10 July 2010

Doctor Who: 'Tooth and Claw' or 'The Origins of Torchwood'

'Tooth and Claw' - Someone is having a bad hair day...
'Tooth and Claw' - Someone is having a bad hair day...
With the news of Torchwood returning soon(ish) to our TV screens (for more details and info, see the related links at the end of this post), we thought that, while we're waiting for the Big Event, we might as well do some time travelling of our own and take you back to when (and finding out the reasons why in the process) Torchwood was originally founded...

Oh yes, the Torchwood Institute existed loooooong before the Doctor Who TV Series was even created. Never mind the good old story conveniently spread around about Torchwood being an anagram of Doctor Who and that's what gave the idea of the Torchwood story, etc... It's only a cover up, more or less like the one telling us that Santa Claus doesn't exist. See what I mean?

It's all in the Doctor Who's 'Tooth and Claw' episode (second episode of Series Two, to be precise...) anyway. So, if you haven't watched it yet, now might be a good time to do so. 

Plus, it's one of those episodes when Rose Tyler was still the Doctor's companion (aaaah, those were the days)...


Today's post is filled with opportunities that I couldn't humanely pass even if I wanted to... Not only we have both timely opportunities to refresh our memory about Torchwood's history and populate the almost neglected "It's a Wolf Thing" Category in the process, but we also have the golden opportunity to see our favorite chav, Rose Tyler, once again (and, I don't mean only Billie Piper's pictures either, nope, we have a video-clip with her in it as well)... How's that for value for money?

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

'Tooth and Claw' - "I do look good with glasses. Maybe I should wear a bow tie as well. Hmm, perhaps another time..."
'Tooth and Claw' - "I do look good with glasses. Maybe I should wear a bow tie as well. Hmm, perhaps another time..."

'The Origins of Torchwood' aka the 'Tooth and Claw' episode
In 'Tooth and Claw', the Tardis is back to its goold old self and, instead of taking The Doctor and Rose to Sheffield 1979 (so that they could see Ian Dury and the Blockheads live in concert), it takes them to Scotland... in 1879.

That's also when Queen Victoria is expected to visit Sir Robert McLeash and his wife at their house, the Torchwood Estate...

But It looks like the Tardis, didn't bring the Time Lord and his companion to that time and place by accident: There have previously been a possible assassinat attempt against the monarch and the Torchwood Estate has been taken over by a cult's members who have some rather sinister plans for Queen Victoria and the British empire...

'Tooth and Claw' - Rose... in a cage.
'Tooth and Claw' - Rose... in a cage.

Some nice little treats

  • Rose (probably) making the guards' day with her "nakedness
  • Rose in a cage (well, it worked for some of us) 
  • Some Kung-Fu fighting during the taking over of the Torchwood Institute
  • A Were-Wolf and a full moon
  • A rather interesting and funny joke about the modern British Royal Family

'Tooth and Claw' - "Have you got rats in your attic?"
'Tooth and Claw' - "Have you got rats in your attic?"

What's on the continuity front

  • The werewolf's host saw a ‘wolf’ inside Rose (reference to "Bad Wolf" in Season One)
  • The 10th Doctor called himself James McCrimmon, (the full name of one of his previous companions)
  • The Time Lord took credit for crashing Skylab in 1979.

The origins of Torchwood

What we learn in the "Tooth and Claw" episode is that Queen Victoria was actually not amused at all with the way The Doctor has been dealing with the events and, seing him as a threat to the British Empire and her world, (she has seen now that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination and must defend its borders on all sides) she decided to found the Torchwood Institute.
"There shall be an institute, who shall investigate these occurrences and to fight them. It shall be christened after the house, the Torchwood Institute and should the Doctor ever return then he should beware, because Torchwood will be waiting…" 
Talk about royal ingratitude... Wow! 

Tooth and Claw' - "Wow, that's a big one!"
'Tooth and Claw' - "Wow, that's a big one!"
'Tooth and Claw' - a great Doctor Who episode, written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn. With David Tennant as "The Tenth Doctor", Billie Piper as "Rose Tylerand Pauline Collins as "Queen Victoria".