Torchwood Season 2

[tangent]

Well you can count me as a mightily relieved man.

I thought the first ep of season 2 was much, much better than just about anything season 1 offered. Sure there was still a basic snog/fight/snog/bit of awkward sexual tension/fight/snog thing going on and it's still as camp as a row of tents but Jack was much more jack like and had obviously lightened up a bit after finding his doctor and the writing was much better, faster paced, funnier and far more zingy in the dialogue department.

Of course for me the big win was the character of Captain Spike (sorry John ). JM put in a great shift as the rogue time agent, playing a bad guy that is almost Masterish in his bad version of Capt Jack with obvious relish. It took me a little while to get the accent out of my head enough to stop me thinking of Spike but once i did i loved the character. Droping the bloke off the car park roof, the entrance into the bar and the obi wan kenobi rip off were great and i loved the pay off with what was actually in the doodah he was after.

Not to the heights of the best of Who (which bizzarely i still see as the more adult series, or at least the most grown up) but a damn sight better than before. Heres hoping it continues that way.

[Nikole]

I have to agree it was better than most of s1. I loved it. Everyone seemed so comfortable and "team-y" with eachother. I didn't hate Owen like usual. (I actually kinda liked him...) Gwen didn't make me want to strangle her AS MUCH as usual. Tosh and Ianto got more to do and were cute while doing it. Plus it was funny. All in all I say UPGRADE!

P.S. Mighty Boosh icon! I just started wathcing that. I'm on s3 now. I have a very strange relationship with it. At times I'm like "Wow this is so stupid." And then 5 minutes later I'm laughing my ass off. It's pretty weird.

[Llywela]

Well. Having been so disappointed by the messiness and failed over-ambition of Torchwood's first season, it was a really pleasant surprise to enjoy the first episode of the new season so much. It was fun! The characters felt more rounded, the writing was stronger, and the dialogue really snappy and amusing. A huge relief! It still has its issues, but if the rest of the season can live up to this standard, I'll be well pleased.

The location-spotting was the best bit, though, as usual. I mean, come on - the very first scene. Whitchurch! Merthyr Road! They had a high speed chase around the Hollybush (one of my favourite places to eat)!

And Jack was back to his chirpy Who self, after all the moping and broodiness of season one. That's the biggest relief of all. Chirpy Jack? Is endlessly entertaining. Broody Jack? Is dull as ditchwater. Some guys can pull off the tortured thing and have it look good on them. Jack just isn't one of those guys.

I can think of a few people who will have loved the Jack-Ianto-ness, all the jealousy and asking out on dates and the rest of it. It isn't slash if the relationship happens on-screen! And James Marsters fans one and all will have adored his Captain John Hart. Hee that the outside scenes around the bar he hijacked were filmed in Mount Stuart Square, which is where James played that gig I went to last summer. Man, I could see why he enjoyed filming this part so much - must have been an absolute blast. Owen was more likeable than he's ever been, Tosh adorably professional and unsure of herself, and Gwen as dithery as she's ever been. Poor dumb Rhys.

So, overall? I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the season, and hope it lives up to this standard.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

I'm so glad they realised that the heavy black dark whatever billowy coat nonsense just doesn't work on Torchwood, and that they just went straight for the fun jugular. All totally ridiculous, all funny (well, most of the time). And it had a joke about sex with poodles. Poor James Marsters...he has to shag all the non-humans doesn't he? Robots, poodles...

I thought he was adorable as nearly!spike...he was the Spike that Spike wished he was, the one without any conscience or momma's boyness whatsoever.

Loved Ianto's jealousy and their awkward date conversation. The stuff with Jack and Gwen was weird. I bought him flirting with her to try and make her stay and not be cross...but then her seeming to want him, and him doing that regret face behind her back was random...since when do Jack and Gwen have a thing? I mean, I know everyone on this show wants to shag, but when they go for the real emotion it doesn't quite work!

Nikole, I agree that rape-face Owen is less annoying now, though didn't feel he had much to do (obv it was the Jack and John (and maybe gwen) show today).

Still not a patch on Who, because I can be moved as well as amused by that, but still a really really enjoyable telly programme.

[Llywela]

I know everyone on this show wants to shag, but when they go for the real emotion it doesn't quite work!

Hmm. I think the trouble Torchwood has with emotion is that it never feels like it's been earned - they just try to throw it in randomly without building up to it, so that we can't tell where it's coming from in any character's personal development. It just gets tossed in from left field, which leaves a bemused audience struggling to catch up. I mean, seeing Tosh pining for Owen in this ep felt earned, because we saw last season that she really liked him (not that he deserved it) but he never noticed her, and she was hurt when he had that fling with Gwen. But far too often the development is completely random and erratic, and that's one of the biggest problems they had last season.

Jack was very fond of Gwen last season, though, although Ianto was the one he had a fling with. Maybe his regret comes from knowing that she's got a thing for him and also knowing that because he isn't going to reciprocate she's settling for Rhys as second best, which isn't exactly a recipe for happiness. Or maybe I'm reaching a bit there...

[Wolfie Gilmore]

Hmm. I think the trouble Torchwood has with emotion is that it never feels like it's been earned - they just try to throw it in randomly without building up to it, so that we can't tell where it's coming from in any character's personal development.

Totally. So, in a way, I hope they don't try too hard to get it in there and just make it more of a romp, as most of this ep was.

Jack was very fond of Gwen last season, though, although Ianto was the one he had a fling with. Maybe his regret comes from knowing that she's got a thing for him and also knowing that because he isn't going to reciprocate she's settling for Rhys as second best, which isn't exactly a recipe for happiness. Or maybe I'm reaching a bit there...

Well, given the sexual nature of this show, I suppose fanwanking is appropriate...

[Llywela]

Totally. So, in a way, I hope they don't try too hard to get it in there and just make it more of a romp, as most of this ep was.

I don't mind having the emotion in there, among all the merry romping. I just want it to develop naturally out of the storylines as they go along, rather than just being tossed in for the sake of it. I like it when the characters feel like real people, but random and meaningless connections that appear out of nowhere for the purposes of one plot among many aren't the way to go about it.

Well, given the sexual nature of this show, I suppose fanwanking is appropriate...

I can rationalise anything. Almost anything

[tangent]

The Jack/Gwen thing seemed a bit off to me as well. It's like there moving Owen on (which is needed) but then realised that that leaves Gwen with no-one to pair up and as everyone has to be shagging someone they decided to get her and Jack together. I can see a jack/Ianto/Gwen triangle developing within the season but i hope i'm wrong.

By the way after Capt john frops the bloke off the carpark he says something about needing a drink. Shout out to the buffage?

[Llywela]

By the way after Capt john frops the bloke off the carpark he says something about needing a drink. Shout out to the buffage?

A casual 'I need a drink' after some unspeakable act is a classic TV/film staple, isn't it.

The paralysing lip gloss, however, was a very blatant riff off Firefly. So blatant that it was my one really big bug with the episode. The rest of it was just lots and lots of fun.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

The Jack/Gwen thing seemed a bit off to me as well. It's like there moving Owen on (which is needed) but then realised that that leaves Gwen with no-one to pair up and as everyone has to be shagging someone they decided to get her and Jack together. I can see a jack/Ianto/Gwen triangle developing within the season but i hope i'm wrong.

By the way after Capt john frops the bloke off the carpark he says something about needing a drink. Shout out to the buffage?

yeah, my whole family laughed at that line! Plus the thing about needing blondes!

[OkinawanSteel]

Watched the new episode this morning. I actually rather enjoyed it. I'm not a big Who/Torchwood fan, but several of my family members are, so I've seen episodes here and there. I really disliked Torchwood S1, but it's looking like S2 is going to be a vast improvement. I have more positive things than negative to say about it so far. Most significant for me was that I didn't find myself absolutely hating Owen and Gwen, as I usually do. Capt. John was great, as expected.

I was a little thrown with the Gwen/Jack interaction. I really hope they aren't setting up a love triangle there.

Can somebody just clarify for me, James Marsters is only going to be in the one episode, right? That's what I'd heard anyway. I was a bit confused when they showed him in the "coming up" montage at the end of the show.

Was it just me that thought the opening scene was very well done? I found "have you seen a blowfish in a sports car?" and the disgruntled Welsh granny very amusing.

[Llywela]

Can somebody just clarify for me, James Marsters is only going to be in the one episode, right? That's what I'd heard anyway. I was a bit confused when they showed him in the "coming up" montage at the end of the show.

No, he's going to be in at least two. I think it was initially planned as just this one, but then the role was extended - and his final scene certainly set up plenty of intrigue for the future. He definitely had at least two blocks of filming in the city, first way back in the summer when this episode was filmed, in July - which was when I went to see him play that gig - and then again around about November.

Was it just me that thought the opening scene was very well done? I found "have you seen a blowfish in a sports car?" and the disgruntled Welsh granny very amusing.

'Twas very funny. Funnier still to me, because I used to work in an office on that very street!

[Nikole]

lol I laughed so hard at the old lady. "Bloody Torchwood." So much for being a secret organization if random old ladies on the street know who you are.

I agree the Jack/Gwen thing was strange. I know they were like close I guess last season but it seemed much more like they were good friends. And now all of a sudden Gwen's in love with him and he's got some kind of thing for her because he looked all sad/jealous when he found out she was engaged. Weird. I mean honestly everyone knows Jack doesn't love anyone as much as he loves The Doctor kthnx.

If they go the Tosh/Owen route I might not object as much as I would've before if they keep going with this new and improved Owen thing. But I reallllllly wanted Jack/Tosh. That'll never happen though.

I can't wait for Martha! Looks like Gwen's going to be jealous. She should be. Martha is like 100x more awesome than her. But my absolute favorite thing about the trailer was this exchange:

Ianto: It's all over.
Owen: I think we should all have sex.
Ianto: And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse.

HAHA. Ianto get into the spirit!

[Wolfie Gilmore]

lol I laughed so hard at the old lady. "Bloody Torchwood." So much for being a secret organization if random old ladies on the street know who you are.

Very funny bit. Reminds me of that bit in Buffy where the singer says "Man, I hate playing vampire towns."

I mean honestly everyone knows Jack doesn't love anyone as much as he loves The Doctor kthnx.

Yeah. All that stuff about coming back cos his people needed him, rubbish. It was because he realised he didn't have a chance to get into the Doctor's pants/TARDIS for the long term

Rebound, baby!

I can't wait for Martha! Looks like Gwen's going to be jealous. She should be. Martha is like 100x more awesome than her.

Looking forward to it...but I hope they don't just do the jealousy angle. That's boring! TV's got enough women being jealous all over the place... disproportionate to real life, frankly!

[Fehmina]

I loved it as a first episode of the new season... just the right amount of everything. And left me wanting more! hehe.
I think James Marsters shone as an actor and definately brought alot of energy to the role. He pulled off some of the somewhat lackluster dialogue, torchwood can have, and actually I think he upstaged John Barrowman slightly, who has always annoyed me a bit with his tendancy to 'over-act'.
(considering they have both had similar backgrounds in theater James was definately better... which, granted, could be owed to the difference in age and experience, heh.)

So yes, a fantastic start to the season, it was definately a good move for the casting directors to cast James in the role... they've obviously gained some Buffy fans (and Smallville fans to some extent) from both sides of the atlantic. Especially, in writing in some 'hail to the buffdonia' lines!

hehe.

[sueworld]

Oh the whole I loved it. I know RTD is a big Buffy fan, so did anyone else notice the small 'shout outs' to it in dialog such as..

"You need a blond".

"Well done team!"

The fight/snog scenes was very Spike/Angel if they'd been written by a bunch of slash fans!

[Wolfie Gilmore]

Yes, the blonde joke, v funny! And the drinking... oh and what was the other line I loved...the obi wan kinobe stuff. Brilliant!

[sueworld]

I notice that they've ramped up the humor in this new series. Some of it with almost Buffyverse like overtones. Far from being as well done, but still a big improvement of last year.

Judging by the response so far on the biggest of the Dr Who forums to JM's performance as Captain John, I'd say he's gone down very well in their eyes, and the majority seem to be clamoring for his return, which is nice.

[Llywela]

Oh the whole I loved it. I know RTD is a big Buffy fan, so did anyone else notice the small 'shout outs' to it in dialog such as..

The paralysing lip gloss and calling Spike/John Vera, those sounded like Firefly shout-outs to me.

RTD is a huge fan of Joss Whedon. I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery, and all that.

[tangent]

Well i thought that was another solid episode and again much sharper thatn last season.

The premise felt a little bit worn as sleeper agents has been done quite a bit in sci-fi over the years. Saying that though I thought they pulled it off very well . We didn't get off to as explosive a start as last week but i felt the tension built nicely as the ep went by. I have to say i loved beth's wide eyed innocence turning to dispair as she realises the truth and generally felt the actress was one of the best things on the screen, portraying her character woth great emotion and sympathy. The ending was very good, although perha a touch cliched and missing just a hint of genuine tension.

The scene of the ep for me though was when the sleepers were activated. The paramedic leaving the guy to die and the mother abandoning her child to the traffic were really well done. Much more effective than it just being random people from the streets

Big plusses from me too for Gwen who is contining to annoy less than last season, Jack who although i though backslid just a little is still much more human than last season and especially Ianto who is quickly starting to be the star of the entire show. The sly, geekish little barbs he's suddenly started coming out with are absolute magic. Loved the phones not working rant, loved the 'no-one knows more than me' comment, just loved it. If this continues I can seriously see Ianto becoming the best thing about Torchwood.

Saying that it looks like next week is going to be Tosh-centric

Oh and a Who reference. That never goes amiss.