I've watched the first two eps. My thoughts (admittedly random, as I'm sick as a dog 
and I've been living on Dayquil for the past two days):
I was a bit surprised at the swearing and at the overt sex (particularly, from "Day One", the two people shagging in the bathroom, and then the guy watching them on CCTV and masturbating). Things like that would not fly on American network TV, at least not in prime time. If SciFi does acquire the rights to air Torchwood, they will probably end up doing a LOT of editing. Or maybe some premium cable channel like HBO or Showtime would pick it up; they have more leeway in the swearing, sex, and violence departments.
I thought of the "Somebody Else's Problem Field" too.
It's interesting to see right up front that most of the characters have some big flaws. A small example: Captain Jack tells Gwen that no alien tech is allowed to leave the base. Cut to scenes of Toshiko, Owen, and Susie - each of whom has made off with an item of alien tech for his or her own purposes.
What Owen did with the irresistibility spray was very shady. It's no different from sneaking rohypnol into a girl's drink. He tried to pick the woman up, and she said no, quite clearly... so he used the spray to coerce her into doing what he wanted. If he did get her into bed (it was unclear to me whether he did, or whether he got both her and her boyfriend into bed, or what), then that's rape.
I'm wondering if Gwen is going to become a darker character over time, as she spends more and more time with the rest of the Torchwood team. So far she's been very much the "good girl" but I'm curious to see if the rest of the team rubs off on her.
Oh, and Gwen was very silly to type out her notes on her computer after Captain Jack slipped her the amnesia pill. It would have been better for her to save them, print them out as she went (!), or even write a couple of key words down on paper (she wrote "remember" but she should have added "Torchwood" and "Captain Jack Harkness" at a minimum).
I'm a little concerned about something. Doctor Who is a fairly lighthearted show intended to be ok for children to watch (indeed, it originally was a children's show). Torchwood is a spinoff of Doctor Who. I'm wondering how many parents may have let their kids (including little kids) watch Torchwood, thinking that because it's a spinoff of a child-suitable show, it would itself be appropriate for a small child? Was it advertised as a show more suitable for adults? Was it aired late at night, when the kiddies would be in bed? Just wondering... if I were a 5-year-old watching that show, my parents would have shut off the TV at the first F-bomb. I can just picture some 5-year-old turning to his/her parents and asking, "Mommy, what's an orgasm?"
Anyway. I think the show has promise, and I will keep watching.
and I've been living on Dayquil for the past two days):I was a bit surprised at the swearing and at the overt sex (particularly, from "Day One", the two people shagging in the bathroom, and then the guy watching them on CCTV and masturbating). Things like that would not fly on American network TV, at least not in prime time. If SciFi does acquire the rights to air Torchwood, they will probably end up doing a LOT of editing. Or maybe some premium cable channel like HBO or Showtime would pick it up; they have more leeway in the swearing, sex, and violence departments.
I thought of the "Somebody Else's Problem Field" too.
It's interesting to see right up front that most of the characters have some big flaws. A small example: Captain Jack tells Gwen that no alien tech is allowed to leave the base. Cut to scenes of Toshiko, Owen, and Susie - each of whom has made off with an item of alien tech for his or her own purposes.
What Owen did with the irresistibility spray was very shady. It's no different from sneaking rohypnol into a girl's drink. He tried to pick the woman up, and she said no, quite clearly... so he used the spray to coerce her into doing what he wanted. If he did get her into bed (it was unclear to me whether he did, or whether he got both her and her boyfriend into bed, or what), then that's rape.
I'm wondering if Gwen is going to become a darker character over time, as she spends more and more time with the rest of the Torchwood team. So far she's been very much the "good girl" but I'm curious to see if the rest of the team rubs off on her.
Oh, and Gwen was very silly to type out her notes on her computer after Captain Jack slipped her the amnesia pill. It would have been better for her to save them, print them out as she went (!), or even write a couple of key words down on paper (she wrote "remember" but she should have added "Torchwood" and "Captain Jack Harkness" at a minimum).
I'm a little concerned about something. Doctor Who is a fairly lighthearted show intended to be ok for children to watch (indeed, it originally was a children's show). Torchwood is a spinoff of Doctor Who. I'm wondering how many parents may have let their kids (including little kids) watch Torchwood, thinking that because it's a spinoff of a child-suitable show, it would itself be appropriate for a small child? Was it advertised as a show more suitable for adults? Was it aired late at night, when the kiddies would be in bed? Just wondering... if I were a 5-year-old watching that show, my parents would have shut off the TV at the first F-bomb. I can just picture some 5-year-old turning to his/her parents and asking, "Mommy, what's an orgasm?"
Anyway. I think the show has promise, and I will keep watching.
elsewhere... 
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