2.1: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

[Milky Tears]

Opening few minutes of Episode One are on the BBC Torchwood site:

OBVIOUSLY CONTAINS SPOILERS!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/sites...es2/ep01.shtml

http://freemaagyeman.com/news/2008/0...s-two-preview/


Another few minutes are running on a BBCi/Red Button loop right now (Freeview Channel 302).

Nice use of Blur's 'Song 2'.


IT'S TOO FREAKIN CAMP AND BUFFME RIPPIN' ALREADY!!!!

Could be Chibnall's finest ever work!?

I predict forum meltdowns during broadcast.

[Wayne]

Another few minutes are running on a BBCi/Red Button loop right now (Freeview Channel 302).

Gay snog fight club.

The girls are looking nice.

[Lord President]

Gay snog fight club.

@Wayne

[enzo1701]

Woohoo... looking good! Can't wait.

[Ralph]

I thought the new Bond movie had been released

[WhiteCrow]

I don't think I'll be watching, I'll let everyone else watch, and see what their overall opinion is.

I want this too be good, but on the whole I found the first series kind of average, when it should have been great. Maybe I'm just not the target audience, or too cynical!

[Jonno]

The John Barrowman interview in the new Radio Times has whetted my appetite but - there's no sign in the listings of Declassified?

[cyberchris35]

I have just watch Jack's return preview I all I can say is I can't wait for Torchwood's return. I am counting down the days.

[Rob McCow]

We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Sometimes for the right reasons!

Top new catchphrase - Bloody Torchwood!

[WhiteCrow]

I only caught a bit of it whilst channel hopping, but what I saw was enough for me to hope for a flame war between Torchwood fans and Buffy fans which might lead to their Mutually Assured Destruction - MAD whatever way you take it.

Joss Wheldon wanted to make Ripper with a spin off of Giles based in Bristol over a new Hellmouth. RTD makes Torchwood in Cardiff over a Rift. Now give them weapons and point them at each other ...

[Si Hunt]

The first fifteen minutes were terrible - all that stupid kissing and punching for no reason. And it felt like someone had said "remind the viewers of EVERYTHING we know about Torchwood", the worst info-dump offender (of many) being the bit with Gwen in the car when for no reason she said "We know his name and nothing else about him", as you would to people who must know that full well. To the new viewer, it must have seemed like some nyphomaniac society where everyone is engaged with some sort of sexual affair with everyone else.

However, it got better and a passable story emerged. James Marsters made a good baddie, and the main plot was actually quite good as they go. Not sure about the silly fish man or trying to cram too much at new viewers at once, but it wound up quite a fun episode.

Si.

[SiHart]

It was by turns brilliant and awful- so Torchwood is back!

It was very enjoyable I have to admit. James Marsters playing Spike again was good to see... oh sorry playing Captain Hart, though very different to in the Sea Devils... Ermm... yeah. Fun. Nice to see them functioning as a team now- that must be a first.
Good-the humour, the teamwork, the gentle mocking of the things everyone thought was wrong in the first season, "Bloody Torchwood"
Bad- Owen forgetting he was shot, the guns having Torchwood written on them.

I think changing the emphasis and adding more humour is a good thing.

The preview of the rest of the season looks very good. I think this could be a good season.

Si xx

[Pip Madeley]

It was alright, but nothing particularly special (a Chinball special) - but James Marsters certainly stole the show, fun performance. But in my honest opinion, as with last season, the sexual references seem totally at odds with everything else, they actually get in the way of the main plot. I know it's meant to be for an adult audience, but it just doesn't feel like an intrinsic part of the show, it's like they're crowbarring it in. And for once I thought some of the effects were a bit ropey, the CSO bit with Jack & John descending into the Hub looked very fake/naff. Least the girls looked cute.

As with last series, I expect I'll be catching a few episodes on DVD, I just don't have the same interest in it as I do Doctor Who. I'll make a special effort to watch Mr Lidster's episode/s though - I like to support the endeavours of our forum members. But I'll be very interested to see the pre-watershed version, it's scheduled for 50 minutes, but I can't see it lasting half an hour with all the violence/sexual dialogue cut.

[Rob McCow]

John Hart's entrance was great, I loved the swirly mist. It was clearly a gateway to Buffy-world. And you don't see him in the daylight except at the end, do you? Hehe.

Random thoughts:
- I agree, it was a really obvious reboot for the series, wasn't it?
- Fish man reintroduces the team!
- There's a great bit where they say 'let's go back to the Hub, the audience might not have seen that yet'
- All the relationships are re-iterated.
- Doctor Owen Harper has a new character! He's quite nice now. Also different from Season 1, if Owen gets shot he can still remember it at the end of the episode!
- Jack went on and on about how dangerous Captain Hart was, but sends him out with Gwen on her own! Duh!
- I was enjoying the episode a lot more while Gwen was paralysed. She does great eyeball acting. She could express concern and the desire to look around all at the same time!
- Bloody Torchwood!
- The cameraman really, really loved James Masters.
- The series took the mickey out of itself a bit, with Ianto even telling Jack that he likes to go up on the roof.
- Say what you like about the Torchwood team, but you shoot them, paralyse them, poison them, beat them, throw them from a building, panic them and they still come back for more. HOW?!?!? Is this actually a spin-off from Heroes?
- It's better than last year in that the episode made sense most of the way through, everyone seemed to have a reason for the things they did and the continuity was correct.
- They even have Torchwood printed on the guns. It's good, if they're lost they'll be able to get them back easily.

It's daft as a brush, but I really enjoyed it and will be tuning in next week!

It was absolutely bloody dreadful though, what an awful load of rubbish.

[Doctor Vendetta]

They actual seem capable of catching aliens now.

Probably not so good at shooting them without Uncle Jack's help, but early days, early days.

[Rob McCow]

They actual seem capable of catching aliens now.

They only wanted his car. That's why they shot him. The b*stards!

[Jonno]

I did enjoy it, especially James Marster's performance, but for some reason I found myself unsure of exactly what was going on at times, with the cluster bombs/diamond/trap plot. Maybe I preferred watching it at the weekend when I'm (normally) 100% with it as opposed to midweek when I'm still in "work mode" to a certain degree.

Also, I actually liked the fact that S1 was generally dark and gritty so as to make a nice contrast to its parent show and indeed the other spin-off. So it may take me a little while to get used to this lighter tone.

Also, I was struggling to hear some of the dialogue - what on earth did Captain John say at the end that seemed to perturb Jack so much? Sounded like "I found Grace"?!

Either I'm going deaf or the way they make these programmes is not right - I'm going to have to start using subtitles at this rate.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think it was "I found Grey" Jonno... although I've twelve weeks to be proved wrong!

We all rather enjoyed it - (not so)Little Miss was allowed to stay up, and hasn't been too traumatised by the experience. We all laughed at the "Help me Obi-Wan" bit and although, yes, it was clearly a reboot/recap (from the Fishman's speech onwards) it was done with a bit of confidence and style and flair.

[Pip Madeley]

I want to know what Jason and Jon thought of the "tiny injection of blood changing DNA" science bit.

[terrycooper]

After watching the 1st ep, It generally left the same impression on me as the first series... which was: "meh....alright in places, awful in others, but its a big messy pantomime trying to be sexy and coming out camp as a row of tents. With extra tents."

James Marsters added much needed star quality (noticed he was doing his UK 'Spike' accent - cool) and showed the cast how to deliver Whedon-esque humour tinged with darkness.

Ianto, Owen, Tosh - as usual, so bland and unlikeable they were pretty much unneccessary. Even Jack seemed less charming and more smug "I can't die! so there!"

Gwen was still Gwen, so props to Eve Myles there.

Anyone remember the paralysing lip-gloss used by Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin? Terrible. "Don't let him kiss you!" said Jack. Although he kissed John without a second's hesitation.

Fish guy - rubbish monologue, great prosthetics.

Still, I guess it succeeded, as I'll still tune in to watch it every week. I fully expect Martha to become a born again lesbian though!

[Wayne]

A few random comments from someone who was fighting a growing disinterest throughout.

Aside from Eve Myles, James Marsters was the best thing about the episode.
The plot ended up completely passing me by.
Didn't like the new lightweight tone. The reason i liked Torchwood before was largely because it was darker & gritty. This was fast, flash, but ultimately felt superficial.
If this was a re-boot, then Gwen came over as easily the most believable & realistic character.
Based on this this, Torchwood is trying too hard to be many things but ultimately failing to convince.
The Coming Next trailer ignited my interest far more than the actual episode did.
I'm pretty disappointed to be honest, but it's only one episode, & far too early to write Torchwood off. I'll keep watching, & hope for better.

[Alex]

For me it seems to be trying to be like Angel (fifth season especially) than Buffy, but it was alright, you know, quite enjoyable and fairly fun but ultimately throwaway stuff though I can't see myself ever watching it again.

As everyone's said, James Masters was the best thing about the episode, it'd be great if they somehow managed to bring him onboard for the third series (if they get one), but I doubt that'll happen. It was nice to see Jack not brooding so much, but he really should just tell them he used to be a conman, now he isn't, and stop mucking around with the whole mysterious past thing.

As Steve pointed out, Owen seems a different character now, but it'll take me a long time to get over how slimey he was during the first series, Ianto was still over-acting, Tosh makes for better eye candy than her namesake from The Bill but seems equally as dull, and as much as I want to like Gwen she still seems a bit annoying to me.

Still, like Wayne mentions, it's the first episode and I'm not going to write it off yet, I just hope it goes from strength to strength and that we haven't already seen the season's most memorable episode.

[Si Hunt]

Tosh seemed to be behaving really out of character. I don't think she would have commented loudly on Captain Hart being good looking in front of everyone.

Also it was a bit transparent how, just before the end, someone mentions something that makes some people gasp and others look knowing and secretive. It's like "quick, shove in something intriguing and enigmatic! This episode has to contribute somehow to The Big Storyline Arc that will be resolved later on."

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Look at Jonno's new avatar! I'm going to write to my MP.

Meanwhile, Nathan Cooke has spoken:

That was the worst episode yet - I couldn't engage with it on any level, and non of the elements seem to gel or compliment each other at all. I really hoped they were going to improve.

A bloody mess.

Did he mean to post that in the Warriors of the Deep thread?

[Perry Vale]

I agree with Nathan.

Marsters was the only real good point in this, save the odd funny line of dialogue. "Help me Obi-Wan"...

Can we not just have a series with him in?

My brain had given up following it near the end (finished off by the appalling 'this is going to kill you, there's no way you can stop it......but you've got 10 minutes'), so what was the reason they couldn't seperate Gwen & Hart from the handcuffs? Were they special alien ones?

It also took me a moment to realise the coming next trailer was for the whole series, rather than simply the next episode!