Torchwood: A Day in the Death
Mar. 16th, 2008 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gategrrlA Day in the Death - watched it last night. It's irritating being a week or more behind everyone who DLs or watches it in the UK first, but I can't do anything about that.
It was a necessary step, IMO, to have an episode featuring Owen because his character is shifting this year from the total bad-guy misfit ass-hole he was in the first season, to someone who has issues, but is generally a nice guy. I don't mind that kind of shift, because Owen never really bothered me much. I thought Burn Gorham did a fine job. I'll never think he's the cats-meow in the looks department but he has a good helping in the talent department.
I was surprised at how much Gwen was in command this episode, with Jack just sort of hanging out, watching her telling everyone else what to do. Are they trying to cut Jack's part down a bit? Have the writers figured out that a little Barrowman goes a long way?
I was disappointed that Martha was leaving this episode. Although she and Owen duplicate training, she's got a very fine screen presence, and doesn't set off my "my god this woman is fucking irritating" button like Gwen does. And tell me, WHY is it almost always Gwen's actor who's always commenting on the OTHER characters after the commercials, but before the episode starts up again? I'd kinda like to hear from the OTHER actors once in a while.
A little Barrowman goes a long way - and to be honest, it was a relief to see him dialed back in presence. I can't express how irritated I get with Barrowman at this point in the series. I don't think Jack's character has adapted well to Torchwood - from the corny overdone introductory narration, to the stagey big gestures and loud voice and body acting that goes with just about every line he has in the episodes.
This being Torchwood, I wasn't sure if the woman he was talking to was actually going to jump at the end. There was that amount of unpredictibility built in, but hey, the story beats were pretty obvious. Owen is dead and has no body heat? Fabricate a person they've been watching for a long time (but never mentioned before) who happens to gaurd his house with HEAT sensors only, and no MOTION detectors. Have Owen make a deep connection to a frightened dying man. Have him do it once again with a woman about to kill herself. Have Tosh come and say that she loves him. Too bad the dude is dead.
I like the concept, and Owen himself pointed out with a scene that while Jack is immortal and *living*, he's dead and always *dying*. And in one quick aside, before he goes into the rich man's mansion, verbally bites Jack by telling him and Do NOT revive me again. You could almost hear the snarl behind it. It's a wonder Owen doesn't hate Jack. Maybe he does: the writers haven't tackled that yet. It does set up a fascinating dynamic. Too much love is as damaging as hate: think there's a message in that with regards to Jack and Gwen? And I won't even go into Jack/Ianto. Owen talking to Ianto about his relationship with Jack...okay. And that was for?
I'm on the fence about this series. They've cut down a lot on the gratuitous sex all over the place, and instead gone into writing about adult *themes*, which don't have to include sex and angst and exitentialism, but instead hard choices. That's good. The utter predictability of the plots, even if they're character pieces, takes away from the show in total. Problem is, Torchwood is the only real game in town at the moment. Atlantis is still around, but there's honestly little comparison between the two. Atlantis likes to sidestep serious themes and keep to the cartoon, while Torchwood attempts to delve into hard hitting themes (and sticking with the consequences).
All this reminds me, I have a good backlog of series DVDs to start watching. Maybe I'll start that up.
Can Torchwood please tell Barrowman to retake acting classes for television, please? The guy is a total song-and-dance theater man.
Oh - go please readaizjanika's post on this episode: she points out a few things that made me go, WTF, too, but that I forgot to mention in my review.
It was a necessary step, IMO, to have an episode featuring Owen because his character is shifting this year from the total bad-guy misfit ass-hole he was in the first season, to someone who has issues, but is generally a nice guy. I don't mind that kind of shift, because Owen never really bothered me much. I thought Burn Gorham did a fine job. I'll never think he's the cats-meow in the looks department but he has a good helping in the talent department.
I was surprised at how much Gwen was in command this episode, with Jack just sort of hanging out, watching her telling everyone else what to do. Are they trying to cut Jack's part down a bit? Have the writers figured out that a little Barrowman goes a long way?
I was disappointed that Martha was leaving this episode. Although she and Owen duplicate training, she's got a very fine screen presence, and doesn't set off my "my god this woman is fucking irritating" button like Gwen does. And tell me, WHY is it almost always Gwen's actor who's always commenting on the OTHER characters after the commercials, but before the episode starts up again? I'd kinda like to hear from the OTHER actors once in a while.
A little Barrowman goes a long way - and to be honest, it was a relief to see him dialed back in presence. I can't express how irritated I get with Barrowman at this point in the series. I don't think Jack's character has adapted well to Torchwood - from the corny overdone introductory narration, to the stagey big gestures and loud voice and body acting that goes with just about every line he has in the episodes.
This being Torchwood, I wasn't sure if the woman he was talking to was actually going to jump at the end. There was that amount of unpredictibility built in, but hey, the story beats were pretty obvious. Owen is dead and has no body heat? Fabricate a person they've been watching for a long time (but never mentioned before) who happens to gaurd his house with HEAT sensors only, and no MOTION detectors. Have Owen make a deep connection to a frightened dying man. Have him do it once again with a woman about to kill herself. Have Tosh come and say that she loves him. Too bad the dude is dead.
I like the concept, and Owen himself pointed out with a scene that while Jack is immortal and *living*, he's dead and always *dying*. And in one quick aside, before he goes into the rich man's mansion, verbally bites Jack by telling him and Do NOT revive me again. You could almost hear the snarl behind it. It's a wonder Owen doesn't hate Jack. Maybe he does: the writers haven't tackled that yet. It does set up a fascinating dynamic. Too much love is as damaging as hate: think there's a message in that with regards to Jack and Gwen? And I won't even go into Jack/Ianto. Owen talking to Ianto about his relationship with Jack...okay. And that was for?
I'm on the fence about this series. They've cut down a lot on the gratuitous sex all over the place, and instead gone into writing about adult *themes*, which don't have to include sex and angst and exitentialism, but instead hard choices. That's good. The utter predictability of the plots, even if they're character pieces, takes away from the show in total. Problem is, Torchwood is the only real game in town at the moment. Atlantis is still around, but there's honestly little comparison between the two. Atlantis likes to sidestep serious themes and keep to the cartoon, while Torchwood attempts to delve into hard hitting themes (and sticking with the consequences).
All this reminds me, I have a good backlog of series DVDs to start watching. Maybe I'll start that up.
Can Torchwood please tell Barrowman to retake acting classes for television, please? The guy is a total song-and-dance theater man.
Oh - go please read
aizjanika's post on this episode: she points out a few things that made me go, WTF, too, but that I forgot to mention in my review.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-03-16 09:14 pm (UTC)It is, isn't it? I feel so out of the loop. I really want to read all the reviews and thoughts about the episodes, but I don't want to be completely spoiled either.
I don't mind that kind of shift, because Owen never really bothered me much.
I think so, too. I never liked or disliked Owen more than any of the other characters. I agree that Burn Gorham did a great job in this episode.
I didn't dislike Martha before, but I had hoped she wasn't staying. I liked her more in this episode, but I'm still glad that she's not staying. I think it's too soon to mess up the team dynamics, and she did--except in this episode.
And tell me, WHY is it almost always Gwen's actor who's always commenting on the OTHER characters after the commercials,
I've noticed that, too. I like her, but I, too, would like to hear a little more from the other actors.
I like Jack and Barrowman. It's part of what makes the show appealing to me, actually. I think I'm in it for the cheese factor. hehe
It's a wonder Owen doesn't hate Jack. Maybe he does: the writers haven't tackled that yet.
That's a good point. Jack has shown that he loves Owen and that's why Jack's attitude in this episode felt off to me. Maybe it's guilt. If he can make Owen believe it's all no big deal, it really won't be a big deal. Hmmm...
think there's a message in that with regards to Jack and Gwen?
I hope the show forgets all about that. :-(
And I won't even go into Jack/Ianto. Owen talking to Ianto about his relationship with Jack...okay.
I actually liked that moment between Owen and Ianto. Owen and Ianto had their own working relationship and it does seem as if that's changed now, and it makes sense that Owen might attribute that to the Jack/Ianto thing. It also shows that everyone is aware of it.
I also like Jack/Ianto, because it seems genuine and doesn't seem to take anything away from the team (even if it changes it a bit) or even Jack's flirting and whatever with other people.
They've cut down a lot on the gratuitous sex all over the place, and instead gone into writing about adult *themes*, which don't have to include sex and angst and exitentialism, but instead hard choices. That's good.
Oooh, that is good. I knew something had changed about this season, but I hadn't quite thought it through that far. That's a good point.
The utter predictability of the plots, even if they're character pieces, takes away from the show in total.
That bothers me less than it may bother others, though even I notice that they're using similar plots to Smallville, Supernatural, SG-1, and Atlantis (sometimes a plot that's been used on all four shows! *g*), but haven't been a sci-fi fan as long as most people on my flist, so it's less the same old thing to me than it probably is to others.
Problem is, Torchwood is the only real game in town at the moment.
Exactly. For whatever reason, I feel starved for new episodes of shows, so I've been watching things I would normally never watch--definitely a different type of lame than Torchwood could ever aspire to, and Torchwood is often the highlight of my week right now.
In some ways I'm on the fence about this show, because I still can't decide if I like any of the characters, but I do think that they're doing a better job of giving the characters some life and personality this season without it totally coming out of left field.
Can Torchwood please tell Barrowman to retake acting classes for television, please? The guy is a total song-and-dance theater man.
Bwah! I have seen a video of him singing, and...OMG. I can't decide if it's just total camp and fun and I love it or if I'm sort of horrified by it. *g* I think it's a little of both. I'd probably die if he broke out into a little song and dance on Torchwood. It would be equal parts awesome and horrifying.