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Torchwood: Children Of Earth (Day Two)

The 456: “We are coming... tomorrow.”

Not so long ago John Barrowman made the comment “as long as they pay me the right money, I'm ready to get out my cock and balls." All I can say is, he must currently possess a big fat wallet (no euphemism intended). It was brief... and mostly hidden by the letter X (I didn't zoom in, honestly). But they were definitely out, weren't they? I noticed, too, that Gwen couldn't resist a quick look later in the episode. Real subtle, Gwen. Seriously.

Nudity aside, Jack had a pretty traumatic episode. His reanimation reminded me of Hellraiser. It was all blood, sinew and exposed nerve endings. Which is probably why he was screaming. And to make matters worse, he ended up (naked again) encased in concrete. I really had a problem with those scenes. The thought of being trapped in concrete, unable to move, makes me want to freak out. What a terrible thing to happen.

Luckily, young Lois came through for Gwen and Rhys tonight. She was smart enough to realise that, if Torchwood are the good guys, then she's on the wrong side. Which was evidently reason enough for her to commit treason. And I'm happy to be proved wrong, but, I think we've just found a new regular cast member. I'm not sure how good a replacement a Personal Assistant is for a doctor or a techie, but she's certainly made of the right stuff. She put everything on the line to help Gwen and Rhys. At the very least she deserves a job.

And despite his somewhat distant familial relationships, Rhiannon and Johnny came through for Ianto, too. Had I been Johnny, I'd definitely have had to think twice before confronting the two men in the car (gang or no gang). Especially if I'd had my house broken into the night before and a gun waved in my face. It was a brave gesture, however, and gave Rhiannon time to slip away unnoticed and meet up with a shaken and dishevelled Ianto. We also saw more of Johnny than I care to remember. It didn't have quite the same impact as seeing Captain Jack “ragged off”. But everyone loves a chubby arse.

I really like it that we're getting to see Ianto's and Jack's families in the subplots. It gives their characters some much needed depth and makes them seem rooted in the real world. There was a definite softening too of Alice towards Jack. I'm hoping this plays out more over the next few nights. And like episode one, we didn't get much by way of answers, but they're certainly raising some interesting questions. How did Jack get to be Alice's father? Who are the other names on the government hit list? Who are the 456 and what do they want?

I felt a bit sorry for Frobisher. He pathetically thanked the PM for putting such trust in him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he's being set up as a scapegoat. When the proverbial do-do hits the big spinning windy thing, it'll be Frobisher who goes down, not the PM. Which makes me wonder whether he'll turn on the PM at some point... or maybe even commit suicide. It all depends on how involved he is. Is he just a faithful employee? Or does he have some other stake in what's going on?

A steady, solid episode. Still loving it.

Bits and pieces:

-- Steven calls his grandfather Uncle Jack.

-- How likely is it that a relative nobody like Lois Habiba would have access to such high profile telephone conversations and top secret locations... on just her second day of employment?

-- John Fay wrote tonight's episode. His previous writing credits include Robin Hood, Clocking Off and Blue Murder.

-- A fire extinguisher. The deadliest weapon known to man.

-- How can Jack regenerate from just a few body parts? What about the other bits? Could they regenerate a new Jack too?

Quotes:

Lois: "If you're the bad guys, why doesn't it say that on your file? And if you're the good guys, who am I working for? And why do they want you dead?"

Rhys: "This changes everything."
Gwen: "No, no it doesn't. Were still up the same creek and we still need a paddle."
Rhys: "Yeah...but three in the boat."

Guard: "She's shy, isn't she?"
Gwen: "I just prefer the company of dead people."
---
Four moor peaces eye rote, sea hear.

3 comments:

  1. Children Of Earth: Day Two

    I didn't prefer it to the first episode but it was still very impressive.

    Johnson is one brutal gal. Her pursuit of Gwen and Ianto was one thing.

    Her torture of Jack, another act of monstrosity if ever there was one.

    I called that flayed guy from the previews was Jack. I'm glas he didn't stay that way.

    Actually this was pretty much a Jack-lite episode.

    Still hard to get a feel on Frobisher, he seems sort of conflicted. Bridget, the PM, Decker, not so much.

    Gwen and Rhys's baby moment was sweet. Rhys is so joining Torchwood.

    Sort of guessed that Lois would end up impressing Gwen enough to be offered a job in Torchwood. All she has to do is survive the next three days.

    The children and Clem stopping/screaming not as effective as the previous episode, except for the latter freaking out.

    What kind of a race can survive all those gasses and cyanide?

    Ianto's brother in law helping him was a nice touch. Guess I misjudged the guy and Ianto/Rhiannon had moments to talk about their dad.

    Very little Andy (though liked his comments about terrorism and Gwen) and I get the feeling that Alice is in danger come next episode, 8/10.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Paul!

    "-- Steven calls his father Uncle Jack."

    Maybe I am mixing something up, but isn't Jack Steven's grandfather?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whoops...no, you're not missing something. That's a mistake on my part, duly corrected. Thanks Daniel.

    ReplyDelete

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