Torchwood 2-08 A Day in the Death
Feb. 27th, 2008 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethThat was bloody good. And kind of an answer to the more depressing theme in last season. I mean, it's an episode about suicide, and you know how that would have ended last year. This year? Owen, of all people, finds a way through, talks her out of it. And since he was the one who tried it last year (arguably, if he didn't want saving) that fixes a whole lot. Not least being that any acts of heroism from here on out are not in fact suicide attempts.
Owen as shadow for Jack continues fascinating. Live forever / die forever. But also the kill them a lot treatment for suicidal feelings. Apparently having done it they get over it.
This season has a great balance between (black) humour and all the action bits we got all last year. I like it a whole lot better.
I liked the start the day sequence when he's going through the morning routine and tripping up on everything he doesn't need to do any more. No shaving, no beard. No food unless it comes back out.
And then, no job. And that's when he has a problem.
Echoes of Ianto. Not just in them giving him the coffee job. And hello fanon making it to canon - Ianto really is the only one who can work the coffee maker. Funny. And then Owen coping by cleaning out his house. Less funny, because the more he gets rid of things he doesn't need any more, the closer to empty it gets.
BTW, he has a new flat this year. Did everyone move over the holidays? Not Gwen, okay, but Tosh and Owen both.
Actually I have a plot bunny that involved Tosh getting a new flat. I should just write that. It be funnier now.
But the work=life=purpose bit, the pulling himself together because someone is there for him, hello to Ianto echoes. At least if you count interviews as good data.
I like that there was that little confrontation with Ianto this week. Lots of good stuff going on there.
I also like Owen yelling at Tosh about how she's all about him now he's safe. Because yeah, it could look like that. And it's always fun to give them issues.
Sadly the bit with the scalpel suggests the solution to his sex life problems isn't as simple as a strap on. I mean, if he's got pressure sensitivity enough to pick things up properly I don't see why he's also numb, but I know people can be lacking pain in real life, so, okay, numb all over. That's a whole lot of no fun.
But hey, unaging! And he can stick his hand in the electric box! Fun!
As a way of spreading the superpowers out a bit this is deliciously even handed, with the advantages at least cancelled out by the disadvantages. I could points cost it actually. Unhealing immortality in GURPS is dead cheap. So to speak.
I like how the shiny turned out not to be a bomb.
I wonder how Owen thinks he can get away with sharing the light show with Cardiff if there's usually all that about retcon and suchlike.
I hope that all these security breaches will end in a shift in policy.
BTW, command structure in evidence this week was interesting. Gwen was basically in charge, with Jack being all observe-y. And Ianto was backing Jack up about security issues. Takes the gun and badge/card. I put him in that job in fic because it explains much of how he could conceal Lisa, but now there's canon could vaguely support it. Nice.
Mostly though this was all about Owen. And isn't he so much more interesting now? Issues all the way through, a revamped dynamic with Jack that has a nice little core of resentment and envy and wanting to be him when he grows up... and getting to be him a little bit, in a badly phrased wishes way. And possibly enough of a push Owen will challenge him again. Given the right circumstances. Whereas after the end of 1-13 he was left quite thoroughly deflated. Now he has more kick without being a total idiot.
... bit of an idiot somewhere though. No breath? Then how are you speaking! I know Buffy did it, but Buffy was stupid too. Come on, he's a bloody doctor, he should know better.
Although I did notice a good detail in 2-07 - when they're running in the car park Jack gets visibly out of breath. Owen doesn't visibly breathe. It's pretty cool.
But he should be able to pump air around, he does it to speak, so that bit shouldn't bloody work. Annoyance.
Aside from that though...
I love the way they used Martha. Both Martha and Owen come out of it looking better than they were before this triple. Martha is more adult, competent, not pining after anyone, got her own deal, and yet has enough flaws to get people into trouble in true Companion fashion. Getting captured so you need rescuing is practically on the CV. But then Owen... his selfish git credentials remain, but now alloyed much better with the heroism that now looks to have been there all along. The balance was off before, it was difficult to see the sacrifice parts, but here? It's what he does. Repeatedly. And then added to that we get a bit more of him actually being a doctor, saving lives. He said before he didn't like patients... after this it looks more like he doesn't like losing patients. Yet he's still abrasive and self centered and Owen-y.
It's great. They get to be more themselves by being not each other and they get to save each other and it's all good. Instead of setting Martha up to be a replacement they set her up to make us realise we don't want Owen replaced. And I say that as one of the multitude who cheered when Ianto shot him, and someone who quite a lot wanted to shoot him after 1-13. To turn it around this much in 8 episodes? Bloody good going.
... although, use of that particular image of the spray in the opening Owen's-life montage is quite interesting. Because if they wanted to quietly ignore it, they so could. And it's not like they haven't been told. So... is it they don't agree, or are they keeping it there on purpose? Don't know.
My recording didn't start until about a minute in because it was still recording the BBC2 episode. I don't know how to fix that. Grrr. And it was a good little speech too.
I really like this episode.
In fact, I really like this season. All the episodes. And I couldn't say that of the first season, even though I was crazy in fan-love with it.
Win.
Owen as shadow for Jack continues fascinating. Live forever / die forever. But also the kill them a lot treatment for suicidal feelings. Apparently having done it they get over it.
This season has a great balance between (black) humour and all the action bits we got all last year. I like it a whole lot better.
I liked the start the day sequence when he's going through the morning routine and tripping up on everything he doesn't need to do any more. No shaving, no beard. No food unless it comes back out.
And then, no job. And that's when he has a problem.
Echoes of Ianto. Not just in them giving him the coffee job. And hello fanon making it to canon - Ianto really is the only one who can work the coffee maker. Funny. And then Owen coping by cleaning out his house. Less funny, because the more he gets rid of things he doesn't need any more, the closer to empty it gets.
BTW, he has a new flat this year. Did everyone move over the holidays? Not Gwen, okay, but Tosh and Owen both.
Actually I have a plot bunny that involved Tosh getting a new flat. I should just write that. It be funnier now.
But the work=life=purpose bit, the pulling himself together because someone is there for him, hello to Ianto echoes. At least if you count interviews as good data.
I like that there was that little confrontation with Ianto this week. Lots of good stuff going on there.
I also like Owen yelling at Tosh about how she's all about him now he's safe. Because yeah, it could look like that. And it's always fun to give them issues.
Sadly the bit with the scalpel suggests the solution to his sex life problems isn't as simple as a strap on. I mean, if he's got pressure sensitivity enough to pick things up properly I don't see why he's also numb, but I know people can be lacking pain in real life, so, okay, numb all over. That's a whole lot of no fun.
But hey, unaging! And he can stick his hand in the electric box! Fun!
As a way of spreading the superpowers out a bit this is deliciously even handed, with the advantages at least cancelled out by the disadvantages. I could points cost it actually. Unhealing immortality in GURPS is dead cheap. So to speak.
I like how the shiny turned out not to be a bomb.
I wonder how Owen thinks he can get away with sharing the light show with Cardiff if there's usually all that about retcon and suchlike.
I hope that all these security breaches will end in a shift in policy.
BTW, command structure in evidence this week was interesting. Gwen was basically in charge, with Jack being all observe-y. And Ianto was backing Jack up about security issues. Takes the gun and badge/card. I put him in that job in fic because it explains much of how he could conceal Lisa, but now there's canon could vaguely support it. Nice.
Mostly though this was all about Owen. And isn't he so much more interesting now? Issues all the way through, a revamped dynamic with Jack that has a nice little core of resentment and envy and wanting to be him when he grows up... and getting to be him a little bit, in a badly phrased wishes way. And possibly enough of a push Owen will challenge him again. Given the right circumstances. Whereas after the end of 1-13 he was left quite thoroughly deflated. Now he has more kick without being a total idiot.
... bit of an idiot somewhere though. No breath? Then how are you speaking! I know Buffy did it, but Buffy was stupid too. Come on, he's a bloody doctor, he should know better.
Although I did notice a good detail in 2-07 - when they're running in the car park Jack gets visibly out of breath. Owen doesn't visibly breathe. It's pretty cool.
But he should be able to pump air around, he does it to speak, so that bit shouldn't bloody work. Annoyance.
Aside from that though...
I love the way they used Martha. Both Martha and Owen come out of it looking better than they were before this triple. Martha is more adult, competent, not pining after anyone, got her own deal, and yet has enough flaws to get people into trouble in true Companion fashion. Getting captured so you need rescuing is practically on the CV. But then Owen... his selfish git credentials remain, but now alloyed much better with the heroism that now looks to have been there all along. The balance was off before, it was difficult to see the sacrifice parts, but here? It's what he does. Repeatedly. And then added to that we get a bit more of him actually being a doctor, saving lives. He said before he didn't like patients... after this it looks more like he doesn't like losing patients. Yet he's still abrasive and self centered and Owen-y.
It's great. They get to be more themselves by being not each other and they get to save each other and it's all good. Instead of setting Martha up to be a replacement they set her up to make us realise we don't want Owen replaced. And I say that as one of the multitude who cheered when Ianto shot him, and someone who quite a lot wanted to shoot him after 1-13. To turn it around this much in 8 episodes? Bloody good going.
... although, use of that particular image of the spray in the opening Owen's-life montage is quite interesting. Because if they wanted to quietly ignore it, they so could. And it's not like they haven't been told. So... is it they don't agree, or are they keeping it there on purpose? Don't know.
My recording didn't start until about a minute in because it was still recording the BBC2 episode. I don't know how to fix that. Grrr. And it was a good little speech too.
I really like this episode.
In fact, I really like this season. All the episodes. And I couldn't say that of the first season, even though I was crazy in fan-love with it.
Win.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-28 01:13 am (UTC)This sounds like a good episode, I'm excited to see it.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 10:12 am (UTC)Perhaps they all awarded themselves bigger salaries while Jack was away.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 06:00 pm (UTC)