"Torchwood" and "UFO" comparisons
Aug. 17th, 2008 05:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nolawitch58Having watched the first season of "Torchwood," I was encompassed by a vague sense of pleasant familiarity. Until now, I wasn't sure why. The parallels are unmistakable.
One could almost put together a checklist for both shows starting with the big-ticket items. Both shows focus on aliens. The aliens aren't benign. Both have secret headquarters, although "UFO" had a vast network of alien defense, including SHADO, Skydiver, SID and Moonbase. "Torchwood" only seems to have the Hub. Women are in positions of responsibility and authority in each show. The leaders are hot American-sounding guys. There are lots of other hot British guys in their organizations. There's a lot of running about. Everyone dresses cool, although "UFO" had the most awesome wardrobe selections.
Disclosure time: I am not fond of space aliens. I don't like them as fiction has portrayed them. If they ever show up, I will have a tough time divesting myself of all the negative connections they have for me. Except for a small number of movies and TV shows, the space alien is usually the bad guy come here to enslave Earth or destroy it or otherwise send us into the crapper. Any show that goes after the nasty aliens and neutralizes them is good in my mind.
Another admission: Good-looking guys will get me to watch something once or twice. Ed Bishop and John Barrowman are big, tasty pieces of eye candy. I have been known, however, to bag a show despite the allure of its male lead due to massively inferior writing. Happy is the day when I find both intellectual nutrition in the stories and the dessert of handsome men. "Firefly" provided that well-balanced SF meal for me as did "Star Trek: Next Generation."
Thanks to the internet and YouTube, I'll be revisiting those old "UFO" episodes. They remind me of when I was young before I found Alice Cooper and my dark yearnings resurfaced. One bright, blond hero saving the world from aliens held my affections for that time.
One could almost put together a checklist for both shows starting with the big-ticket items. Both shows focus on aliens. The aliens aren't benign. Both have secret headquarters, although "UFO" had a vast network of alien defense, including SHADO, Skydiver, SID and Moonbase. "Torchwood" only seems to have the Hub. Women are in positions of responsibility and authority in each show. The leaders are hot American-sounding guys. There are lots of other hot British guys in their organizations. There's a lot of running about. Everyone dresses cool, although "UFO" had the most awesome wardrobe selections.
Disclosure time: I am not fond of space aliens. I don't like them as fiction has portrayed them. If they ever show up, I will have a tough time divesting myself of all the negative connections they have for me. Except for a small number of movies and TV shows, the space alien is usually the bad guy come here to enslave Earth or destroy it or otherwise send us into the crapper. Any show that goes after the nasty aliens and neutralizes them is good in my mind.
Another admission: Good-looking guys will get me to watch something once or twice. Ed Bishop and John Barrowman are big, tasty pieces of eye candy. I have been known, however, to bag a show despite the allure of its male lead due to massively inferior writing. Happy is the day when I find both intellectual nutrition in the stories and the dessert of handsome men. "Firefly" provided that well-balanced SF meal for me as did "Star Trek: Next Generation."
Thanks to the internet and YouTube, I'll be revisiting those old "UFO" episodes. They remind me of when I was young before I found Alice Cooper and my dark yearnings resurfaced. One bright, blond hero saving the world from aliens held my affections for that time.
