Well guys, the word is in. We'll be reviewing the season past in an upcoming podcast, but Australian television has given us the news that "Jack will be back in 2012." Not sure what this means, as Jack was barely there in 2011. Ahem. We don't want to predict a total disaster, as Torchwood has wildly varied in quality in the past, so it's very possible that in 2011, we'll catch Torchwood on an upswing.
Here are a few things we'd like to see in any future series of Torchwood:
1. More Jack, lighter Jack, omnisexual Jack
One thing that significantly ruined my enjoyment of this series was the complete lack of Jack. I wasn't counting, but it felt like he was given about 5 minutes per episode, apart from the flashback with Angelo.
People watch this show for Jack, and to a lesser extent Gwen. Not Mekhi Phifer, though he seems to think he's the star of the show.
Also, I'm not wholly sure why this last series made Jack out to be explicitly gay instead of his usual, fun-loving, anything goes self. If children can handle it on a family show (Doctor Who), then I'm pretty sure American viewers of Starz can handle it. I mean really. Have you seen Spartacus? Or Camelot? If Starz audiences can handle incest, they can definitely handle Jack kissing boys and girls. And aliens.
2. They begin anew
There was so much filler this season that I don't see how the writers could justify a cliffhanger. Sure, they wanna keep some mystery alive for the next season, but I kinda hope they forget this entire storyline and start anew.
When you make a crisis so large-scale, it becomes difficult to care about the fate of any one side character, like Esther's sister, Gwen's dad, and so on. Even though the threat was very horrible, the threat never quite felt real. I never felt that our heroes were in danger. I hope that if the series continues, the challenge is much more intimate.
3. Stop dropping the interesting plotlines
There was so much time spent on plotlines that ultimately went nowhere, like Esther's family troubles and the increasingly pointless CIA shenanigans, and of course the ultimate wasted plotline: Oswald Danes. I think the show would have been much stronger if they'd limited those stories to short scenes and given us more time with Mare Winningham's tea party lady, C. Thomas Howell's mysterious assassin and the actual workings of Jilly Kitzinger's job.
I'm going to make this really simple for the writers: If you have an actress who's been nominated for an Oscar on your show, don't kill her off in one episode.
4. Maybe if we have more American characters, they don't all have to be completely vile/useless?
Perhaps the writers feel that since Jack's American, there's the representative positive American character. But come on guys. He has the accent, but we know he's an alien.
Everyone was tolerable by the end, but that's kind of a terrible journey to make. "From dumb and useless to slightly less useless! Get your tickets here!" From rapey asshole to immortal being! Yikes.
This was exacerbated by the show's inexplicable need to keep killing off all the interesting/likeable characters, like Vera Juarez or Kira Nerys.
5. Please do not leave behind the Rex subplot
I have ranted and railed against Rex Matheson, but the twist in the finale genuinely makes me want to see what happens to him. Is he as immortal as Jack or will he be something...different?
I still don't think he can carry off being the lead of the show, though. It would be great to stick him in a coma while Jack and Gwen investigate what effect his existence has on the world.
What would you guys like to see from a future Torchwood series?
