Torchwood v Doctor Who

[D_Relentless Original]

Just getting back into Torchwood now it has returned. Just wondering which you people prefer, would it be Torchwood or Dr Who?.

 

[jeff black]

Please don't make me choose.

Torchwood and Doctor Who are two different shows in some senses. Having said that, Torchwood is a darker version of Doctor who.

I love em both.

 

[MickeyLee]

Supernatural. :biggrin1:

*drive-by fanboying*

 

[jeff black]

supernatural. :biggryn1:

*drive-by fanboying*

Woman, get a cap on that Title.

Utter Blastphemy.

 

[MickeyLee]

Woman, get a cap on that Title.

Utter Blastphemy.

i feel like i should stay after class to write Supernatural on the blackboard. 200 times?

 

[jeff black]

i feel like i should stay after class to write Supernatural on the blackboard. 200 times?

I am a great teacher. Any issue with a slap or two?

 

[titan1968]

I've watched both, but prefer Dr Who. I must admit to not
watching the show as much since 'Rose' left the show. Rose
and the Doctor had chemistry. I still haven't forgiven the
writers for writing her out of the script. That infamous
episode should have ended differently.

Please don't make me choose.

Torchwood and Doctor Who are two different shows in some senses. Having said that, Torchwood is a darker version of Doctor who.

I love em both.

 

[MickeyLee]

I am a great teacher. Any issue with a slap or two?

an issue with only one or two.. six or seven would be more fun.

 

[jeff black]

I've watched both, but prefer Dr Who. I must admit to not
watching the show as much since 'Rose' left the show. Rose
and the Doctor had chemistry. I still haven't forgiven the
writers for writing her out of the script. That infamous
episode should have ended differently.

Possibly, but I really don't think one should dis the Doctor Donna relationship. It was so worth it.

 

[Sklar]

Possibly, but I really don't think one should dis the Doctor Donna relationship. It was so worth it.

How about a jeff Black/Sklar relationship? :evil:

 

[Meniscus]

I've watched both, but prefer Dr Who. I must admit to not watching the show as much since 'Rose' left the show. Rose
and the Doctor had chemistry. I still haven't forgiven the
writers for writing her out of the script. That infamous
episode should have ended differently.

I believe that Billie Piper chose to leave the show after two seasons feeling that it was time both to move on and to make room for the Doctor to have some new companions. In the original series, the actors who played the Doctor's companions often got bored with their role, because they felt that all their character got to do was get in trouble, scream, get rescued by the Doctor, and stand by more or less uselessly while the Doctor saved the day. (I don't entirely agree with this; I can think of many exceptions, but that's what many of the actors have said in interviews regarding when they left the show, sometimes quite suddenly.) As an actor, there were more lucrative roles for them to pursue.

With the new series, the producers have made a conscious effort to give the companions a more active role. But by now it's something of a long-standing tradition for each incarnation of Doctor to have several companions, but the bond between Rose and the Doctor was so strong, there wasn't really room for anyone else. I'm willing to bet that was a factor in Billie Piper's decision to leave, and I respect her for that.

 

[Meniscus]

...I really don't think one should dis the Doctor Donna relationship. It was so worth it.

Oh, I agree. I wasn't crazy about "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special, and didn't particularly like Donna Noble. She was loud, obnoxious, shallow, ignorant, etc. She was OK for one adventure with the Doctor, but in my opinion, it was obviously the right decision on the part of the writers to have her decline the Doctor's invitation to travel with him. I was disappointed when I heard that Donna Noble was going to be the Doctor's companion in the 4th season of the show. I just couldn't picture it working.

And yet, Donna had her moments in The Runaway Bride, in which she demonstrated strength and compassion. My respect grew a bit for her in those moments, and I disliked her less.

To my surprise and delight, the 4th season took the show to another level, with some exceptionally good stories in which Donna Noble, of all people--a woman who can't change a lightbulb or point to Germany on a map--tries to save the people of Pompeii, frees the Ood from slavery, fights monsters, solves mysteries, and ultimately gives her life, in more ways than one, to save the universe itself. But it's not just that--so far she's not really much different from the Doctor's other companions--it's the way she confront situations, pragmatically and with common sense, noticing the seemingly trivial details that often prove to be important clues. Her reactions to time travel and encounters with aliens seem far more authentic than that of the other companions, yet ultimately she's accepting and compassionate. I loved her relationship to the Doctor, the way she respects him but is not enamoured of him and not afraid to criticize him, the way she challenges him personally, forcing him to admit his needs and confront his emotions, and the way she questions the morality of his actions, demanding that he act with compassion, serving as his conscience and effectively becoming the moral center of the show.

Such a complex character requires an actor with the talent to pull it off, and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than Catherine Tate. Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse) once said that he liked to cast comedic actors in dramatic roles, particularly in dark, serious roles, feeling that they were able to perform them particularly well, bringing subtle but important nuances of the interpretation of the character and the scene which dramatic actors weren't always able to do as well. I think Catherine Tate is proof of this. (I think the reason why comedic actors handle dramatic roles well may be because they aren't afraid to make fools of themselves, so when performing a dramatic role they are completely uninhibited, reacting authentically to the beauty, horror, or sorrow of the scene/story. Comedy is, of course, closely related to and dependent on tragedy; comic stories can often be made into tragedies with a few simple changes, and vice versa.)

And in the end, the story of Donna Noble is a tragedy. In her travels with the Doctor she gains so much and grows so much, only to lose it all it the end. While people sing songs of her on other worlds and worship her in ancient Rome, she'll never be able to know that any of it happened. She'll never again be able to be the person she became with the Doctor.

I liked Rose well enough. She was a good companion--one of the best. Hell, she absorbed the time vortex and for a moment became a goddess. But she's no Donna Noble.

 

[Meniscus]

Maybe tomorrow I'll answer the OP's original question, but right now I've got to get to bed.

 

[cason]

Jeeeebus effing Jacobs!!!!! Torchwood is pure ARSE! The new Dr. Who is better by a mile but is still the greatest example going of how the BBC has put it's balls in the attic and pays PC goons to write all it's shows now. The only exception is Life On Mars/Ashes to Ashes (pure genius) I love David Tennant but he carries that show on his back and without him it could suck a golf ball through a hose pipe. Bad actors and worse scripts. My best friend from art college designed the new cybermen and even he thinks it's bilge. I know it's for kids but compare it to Tom Baker's era Dr. Who. Now that was a show.

I'll stick to Battlestar Gallactica and Firefly thankyou. (Exits in blue box with appropriate sound effects).

 

[Mark_UK]

I watched it last night, I thought it was the most appaling bollocks I had seen for a long time, no idea if it was meant to be taken seriously but it was childish crap catering to the lowest demoninator and Welsh people need to stick to shagging sheep and mumbling in Welsh.

 

[Mark_UK]

Jeeeebus effing Jacobs!!!!! Torchwood is pure ARSE! The new Dr. Who is better by a mile but is still the greatest example going of how the BBC has put it's balls in the attic and pays PC goons to write all it's shows now. The only exception is Life On Mars/Ashes to Ashes (pure genius) I love David Tennant but he carries that show on his back and without him it could suck a golf ball through a hose pipe. Bad actors and worse scripts. My best friend from art college designed the new cybermen and even he thinks it's bilge. I know it's for kids but compare it to Tom Baker's era Dr. Who. Now that was a show.

I'll stick to Battlestar Gallactica and Firefly thankyou. (Exits in blue box with appropriate sound effects).

Its pure dribble and the worst part about it is its held up as an example of BBC drama at its best, Ifs that's the best they can do then God help us all.

 

[Meniscus]

Here's a blog by someone who very closely shares my thoughts and feelings about Donna, and most of the comments are in agreement.

Why I Love...Catherine Tate as Donna Noble - Blogs - Radio Times

 

[Mickactual]

I've watched both, but prefer Dr Who. I must admit to notwatching the show as much since 'Rose' left the show.

I agree...the Eccleston/Piper eps were my favourites.

Please don't make me choose.
Torchwood and Doctor Who are two different shows in some senses. Having said that, Torchwood is a darker version of Doctor who.
I love em both.

Same here. Tough choice to make. I tend to lean toward "Torchwood". OK maybe it's cos I fancy both J.B. and G.D.L, but.... I loved the whole team - well almost the whole team (sorry, I could never stand Owen...). But Barrowman, Lloyd, Myles, and Mori all worked quite well for me.