) One thing RTD is good at is building in these occasional references to the past that please old viewers without making new viewers go "what the hell?". For example, there's a very early scene in Children of Earth where Gwen, arriving at her place of work, quickly touches a photo showing two people sitting on her desk and says "hello". This only takes a few seconds, and if you don't know yet who Gwen is and who the people on the photo are, you still get by her tone of voice they're absent, most likely dead friends.

[torn_eledhwen]

Jilly is such a PR. I've met PRs like her. Lauren Ambrose has it dead on.

And word to the "Torchwood folk do stupid things" element. Also, Rex can hardly talk, as he's visiting his dad.

[selenak]

Rex is sitting in a house of glass indeed, and I'm curious whether Esther will find out, given she knows from his files his father lives in L.A.