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Torching Torchwood
01/08/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Doctor Who: The Torchwood Season - an appraisal by GF Willmetts. If you want to know what happened in each of the stories of the latest season of Doctor Who, says Uncle Geoff, may he recommend you look elsewhere. Certainly there is enough already on the Net to spoil any surprises you might have if you don't live in the land of its birth, Great Britain. Buy Doctor Who in the USA - or Buy Doctor Who in the UK  Instead, I'm going to hit on the occasional high and low spot and discuss the season as a whole. You won't get too many surprises that way but hopefully enough to know what I was looking at and if you're seeing the season later in the year, able to join the dots later. As an editor and in that mode, my expertise tends to lie in looking at what is wrong than what is right with something. If anything, the more that is right the more the wrong stands out and allows a sharper focus on problem areas than they would otherwise. If anything appears harsher than it is, then its more an indictment that there is more right than wrong although the latter can look pretty damning.
This season of 'Doctor Who' essentially started last Christmas with the introduction of actor David Tennant as the new Time Lord regeneration even if he wasn't in it much, he was still responsible for the ending. In many respects, I liked Tennant's portrayal better than Eccleston's, mostly cos he was at least a little more chatty than not in the face of the villains he faced. Eccleston played it quiet and Tennant played flamboyant, far more personifiable and likeable with often touches that looked a lot like Tom Baker's version seeping through a lot of the time. Certainly, Tennant wasn't afraid to let his emotions spring through the part and looked like he was having an enjoyable time.
Billie Piper continued to do what she did with Rose Tyler last time, enjoying her part and the everywoman representation growing more assured in each time period. The same can be said for the other characters. Each of them have their story arc and developments were to fulfil their lives within them. This is very much in keeping with Russell T. Davies' own attitude towards writing with accent on characterisation.
The real focus of this article is looking at the season as a whole. There is nothing to fault the special effects and its obvious that the high budget was put to good use and should send a thundering roar across the other side of the pond that the British TV industry can more than match anything they are doing over there in the same medium. We've always known that, just taken a while to remind the TV companies of our home-grown talent.
Can't you feel there is a 'But' coming along? In many respects, there is still a feeling of stories by numbers and producer/writer Russell T. Davies is going through a checklist of things he wants to cover: Meet a famous historical figure. A lost love for the Doctor. Bring back the Cybermen. Meet an old companion. Meet a demon who might be the devil incarnate. Even a werewolf. An adventure on an alien world. Seeing the adventures from a different perspective. Fortunately, his team of writers do so with a flourish and ensure that there are suitable moments. I think my favourite has to be Sarah Jane discovering the TARDIS in a cellar and we share her meeting like an old friend.
When it comes to actual stories, for the most part though, many of them are like fast candy. A few chews and they're gone. Even the two-parters aren't given much room to breathe. The alien menace is there to frighten you the viewer rather than have any real definitive plan for themselves. Surely these superior aliens must have more on their minds than subjugating the human population? Invasions are washed aside so quickly that they have become meaningless. The early Dalek stories back in the 60s showed more motivation than genocide. If there is a weakness, then this is probably the biggest. There needs to be more flesh on the bones of the plots and a lot more variation.
However, whether it is because of doing double duty, but Russell T. Davies' own stories are high in spectacle but still lack a lot in plot development are the biggest demonstration of this. You'd almost wish he had a doppelganger looking over his shoulder to push him a little more like must be happening to his other scriptwriters. Davies' forte is character writing and he still needs to get a stronger handle on complex plotting, especially where Science Fiction is concerned. The plot of the last two episodes centres around the resurrection of two menaces and yet any machinations between them are wiped out before either species can do anything in their new predicament. The meat might have been elsewhere but to waste such menaces as this is a shame. Makes you wonder how the race of Time Lords lost the battle with the Daleks, doesn't it?
To some extent, some of this can be blame on the plotting element. When the original Doctor Whos were run, the stories were spread over several parts and like chapters of a book could allow for some development in plot. With only 45 minutes or double that for a two-parter, there is a build-up, a false climax and a resolution. If you understand plot, then it's easy to figure out the 'Get Out Of Jail' cards that are always laid down, even if they aren't used right away. I commented to one of my reviewing team what I figured happened to Rose for the end and I was dead (sic) on the button. All right, so not all of you would figure or want to do such things. The argument is that the plotting needs a little more layering and a little more convoluting if it is to develop from this point.
The sophistication of the Science Fiction watching public and those of us who can think are putting things together rather too easily. My analysis here is being done totally without any notes still. My memory is still good enough to draw up what I need to refer to with no assistance. In the long term, there has to be some development in the plotting to raise its sophistication. Everyone watching is now a year older and developing maturity at the same time even with a family show. The stories need to keep pace with this or it could, dangerously, be left behind as viewers seek something a little more demanding. I doubt if a little more sophistication will hurt the pre-teen market if layered sufficiently. After all, it didn't hurt us older fans in our tentative years only made it easier to look for different layers with the video and DVD releases as we got older.
As the title says, this season is very much devoted to covering the formation of 'Torchwood' although little of it is left here that is being carried over to its own series so it can practically start with a fresh slate. The real problem, even for old continuity freaks like myself, is what has happened to some of this history that earlier regenerations of the Doctor have been involved in? Granted, it could be said that Torchwood was not ready and gathering intelligence but then the question should be asked as to what happened to UNIT? They can't all have been killed off last season and they've been involved in every other alien invasion since the late 60s.
You would have thought that there still might be some presence, even if it's under ill-informed military might, ready and waiting to take on alien invasions. Like the TARDIS, Daleks and Cybermen, UNIT is still very much part of the Whoniverse, especially in the modern century and there's a fair bet that parents must have shown their off-spring some of the early Doctor Whos on DVD in the months the series was off the air.
Having an arc per season might seem like a good idea but over a period, this will also lend itself to predictability as much as the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver to get out of any jam he's in. Even his TARDIS is working properly now which makes it no better than any other spaceship other than its ability to travel through time. Mayhap, with Rose Tyler gone maybe its possible to get away from having to visit his companion's home on a regular basis now. The Doctor also comes over as too much the super-hero knowing exactly how to sort out every problem and reduces his fallibility factor.
There is a definite need for him to do more than take command but to really work out how to sort out the problems rather than cry boo to a goose. If anything, the Doctor wins over his greatest foes by intimidation than being more artful in his craft than they are. This is more a question of sloppy plot solutions when serious thought is required. The Doctor is coming over as too perfect when he really needs to do a lot more to earn his keep. It seems every alien and his father has heard of the renegade Time Lord and for time travellers, this isn't a good thing. I mean, if he knows you or your planet's future, wouldn't you be a little fearful of him tampering with events? You might as well just surrender when he arrives as he knows the outcome. Come to that, why not just annihilate him before he does anything? Compared to the early regenerations, the latest Doctor is having far too easy a time. There has also been a tiny hint of comparison to 'The Flying Dutchman' forever at sea haunting all who cross his path. Whether this is exploited or not remains to be seen.
Saying all of the above shouldn't distract you from watching this series. Russell T. Davies' team is still on a learning curve here but there is still a need to raise the story level higher than it is here to meet the challenges the audience expert to see. There is room for plot and spectacle but it needs more of the former for its longevity.
GF Willmetts
July 2006
Opinions expressed are (c) GF Willmetts 2006. and please check with me before quoting or link to this page.
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