Proud to Say I've Never Seen "Downton Abbey"

The Cast of "Downton Abbey"

I can actually hear more than a few friends gasping by that admission. "Downton Abbey" is a BBC import that seems to have found a rabid fan base here in the States. I have no idea as to why. It may have great acting and great characters (two of the marks of any great drama), but I seriously do not give a single crap about the lives of a bunch of wealthy, post-Victorian Brits and their servants. I honestly can't think of anything more boring, except maybe The King's Speech (more gasping from even more friends).

Look, I'm the first to say that the true hallmark of great drama is the examination of the Human Condition. This why we still perform and attend productions of Shakespeare's plays, 500 years after they were written. They have actual relevance to modern life. But they also do something else - they transport us to another world. They take us away from the doldrums and ennui of everyday living, while examining human behavior and entertaining. Personally, I find nothing entertaining about stuffy, pretentious British drama. 

I can also hear many of you gasping - "Shakespeare's pretentious, you douche!" Sorry - you are VERY wrong. Good old Will wrote plays for the common man, using common themes and common characters. He wrote entertainment. He was the J.J. Abrams or Joss Whedon of his day. Hell, he was even the Elizabethan Michael Bay.

Do you relate to a wealthy early 20th Century British aristocrat, or do find yourself more intrigued by  a young man willing to go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves? Are you more interested in a king with a stutter, or a man whose daughter has been raped and disfigured by hooligans? Would you rather watch a servant break down over a snarky comment from her employer, or see a tyrant stabbed to death by thirteen of his supposed allies? 

This is all academic, of course. I like zombies; aliens; ghosts; monsters and ghouls. You may actually enjoy the comings and goings of rich people you have no hope of being. But give me a light saber battle over a pithy comment, any day. Even better, combine the two in something that's actually interesting, enlightening and entertaining.

Yawn.... But I guess that's why (as my mother is wont to say) they make chocolate and vanilla (though personally, I prefer raspberry swirl).

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article BBC America / Downtown Abbey / Drama / Shakespeare / TV with the title BBC America. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2012/09/proud-to-say-i-never-seen-abbey.html. Thanks!

TV Review: "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

I just finished watching all five episodes of the BBC mini-series "Torchwood: Children of Earth" and while I thought it included some of the best ensemble acting ever and featured some of the most heart-wrenchingly human writing in the history of Science Fiction television, I am officially pissed off at series creator Russell T. Davies.

I've talked a little about "Torchwood" before. I love its humor and freshness. I love its frank sexuality, where no one is limited by gender, race or even age (and sometimes even terrestrialism). A spin-off the BBC's long-lived and much-loved "Doctor Who" (created in the 60's and revived by Davies in 2005), "Torchwood" is geared toward adults, while still maintaining the wow-factor geekiness upon which Sci-Fi fans of all ages thrive.

This year, rather than the usual 13 episode season, "Torchwood" ran as a 5 night miniseries, "Children of the Earth." I DVR'd them all and watched them today as part of my own private marathon.

The premise, in a nutshell: At 8;40 GMT, every child on Earth stops and stands or sits still, staring blankly without acknowledging any stimuli at all. Then suddenly, it's over and they go back to being themselves. But at 10:30, they all stop again, only this time speaking in unison: "We. We are. We are coming." Stunned and frightened, people demand answers.

Captain Jack Harkness and the remaining members of his Torchwood team (Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones) are trying to piece together what's happening when their facility is compromised and destroyed, with the aim of killing all of them. Now fugitives on the run, the three (and Gwen's devoted husband, Rhys) must find out who wants them dead, while trying to keep an alien race from simply taking 10% of the world's children to another world for less-than-noble reasons. The subsequent story involves political whitewashing; familial dysfunction; espionage; betrayal and redemption; love; loss and the indomitable Human Spirit.

While the plots of the first two seasons (mostly the first) may have bordered on silly and sometimes seemed soap-opera-ish, "Children of Earth" plays more like a hard-line Sci-Fi drama, complete with political criticism and a strong condemnation of Big-Brother style government. Like all great drama, "Children of Earth" isn't afraid to take a look at the ugly side of the Human Condition. Expertly acted by John Barrowman; Eve Myles; Gareth David-Lloyd and Kai Owen, COE takes on parents' worst fears, lovers' worst pain and children's worst nightmares, surrounds them with questions no one should ever have to ask and delivers the only conclusion it can, no matter how much it may pain both the characters or the audience. This isn't your father's "Doctor Who," kids.

SPOILER ALERT:

The following paragraph, while not divulging specific information, may contain references which those who have not yet watched the miniseries may not want to read.

I have followed "Torchwood" from the beginning and find myself thoroughly invested in the show, so I must admit that I hope "Children of Earth" isn't its end. I imagine it will come back next year, though (like "Desperate Housewives") I think it will pick up again several years in the future. Two and a half seasons are most definitely NOT enough, Mr. Davies, and the fans demand (and deserve) more. If they're smart, they'll do a feature film leading up to the season.

SPOILER ALERT OVER

As always with "Torchwood," I laughed, cried, got angry and felt relief, then cried some more. Superb writing, excellent acting and better-than-average SFX continue to help make "Torchwood" one of the best Sci-Fi programs ever. **** (Four out of For Stars).

Here's the Official Trailer:

More, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article BBC America / Gay / John Barrowman / Reviews / sci-Fi / Torchwood / TV with the title BBC America. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2009/07/tv-review-children-of-earth.html. Thanks!

"Torchwood" Returns

And so, back to the silliness. My beloved BBC series "Torchwood" is still several months away, but I know it will be worth the wait. Smart, funny and oh-so-sexy, "Torchwood" may be a spin-off the the Beeb's eternally silly "Dr. Who," but it's so much better.

Created by Russell T. Davies (the man behind the original "Queer As Folk"), "Torchwood" concerns a super-secret British agency which has been put in place to protect HRM's citizens from whatever aliens, demons, ghosties and ghouls might pass through rifts in the space-time continuum. Set in Cardiff, Wales (apparently known as one of the most boring places on Earth), "Torchwood" concerns a band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness (the very yummy and openly gay John Barrowman - who reminds me of none other than former People Magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive,' Mark Harmon) and his team. Harkness, like Dr. Who, is a Time Lord, immortal and living through time out of sequence. The past, present and future are all one to Jack, who seems to have had more paramours than the great Casanova.

There's Gwen (Eve Myles), a former Cardiff PD who was recruited in the series first ep, and is probably in love with all the members of the team, despite being engaged (and now married) to her hapless spouse, Ryhs (Kai Owen). Then there is Owen (Burn Gorman), a roue who recently became a member of the Living Dead. IT specialist Toshiko (Naoko Mori), has been in love with Owen forever, despite her lesbian daliance with an alien in season 2, though she's apparently kicked the bucket (though with this show, one is never sure). Finally, there is Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd), the adorable go-to guy who is now Jack's lover (after the only woman he truly loved was turned into a killer cyborg).

Silly, smart and more than a little sexy, "Torchwood" is the BBC's so much better answer to "The X-Files." It may not be the best Sci-Fi on TV ("Fringe" has usurped that title), but it sure is the hottest.

Here is the Season 3 trailer:

More of this, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article BBC America / Gay / sci-Fi / Torchwood / TV with the title BBC America. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2009/02/returns.html. Thanks!