Torchwood Episode Discussion (Spoilers for all eps aired in the UK)

[Madeleine]

No one trained or appointed them as what they're currently doing, I reckon. It's in the spirit of Who; the Doctor was seldom 'official' but just a well-intentioned and usually benign freelance meddler. Torchwood aren't so different. Except for the 'usually benign' bit. And sometimes the 'well intentioned' bit.

[pbellosom]

No one trained or appointed them as what they're currently doing, I reckon. It's in the spirit of Who; the Doctor was seldom 'official' but just a well-intentioned and usually benign freelance meddler. Torchwood aren't so different. Except for the 'usually benign' bit. And sometimes the 'well intentioned' bit.

But the idea of Torchwood is that they are official. The organisation as a whole is superior (in the sense of a military superior) to even UNIT. But this smal ragtag group is

They're leeching of the legacy of Torchwood 1.

[Madeleine]

Torchwood was once official, but it collapsed at the battle of Canary Wharf. The ragtags slipped in. Jack even said so to the Doctor: he reshaped Torchwood in his own way.

Because no one was superior to the torchwood that was, there's no one left to remove Jack and co, so they've effectively stolen their legitimacy and only Jack, Owen, Tosh and Ianto know that they are interlopers.

I suppose that they're de facto official, but in truth they're as legit as the Doctor with his psychic paper

[BruTak]

Torchwood was once official, but it collapsed at the battle of Canary Wharf. The ragtags slipped in. Jack even said so to the Doctor: he reshaped Torchwood in his own way.

Because no one was superior to the torchwood that was, there's no one left to remove Jack and co, so they've effectively stolen their legitimacy and only Jack, Owen, Tosh and Ianto know that they are interlopers.

I suppose that they're de facto official, but in truth they're as legit as the Doctor with his psychic paper

Makes perfect sense to me.

[Reefgirl]

And me

[Mr Prophet]

Maybe Jack blagged the clearance with his psychic paper.

"What makes you think you should have carte blanche to collect alien artefacts?"
"Well, the Home Secretary said yes. Here's the letter." <holds up psychic paper>
"Oh yes!"

And I don't think Torchwood is superior to UNIT, but as a specifically British operation they have the legislation swinging in this country, whereas UNIT has an international theatre.

[Coco Pops]

Torchwood was once official, but it collapsed at the battle of Canary Wharf. The ragtags slipped in. Jack even said so to the Doctor: he reshaped Torchwood in his own way.

Because no one was superior to the torchwood that was, there's no one left to remove Jack and co, so they've effectively stolen their legitimacy and only Jack, Owen, Tosh and Ianto know that they are interlopers.

I suppose that they're de facto official, but in truth they're as legit as the Doctor with his psychic paper

actually I'd buy that explanation

[Coco Pops]

Maybe Jack blagged the clearance with his psychic paper.

"What makes you think you should have carte blanche to collect alien artefacts?"
"Well, the Home Secretary said yes. Here's the letter." <holds up psychic paper>
"Oh yes!"

And I don't think Torchwood is superior to UNIT, but as a specifically British operation they have the legislation swinging in this country, whereas UNIT has an international theatre.

Imagine the fun you could have with psychic paper


"oi love you've won 20 million quid" but all you have to do is sleep with me one night

Or better yet to defraud a bank of a few million

[ShadowMaat]

Sounds like something Owen would do.

[BruTak]

Sounds like something Owen would do.

Why do I get the idea that Owen's med school degree is written on psychic paper?

[Coco Pops]

Sounds like something Owen would do.

On second thoughts you are probably right.....

Bad Idea CLE "spanks myself"

[expendable_crewman]

Torchwood was once official, but it collapsed at the battle of Canary Wharf. The ragtags slipped in. Jack even said so to the Doctor: he reshaped Torchwood in his own way.

Because no one was superior to the torchwood that was, there's no one left to remove Jack and co, so they've effectively stolen their legitimacy and only Jack, Owen, Tosh and Ianto know that they are interlopers.

I suppose that they're de facto official, but in truth they're as legit as the Doctor with his psychic paper

That's my take to, and why I've fallen in love with the show. If someone is waiting for Torchwood to save them, they may be waiting a while. That's not (in-universe) by design, IMO, but it's a fact the team lives with, and they seem to get on okay knowing it.

The show is very character-driven. If I want to see the hardcores do it, I may have to wait a bit, because these characters make mistakes big time. It's what I would expect when there's no audit department, no internal affairs, no oversight, and no off-site security monitoring.

It's just them, I don't know why (and I don't stick on these things when watching Who and Torchwood) and they stumble.

Every time they stumble, I sit up and take notice. I either shake my head and mumble or I laugh or I hang my jaw in shock. For me, it took a few eps before I realized the show wasn't going to take the light off these huge human errors. IMO, the show doesn't want to.

The fact that many of the team's choices come from connections that start in or are born of the heart is of particular interest to me. In a real organization, people are coralled and regimented by codes of conduct and hard penalties for disobeying such. The codes keep people from doing silly and dangerous things, like maintaining your assimilating-loving sweetheart in the basement and wearing alien mind-reading technology around the office without reporting it. However, I am one who loves watching whatever it is that makes a character chuck the rules (and on occasion common sense-- Tosh in Greeks Bearing Gifts ... and decency-- I refer here to Gwen and Rhys) and I enjoy watching the consequence of that.

In RL, of course this kind of team wouldn't work. An organization that produced the results Torchwood does simply wouldn't be allowed to continue in this manner. In the Who universe, it's quite fascinating and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

[ShadowMaat]

I see that the US premiere of the second series of Torchwood is 26 January. Um... When is the UK premiere? Has to be before that, right? I mean, it's a UK show, you can't have it premiering State-side first, that's just WRONG!

[RDAfan61]

I see that the US premiere of the second series of Torchwood is 26 January. Um... When is the UK premiere? Has to be before that, right? I mean, it's a UK show, you can't have it premiering State-side first, that's just WRONG!

It is. But then again the same thing happens for us and our shows. SG1 2nd half of the season and Atlantis as well believe would premiere in the UK first. We'd have to wait at least a month or more to see it here. Odd.

[BruTak]

Very early January for the season two premiere of Torchwood in the UK I believe.