Is it just that more scifi is character driven these days and there tends to be less pure science fiction/fantasy stories?
Hey... character-driven stuff is good
My favourite genres are Science Fiction, Horror, and Historical Drama (not meaning Period Drama/Costume Drama, but things like
'Anne of a Thousand Days',
'Cromwell' and
'Ghandi'). I'm more film orientated than TV admittedly. I am looking forward to a box set of David Starky history TV documentaries though - hoping they arrive today.
'Torchwood' tends to be agenda/sex-driven... RTD's agendas which are often sexual in nature and do not usually drive the plot forward (I'd be fine with it if it was involved to drive the story forward, but it repeatedly stalls the plot)... which is one sign of bad screen-writing. Its the same disease that robs New
'Doctor Who'... a lot of fans (not all by any means though) are glad to see the back of RTD.
You can almost see items checked off on each episode...
Inappropriate sexual reference/Gay Agenda regardless of the story's theme - check.
Deus Ex Machina get out (another indication of bad writing) - check.
Gwen's dialogue is juvenile with no sign of any police expertise (her supposed background = a sign of poorly done research) - check.
Over reliance on coincidence (yet another one of the best indicators of poor writing) - check.
The supposedly crack Torchwood team behave like rank amateurs throughout episode (Mystery Incorporated seem more professional) - check.
Unoriginal alien/plot/something... etc... - check.
...and umpteen other things I've failed to think of at present - and this is just the writing!!!
There is no excuse for the level of appauling writing (which would make even George Lucas blush) exhibited in the
'Torchwood' series... even in the better episodes.
Really... I'd love to be able to say it isn't so and that it is a good series... however, I'm not going to lie. Subjectively I find it a very dull series... and as far as what I know of writing... it is just really badly written - there is no getting away from
that.