Torchwood again: last night's episode (2.3)

[avevale_intelligencer]

First reaction: instant pathos, just heat and serve. Have these people got no self-control? Aren't any of them remotely monogamous? (Apart from Rhys, and I'm sure when he has his episode next week he'll be overcome by love or lust at least twice.) The story would have worked just as well, and Tommy been just as tragic, without the pseudo-romance. We're still just a bit behind the bike sheds, where discussion of "adult themes" is not only possible but compulsory.

With that out of the way, it didn't seem quite that bad to me.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yep. The writers can't seem to think of anything else for Tosh to do apart from fall in love unsuitably, can they?

[iamza.livejournal.com]

I think the full-on relationship aspect is intended maybe to differentiate Torchwood from Doctor Who. I mean, the Doctor may get close to his assistants, and they, in turn, may suffer ad nauseum from unrequited love, but Torchwood strikes me as the darker lustier side of all that. It's all the sex that Doctor Who can't show because it's shown before the watershed.

I'm biased, though. I liked Tosh in this episode. I liked the contrast between Tosh's relationship with a time traveller, and Owen's disastrous affair last season.

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

I missed it. I turned to Tim as it was about to come on and said, "It's either 'Grand Designs' or 'Torchwood' which will probably turn out to be renamed 'Shag of the Week'".

We settled on architecture.

Ah, 'Torchwood', you promised so much, yet delivered so little apart from sub-standard angst and knickers.

[tattercoats.livejournal.com]

BBC Iplayer is your friend, remember...

That's how we watch Jam and Jerusalem.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I can has Freema nau plz? I haven't seen this week's yet, it should be on the torrents this evening, but I'm not bothered by spoilers[1], I'm only waiting for the Freema episodes (I fell for her in the first episode of S3 DW). I just don't like any of the Torchwood characters as people. I expect I'll do the same with DW S4, except that I may not watch any of the other episodes with that Tate woman (I didn't care for her in the DW special, and actively dislike her show now I've seen it).

[1] Not that your post really contains any spoilers -- there's sex, and someone called Tommy who is tragic. Probably less than the Radio Times says about it (they probably leave out the sex part).

[aunty_marion]

My main reaction to last night's episode was "Sapphire & Steel did it better." Moderately enjoyable froth, though.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Oh! I remember Sapphire and Steel! I LOVED that programme so much - was totally glued to every episode. The one about the girl being haunted through photographs of her really stuck with me - it was so creepy.

[tattercoats.livejournal.com]

Aargh! The man with no face! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I'd forgotten that for the last ... twenty years! Now I have goosebumps all over again!

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Me too!

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Ah, but does the music curl your back hairs every single time you hear it?

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I have no recollection of the music. Perhaps if I heard it again, it would. Indeed, probably, as I was so hooked on the series.

P.S. Are you saying I have a hairy back? ;-P

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Good grief. You don't remember it?

This (http://www.nyrond.co.uk/tunes/s&s-main.mp3) was the beginning and this (http://www.nyrond.co.uk/tunes/s&s-end.mp3) was the end (poor quality recordings dragged off the web somewhere but you'll get the idea). I've seen it derided as "bombastic" and reminiscent of 50s sf films, but for me it underlined the basic facts about Sapphire and Steel; that they are far more powerful than they appear, and that they are agents of order, definitely not of good. They do not care about us or want us to feel better; they just want things tidy.

The icon literally popped into my head as I was reading this thread last night, which is why it was a bit of a rush job.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Blimey - that rang no bells at all. I seem to have a largely visual memory of the series. The other one that really haunted me was the WWI story.

It was one of the strengths that it wasn't about good/evil but about order/chaos.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I seem to be more affected by music than some people. This is not a bad thing, either way. :)

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

P.P.S. I love your icon.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Thank you kind lady. :)

[soren-nyrond.livejournal.com]

The voiceover ... the voiceover ...

"All Irregularities will be handled -- "

and the roll-call: "Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet -- "


Those *were* the days.