Torchwood Season 2, eps 5-8
Feb. 29th, 2008 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robotech_masterWho would have thought after several depressing episodes, Torchwood could turn around and come out with a couple of episodes that are strangely life-affirming?
"Adam" was another episode that I would put toward the good side of mediocre. The way having their memories messed with changed people's personalities all around was interesting, and it showed why the writers didn't choose to return to the status quo—so Rhys would have a basis for responding to Gwen's freakout. It was also good to see some of Jack's childhood memories, as well as to find out who "Gray" was that "John" was referring to at the end of 2.01. I take marks off for the kind of a downer ending, though. Too many downers this season.
As for "Reset," it was fun to see Martha Jones again, and to learn that she's working for UNIT now because of a certain highly-placed recommendation. Certainly RTD seems to have gone back on his word about Jack being the only crossover character, especially given that events of the Doctor Who episodes were referenced so thickly. As in Who, Martha turned out to be a marvelous character, and it was nice to have an episode spotlighting her abilities. And it certainly ended with a bang.
And that's where the life-affirming bits come in. It's strange to say that a storyline about a character dying and being brought back to semi-life can be life-affirming, but there you go. "Dead Man Walking" with Owen's speech to the leukemia kid, and "A Day in the Death" with Owen's visit with the rooftop jumper, give an amazingly positive message that counterpoints the gloomy stuff that started the season. Maybe that's even why they started so gloomy, to promote the contrast with these episodes. And if the gloves are becoming a bit of an overused maguffin (what if there's another pair, or they came from an alien race with four hands?), and it's a little weird that Jack should suddenly be able to use one when it was Gwen's ability that was the maguffin of the last one, well, I thought these episodes were good enough that it can be forgiven. And it was great to see Owen more fully developed. It's vaguely possible that he might eventually even become likable. (Well, I like him anyway, but…)
Now I'm wondering if the final episode will have Owen's return to full living. The "Exit" in "Exit Wounds" could be a verb instead of (or in addition to) an adjective…
The two most recent episodes are my favorites of the season, and it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
"Adam" was another episode that I would put toward the good side of mediocre. The way having their memories messed with changed people's personalities all around was interesting, and it showed why the writers didn't choose to return to the status quo—so Rhys would have a basis for responding to Gwen's freakout. It was also good to see some of Jack's childhood memories, as well as to find out who "Gray" was that "John" was referring to at the end of 2.01. I take marks off for the kind of a downer ending, though. Too many downers this season.
As for "Reset," it was fun to see Martha Jones again, and to learn that she's working for UNIT now because of a certain highly-placed recommendation. Certainly RTD seems to have gone back on his word about Jack being the only crossover character, especially given that events of the Doctor Who episodes were referenced so thickly. As in Who, Martha turned out to be a marvelous character, and it was nice to have an episode spotlighting her abilities. And it certainly ended with a bang.
And that's where the life-affirming bits come in. It's strange to say that a storyline about a character dying and being brought back to semi-life can be life-affirming, but there you go. "Dead Man Walking" with Owen's speech to the leukemia kid, and "A Day in the Death" with Owen's visit with the rooftop jumper, give an amazingly positive message that counterpoints the gloomy stuff that started the season. Maybe that's even why they started so gloomy, to promote the contrast with these episodes. And if the gloves are becoming a bit of an overused maguffin (what if there's another pair, or they came from an alien race with four hands?), and it's a little weird that Jack should suddenly be able to use one when it was Gwen's ability that was the maguffin of the last one, well, I thought these episodes were good enough that it can be forgiven. And it was great to see Owen more fully developed. It's vaguely possible that he might eventually even become likable. (Well, I like him anyway, but…)
Now I'm wondering if the final episode will have Owen's return to full living. The "Exit" in "Exit Wounds" could be a verb instead of (or in addition to) an adjective…
The two most recent episodes are my favorites of the season, and it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
