Torchwood

[julesjones]

Just spent some time away from the keyboard by watching Everything Changes, the opening episode of Torchwood. Am still bowled over by how beautifully constructed an opening episode that is. An excellent lesson on how to hook people on a show and get them up to speed on the basics of the show universe.

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Yes I loved that episode. The second ep. (the sex gas one) not so much. (Have been dubious about Chris Chibnall episodes ever since.) That first series was hit and miss, but when it was on form it was terrific. The fairies episode was brilliant.

Hmm, now that you've reminded me I realise it's been a year or two since I watched it. Should give it another go.

[julesjones]

The sex gas one suffered from being the first one filmed -- they used it as the one to allow the cast and crew to bed down, so that they'd be working smoothly together by the time they filmed Everything Changes. And it shows -- the first episode works beautifully, the second is rough around the edges, quite apart from the outbreak of "whee, we're post-watershed!" silliness. As I said in my detailed post on first getting the box set, it's well worth listening to Chibnall's commentary for Day One on the box set, because he discusses in detail where in hindsight he thinks he got it wrong, and what he'd do differently if he could do it over again. And he is quite blunt about having got it wrong.

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

IIRC, the sex gas one was originally intended to me more of a comedy; they only upped the horror/drama aspects in postproduction.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. I've got the boxed set but haven't listened to the commentary. Will put it on my list of things to do.

Incidentally your link to your post doesn't work.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

It's just the "l" that's missing from "html" - if you add that on you can get there.

[julesjones]

As Kalypso_v says, the final l has gone missing -- this should work:

http://julesjones.livejournal.com/239506.html

It's a long post -- the bits about the DVD commentary are at the bottom. The commentary for Everything Changes is worth listening to as well. They're a bit hit and miss -- after a while I got the impression that you needed to have at least two of writer/script editor/director and possibly producer to bounce off each other, cast members and other crew members were more inclined to just talk about what was on the screen rather than the practical/creative decisions that put it on the screen.