I probably shouldn't have been reading this because it could be a potential spoiler for Torchwood episode 5, "Small Worlds", but I couldn't resist, and I found it delightful.
Yup: he seems to think there's a "xenophobic" vibe to it: "all aliens are bad and alien tech is bad". However, as far as I can see, re: alien tech, it's more that the tech itself is neutral but that humans are too irresponsible to use it sensibly (e.g. Suzie's abuse of the glove, Bernie using the Ghost-machine for blackmail); and it was Ianto's human weakness that led to the Lisa situation.
Well, first of all, I have no problems with bad aliens in fiction - where would such movies as "Alien" or "Predator" be without them? (These may not be favourite movies of mine, but I acknowledge the validity of the genre.) Secondly, I think that Torchwood has infuisng it the unspoken memory of that so-very-good alien, the Doctor. (Captin Jack himself is an alien-lover par excellence, we know, but we know that more from Doctor Who than Torchwood, so it isn't really relevant here.)
Third, I think Torchwood is deliberately looking at the dark side of aliens and of human nature, and I think that makes for good stories. I wouldn't want to be so PC we can't have evil aliens. It's like a few friends of mine who were worried about the negative portrayal of the Orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies - which struck me as missing the whole point. In fiction, evil as a concept ought to exist. Therefore the possibility of evil beings should exist. I have no problem with that.
Besides all that, I think you are right - the stories have been as much about humans misusing alien technology as they are about aliens being evil, or even just inimical to human life.
The presmise of the show show may be xenophobic, but I think so far it's ambiguous enough to be unclear. "The 21st century is when everything changes, and the world needs to be ready" is not a xenophobic statement because it doesn't specify in what way the world changes, and 'being ready' for anything sounds like a good idea! If the idea is to acquire alien tech to fight aliens (as was the goal of Yvonne's "Torchwood", or even, presumably, Queen Victoria's ideal), yes, that's xenophobic, but maybe rather entertaingly so.
So far at least, I am happy with the portrayal of good and evil in the show. Fallible humans, fallible and ambiguous aliens. Fine by me.
I wouldn't want to be so PC we can't have evil aliens. It's like a few friends of mine who were worried about the negative portrayal of the Orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies - which struck me as missing the whole point. In fiction, evil as a concept ought to exist. Therefore the possibility of evil beings should exist. I have no problem with that.
Yup. I think Torchwood is very much morally a 'shades of grey' world, which makes it work so well. In LoTR, surely the point about the Orcs was that they were made that way, first of all by torturing and warping Elves, and then (the Uruks) specially bred? They were tools engineered for a purpose by Sauron and then by Saruman.
Coffee magic is Jack's phrase, right before the power drain in Cyberwoman starts and all hell breaks loose.
Nope, not vodka. I'd say whiskey, but I'm not... too sure of the etiquette what is drunk of what kind of glass. It has a stem, but it's not a wine glass. I don't think it's cognak eiter, the glass is smooth for that one, and this glass had some relief figures, IIRC.
I'm sure it will be clear what he drank precisely in a couple of days. My guess is whiskey :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 03:48 pm (UTC)Third, I think Torchwood is deliberately looking at the dark side of aliens and of human nature, and I think that makes for good stories. I wouldn't want to be so PC we can't have evil aliens. It's like a few friends of mine who were worried about the negative portrayal of the Orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies - which struck me as missing the whole point. In fiction, evil as a concept ought to exist. Therefore the possibility of evil beings should exist. I have no problem with that.
Besides all that, I think you are right - the stories have been as much about humans misusing alien technology as they are about aliens being evil, or even just inimical to human life.
The presmise of the show show may be xenophobic, but I think so far it's ambiguous enough to be unclear. "The 21st century is when everything changes, and the world needs to be ready" is not a xenophobic statement because it doesn't specify in what way the world changes, and 'being ready' for anything sounds like a good idea! If the idea is to acquire alien tech to fight aliens (as was the goal of Yvonne's "Torchwood", or even, presumably, Queen Victoria's ideal), yes, that's xenophobic, but maybe rather entertaingly so.
So far at least, I am happy with the portrayal of good and evil in the show. Fallible humans, fallible and ambiguous aliens. Fine by me.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 04:12 pm (UTC)Yup. I think Torchwood is very much morally a 'shades of grey' world, which makes it work so well. In LoTR, surely the point about the Orcs was that they were made that way, first of all by torturing and warping Elves, and then (the Uruks) specially bred? They were tools engineered for a purpose by Sauron and then by Saruman.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 07:55 pm (UTC)And another spoiler - first time Jack is seen drinking anything but water. Enjoy the episode. I actually liked it.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 08:09 pm (UTC)As for Jack drinking something other than water - hmmm! Not coffee or tea, either?
I look forward to it!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 08:39 pm (UTC)I assume we're not talking about hypervodka?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 08:45 pm (UTC)Nope, not vodka. I'd say whiskey, but I'm not... too sure of the etiquette what is drunk of what kind of glass. It has a stem, but it's not a wine glass. I don't think it's cognak eiter, the glass is smooth for that one, and this glass had some relief figures, IIRC.
I'm sure it will be clear what he drank precisely in a couple of days. My guess is whiskey :)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 08:49 pm (UTC)