Torchwood: Adam and a Lost mini update...

As always, spoilers abound, so don't read if you haven't seen them...

I'll start with Lost first- the last two episodes were okay. The first was Sayid-centric, and those stories are always good. He is revealed as another of the "Oceanic Six"...and in his new life, he's an assassin. His boss is revealed to be Ben! I wonder how that is going to play out...

The next was all about Kate. I have never liked the character. I think she is selfish and rarely shows any remorse for her actions, and this episode wasn't any different. The only really interesting thing that happens is at the end- her "son" is Claire's baby, Aaron! I can't wait to see how that one is explained- I hope it doesn't mean that Claire dies.

On to Torchwood:

I found Adam entertaining. It's not an original idea in sci-fi, but it was well executed. Adam (Bryan Dick) appears in the Torchwood Hub- and everyone thinks he's been there for years. Also, there are radical personality changes in the team: Tosh is a hottie who's been in love with Adam for a year, Owen is a dork carrying a torch for Tosh, and Gwen forgets Rhys! And Jack's memories from his childhood in the 51st century begin to emerge. Things fall apart for Adam when Ianto realizes he's not mentioned in his diary. (That is one diary I'd like to read...). Adam makes Ianto believe he's a serial killer...and that's when Jack realizes that something is not right with this guy. It takes a dose of Retcon and the recovery of defining memories of the team to wipe out the alien.

I loved geek!Owen and Sexy!Tosh. Gwen's memory loss was both sad and funny- "You've picked the wrong girl to stalk, mister!" Ianto's serial killer memories were creepy, but his crying almost had me giggling. I adore Gareth David-Lloyd, but when he cries, I want to reach into the screen and slap him silly! Jack's memories weren't earth shattering, but at least the mysterious "Gray" mentioned in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is revealed to be his brother. I wish there had been more explanation to where Adam really came from (the "Void") and what his motivation was besides survival.

A few pictures, mostly from time-and-space.co.uk:

Tosh gives the kiss of death to yet another lover. (Seriously, does every one of her partners have to die?)



Owen is a-dork-able!




WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Emo!Ianto gets on my nerves.



Awwwwww. Jack wuvs Ianto.



No reason for this cap- I just think that Bryan Dick is pretty...I rather like him as a red-head.



DEATH BY RETCON!!!

Torchwood- "Meat"

Ew, ew, ew. That's about all I really have to say about this episode. Plot: Gwen's fiancé stumbles onto a suspicious meat packing operation...and Torchwood uses him to break it up. Gwen finally tells Rhys the truth about her job. The meat is alien in origin, of course...and it's getting into the local food supply. The Torchwood team may never eat meat again (Owen is shown picking the meat of his pizza!).

Lots of little goodies in this episode, though the CGI monster left a little to be desired. Sometimes it must really suck to have a limited budget!

Oh, the huge manatee! (yes, I know the joke has been done for this episode already, but I couldn't resist...)



The effects may have been shoddy, but the creature's wails were heartbreaking. I was actually glad when Owen put it out of its misery.

My love for Mr. Ianto Jones grows with each episode. He gets to kick ass and also gets the best lines. "Listen to Ahab." "Guess I'll stock up on plankton."

Oh hai there! I has a stun gun. Let me show you it. *zap*



I love the look on his face before he opens the can of whoop-ass.

The ending was nice, too, with Gwen standing up to Jack by refusing to give Rhys the memory wiping pill. So the secret is out...that can not mean anything good for Rhys. I see trouble in the future...

More good lines:
Gwen: Have you ever eaten alien meat?
Jack: Sure.
Gwen: What was it like?
Jack: He seemed to enjoy it.
(Ooooo, Jack. Naughty!)

Owen channels Doctor Who with his "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" to the dying alien.

The not so good: Jack's delivery of "What have they done to you, my poor friend" was almost cringe-worthy. When John Barrowman is good, he's very very good. But when he's bad...

Pictures are from time-and-space.co.uk Marvelous screencaps for each episode!

I have already seen Adam and Reset...but I'll wait to do my reviews. The ending of Reset is a shocker...

Grrr...Lost.

Episode two produced more questions than it answered. Three new characters arrive on the island- are they there to rescue the Losties or do they have a totally different agenda? Of course, nothing on this show is ever as it seems. For now, all viewers are getting is that these new guys are after Ben. And that Ben has one of his own people on their boat...Maybe this week the story will come together. I really hate that there are only six more episodes this season. That's not enough time...

Episode 3 of Torchwood, "To The Last Man", was more satisfying. Time paradoxes abound, but the episode gave Tosh some stuff to do for a change. I just loved Tommy, the WWI soldier frozen by 1918's Torchwood team. His job is to fix the time rift that brings 1918 and 2008 together...and go back only to be executed for "cowardice". Tosh and Tommy have a sweet, brief (and doomed) romance. I really liked the glimpses into Torchwood's past, and hope they do more stories about it. Also, Owen keeps getting nicer and nicer this season. His concern for Tosh about Tommy is touching and makes sense- after all, he went through the same thing with Diane in "Out of Time" first season. Finally, there was a nice Jack/Ianto scene, where Jack admits he wouldn't go back to his own time now because of the people he loves (read: Ianto) here.

My T.V. cup runneth over...

Lost is back! The first episode was pretty good, though it didn't answer many questions from the finale. Who got home? If Penny didn't send the boat, who are their rescuers? Why is Hurley visited by the very dead Charlie? Oh, well, that is typical of Lost. Tonight's episode looks good. I'm sad that there will only be eight episodes this season. At least the writer's strike may soon be over!

So far two episodes of Torchwood's new season have aired on BBC America- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Sleeper. Both were good- KKBB was a good beginning with Captain Jack's return. Sleeper was even better- an alien terrorist who thinks she's human helps Torchwood repel an invasion. I've already seen the next two- To the Last Man and Meat. I'll discuss them later...So far, the episodes seem to be about the guest stars more than the main cast. That trend will probably continue with episode five, Adam. This one I'm looking forward to- Adam is played by Bryan Dick, one of my favorite British actors (unfortunately, he's rather unknown in the U.S.) .

Back to KKBB- the opening was delightfully corny. "Have you seen a blowfish driving a sports car?" "Hey kids, did you miss me?" The characters seem to have changed a great deal- Gwen is suddenly in charge in Jack's absence, Owen is less of a jerk, and Tosh and Ianto seem to be taking a more active role. Tosh in particular seems a bit bolder. The story, involving Jack's ex partner Captain Hart (James Marsters) is a little muddled, but it was fun to watch the two of them bicker.

Sleeper was a better story overall (even if it has been done to death in sci-fi). I really felt for Beth, the alien who does not want to be what she really is, a sleeper agent meant to start an invasion. The scary (and gory) attacks by the other sleepers are mixed with some gallows humor from the Torchwood team- especially Ianto and Owen. "...it's the end of everything." "Let's all have sex." "And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse!" The ending was quite sad.

The rest of my favorite shows are done for the year. House ran its last three episodes of the season last week. The one guest starring Mira Sorvino was pretty good. I like the new fellowship doctors, though I miss the old team. The best part of any episode is the banter of House and Dr. Wilson. I hope next season will be good...