Recommendation: Torchwood

RBG recommends…

Torchwood
Television Show

torchwood

Torchwood is a spinoff of Doctor Who, starring Captain Jack and his own crew back on Earth.

The lead actor, John Barrowman, is openly gay, and his character is a pansexual guy that flirts with everything and everyone.

Almost every character on the show has relations with every sex. It explores gender in a loose but comfortable way, and opens your mind without your even realizing it.

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Posted by on July 22nd, 2010 at 04:00 pm

Category: recommendations, tv 23 comments »

23 Responses to “Recommendation: Torchwood”

  1. Lanthir

    Oh, Torchwood. So much fun, and yet so upsetting. Still, I can’t help but love it.
    The casual queerness is one of the aspects of the show that was pointed out to me to entice me to watch it in the first place.

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  2. AgentRusco

    Why have I not heard of this? It’s about time I found a new show to watch.

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  3. Anonymous

    This is an excellent show. I really love Doctor Who, and Torchwood is a brilliant spin-off. Be warned though, there is quite a bit of violence, and there is quite a bit of sex. I’m not saying these are bad things, but it did take me by suprise the first time I watched it. It really is an adult program, unlike it’s parent show (which is all ages). However, it is a downright awesome show. Go watch it!

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  4. Sean

    I like Torchwood! Great show, if a bit dark. I’m rewatching the first two seasons now (though I refuse to see the last one ever again.)

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  5. Louche

    That sounded cool, so I went and watched a teaser. No, thank you. The last thing I need is to get sucked into watching gratuitous violence, pansexual or not. I also generally abhor television, though… waste of time.

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  6. edi

    fantastic. love it and dr. who massively.

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  7. Rusty

    I would suggest The Children on Earth specials because the series really found it’s tone there, and you can watch them by themselves.

    For those expecting DW-like humor and adventure, this series is far darker and moodier, some of the episodes verging on horror. Though the show may have had trouble with finding the right themes, the characters are all fantastic, and Jack/Ianto are great together.

    It’s “casual queerness” as I read in Lanthir’s comment is probably my favorite part about the show. Torchwood is moving in the direction more shows should. It makes everything more dynamic. For me, the best episodes to check out would be:

    Adam
    Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
    Sleeper
    Fragments
    Exit Wounds
    End of Days
    and Captain Jack Harkness

    All very excellent relatively self-contained episodes.

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  8. Matthew

    Now, you see, I hated the last season. A lot. A lot a lot. But Torchwood is my favorite show. I thought the second season was really where Torchwood came into its own, and Children of Earth felt like it belonged to some other show altogether. The second season had a good deal of the humor that wasn’t as present in season one.

    With all this talk of Jack, I think that I should support Ianto Jones. He is a supporting character that has a really interesting relationship with Jack. Ianto is a character that really shows what television at its best can do- give a character with real emotional depth and make a viewer be able to identify and understand the character’s choices.

    Personally, I think that you should check out the first series of Doctor Who (the new one, starting with Christopher Eccelston), or at least watch from Empty Child to the end of the season to get some needed back story on Capt. Jack Harkness. From there, watch the first and second season of Torchwood… Season three… Really divided the fan base. Season four is about to start up on Starz (oh god, the US trying to do a UK show… I’m scared!) and I am probably going to watch it… But I still haven’t decided.

    Yeah, so I am a huge Torchwood and Doctor Who fanboy, I know. My ringtone is Ianto’s ‘phones are all broken’ rant. Watch Torchwood and you will understand that…

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  9. Anonymous

    This post fills me with such joy, as I feel some sort of strange kinship with this show. The concept of completely accepted pansexuality for all ought to be the goal of the world.

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  10. Anonymous

    Ianto is A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

    As much as I think Children of Earth is an amazing piece of television, parts of season 2 of Torchwood are just genius.

    “Hello, anyone there? – No because the phones aren’t working”

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  11. Jay

    TORCHWOOD!

    So much love for this show! I’m not really a fan (in fandom terms), nor do I really watch much of it, although I do have the first season on my hard-drive…

    But like some others have said, this is definitely a more adult show than Dr Who. More violent, more sexual, more dark (and some really great Sci-Fi). And CoE (Children of Earth) basically split the fandom down its seams, for anyone who cares about that sort of thing.

    Yeah, definitely cheers for Ianto! Although now I’m going to pull out my Owen flag and wave that over here in the corner… xP

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  12. Mercury Mars

    beware children of the earth, is all I’m saying, if you’ve never watched. love me some Jack, some Ianto, and some Janto.

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  13. Sofia

    I absolutely adore the series, but I had an issue with the one mention of a transgender person on the show. Jack tells a story about a masculine friend of his who acts strangely, goes away for a while, and then they “had to” call “him” [some new female name.] With all its progress on sexuality, you’d think they’d get gender issues right. But that was season 1, which was definitely not as good as the rest.

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  14. Anonymous

    James Marsters guests on the show a few times (some of you might remember him as Spike from Buffy) and his character is hilarious and awesome.

    The Children of Earth specials were really good but really creepy.

    >> Nice to see some love for Owen on here XD

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  15. Meike

    Even though he only showed up a few times, I’d definitely say James Marsters was my favorite in Torchwood!

    “She’s beautiful, he’s stunning…oh, that’s gorgeous!” “That’s a poodle.” “That’s NICE!” ^-^ Oh Captain John Hart, how I love thee.

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  16. julian

    Ianto is a hottie

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  17. Naomi

    “…his character is a pansexual guy that flirts with everything and everyone.”

    Isn’t that reinforcing stereotypes? I haven’t seen this show, so don’t attack me. But as a pansexual, I’m pretty sick of the “oversexed” stereotype of pansexuals and bisexuals.

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  18. Anonymous

    ^^ Being a fan of torchwood, I’d say that assertion has to do with the fact that Jack literally CANNOT DIE, a lot of characters in the show are pansexual. But I’d say Jack really is oversexxed heheheheh.

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  19. Jasper

    Oh, Torchwood, how we love thee and your casual queerness (thanks, Lanthir) XD Especially you, Captain Jack. Of course, some folks love you more than others. ((Bricked)) I liked Children of Earth (and all the other creepy episodes) as a horror fanatic, but I didn’t like what happened near the end D: I won’t say what it was for spoilers’ sake, but I think everyone knows what I’m referring to.

    Just for giggles, any fans of lolcats and Torchwood should google Turchwad and click the first result. Glorious.

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  20. Maya

    Oh, I love Torchwood! It’s second behind Doctor Who as my favourite show. Well, I love Season 1 and Season 2. It was basically the first time I saw non-heterosexual relationships on television and honestly it’s why I loved the show. Actually, Ianto and Jack and Ianto together is why I loved the show and why I will not be watching Season 4. I definitely agree with the last paragraph of the description. It opened my mind and ended up leading me to here, I guess.

    Also, Ianto is hot.

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  21. Tom

    Did anyone else see that hilarious dubbing of that Downfall movie where Hitler is actually being angry about the Torchwood finale? That made my day many times.

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  22. Anonymous

    Yep. Ianto Jones is smokin’, all wrapped up with his matching vests and ties… and his trusty stopwatch. heheheheheh

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  23. Zee

    Dear Torchwood, I love you.

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