Greeks Bearing Gifts
Nov. 29th, 2006 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaTorchwood episode seven – Greeks Bearing Gifts
Okay, I liked this episode. Maybe not perfect, but what is? I enjoyed watching the episode, and, following on from last week, continue to feel like I'm actually connecting with the characters at last.
This was Toshiko's episode, Tosh's turn to step into the limelight. We've very slowly been shown the person behind the cool, professional exterior, and everything we saw of Tosh in this episode followed on from that. She is cool and professional...but she's also reserved and repressed, not only finding it hard to form meaningful relationships outside of work, but also struggling to form meaningful relationships within the workplace. She likes Owen, and always has, but he barely seems to register that she exists other than as a professional colleague, and as the episode opens we see that he and Gwen are not exactly going to great lengths to hide the fact that they are having an affair. They are practically flaunting it, in fact, and Tosh very quickly picks up enough of a vibe to be upset.
She also feels sidelined in terms of work, being shunted into what she sees as 'admin' rather than the hands-on technical work she prefers. Now that could simply be a matter of practicalities – other than 'butler' Ianto, they don't really have anyone that could be considered an administrator. But the point is that Tosh is feeling very much out of things, and thus is in exactly the right frame of mind to be vulnerable to Mary.
Mary, I thought, worked really well. I've always liked Daniela Denby-Ashe as an actress, and she turned in an excellent performance here. Also, her alien form, when she revealed it, was really pretty! Easily the prettiest alien they've had so far. And how nice it is to actually have a proper alien case to work again, since that's supposed to be what they're all about.
The Toshiko-Mary angle aside, it was nice to see a glimpse of what working life is all about for the team – getting called in when construction work turns up a potential alien artefact, taking custody of both the artefact and the human remains found with it and working to solve the mystery of what happened. I like the everyday feel about it all, before it turns into full-blown Case. And I like seeing Owen in doctor mode, because that's when he's at his most likeable, puzzling over a problem until he finds a solution.
I also like that although Team Torchwood is a team in name, there really isn't a great deal of team spirit among them, and I do feel strongly that that filters down from Jack's failings as a leader. He flat out admitted to Tosh at the end of this episode that he has no idea how to discipline his staff. Suzie has never been formally replaced as second-in-command, and the net result is that the 'team' are effectively running riot, pulling in all kinds of different directions and getting themselves into all kinds of trouble in the process. First Ianto with his cyber-girlfriend and then Tosh with Mary's pendant – there's frequently little or no sign of trust in one another. It's a failing of the team as a team, but it also makes for interesting viewing.
I like Jack best when he's happy and smiley. Not so fond of broody, angsty Jack. Hmm.
The psychic pendant wasn't in effect as interesting as it could have been. Owen and Gwen's thoughts being entirely absorbed with one another got old very quickly, but if they are in the first flush of a very new affair maybe that's to be expected. Ianto's grievy private agonising was a bit…eloquent for supposedly rambling private thoughts, but a lengthy grieving process is again only to be expected and preferable to instantly being over it and forgetting that his girlfriend ever existed.
That Tosh couldn't hear Jack's thoughts was predictable, but ties in with the Mystery of Jack that they've been teasing us with all season. We don't know exactly what he is now he's been brought back to life, and neither does he. Just about every member of his team has now witnessed at least one of the oddities about him, but very few of them seem to actually question him that deeply. You'd think they'd be wondering by now if he's even human – I mean, he doesn't exactly go to great lengths to hide the fact that he knows a hell of a lot more about the universe in general than they do. They all questioned Gwen way back at the beginning to know if he'd said anything to her, but other than that there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of curiosity, which I find curious.
I'm still in two minds about Gwen and Owen's affair. A lot of that is that I don't really like Owen all that much still – he can be a right little sod too often for my liking – but he can also be funny and entertaining at times, so I can kind of see what she sees in him. She's playing with fire, though, especially since she's got poor old Rhys at home. She'd have done better to turn to Tosh as a confidante if she genuinely just wanted someone to talk to about all the weird stuff they see and do at work. Instead she let Owen seduce her, because she's not really looking for a friend to talk to – the exciting new life she's found at Torchwood is making her question the safe, comfortable life she has with Rhys, and the fling with Owen is now part of that. I predict that Rhys will end up walking out on her, and she'll be all broken-up over it, having learned her lesson too late to salvage the relationship.
Probably lots more I could say, but I've already rambled on at great length so will shut up now!
Okay, I liked this episode. Maybe not perfect, but what is? I enjoyed watching the episode, and, following on from last week, continue to feel like I'm actually connecting with the characters at last.
This was Toshiko's episode, Tosh's turn to step into the limelight. We've very slowly been shown the person behind the cool, professional exterior, and everything we saw of Tosh in this episode followed on from that. She is cool and professional...but she's also reserved and repressed, not only finding it hard to form meaningful relationships outside of work, but also struggling to form meaningful relationships within the workplace. She likes Owen, and always has, but he barely seems to register that she exists other than as a professional colleague, and as the episode opens we see that he and Gwen are not exactly going to great lengths to hide the fact that they are having an affair. They are practically flaunting it, in fact, and Tosh very quickly picks up enough of a vibe to be upset.
She also feels sidelined in terms of work, being shunted into what she sees as 'admin' rather than the hands-on technical work she prefers. Now that could simply be a matter of practicalities – other than 'butler' Ianto, they don't really have anyone that could be considered an administrator. But the point is that Tosh is feeling very much out of things, and thus is in exactly the right frame of mind to be vulnerable to Mary.
Mary, I thought, worked really well. I've always liked Daniela Denby-Ashe as an actress, and she turned in an excellent performance here. Also, her alien form, when she revealed it, was really pretty! Easily the prettiest alien they've had so far. And how nice it is to actually have a proper alien case to work again, since that's supposed to be what they're all about.
The Toshiko-Mary angle aside, it was nice to see a glimpse of what working life is all about for the team – getting called in when construction work turns up a potential alien artefact, taking custody of both the artefact and the human remains found with it and working to solve the mystery of what happened. I like the everyday feel about it all, before it turns into full-blown Case. And I like seeing Owen in doctor mode, because that's when he's at his most likeable, puzzling over a problem until he finds a solution.
I also like that although Team Torchwood is a team in name, there really isn't a great deal of team spirit among them, and I do feel strongly that that filters down from Jack's failings as a leader. He flat out admitted to Tosh at the end of this episode that he has no idea how to discipline his staff. Suzie has never been formally replaced as second-in-command, and the net result is that the 'team' are effectively running riot, pulling in all kinds of different directions and getting themselves into all kinds of trouble in the process. First Ianto with his cyber-girlfriend and then Tosh with Mary's pendant – there's frequently little or no sign of trust in one another. It's a failing of the team as a team, but it also makes for interesting viewing.
I like Jack best when he's happy and smiley. Not so fond of broody, angsty Jack. Hmm.
The psychic pendant wasn't in effect as interesting as it could have been. Owen and Gwen's thoughts being entirely absorbed with one another got old very quickly, but if they are in the first flush of a very new affair maybe that's to be expected. Ianto's grievy private agonising was a bit…eloquent for supposedly rambling private thoughts, but a lengthy grieving process is again only to be expected and preferable to instantly being over it and forgetting that his girlfriend ever existed.
That Tosh couldn't hear Jack's thoughts was predictable, but ties in with the Mystery of Jack that they've been teasing us with all season. We don't know exactly what he is now he's been brought back to life, and neither does he. Just about every member of his team has now witnessed at least one of the oddities about him, but very few of them seem to actually question him that deeply. You'd think they'd be wondering by now if he's even human – I mean, he doesn't exactly go to great lengths to hide the fact that he knows a hell of a lot more about the universe in general than they do. They all questioned Gwen way back at the beginning to know if he'd said anything to her, but other than that there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of curiosity, which I find curious.
I'm still in two minds about Gwen and Owen's affair. A lot of that is that I don't really like Owen all that much still – he can be a right little sod too often for my liking – but he can also be funny and entertaining at times, so I can kind of see what she sees in him. She's playing with fire, though, especially since she's got poor old Rhys at home. She'd have done better to turn to Tosh as a confidante if she genuinely just wanted someone to talk to about all the weird stuff they see and do at work. Instead she let Owen seduce her, because she's not really looking for a friend to talk to – the exciting new life she's found at Torchwood is making her question the safe, comfortable life she has with Rhys, and the fling with Owen is now part of that. I predict that Rhys will end up walking out on her, and she'll be all broken-up over it, having learned her lesson too late to salvage the relationship.
Probably lots more I could say, but I've already rambled on at great length so will shut up now!
