Torchwood: From Out of the Rain

Ugh. I really didn't like this episode much. Too heavy on atmosphere, too light on plot and characters. Freaky traveling show folk step off of the screen, and steal "the last breaths" of innocent people. That's about it. The only interesting thing was a small tidbit about Jack's past- he was once part of a traveling show (an undercover operation) as "the man who can't die". Also, there is some nice Ianto backstory- he loves movies, and he loved going to shows with his dad. Not important, but it was nice to see him so enthusiastic about something!

A couple of memorable quotes/scenes:

Owen: That is you. Right, now I've seen everything.

Ianto: Told you.

Gwen: You did stand up?

Jack: I never did stand up.

Gwen: Okay then - a song and dance

Jack: I was sen-sa-tion-al.

Tosh: I don't believe this Jack, what were you doing there?

Owen: He's part of this freak show.

Jack: Some things never change.

Owen: You being rude about me?

Ianto: It's more than just a cinema. It's the Electro. (included because Ianto was so adorable in his joy!)

Pics from The Institute:

Happy Ianto, bored Owen and Gwen at the Electro opening:



But wait! Who's that on the screen? Nice outfit.



The next two episodes, Adrift and Fragments, are much better. I am dreading Exit Wounds, though. The rumors are true. I'm not sure I'm going to watch next season...:(

Torchwood: Something Borrowed

Well, I totally missed Lost last week. My church's Maundy Thursday service was late, and I didn't get home in time to watch. Oh, well, church is more important, and Lost will repeat.

But I do have a quick review of Something Borrowed, a fun Torchwood episode.

On the eve of her wedding to Rhys, Gwen gets impregnated by a shape shifting alien. Apparently, these creatures use a host to carry their babies...and mama is out to get Gwen. Lots of good stuff in this episode: Ianto dress shopping for Gwen (who obviously needed a bigger gown!), Tosh fighting off the attentions of the obnoxious best man (and getting stuck in the alien's web with him), Jack mistaking Rhys's mum for the alien ("Get away from her, you fat ugly bitch!"), Rhys decking the mistaken Jack for insulting his mum. The "delivery" of the baby in a stable was a little silly, but it was great to have Rhys do the honors. I especially loved Rhys going after the alien with a chainsaw, only to have it die on him, leading to the best use of the word "Fuck" this series has done yet! Once the alien is dead, the wedding goes on as planned. Of course, during the reception, all of the family and guests get retconned. I hope this episode kills Jack/Gwen once and for all- though their dance at the reception was cute. But it was better when Ianto cut in...

This was a nice bit of fun after the gloomy Owen-centered three parter. I did like that the writers haven't ignored the fact that he's still, well, dead!

A few cute pictures from my usual source...

Ianto goes dress-shopping for Gwen, because she obviously needed a bigger gown...



Rhys's best man may have wanted to get Tosh into bed...but I doubt this is what he had in mind...tricky shapeshifters!



Rhys and Gwen go ahead with their wedding...with Gwen carrying the latest in bridal accessories- a bouquet-covered gun!



Rhys goes Evil Dead on the shapeshifter impersonating his mother.



The Torchies cheer on the bride and groom!



And my favorite scene of the episode...awwwww.



Great lines:
Jack: What's is it with you? Ever since Owen died, all you've done is agree with him!
Ianto: I was brought up not to speak ill of the dead. Even if they do still do most of their talking for themselves.

Owen: You ever seen a dead man dance?

(Rhys punches Jack in the face)
Rhys: That's for calling my mam an ugly bitch!

(GO, Rhys!!)

Torchwood and Lost, March 17

Lost- Ji Yeon

This one had quite a twist, and I really had to think about the ending. Part of the episode is on the island, with Sun having doubts about the impending rescue. Juliet tries to convince her that leaving the island is the only way to save herself and her baby, and even blabs Sun's past infidelities to Jin in order to get her to stay. (I officially hate Juliet more than Kate now. Her intentions there may have been good, but it wasn't her place to blab!)

Part two appears to be a flashforward- Jin is running around town, trying to pick up a stuffed panda for a baby...and the viewer is led to assume that it's his and Sun's. Meanwhile, Sun is in labor, crying for Jin. She gives birth to a daughter...and Jin is nowhere in sight. Jin is shown giving the panda to another mother and her baby...and says that he's only been married for two months! The episode ends with Sun and baby being visited by Hurley...and they all go to Jin's grave! She says she misses Jin, and that she named their daughter Ji Yeon like he wanted.

So Sun is the last of the "Oceanic Six", and apparently, Jin is dead or everyone believes he is dead. Jin's part of the story was actually a flashback, not a flashforward. It took me a while to figure that out!

Meanwhile, on the boat, Desmond and Sayid keep getting messages telling them to not trust the captain. Ben's spy is revealed to be Michael (like no one saw that one coming...), and he is introduced to them as "Kevin".

Good episode, though Sun/Jin stories usually don't interest me.

Torchwood: A Day in the Death (just a repost from my live journal)

Owen is really most sincerely dead. But he has not ceased to be, joined the choir eternal, is not yet an ex-Owen. And he is not having a good day. Jack relieves him of his duties, leaving Martha as Torchwood's medic...and Owen is reduced to Ianto's coffee and tea duties. Martha informs him that he is now 100% Owen (no more "Death" in him), but he can no longer heal himself. He goes home and empties out his flat of things he no longer needs- food, drink, etc. He chews Tosh out in his frustration ("I have nothing to give you!"), tries to drown himself, and finally Jack gives him an assignment. Because he is dead and has no body heat, he's the only person able to get into this rich old guy's mansion to retrieve an alien artifact that could be dangerous to the entire city. Owen tells all of this to a suicidal woman on a roof, hoping to help her (and help himself a bit in the process). He releases the artifact, which just shoots out purple lights. I was kind of hoping it could somehow restore Owen to his normal self, but no such luck. We're stuck with Zombie!Owen for a while...and he's already started to fall apart like in the movie "Death Becomes Her". Yuck. Martha leaves, Owen apologizes to Tosh, and gets on with his life death. He does admit to Tosh that he's frightened...

This was a much better episode than Dead Man Walking, and once again Burn Gorman sold it all. I loved Owen's cute banter with Martha, and the horror Ianto displayed when Jack gave Owen the coffee making duties. I also liked the girl on the roof, and Owen's interactions with the dying old man. I thought Jack was a bit of an ass to Owen- though the parallels between them are interesting: Eternal life for Jack, eternal death for Owen.

Lots of good stuff- but a couple of things had me cringing. Owen slicing his hand, Martha stitching him up. Ouch. Owen telling Tosh "I'm broken" and then breaking his finger in front of her. Double ouch.

A few pics (as usual, from time-and-space.co.uk):

Owen tries to drown himself.



Ianto tries to demonstrate proper coffee making. And tries not to freak out about the idea of anyone but himself touching the machine!



Owen and Tosh have a little chat...and he promises to let her know when things are bad.



Regarding rumors that have been floating around about the finale...they are looking more and more like they're legit. I'm not happy about that...and unless there is some kind of reset planned for season three, Torchwood has lost a viewer. Torchwood with no Owen, Tosh, very little Jack, and Gwen in charge? DO NOT WANT.

Torchwood and Lost, March 9

Two episodes of Lost, one of Torchwood!

Lost first- I've gotten behind because I had to be out on Thursday nights. Finally caught up with them!

The Constant- an excellent Desmond-centered episode. Desmond and Sayid are taken by helicopter to their "rescuers" boat. On the way, they encounter a storm, and Desmond finds himself back in 1996. When he is back in 2004, he has no memory of where and when he is. The entire episode is spent with Desmond sending messages back to himself in both times- finding his "constant" to put him back where he belongs before the jump kills him. His constant is his great love, Penny- and it turns out that his messages to the past are the reason she's been searching for him all of this time in the first place! The last bit is somewhat creepy- One of the rescuers, Daniel, is the person Desmond had to reach back in 1996. It is his experiments from the past that lead to the solution of the "constant"- and at the end of the episode, his notes include a mention of Desmond as his own "constant" should he become dislodged in time himself. This was a great episode. Not only was it fine stuff for Desmond, probably my favorite character, but it really helps explain some of the properties of the island- especially the time anomalies.

The Other Woman- This one was so-so. It is mostly about Juliet- the "Other" turned "Lostie", and how Ben is obsessed with her. The good stuff comes from the "Boaties" (fan name for the rescuers who are really out to get Ben)- Ben tries to make Juliet kill them before they can release a deadly gas on the island (something he had done to the original Dharma crew). Of course, they were actually trying to stop the gas and protect everyone. Ben convinces Locke to release him from his prison in exchange for information- on who sent the Boaties and who he has on the boat on his side. The big boss is Penny's dad! (played by Alan Dale, who will now always be "the bastard who shot Owen on Torchwood" to me). And of course, fans have already figured out that Ben's "man on the inside" is Michael, former castaway, and killer of Ana-Lucia and Libby. I'm not a huge fan of Juliet, so her new backstory didn't really interest me much. It was good to see that the Boaties may not be so bad- not if they were working to not kill the island's inhabitants! I'm starting to like Daniel.

On to Torchwood:

Dead Man Walking

Dr. Owen Harper is dead. Long live Owen! The episode begins with Martha beginning to conduct the autopsy. Jack interrupts, and tells everyone to not touch Owen until he returns.

Jack meets up with a strange girl with Tarot cards (one of which, oddly, looks like Jack in armor), who gives him the location of the object he desires. It's in an abandoned church taken over by Weevils. After scuffling with the Weevils, Jack retrieves the object and returns to the Hub.

The object is the mate of the "risen mitten" from Everything Changes and They Keep Killing Suzie. Everyone protests when Jack announces he's going to bring back Owen for goodbyes. Owen returns to life for two minutes (the usual life span from the glove)...and dies again. But he's not quite dead yet. The glove apparently has brought him back partway- he is a walking dead man. And he is not happy about it. He runs off, but not before he undergoes some major changes- he is being consumed by an energy that they've never seen before.

Owen runs off, and tries to drown his sorrows with alcohol. Jack finds him, they fight, they're tossed into a cell, and do a little bonding. Jack says he does not want to give up on Owen yet. On their way back to the Hub, they are chased by Weevils- who bow before Owen as he speaks to them in an odd language.

Back at the Hub, Martha and Gwen have discovered what is happening to Owen- he is literally being taken over by Death, and when it happens, Death will walk the earth. Despite an attempt to freeze Owen's brain and stop Death, it escapes. The glove attacks Martha as a distraction, and ages her rapidly. She is rushed to the hospital...and Death follows them. Owen is left to beat Death on his own before the thirteen souls it needs to claim the earth are taken. Owen does beat Death, and is left to wonder what will happen to him now.

This was an okay episode- some of the stuff makes no sense whatsoever, and Owen's literal Dance with Death was almost funny. But still, there were some nice moments, such as Jack and Owen's bonding scene in jail- though I really could have done without Owen's projectile vomiting and farting. Owen finally kisses Tosh! Of course, it was only to steal her alien device, but it was still cute! I liked Owen's goodbye to Gwen. That actually made me cry...and it was a nice, subtle reminder of their affair last season. Martha really didn't do much for me this episode, but I did like her conversation with Owen after his resurrection.

Good lines:

Jack (after Owen barfs up a bar full of beer): That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. And I know disgusting!

Owen: I'm going to miss farting...and sex.
Jack: Sex more than farting, I hope.

Ianto: I have searched for the phrase "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger shall know no bounds," but I keep getting redirected to Weight Watchers.

Owen: Is it still necrophilia if I'm conscious?

And a few screencaps, from time-and-space.co.uk...

Owen is gonna need that hand, Jack...



Aw. Cute male bonding.



Ianto goes after the glove. The look on Jack's face made me think that Ianto had brought out one of his prized sex toys!



Aw, again. Unfortunately for Tosh, Owen has no blood flow...so the kiss won't go anywhere. Damn. I'm still hoping for Tosh/Owen babies!




And finally, the thing I found most unbelievable about the episode: As Martha begins the autopsy, she says that Owen is (was) 27. Yeah, right! He looks older than me...and Burn Gorman is three years younger than I am (he's 33, I think)! And he must have been some kind of super genius student to have become a doctor, practiced medicine, and been a member of Torchwood for three years. Oh, well. Torchwood is not known for its continuity or believability!

Torchwood: Reset

I was going to write about all three parts of the Martha Jones saga tonight, but since only Reset has aired in the U.S., I'll refrain.

The plot was a lot like the Torchwood novel Slow Decay- aliens used for medical research, with bad side effects. Someone is killing off people who have been miraculously cured of diabetes, HIV, etc. With the help of Jack's friend Martha Jones (from Dr. Who), Torchwood infiltrates the "Pharm", and discover that their research involves studying alien lifeforms. The "May Fly" alien cures everything, but kills the hosts. Martha, undercover at the Pharm, is infected with the alien, but is saved by Jack and Owen. Torchwood destroys the facilities. As they leave, the doctor in charge threatens Martha for "ruining everything"- Owen steps in front of her and is shot. Jack kills the doctor...and everyone gathers around Owen as Martha tries to save him. It's too late...

Wow. That ending was a shocker, and I was actually in tears. There were many good things in this episode. Like I've said before, I'm only a casual viewer of Dr. Who, but I quite enjoyed hearing about all of the stuff that happened while Jack was away with Martha and The Doctor during "The Year That Never Was'. Martha made a nice addition to the team, and interacted well with everyone. I especially loved her grilling Ianto about his relationship with Jack. "We dabble..."

Lots of good stuff with Owen, too- his attempts to properly work an alien scanner/laser thingy led to one of the funniest scenes on Torchwood yet- he nearly blows up Ianto. Ianto Jones screams like a girl. And he was not amused...



Jack was rather amused, Martha a bit shocked:



Never fear, he eventually got it right, and saved Martha!

Tosh finally manages to get Owen to say yes to a date in a rather sweet scene. Sadly, it looks like that date will have to wait.

*cries* DO NOT WANT.



The next two episodes are titled Dead Man Walking and A Day in the Death, so it should be obvious that Owen isn't completely dead yet.

Tosh/Owen: I still believe...

After Jack/Ianto, they're my OTP!




Icon designed by Red Scharlach: http://www.redscharlach.co.uk/miniicons.html

Once again, all pics (except the cartoon) were from screencaps at time-and-space.co.uk

I'll get my thoughts together on last week's Lost later. It was really good...