Torchwood 2.8and 2.9
Mar. 13th, 2008 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenayReviewing both episodes at once because my reviewing appears to be a wee bit
behind again.
A Day in the Death
One of the great, and at times frustrating, things about Torchwood is the
quality of the actors involved. Great because you get some terrific
performances in some episodes, frustrating when episodes aren't so great and
the actors are obviously struggling with them.
This was basically a Burn Gorman showcase episode and he was fantastic. The
way that the episode started, making me believe that he was really
considering suicide with the girl and making me feel the pain and fear that
he's been feeling ever since he came back was perfectly done. To then turn
it around through the course of the episode so that we see the hope he has
found and why he is really on that roof with the girl was brilliant. It was
a well-written, beautifully acted piece. Where the previous episode was, at
heart, about how the rest of Torchwood were handling his death and return,
this episode was entirely about Owen with the other characters mostly just
acting as background and sounding boards for his story.
A year ago, I wouldn't have said that Owen's character could carry an
episode largely on his own. No way. Not only was he a plain unpleasant
character, but I was wondering where the Burn Gorman's acting skills had
gone that we had seen in Bleak House a few months before. I'm not going to
boast that the writing staff were thinking ahead far enough to develop the
character in this way deliberately (sadly, they just wouldn't), but the
evolution of Owen's character has been believable, interesting and toned
just right. Owen has gradually turned from the character I disliked most
(not even a character that I loved to hate) into a character that I
genuinely like and find enjoyable to watch without losing those moments when
he behaves like an insensitive prat.
There were a few parts that made my skin crawl, most noticably watching him
break his own finger. Yurch. Still, I think those moments were right in the
context.
I'm still hoping that Tosh will get over him. She's been in love with him
since before the first episode - why?
Those are personal quibbles, though, rather than complaints about the
episode itself.
There were some beautifully touching moments in this episode. The most
affecting scenes were the girl in her wedding dress, spattered with blood
and so panicked and devestated by her husband's death. The look and the lack
of sound made it haunting, as though we were seeing her memories of the
event that were still so clear even a year later.
Owen's scenes with Parker were also moving, the contrast between the man who
would do anything to have another moment of life and the man who can't die
no matter what he does. And then the final scenes where we can see that Owen
has found a reason to carry on, something to keep going with his unlife.
Ultimately this episode was about hope, what happens without it and how
people need hope to keep going. Without hope, what is the point to life?
Something Borrowed
After three very serious episodes, this episode was pure comic relief and it
was brilliant. I adored it to bits and I love my shiny, sometimes silly
show.
We've had the build-up to Rhys and Gwen's wedding there in the background
since episode 1 so it's great to actually see it on screen. And of course,
this being Torchwood, there was never any chance that it would go to plan.
This is one of the things that Torchwood does so well, mixing the ordinary
with the extraordinary and not really trying too hard at serious sci-fi.
I love the relationship between Rhys and Gwen and I've loved it even more
since he found out what Gwen does. It's interesting to see how their
relationship has evolved now that there aren't those huge lies between them.
The lovely thing is that Rhys isn't the guy who fell in love with the
superhero girlfriend, he's the guy who fell in love with a woman who turned
out to have this super cool job. He's in love with Gwen, not with the aliens
and the excitement of what she does.
I'm sure that the Jack/Gwen shippers out there were loving this episode,
too, but for me the interesting thing was that Gwen only confessed to her
attraction when it wasn't really Jack. In fact, she confessed it to an alien
who wasn't really acting like 'our' Jack, so what does that say? Jack has
had months to act on it if he genuinely wanted her, and to me the fact that
he hasn't done anything says that, although he possibly feels some
attraction, it's not enough to make him act on it. I don't think that Jack
is the type to let a pre-existing relationship stand in his way if he knows
that someone is attracted to him and I don't think that he's blind enough to
not realise Gwen has some attraction. At the same time, I think both of them
know that it's Rhys she loves. She's not settling, she's choosing the bloke
that she loves and who will be best for her.
Leaving all that aside, I adored Rhys and Gwen to bits. I loved that Gwen
was so blindly determined to get married and I loved that Rhys understood
that the ceremony wasn't the most important thing in the world. For half the
episode it was all about Gwen wanting the wedding to happen and then Rhys
steps in, points out that it's his wedding too and insists on being involved
with the decisions. It seems almost like an analogy of their relationship:
at first all we saw was Gwen being the strong one, deciding what Rhys should
know and essentially controlling their relationship. Now that Rhys knows,
they have become more of a partnership in the relationship and he is
insisting on a more equal relationship.
It was lovely to see them finally get their vows and wedding, spattered with
alien blood and all.
The comedic aspects to the episode were fantastic. Eva Myles has great comic
timing and it was her expressions as much as the physical comedy that had me
hooting with laughter. From the moment she woke up and spotted the huge
pregnant belly, to her expression as she explained it to Rhys right through
the episode, it was a wonderful perfomance.
Ianto has been in the background a little over the last couple of episodes,
so it was good to see him getting some screen time and some of the funny
lines as well. We also got a tiny bit of background on his family. Master
tailor for a father actually kind of makes sense for his character. And the
"wedding fairy" comment had me giggling because there are so many ways that
could be read ;-)
It was also great to see another hint of how his relationship with Jack is
evolving. We know from what they have both said at various times that it's
definitely sexual (and rather inventive), but the scene at the end with them
dancing slowly together implies that it's become more than that. It's not
something they're saying yet and I actually don't think that it's something
they have said to each other, but this relationship is becoming something
more than just a casual shag or an experimentation. The scene where they
discuss the wedding dress hints that Ianto doesn't usually open up much
about his background but he is for Jack. That scene had more going on that
just the surface dialogue.
Apart from Tosh's little unrequited love moment with Owen (again!), I loved
Tosh in this episode. Strong, feisty and everything that I keep hoping Tosh
can be and I want to see more of this Tosh.
Owen wasn't as prominent in this episode as he has been in the last three,
which is right after such huge storylines. His scenes showed that he's
starting to adjust to his new situation and figure out how he works within
the team. He can't do everything that he used to do but he can still do a
lot and contribute in ways that he couldn't before. I liked that we didn't
have that shoved in our faces, it was just something there in the
background.
This was Gwen and Rhys' episode but it was also a team episode and that was
the finishing touch to this episode. Definitely one of the highlights of a
very good season.
behind again.
A Day in the Death
One of the great, and at times frustrating, things about Torchwood is the
quality of the actors involved. Great because you get some terrific
performances in some episodes, frustrating when episodes aren't so great and
the actors are obviously struggling with them.
This was basically a Burn Gorman showcase episode and he was fantastic. The
way that the episode started, making me believe that he was really
considering suicide with the girl and making me feel the pain and fear that
he's been feeling ever since he came back was perfectly done. To then turn
it around through the course of the episode so that we see the hope he has
found and why he is really on that roof with the girl was brilliant. It was
a well-written, beautifully acted piece. Where the previous episode was, at
heart, about how the rest of Torchwood were handling his death and return,
this episode was entirely about Owen with the other characters mostly just
acting as background and sounding boards for his story.
A year ago, I wouldn't have said that Owen's character could carry an
episode largely on his own. No way. Not only was he a plain unpleasant
character, but I was wondering where the Burn Gorman's acting skills had
gone that we had seen in Bleak House a few months before. I'm not going to
boast that the writing staff were thinking ahead far enough to develop the
character in this way deliberately (sadly, they just wouldn't), but the
evolution of Owen's character has been believable, interesting and toned
just right. Owen has gradually turned from the character I disliked most
(not even a character that I loved to hate) into a character that I
genuinely like and find enjoyable to watch without losing those moments when
he behaves like an insensitive prat.
There were a few parts that made my skin crawl, most noticably watching him
break his own finger. Yurch. Still, I think those moments were right in the
context.
I'm still hoping that Tosh will get over him. She's been in love with him
since before the first episode - why?
Those are personal quibbles, though, rather than complaints about the
episode itself.
There were some beautifully touching moments in this episode. The most
affecting scenes were the girl in her wedding dress, spattered with blood
and so panicked and devestated by her husband's death. The look and the lack
of sound made it haunting, as though we were seeing her memories of the
event that were still so clear even a year later.
Owen's scenes with Parker were also moving, the contrast between the man who
would do anything to have another moment of life and the man who can't die
no matter what he does. And then the final scenes where we can see that Owen
has found a reason to carry on, something to keep going with his unlife.
Ultimately this episode was about hope, what happens without it and how
people need hope to keep going. Without hope, what is the point to life?
Something Borrowed
After three very serious episodes, this episode was pure comic relief and it
was brilliant. I adored it to bits and I love my shiny, sometimes silly
show.
We've had the build-up to Rhys and Gwen's wedding there in the background
since episode 1 so it's great to actually see it on screen. And of course,
this being Torchwood, there was never any chance that it would go to plan.
This is one of the things that Torchwood does so well, mixing the ordinary
with the extraordinary and not really trying too hard at serious sci-fi.
I love the relationship between Rhys and Gwen and I've loved it even more
since he found out what Gwen does. It's interesting to see how their
relationship has evolved now that there aren't those huge lies between them.
The lovely thing is that Rhys isn't the guy who fell in love with the
superhero girlfriend, he's the guy who fell in love with a woman who turned
out to have this super cool job. He's in love with Gwen, not with the aliens
and the excitement of what she does.
I'm sure that the Jack/Gwen shippers out there were loving this episode,
too, but for me the interesting thing was that Gwen only confessed to her
attraction when it wasn't really Jack. In fact, she confessed it to an alien
who wasn't really acting like 'our' Jack, so what does that say? Jack has
had months to act on it if he genuinely wanted her, and to me the fact that
he hasn't done anything says that, although he possibly feels some
attraction, it's not enough to make him act on it. I don't think that Jack
is the type to let a pre-existing relationship stand in his way if he knows
that someone is attracted to him and I don't think that he's blind enough to
not realise Gwen has some attraction. At the same time, I think both of them
know that it's Rhys she loves. She's not settling, she's choosing the bloke
that she loves and who will be best for her.
Leaving all that aside, I adored Rhys and Gwen to bits. I loved that Gwen
was so blindly determined to get married and I loved that Rhys understood
that the ceremony wasn't the most important thing in the world. For half the
episode it was all about Gwen wanting the wedding to happen and then Rhys
steps in, points out that it's his wedding too and insists on being involved
with the decisions. It seems almost like an analogy of their relationship:
at first all we saw was Gwen being the strong one, deciding what Rhys should
know and essentially controlling their relationship. Now that Rhys knows,
they have become more of a partnership in the relationship and he is
insisting on a more equal relationship.
It was lovely to see them finally get their vows and wedding, spattered with
alien blood and all.
The comedic aspects to the episode were fantastic. Eva Myles has great comic
timing and it was her expressions as much as the physical comedy that had me
hooting with laughter. From the moment she woke up and spotted the huge
pregnant belly, to her expression as she explained it to Rhys right through
the episode, it was a wonderful perfomance.
Ianto has been in the background a little over the last couple of episodes,
so it was good to see him getting some screen time and some of the funny
lines as well. We also got a tiny bit of background on his family. Master
tailor for a father actually kind of makes sense for his character. And the
"wedding fairy" comment had me giggling because there are so many ways that
could be read ;-)
It was also great to see another hint of how his relationship with Jack is
evolving. We know from what they have both said at various times that it's
definitely sexual (and rather inventive), but the scene at the end with them
dancing slowly together implies that it's become more than that. It's not
something they're saying yet and I actually don't think that it's something
they have said to each other, but this relationship is becoming something
more than just a casual shag or an experimentation. The scene where they
discuss the wedding dress hints that Ianto doesn't usually open up much
about his background but he is for Jack. That scene had more going on that
just the surface dialogue.
Apart from Tosh's little unrequited love moment with Owen (again!), I loved
Tosh in this episode. Strong, feisty and everything that I keep hoping Tosh
can be and I want to see more of this Tosh.
Owen wasn't as prominent in this episode as he has been in the last three,
which is right after such huge storylines. His scenes showed that he's
starting to adjust to his new situation and figure out how he works within
the team. He can't do everything that he used to do but he can still do a
lot and contribute in ways that he couldn't before. I liked that we didn't
have that shoved in our faces, it was just something there in the
background.
This was Gwen and Rhys' episode but it was also a team episode and that was
the finishing touch to this episode. Definitely one of the highlights of a
very good season.
