random shoes

[violacea]

Torchwood talk for the evening ....



... boring. And really pointless. The first Torchwood ep that fell COMPLETELY flat for me. Only a few random thoughts about this one, because there really isn't that much to say.

- "oh, an alien left something behind! If it was IMPORTANT, he'd COME BACK FOR IT, right?" WE GET IT. SERIOUSLY. WE ALL SAW "PARTING OF THE WAYS".

- am I slow on the uptake, or did most of the episode take place inside of Eugene's mind? I mean, with the ending where his dad comes to make amends and he saves Gwen and she kisses him, blah blah blah. And then, when Gwen was in bed alone - where the hell was Rhys, otherwise? I'm mostly sure that Eugene was somehow fantasizing - while dead, so huh? - a lot of the details we saw. Which, in that case, again, was there a point to all this?

- Owen rebels against the prevailing theme-wisdom of the series - "you're not the only one with a heart", is that what he said? - and thank god. I mean, I like Gwen and I was rolling my eyes at the rampant Gwen-worship going on.

- The last point reminds me ... I wonder if Gwen and Owen's affair is over? After Gwen found out that he'd slept with Suzie first? Their brief scenes certainly sounded like the bloom was off the rose, so to speak. And next week ... apparently, Owen's ready to move on. Okay then.

- They let Ianto out of the Hub! Apparently they're no longer afraid he'll be eaten by cannibals. Good for him. ;)

Seriously. If someone sees a point to this episode, please point it out to me. Because mostly, I'm left thinking that I saw "Love & Monsters" on Friday night again, and that was better done with more to say. And I'm not even a big fan of "Love & Monsters". With both episodes, I'm left wondering why a series that's only 13 episodes long NEEDS a filler episode that doesn't feature the Big Star. Makes me think British TV stars are just spoiled. Heh.

ETA: Once again, the Torchwood Extranet for the win. Owen's conclusion to the report on Eugene that Tosh and Gwen put together:

Okay, here's my detailed analysis of what the girls gave me.

Eugene Jones: Mostly harmless.

Seriously, not even worth an amnesia pill.

Btw, thanks to Gwen for all the photos of his family. They've reminded me that Eugene is a well-rounded human being with feelings and a family and little puppies and I resolve to change my whole attitude to life now.

Owen "kittens break my heart really" Harper

Comments

[evilprettykitty.livejournal.com]

oh god, thank you. I felt the same way!

[seimaisin.livejournal.com]

It seems to be a pretty popular opinion, looking through the community ... most everyone is like "well, that's an hour I can't get back." At least "Love & Monsters" made me laugh a few times!

[songwind.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a fun little episode. Since there's no (apparent) over-arcing storyline, there's no necessity for every episode to be a Big Deal.

I also think that one of the themes they are dealing with in this show is Will This Job Drive Gwen Crazy, aka isolation, fish-out-of-water. I think this episode was about Gwen's mental state. She latched on to this guy's story, IMO, because it let her go back to being a cop. It's familiar, it's "normal." She also very quickly became emotionally attached (again) to any guy who seems accessible who can share what she's going through.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

and which one is the "Big Star?"

[seimaisin.livejournal.com]

Since the show was conceived as a spinoff for Jack, I usually think of John Barroman as the "star" of the show.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

I tend to think that way as well, but at the same time Gwen seems to be the main character. She's the newbie, and the most like the audience. We get to be introduced to the new concepts along with her. It might just be that she's temporarily the main character as we become familiar with Torchwood and the rest of the team.

[seimaisin.livejournal.com]

I was all right with the concept of a Fun Episode, but I think a lot of my problem stems from the fact that I've grown to enjoy the whole cast - I think the show works better when they're an ensemble, so focusing on Gwen with very little contributions from the rest of the cast didn't quite work for me.

You're probably right about the themes, though. Gwen's attachment to Eugene gives us more evidence for two things: one, that Gwen is a very good cop when left to her own devices, and two, that she's in a very different emotional place than everyone else at Torchwood. After nearly getting herself killed (again) by the alien-ness of work at Torchwood, it was probably a good idea to remind her (and the viewers) that she's got her own set of talents!

[songwind.livejournal.com]

I agree. I missed the rest of the cast. I would like to see more of Ianto and Tosh, in particular. I'm not sure if I want to have more involvement from Jack or not. He's sort of working for me as the slightly distant overseer - I think it fits in with his necessary aloofness in the face of his apparent immortality.