Yes, I'm still missing the last episode. I promise I will rewatch and comment. I will probably be behind on posting for the second series because I don't get BBCA. My sister is supposed to record and mail the episodes. We'll see how that works but unless I find an online source, there won't be much here.
Everything Changes:
I'll admit I've adored Captain Jack from the moment he was introduced in "The Empty Chair" in Doctor Who Series 1. He is sexy, charming, smart, and, while somewhat amoral, can still feel guilty when his actions cause harm. Here in Torchwood, he seems a little one dimensional. It's the same group of writers so I'm not sure what happened but am willing to take it on faith that it will improve. (They finally aired "Utopia" from Doctor Who series 3 here that shows where Captain Jack and the Doctor meet up again. It explains so much about the changes in Jack's character. I still think it is a little flat but the loss of much of the laissez faire attitude is understandable.) John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) is just as attractive as ever. Besides a lovely voice and engaging smile, that man has the most delicious ass. A Plea to Wardrobe: Please put him in leather pants. In "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways," he was just too luscious to be believed in them. (Yes, I know he is gay and in a committed relationship. I can still appreciate, and maybe lust after, a fine body. Besides what is wrong with a little fantasy. It's not like I'm ever going to meet him.)
A look at the other characters:
Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles): Straight-forward and inquisitive, Gwen meets the team for the first time in this episode. She will become the compassionate voice of humanity for a group of scientists and technophiles led by a warrior. Gwen is going to be the one who reminds them to think of the individual and not just the greater good.While she does not seem to be very easily shocked by the strange and foreign, she falls apart a little too easily in reaction to violence for a police constable. (On a Side Note: Doctor Who Series 1 arrived this week and I noticed that she played Gwyneth in "The Unquiet Dead.")
Owen Harper (Burn Gorman): The doctor of the group, he can be very much the scientist. Personally, I think he can be a wanker but hopefully he will do some growing up over the course of the season. Owen will say things the others may be thinking but are too polite or tactful to say regardless of how mean it may be. (I've now picked up "Oi, you lot" from hearing him say it. I'm assuming it is the Brit version of "Hey, y'all.")
Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori): Tosh is the quiet geek. She has the smarts but not the confidence or experience to make herself heard. She is one I hope will really come into her own on the show. (Side Note: In "Aliens of London" from Doctor Who Series 1, she plays a character of the same name. It would be nice if we get to see in a flashback if this is how she ended up becoming involved in Torchwood.)
Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd): Ianto is the personal assistant, errand runner, cleaner, and all around mother of Torchwood. He is the one who takes care of the results of the investigations and cares for the staff. I really like him. He has some depths to his psyche that would be interesting to plumb, that and he's cute. (Side note: I'm keeping my eye out for him and Burn while rewatching Doctor Who now that I have it on DVD.)
Suzie Costello (Indira Varma): Suzie is only in this one episode but plays the central pivot point for the plot. Her obsession with the glove (the Risenmitten) and what it has to offer allows Gwen into the wonderful world of Torchwood. She also demonstrates that perhaps humanity is not ready for all the advances that the alien technology has to offer. (Side Note: Keep an eye out for her. She may be back.)
From everything I've seen, this will be a fantastic show.
Day One:
While I haven't had first days with fatal consequences, I have had a few that were about like Gwen's. When you try to fit in like that from the start instead of letting it happen naturally, something will always go wrong. Gwen definitely seems to be the type to have had Murphy as a bosom companion. You just know that things like that will keep happening to her through out the series.
I LOVED her quip to Owen. That's it, girl, get started on the right foot with that one. He won't be as big a pain if he thinks you'll fight back.
For a first alien menace, this one was perfect for Torchwood; it surviving on the energy of sexual release. The poor girl fighting the alien to keep herself was touching and frightening. Isn't that something with which all of us struggle? The retention of self against the outside forces of our world.
Lovely start to Gwen's investigation techniques; let's all have a little snog. Jack, Owen and Tosh watching for a little while before realizing it could be bad was classic. And Owen pausing to tape it first *insert eyeroll*. Then when she slammed Owen into the wall I grinned like a loon.
"...she's a walking aphrodisiac." " I was wondering, you see..." "We know."
When she escaped (loved her locking Owen up naked and Jack's comment on his abs), Gwen showed why she is a valuable member of the team. Everyone else was thinking about the technical ways to find her and became stumped when they would not pan out. Gwen took the personal approach and looked at her (I'm sorry I don't remember her name, bad BIS for forgetting) life. In an increasingly technologically inclined world, we sometimes forget that looking at the person can tell us more.
To close, (yes, I know it's short) the considering, and somewhat baffled look on Jack's face after Gwen kissed him in thanks was perfect and I wonder about the foreshadowing there. Who know what we'll see continuing between those two.
Ghost Machine:
You have got to love an episode that starts with a chase sequence. I love watching the guys run though Gwen is a speedy little devil herself. I wonder, really I do, how they keep their earpieces in while they are running like that. I have never had any success with that sort of thing but that could just be me.
Tosh’s description of the suspect, “Suspects male. Wearing a hoodie.” Like that wouldn’t have described half the people in the vicinity.
Gwen and her wide eyed, freaked out look, that is going to get old quickly. She looks like a horse who has just seen the boogie man jump out at him but cant’ decide which way to run.
When it comes to finding Tom Erasmus Flannigan, Tosh goes to her computer, Gwen and Jack talk about the national databases and such but what does Owen do; he checks the phone book. Sometimes the less complicated method works the best. Looking at these guys, they seem to over think their areas of specialty.
I just about wet myself when Gwen and Owen went to interview Flannigan. The look on Owen’s face when Gwen introduced herself as DI Cooper (Detective Inspector) and him as DS Harper (Detective Sergeant). The when she sent him off to help Flannigan’s daughter make tea. Oh, he did not like being subordinate there particularly to a woman. *insert maniacal laughter here*
By the gods, I wanted to smack Rhys. I understand what he is doing and why (feeling like he isn’t special to her anymore and like he has been pushed to the wayside for the job) but it is maddening to watch. And the pretense he made to call. Dude, does she call you at work for crap like that? I don’t think so. Then he hangs up on her. Oh, hell to the no. I did like how he still did her laundry (washing but not drying) to make up for it but still be shirty in a passive aggressive way.
I want my own Ianto. Not only is he cute, charming and smart, he is domestic. Gods, what I could do with him.
Under the bridge, poor Owen. He had no clue what he was in for. Guys rarely ever know what it feels like to be a victim in that way. Most women recognize it as a possibility early on. Those flashbacks are going to mess him up for years to come.
They guy playing Ed Morgan looks so dang familiar to me and I can’t figure out why.
I loved Jack when he shouted “quantum transducer” (which converts energy from one form to another). He gets so excited and alive when he finds new technology and can identify it. Like a kid in a candy store.
That shooting scene. The one where Jack teaches Gwen how to handle his piece (I couldn’t even type that with a straight face). That was vertical sex fully clothed right there. Whew. *drool*
Gwen was a bad girl after that. She knows better than to take home the technology. Didn’t she learn anything from the first episode? I will admit she had a good intention; she only wanted to relive the good memories with Rhys. It could have gone horribly wrong. And look at her purse as she slips the transducer back inside. How can any woman carrying a purse that size have it flat? Wardrobe needs to make that more realistic.
Owen searching down Ed Morgan. Nice phone book work again. Subtlety is not his strong point, is it now? “You’re a bad one you are Ed Morgan. The other girls said not to go with you.”
The finding of Bernie Harris. Damn, they are fond of chase scenes. Of course, Owen managed to run him down. “Don’t hurt me. I have asthma.” “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to bloody kill you.” And the idiot was blackmailing all the people he had seen. Important lesson: Never try to blackmail a killer. He could decide to kill you. Problem solved for him.
<>You would have thought that by this point Gwen would have learned about pressing that button. Apparently she does not learn from her mistakes.As usual, Jack has to put away the fascinating alien device. Yet another thing humanity cannot handle. As he says, the problem with seeing the future is we always feel compelled to attempt to change it.
Gwen and Jack looked very cozy there at the end. Hmmm…wonder what that is leading to.
Cyberwoman:
I call traveling on the pterodactyl. You just can’t trust prehistoric creatures in basketball. They always cheat.
Trained observers that these all are, why does no one notice that Ianto looks so nervous? Yes, I know plot wise it doesn’t work if they notice, but I found it oddly annoying. Of course, it could have been meant as a commentary on how Ianto has a servant/master relationship with the team instead of being one of them. No one notices a good servant.
Bad boy, Ianto, sneaking someone into the lair. Doesn’t it look like a lair to you? Actually, shouldn’t it be bad, bad boy since it was two someones he snuck in? Yes, I know you love her (ick-factor for the kissing the machine but aw-factor for loving her no matter what she looks like) but there are still some lines that should not be crossed. Betraying your compatriots is one of them.
I love how the UFO sightings only caused 7 calls to emergency services. Looks like the Welsh just don’t get too excited about the unusual. “Can we at least finish our drinks first?” “Sure. Take 10 seconds.” I’ve done that kind of draining my drink that Gwen and Jack are doing before. Learned it from my father. Of course, we usually apply the technique to iced tea not beer.
Tosh wanting to do some driving and Owen turning her down (who put him in charge of the car anyway). His complaints (mirror off, seat too close, steering wheel in the crotch) are part of the reason I hate anyone else driving my car. If my mom borrows it, I practically kneecap myself trying to get behind the wheel. Still, even with those complaints, when it is just Gwen and Owen, she is the one doing the driving so he isn’t completely against women driving; he’s just against Tosh driving. They really don’t seem to respect her all that much.
You could see in everyone’s faces that they knew Ianto was lying about the power drain. Why did no one think they should go with him and find out what was really going on?
Nice rationalizations there Ianto when you see what Lisa has done to your doctor friend. Those are usually the kind of statements one hears from battered women. Thinking about it though, one could consider his relationship with Lisa to be an abusive one. She has isolated him from friends, and caused him to like to coworkers. She has caused physical harm to him and others for which he makes excuses. He keeps insisting she didn’t man it, that she can change, and never really sees what she has become.
Personally, I found it annoying the way Ianto kept vacillating between firm decision making and breaking down into weak-kneed, weeping guilt. I come from a ‘stiff upper lip’ type of family though.
“I’m thinking we’re under attack.” Nice southern Americanism there, Jack.
Do they not have a 21 foot rule over there for cops or was Gwen just absent that day? For the love of Pete and his little purple wings, when holding a gun on someone you do not stand with the barrel less than a foot from their chest. They WILL take it away from you. (Anyone getting ready to say something about blocking to fit everything in the scene can shut up.) Once they are within 21 feet of you, someone will get hurt and that someone is probably you.
I loved Jack carrying Owen over his shoulder like it was nothing.
Ianto: “Like you care. I clean up your shit, no questions asked, and that’s the way you like it. When did you last ask me anything about my life?” Here is the actual articulation of the fact that they see Ianto as a servant and not a real person. Like I said from the beginning, there is more to him than meets the eye.
Jack Universal Truth for the Night 1: “Small decisions that become mass slaughter.”
That thing that is supposed to open any lock looks suspiciously like the thing that Tosh ‘borrowed’ in the first episode and used to scan books without opening them.
That was a classic move; the villain putting her arm through a small window in the door when the one running is thinking they’re safe behind it.
When hiding in a drawer in the morgue, what should we do? Let’s snog. Oh, look. There’s Jack and Ianto. Two kisses for the price of one.
Rhys has excellent timing, as usual. And calling her at work asking her to video Wife Swap.*roll eyes* Didn’t we go through this last week? Does she pull this kind of crap on you? No. So stop doing it to her.
Bad timing for the pizza girl.
Jack says these things quite a bit: “Don’t ask questions” and “Just do as I say.” Not looking for any autonomy from them there, is he?
Tosh: “I used my initiative. I’m sorry.”
Jack: “When I want you to think for yourself, I’ll tell you.”
Tosh: “Maybe if you’d have told me your plan, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Now see Jack, when others know what is going on, they won’t screw up you game plan.
Jack Universal Truth for the Night 2: “There’s always something left to lose.”
Jack: “You hid yourself from us.” Jack, I’d like you to meet my good friend, Kettle.
That is a tough thing for Jack to ask, ok demand, Ianto to do. I can understand why he wants that but I do not agree with it. During the whole conversation, Jack looks just as emotional and broken up as Ianto but the “You like to think you’re a hero but you’re the biggest monster of all” comment steadied him a bit.
It was heartbreaking; the moment of complete silence when Ianto enters the basement room calling Lisa’s name.
She (now in the pizza girl’s body) said everything Ianto wanted to hear and he was starting to ignore what Jack wanted then she had to go and make that comment, “we can be upgraded together.” Jack’s was the first bullet in her.
Gwen with a surprisingly wise comment: “All that deception, all because he couldn’t stand to live without her.” That motivated so many desperate actions all around the world.
Two last questions: 1) How can Jack heal a bullet to the brain quicker than a split lip? 2) What did they do with the pizza girl?
Small Worlds:
Jack looks so young and sweet sleeping like that. He almost seemed innocent. Then he followed it with a surprisingly intimate moment with Ianto when he put his hand on Ianto’s shoulder. I like how their relationship is getting deeper since the whole Cyberwoman girlfriend bit. You only see it when they are alone though.
Being forgotten at school, been there, done that. My mother has never let my father live that one down either. This was back before everyone carried cell phones. I had to find a pay phone and use my phone card to call Mom at home. She then had to try to get a hold of my father. I ended up spending some time hanging out at the Dunkin Donuts across the street snacking and doing homework.
Jasmine was just killing me during the episode. She is almost kidnapped by a pedophile and skips away like nothing happened. Then there was the way she stood there and laughed while her classmates were being blown around. I get that she didn’t grow up in a loving home and how much that can affect a child but there is something else wrong with that girl. I wonder if all the other Chosen Ones were/are like that. Were they chosen because of that or are they like that because they were chosen?
Her mother, Lynn, I’m not even going to get into other than to say, she should have paid more attention to how her boyfriend treated her daughter.
Roy. *sigh* Roy. Roy. Roy. You got yours. You would think that after being with Lynn for 5 years, you would actually be a father to her daughter. You were there for some of her most formative years (which could be why she is so screwed up). You treated her like a servant at the party and walled off her play area. You made comments like, “no wonder your father left,” “you have no friends,” “we want to have children of our own,” and then you called her a bitch and hit her. So what if she kicked and bit you. She was trying to get you to let go of her. I have as much sympathy for you as I do for the pedophile.
Once Gwen meets Estelle (don’t you just love the affectionate look on Jack’s face when he talks to or about her), she starts getting the right idea about Jack’s past. Well, headed in the right direction at least. I think Jack likes that Gwen knows about him not being able to be killed. It gives him someone to talk to about the people he has known and loved and the places he has been. I felt horrible for Jack losing Estelle that way. I know losing those he loves is a basic fact of his life but you can still see just how much it hurts him. Side note: You’d think people would learn not to step outside when something is after them.
There was never any way to keep the child from the “fairies.” She was lost to them long before Torchwood met her. Jack constantly demonstrates why he is the leader; he is able to make the hard decisions for the greater good regardless of the opinions of others.
Jack quotes for the episode (one is long):
“One person’s good could be someone else’s evil.” (Yes, Gwen said it but Estelle credited it back to Jack)
“Something from the dawn of time. How can you possibly put a name to that?”
“Think something you can only half see, like a glimpse out of the corner of your eye, with a touch of myth, a touch of the spirit world, a touch of reality all jumbled together; old moments and memories that are frozen in and amongst it, like debris spinning around a ringed planed, tossing, turning, whirling, backwards and forwards through time. If that’s them, we have to find them before all hell breaks loose.”
Last Question: In the cell with the pedophile, whose kit was that? None of the team brought it in with them.
Countrycide:
There is a quote that first came to my mind concerning this episode:
“There is no use wasting energy being afraid of devils, demons and things that go bump in the night…because ultimately, we’ll never encounter anything more terrifying than the monsters among us.” Dean Koontz
First lesson of scary situations: If you are driving alone in the middle of nowhere at night and you see something in the road, do not stop to see what it is. If you absolutely cannot resist the urge to stop, do not leave your car keys in the ignition. They will not be there when you get back.
She does get bonus points for the baseball bat. That was a nice touch.
Owen: “I hate the countryside. It’s dirty. It’s unhygienic and what’s that smell?”
Gwen: “That would be grass.”
After the ‘who was you last snog’ conversation (which really wasn’t the most brilliant of ideas) and Gwen and Owen have left to gather firewood, Jack and Ianto exchange this look of which I’m really not sure. Ianto seems to have defiance mixed with a little apology. Jack just looks hard.
Again with the running. Every episode it seems like there is a chase scene. Not that I mind watching Jack run or anything but it seems a little excessive.
I hadn’t noticed this the other times I watched this episode but that’s the half butchered body of a kid, isn’t it? How did I miss that before?
“Don’t you ever get scared Jack?”
Gwen, of course he gets scared. He can’t exactly tell you about it now, can he? If he stays calm and acts like he isn’t scared then you are more likely to stay clam as well. He’s just being a good leader. I still say Gwen freaks out too easily.
I loved all the scenes where the team members are being watched from a distance from behind things and all you can hear is breathing. It is a great set up for a big, bad monster.
Didn’t anyone else think it was strange that all those dead chickens were hanging from trees and doors by the garage where Ianto and Tosh were looking? Personally, I’d take it as a bad omen. Normal people do not decorate with dead domestic fowl. It gave me a Reavers flashback (Firefly/Serenity).
I wasn’t too surprised to see Gwen get shot with the way she went through that door. What are they teaching them at law enforcement academies over there? Or was Gwen just a poor student?
Owen: “Do you want a quip about feeling a small prick?”
Gwen: “No but thank you for offering.”
It was interesting when Jack offered to help move Gwen to the pub and Owen refused, insisting on doing it himself. After the ‘last snog’ conversation, I can understand Jack’s considering look. A man with his experience can tell where that is going.
Second lesson of scary situations: When you are trapped in a basement that contains numerous pairs of discarded shoes, do not look in the fridge. Whatever you find will not improve the situation.
Classic horror moment: Everyone squared off at the barricaded main door and the handle of a previously unnoticed door to the side creakily begins to turn. As a group, everyone’s head pivots in that direction. “Ok so we didn’t check the cellar.” Priceless.
Third lesson of scary situations: When someone opens the door to the room in which you have been locked and they are armed but swear they are not involved with the people who took you, do not believe them. They are lying.
Fourth lesson of scary situations: If the description involves terms like “harvest” and “every ten years,” it will not be a good thing.
So Jack was once the “go to guy” for torture and was good at it because the job demanded it of him. That last part doesn’t surprise me. Jack is the “do whatever you need to do to get the job done” kind of guy. That job was a long time ago though which makes me wonder if it was when he was a Time Agent or another job when he was ‘elsewhere’ in time (reference to Doctor Who series 3 which would have spoilers if I elaborated).
Fifth lesson of scary situations: The fact that he is a uniformed police officer does not automatically make him a good guy. It’s true that most often our childhood teaching of going to the police for help is correct but not in all situations. Sometimes the police are in on it. They are people, too, and just as screwed up as everyone else.
Nice entrance with the police car, Jack. You are very much the showman with blazing guns. I had two problems with the scene. One was the amount of times he fired the shotgun without reloading. The other is it felt a little…rushed, I guess. It’s like when a favorite author puts all this length into a plot but the resolution takes 2 pages and you’re left saying “all that for this?” For another example, it is like an hour of fantastic foreplay but the climax fizzles out.
Gwen, sometimes not knowing why is better than actually finding out. Couldn’t you have lived a full and happy life never knowing that they did this once a decade for generations because “it made me happy?” Wouldn’t you have rather been able to go on believing that it was the monsters that are truly monstrous and not people. I did notice that you weren’t telling Jack not to kill them but to wait to kill them until you could question them. The job is rubbing off on you.
In the last moments, Gwen acted like the reason she was starting the affair with Owen because the job was changing her and she had no on with which she could talk about it. Girl, so you talk about it with your coworkers. You do not take it as an excuse to cheat on your boyfriend.
Greeks Bearing Gifts:
I didn't even go back and rewatch this episode to take notes on it. I just did not care for it. Before anyone jumps the gun, it was not because the main action was lesbian lovers; it was the cold blooded way Mary stalked, seduced and used Tosh. While I intellectually understand the reasons why she chose who she did for what she wanted and why she did it in the first place, it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Partially, I think it is a little because I'm a bit like Tosh. I'm the quiet geek who sits off to the side and watches more than interacts (you'd be amazed what you can learn by doing that by the way). When we do interact, it never works out the way we want it to no matter how much we try and we can be seen as awkward and out of touch. Where I am now, I'm more self assured than Tosh is and don't crave so desperately to be part of the group as she does but I remember the feeling well.
Back to the actual episode, I would not wish the ability to read minds on anyone. I wanted to wish it on someone once (so they would know how much others disliked them) but upon further reflection realized that they would end up using the power to screw everyone over. It kinda took the vengeful glee out of the thought. For someone with a good heart, being able to hear others thoughts would be devastating; a one way path to a psychotic break or suicide. It was great that Tosh was able to save that family but she severely damaged her closest relationships (at work) both from her point of view and hers.
I have no idea why but Jack's "You're not from around these parts" line stuck out to me. That's actually the first thing I remember from the episode. I also remember how proud he was of resetting the transport thing.
The next episode is "The Keep Killing Suzie." See I told you she'd be back and I love that title.
They Keep Killing Suzie
Is the reason the Gwen can use the glove so well her empathy with others? If that is the case, how can Suzie use it also but not Tosh or Jack or Inato? Notice I don't include Owen. He hasn't' really developed much empathy for others yet and while the experience in Ghost Machine helped, he actually experienced it all and not just projected himself into her feelings.
How far ahead did Suzie start planning all of this? It had to be months of scheming and plotting for something this elaborate. How did she even know that someone would even be able to revive her? Jack was the only other one who could use it and not well at that. There was no real guarantee that it would work.
She does win my mad scientist award for this season of the show.
Random Shoes
I enjoyed the chance to see the team from another point of view. Eugene was such a sweet guy who desperately wanted to be accepted by his heroes. Gwen was the most accessible, so I think that may be why he focused on her. The fact that she is a cute chick, didn't hurt either. The random shoe shots on his cell phone were a nice touch.
Out of Time:
Picture it: Jack, Gwen and Owen standing on an airstrip at a private airfield and a vintage plane lands. When did you leave? What day? I need the year. What year?
Very nice intro to on of my favorite episodes. We get to see so much more of the characters personal lives here.
The look on Ianto's face and his dry delivery of "Of course, bananas are far more interesting" when Diane ran off as he explained automatic doors was perfect.
Diane: "What does this mean?" holding up a pack of cigarettes. Have you ever seen a pack of cigarettes in Britain? Unlike the US (whose warning labels are discretely placed on the side of the pack in fine print), the warning label takes up the front half of the pack and says things like "Smoking Kills," or "Smoking causes birth defects," in bold print in a black lined box. They are very impressive.
John: "What, did you fall through time too?"
Jack: "Yeah, something like that."
Owen: "Let me get this straight. You expect equality and chivalry?"
Diane: "Don't see why they should be mutually exclusive."
I am going to keep dying over the image of Rhys walking out, buck assed naked, past Emma sleeping on the couch and not noticing her.
Jack: "John's witnessing the end of his world; the end of his line and we can't help. There's no puzzle to solve, no enemy to fight, just three lost people who've somehow become our responsibility."
Gwen you really shouldn't have left Emma alone like that in the club. She's 18 years old and from 1953. She has not clue what could happen to her. It was hysterical how she turned the tables on you during the sex discussion.
Even though that wristband Jack wears hasn't worked in years, he still wears it religiously. Does he think of it as his connection to his past?
Jack: "I died once."
John: "Who are you?"
Jack: "A man like you, out of his time, alone and scared."
John: "How do you cope?"
Jack: "It's just bearable. It has to be. I don't have a choice."
Diane: "The thing about love is you're always at its mercy."
Each of the three who were out of their time was paired brilliantly with the person they were most like. Emma and Gwen are the youngest of both groups and are trying to find who they are and their path in life. Emma showed Gwen how to look toward the future and how to see the possibilities. Diane and Owen are the fiercely independent ones who feel they do not need others. Owen changed from meeting Diane but Diane stayed much the same. She flew into almost certain death rather than face not being free in the present. Jack and John are the older ones, tired of their struggle. Evey one they've loved, they've lost. They can't let go of the past but only Jack must face the future because he has no choice. It was incredibly touching that Jack sat with John as he died, holding his hand.
Next up for Torchwood, Combat. We'll see Owen's difficulties in dealing with the loss of Diane.
Combat:
Again, Jack with the running. Always with the running. Not saying I really mind but could we have some of it done without the long coat? I cannot be the only one who would like to see him run without the coat.
Jack: "Rhys, is it? Nice to meet you. Sorry, it's kind of an emergency, I'll have her back by dessert."
Gwen: "Rhys, this is Jack."
Rhys: "Sit down, Gwen."
Gwen: "He's my boss."
Rhys: "Sit the fuck down."
Gwen: (calmly and firmly) "Don't ever speak to me like that."
Jack: "Come on, Gwen. Let's go."
Rhys: "Hey she's with me tonight. One night off. You promised. Don't you dare. If you go now, Gwen..."
(musical cell ring sounds)
Tosh: "Is it his?"
Jack: "You don't think I'd choose that ringtone?"
Ooo, such a nice try Owen, trying to fake voicemail after answering the phone.
Gwen: "What about this bloke? Someone's got to break it to his wife he's dead."
Everyone looks at each other and back at Gwen. If she hadn't have brought it up, she wouldn't have been stuck with it.
Gwen: "The shittiest part about being a police officer and I can't get away from it. (she looks over at Owen and he remains silent) Thanks for your kind words of support."
Owen: "What do you want me to say? That you'll be all right in the end?"
Gwen: "You can always count on Owen to make you feel better."
Owen really does spent most of this episode lashing out at others. He doesn't know how ot deal with the loss of the first woman with which he has fallen in love. The emotions are all so foreign to him, he blunders around like a wounded bear batting at those surrounding him.
Kudos, Jack, that was an exceptional use of guilt to make that guy talk. You are an expert torturer.
Jack: "OK, Janet, time for a trip out."
Tosh: "You call it Janet?"
Jack: "Barbara just never seemed right."
Tosh makes an excellent straight man, doesn't she?
Ok, I just have to comment on this. They are following Janet, when they spot the van taking it, and so they hide. Where do they hide, you ask? Behind a chain link fence, of course. Premiere hiding spot of law enforcement worldwide.
This is the first time I've spotted the claw marks on Mark's back. How did I miss that before?
Mark: "It's closer than you think. Something's coming...out there... in the darkness....something's coming."
All the foreshadowing about the thing that is coming, the thing in the dark, is fantastic. Really gets your hopes up and it is nice that it comes from such a wide variety of characters.
Gwen that confession was only to make YOU feel better. I'm sure Rhys would have loved never to know and drugging him, damn girl, what is wrong with you. You want him to forgive you to make you feel better but then you want him to forget it so he doesn't hate you. I'm not really seeing a winner in this situation. Then once he has passed out you head back to work. Partially because you feel safe there and partially because you want a distraction from what you have just done. Serves you right that no one was there. Interesting how when she found the info from the text message that she put her hand to her ear and tried to talk to Jack. I guess she spends so much time at work that it is odd if she isn't wearing the earpiece.
Gods, that annoyed me so much right there, when she rearranged Tosh's desk. I have a coworker who does crap like that to me. Make me nuts. I put things certain ways for certain reasons. Don't mess with it.
Mark: "Same as us. Ordinary blokes just trying to find meaning in a world that doesn't have any."
Owen: "You don't really believe that now, do ya?"
Mark: "We're the dispossessed, Owen. All the certainties our fathers had are gone. We're a generation of no faith in society, in religion, in life. All we can do is reduce ourselves to the basics. This is only the warm-up."
Lovely speech, complete bullshit, but lovely nonetheless. It is simply a justification for beating the crap out of each other and the Weevil.
Mark: "The ultimate extreme sport. Too much disposable income, not enough meaning, that's us."
Whoever stays in the ring the longest *insert eyeroll here* Why don't you just grab a measuring tape and whip it out? It'd be easier.
I'm impressed that Owen held the weevil at bay with his mind until Jack distracted him.
Reckon. I adore that Jack said, "reckon."
Owen: "For a few seconds in that cage, I felt totally at peace."
Did the weevil bite change Owen or had he already begun to change from close study of the weevils and exposure to the rift?
Captain Jack Harkness:
MY FAVORITE EPISODE!
Maybe it is because I love the 40's so much, or that I adore Jack. It could be the depth of emotion in the episode. Or it could just be that kiss.
Jack: "Just dashing, young soldiers and pretty, young ladies. As they danced, the girls would look into their partner's eyes, smile softly, and say..."
Tosh: "Jack, mind my laptop."
Jack: "I was thinking more along the lines of 'How long before you head off to war?"."
Jack is almost giddy just in his remembrance. For all his travel and his origins, the 1940's were his time. (Doctor Who fans, did you spot the 'Vote Saxon' poster?)
I almost died laughing when I heard these lines:
"Captain Jack Harkness, 133th squadron."
"Captain Ja..mes Harper, 71st."
By the by, for the rest of the blog, he's going to be called the Real Captain Jack Harkness, or RCJH for short.
Tosh: "Why does that man have your name? I'm lost enough here without you holding back more."
Jack: "It's not my name. It's his. I took his...but I didn't realize he was so...hot."
Tosh: "Jack."
Jack: "I know too much."
Tosh: "Then share."
Jack: "You wouldn't want that. Trust me."
Bilis the manager. Well, that's what he made me; bilious. Though he does make a tidy, little villain particularly with the Torchwood dossier in his desk.
Tosh: "This period, you look like you fit in. Have you been here before?"
Jack: "Yeah, I can't explain but I served in the war in 1941. I was undercover; I needed a false identity so I took his name."
Tosh: "Who were you before you took his name?" (notice he didn't answer that) "Why him?"
Jack: "I was convenient."
Tosh: "But if you chose his identity to steal then he..."
Jack: "Dies in battle."
Tosh: "When?"
Jack: "Tomorrow."
RCJH does not look so thrilled when Nancy walks in. Did you kinda get the impression she wasn't so much to his taste?
Now that is a confrontational woman. Think she is just jealous? George really wasn't helping the situation but the Captain Jacks swooped in for the save.
RCJH: "Oh, you can't run out on me. I just got you a drink."
Jack's universal truth: "You don't know what's ahead. Kiss her goodbye."
The look on RCJH's face when Nancy said 'I love you' was priceless. Very much an 'oh, shit' look.
Jack: "Her falling for you is hardly my fault. Play it cool in front of your men but not in front of me. Look, it's ok to be scared."
RCJH: "A captain has to keep his head."
Jack: "A captain has to explain the risks to his men, what to expect."
RCJH: "So what do I do? Tell them I say a young boy get shot in the eyes mid-flight?"
Jack: "I understand."
RCJH: "Do you? Did you hear him on the radio yelling for his mom while the Messerschmidts pumped him full of holes and blew his plane apart? All I could hear on the radio..."
Jack: "...his screams. I went to war when I was a boy. I was with my best friend. We got caught crossing the border over enemy lines. They tortured him, not me, because he was weaker. They made me watch him die and they let me go."
RCJH: "Who were they?"
Jack: "The worse possible creatures you can imagine...I persuaded him to join up. I said it would be an adventure. He hadn't lived."
RCJH: "Have any of us?"
(tell me that wasn't a "moment" there)
Eyeroll moment: "Thing is, you could be the last girl I ever kiss." I bet men have been saying things like that since the beginning of time.
Tosh while I'm greatly impressed with your dedication (and desire to go home) there are two things to think about: 1) tetanus, and 2) lead poisoning.
I love all the little moments Jack and RCJH have just staring into each others eyes. They are brilliant. The suave lover isn't so suave anymore.
RCJH: "Why did you make me kiss her goodbye?"
Jack: "I just think you should live every night like it's your last. Make tonight the best night of our life. You're alive right here, right now. Your men are fine."
RCJH: "What are you trying to say?"
Jack: "Go to her. Go to your woman and lose yourself in her."
RCJH: "Maybe I should."
Jack: "Yeah."
RCJH: "Is Toshiko your woman?"
Jack: "No, there's no one. Go to her."
Jack, you were so caught up in the guilt of taking his name and knowing he was going to die the following day thus wanting him to have a memorable night that you were COMPLETELY missing (or ignoring) the subtext. The whole crestfallen look when you told him to go to her, asking about your love life, and using the "Maybe I should " line which is the equivalent of a woman saying "FINE!"
Jack: "I'd thought you'd gone. This could be your last chance."
RCJH: "That's why I came back."
Jack: "I might have to leave before the night is over."
RCJH: "Well, then make the most of now." He takes Jack's hand and they're interrupted.
Jack: "We'll go somewhere else."
RCJH: "No, you've told me all I need to know."
Jack: "Tomorrow is their last training exercise. Just another day. They go out on a sortie and are surprised by two formations of Messerschmidts. He destroys three of the enemy. His men listen to his whoops of joy over the radio. Then it all goes quiet. He can't bail out because his whole plane is on fire but his men all make it back to safety."
Tosh: "Who were you?"
Jack: "A con man. That's why I took his name and falsified his records so it seemed he was still alive."Tosh: "How did you end up in Torchwood?"
Jack: "Someone saved my life. Brought me back from death and ever since then it's been like they're keeping me for something and I don't know what it is. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
Tosh: "It was my choice."
Owen: "That rift took my lover and my captain."
Nice delusion Owen. She left of her own free will. She didn't want to be tied to you in this time. Learn to fracking deal with it. Contrary to your belief, everything is not about you. The past few episodes have shown a side to Owen that has brought me to hate him. All the thinks of is himself. While he was a sarcastic tosser before, he has turned into a cruel bastard who is trying to make everyone as miserable as he.
When RCJH pulled Jack onto that dance floor, I was spell bound. The emotions beaming from their faces and the almost kiss were stunning. Then the rift opening and Jack going back for the kiss. Oh, gods, that kiss. It was so passionate and heartfelt. I actually teared up. It was beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Tosh: "It was war time, I know, but it was beautiful."
Jack: "There were angels dancing at the Ritz."
Tosh: "He would have been so proud you took his name cause here you are saving the world. To Captain Jack."
Jack: "To Captain Jack."
