I do not believe they just did that

[avevale_intelligencer]

So, in waltzes Doctor Martha Jones, having made a big thing of leaving nuWho (but she'll be back next season, of course, along with Donna, Rose, Sarah Jane, and probably Novice Hame: the nuWho universe has revolving doors). And suddenly Torchwood has two doctors. Guess what? Owen gets shot at the end of the episode. No point to it, just a nasty avoidable little twist after the story's over. And they do the big pull back into the sky with the others clustered round the body, and in Torchwood Declassified RTD witters on about how in Serious Drama you've got to kill off your main characters to show that they're actually facing danger every week (because gods know you can't rely on your actors to convey that by, you know, acting) and Burn Gorman talks about how when your character's time is up you just have to move on and how much fun it's been--

--and then in the first ten minutes of the next episode they bring him back. And at the end of the next episode he's still back. And he's featured in the episode after that, apparently doing a Jack and frantically trying to die, because Death Is Better Than Living Liek This. Whether he'll succeed or not...I don't think I care. I certainly don't want to care.

Seriously, how deep is their contempt for their audience? I mean, really? To make such a huge point of the fact of killing him off and then to go "ha ha, made you look"? Gaaaah.

Comments

[cleverthylacine]

Sadly I knew this would happen...I wanted him dead, after all!

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly. But at least there was less "shagging" in this episode, although the reference to necrophilia was unnecessary and unpleasant in my book... I'm getting really tired of how the emotions of these characters revolve entirely around sex and death.

Maybe I'm just too old and staid for the audience they are aiming at though :-(

[keristor.livejournal.com]

"too old and staid"

Yes, they are aiming at the 'family' audience now. Oh, hold on, after you cut out all the sex and death is there more than a 5 minute episode trailer left for the 'family' version?

(I haven't seen yesterdays episode, it's not on the torrents yet, although since it has Freema I will be downloading and watching it. I haven't managed to download last week's yet. I haven't even watched the one before that yet, although I have downloaded it. In the words of next season's NuWho companion, am I bovvered? No, I have episodes of NCIS to watch, which has characters I care about and would actually like as people if I met them...)

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

It reminds me more and more of the most indulgent kinds of fanfic. And this is the house that likes Burn Gorman (we think Owen is slimy, but Mr Gorman is a decent actor). The cynicism of the writers and producers astounds me: they seem to think that as long as they keep on harping on the same few characters and themes (Companions! Fah'mly! Smushy stuff!) that that is all that's needed.

[pink-sweater-uk.livejournal.com]

Oh my, more RTD And The Marvellous Mechanical Deux Ex Machina Organ. Does he never get tired of such trivialising guff?

[deviant-gent.livejournal.com]

I don't know what terrifies me more. Their reluctance to get rid of Owen, or the fact that a Popstation was used as a prop.

TRULY THESE ARE THE END OF TIMES PEOPLE.

[valydiarosada.livejournal.com]

I like Burn Gorman as an actor - he was wonderful in Bleak House - but I never liked Owen as a character. But I was still rather upset when he was killed. It was a real "Oh, no!" moment.

Then came the next episode...

I agree with you and everyone else. I have lost any last vestiges of respect for RTD that may have lingered in my subconscious. There was no excuse for this.