The 21st Century Is When Everything Changes…

…You’ve got to be ready.

That’s the slogan for my new favorite TV show, Torchwood. Imagine a funnier, sexier, British version of the X-Files, with swearing and a cool black Land Rover. I mean, the X-Files had its funny moments, but it typically took itself more seriously. I heard that Torchwood is a spin-off of Dr. Who, but I don’t watch Dr. Who, so I wouldn’t know. I do like the Mr. Who theme song though. Basically, Torchwood is about a bunch of alien hunters stationed in Wales. They capture rogue aliens and track down artifacts and deal with supernatural stuff in general. The main character is a sort of civilian, a persistent police officer who stumbles across a Torchwood investigation, and then ends up joining them. Then there is a doctor (guy Scully, I guess, except none of them doubt the existence of the spooky stuff), a computer expert who is sort of a hot girl nerd, an all-around cleanup guy, and their fearless leader, who may or may not be an American human named Captain Jack Harkness.

The rest of the characters have Welsh names like Gwen and Cerys and Owen and Rhys, which are names I’ve always liked. Now I’ve kind of fallen in love with the Welsh accent too. It’s very pretty. Cardiff, where the show is supposed to be set, looks quite lovely. They are big on aerial shots for some reason. Perhaps that conveys more of an alien feel.

Anyway, the series isn’t perfect. The writing can be uneven from episode to episode, and sometimes the acting – usually from a non-regular – is a little over the top. And Captain Jack looks a lot like Tom Cruise from some angles, which can be weird. But as we make our way through the first season, the shows are steadily getting better and better. The stories are inventive and usually come to a satisfying conclusion, and not always the ending that you are expecting. If you like sci-fi type shows, I think you’ll enjoy Torchwood.