Time for another first-based Extra! (Which is sadly sans-Deb–damn real world!) Join Erika, Katrina, and Lynne as we talk about Chris Chibnall’s first foray into the televised Doctor Who universe. It’s not an ep of DW, however. The first he wrote was the second episode of Torchwood, “Day One”. It’s a solid start that gets the series rolling with lots of delicious character interaction and provides much-needed visibility for bisexual people. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Have you seen “Day One”? Did you enjoy it as much as we did? Or is “camp-noir” not for you? Let us know in the comments!
^E
Bonus link:
Time Unincorporated: Volume 3
Download or listen now (runtime 47:49)
VerityPodcast.com 
Comments on: "Extra! – Day One, Chibnall-Style" (10)
Reblogged this on Confessions of a Curator, Editor, Geek and commented:
In which we discuss Chris Chibnall’s first Torchwood episode, Day One, bisexual visibility, snogging, and sensible shoes.
Lynne, where did you write your essay about ‘camp noir’? I love that term and I want to read your essay!
There’s a link to it in the show notes above! Time Unincorporated: Volume 3.
I’m Whovian (and, until Capaldi, more Classic than New), but not a Torchwood fan, and had only watched TW: Children of Earth for Capaldi. Knowing Chibnall’s taking over DW, I finally recently watched S1-2. I don’t like the characters much, so “characters over plot” misfires when I don’t care about them. Yes, queer representation is good to see, but as an unimpressed outsider to TW, I gave the side-eye to the sex monster needing a man’s energy (lesbian sex just wouldn’t be enough). Random other-episode examples… I guess it’s supposed to be progressive to have Owen be equally happy to force both a woman and her boyfriend to have sex with him. Jack had a nasty transphobic comment in another episode, about Vincent going away and coming back “out of character” as Vanessa. I loved the scene when the two Captain Jacks danced together so longingly (though, considering the time they were in, would everyone truly have stood back and watched approvingly?).
Ehh. My apologies for remaining unimpressed. I have plenty of time to decide whether I’ll watch Chibnall’s DW. My view at this time is that, if Capaldi stays when Chibnall comes in, then I’ll keep watching; otherwise, I won’t bother, but might check it out on DVD sometime (if DVDs still exist at that point).
You don’t have to apologize for being unimpressed (many were), and believe me, I would be the first to say that while the effort of representation was NICE, some of the execution of it was decidedly problematic, as you noted above.
I may be the worst TW fan out there, having stopped during Miracle Day at episode 3 because it stopped being fun.
But that’s my right: I’m not required to watch when it stops being fun.
Is it wrong that now and forever I’ll read his name as Chin-ball? ::hangs head in shame::
I need to go back and watch Torchwood again. At the time, I was a bit baffled by the weekly shifts in tone and I felt the show struggled to find its identity. But I suppose the same could be said for the first few years of New Who, and I managed to cope with that! Must try harder.
[…] crew at Verity! prepare for soon-to-be Doctor Who show runner Chris Chibnall by analyzing the first episode of Torchwood that he wrote. There’s a sex […]
Re: Lynn and Kat’s reaction to rewatching 10 years later, I can’t believe no one’s come up with this link yet…
Eh, could’ve formatted that better. This.