Torchwood - 2x02 - Sleeper [SPOILERS]

ixoy · 24-01-2008 02:53PM #1

Wow a second episode of 'Torchwood' that I enjoyed - things are looking up!

The idea of a sleeper agent isn't new to sci-fi, or indeed other genres (most famously 'The Manchurian Candidate'). Sci-fi allows you to put a few more spins on it - in this case they were utterly unaware but, once they had "switched", they were alternating between the agent and their false personality and the fight between the sides was done well enough. This was helped immensely by having a decent guest star who pretty much out-acted the regulars (not saying much admittedly but still..).

Characters were decent this week although Jack was a bit more dour than last week. Owen continues a welcome trend of being quite pleasant. Ianto though stole the show in his scenes this week, mainly because he was given the funny lines. Particular nods to him doing the phone service sketch and "He is dashing, you have to give him that" and not forgetting his reaction to Owen's proposition.

The show looked like they spent a bit of money on it, with their wannabe- Terminators and they (mostly) pulled it off, although having more than three sleeper agents might have been believable (and why did the others de-activate so easily?)

Overall though it worked and I was quite happy. So far, so good for this season.

marie_85 · 24-01-2008 03:07PM

It took me a second viewing to really warm to this episode, as I tend to prefer episodes that focus on the character development of the team, but on a second viewing, I really liked this.

For once we were shown rather than told that Gwen was the 'heart' of the team. Jack's interrogation methods with the mind probe actually made me sympathise with Gwen for a change, which is a credit to the writer, because she's the character I firmly disliked last year.

Interesting seeing a new side to Jack. He has a much darker edge here than what we've seen before. John Barrowman's acting continues to improve even if he wasn't entirely convincing all of the time.

Ianto definitely stole the episode this week. I did feel at first that they'd overdone it a bit, but on a second viewing, the one-liners seemed a lot more natural and in place. Although the electric chair moment was only saved by the look Owen gave him afterwards. When even Owen is shaking his head at your immaturity...

And on that note, I'm liking Owen more and more every week. His little trick with Gwen at the hospital was so in character but who among us wouldn't have done the same!

The storyline itself was good. An interesting take on what it means to be human. You get the feeling that if it was Doctor Who, they could have saved Beth, but this being Torchwood, there was only one possible outcome. The actress playing Beth was very good as well. I found it easy to sympathise with her. And it does set up a possible storyline for later in the season, or a third season if they get one (hopefully!)

I do have to say that I would have preferred to see this as a two parter. It felt like there was a LOT of plot crammed into 50 minutes.

ETA: The one thing that really grated with me this week was the way it was filmed. I wasn't a fan of the episodes Colin Teague directed last year either. Somebody on TWOP compared it to Battlestar Gallactica and that's exactly what it felt like. There was too much camera shaking, too many extreme close-ups, too many quick zoom ins and pans. It felt disjointed.

markw999 · 24-01-2008 03:18PM

Personally I loved it because it was all crammed into 50 minutes, the fast pace and all.

I read an interview with him and he said that when he started the show, he wanted to do something like Angel, and only now, can I see that coming through.

Love Ianto and Jack, want to see more of them. Wish Jack would just tell them who he is (I wonder what his real name is...)

Liked the sleeper thing. It's weird, they said that this year they were going to have less violence and sex and they seemed to have more; for example, the bit where the guy kills the father and child and is covered in blood is the most violent bit by far.

My sister thinks that Tosh and the Doctor (who I can't stand, but is getting better, strangely) are going to get together. Before I watched it, I was saying to her that if they DO ever end this show, the only way it can end is with all of the main characters having a big orgy. Which was funny, cause what does the Doctor say... lol

ixoy · 24-01-2008 04:00PM

markw999 wrote: »

My sister thinks that Tosh and the Doctor (who I can't stand, but is getting better, strangely) are going to get together. Before I watched it, I was saying to her that if they DO ever end this show, the only way it can end is with all of the main characters having a big orgy. Which was funny, cause what does the Doctor say... lol

Can you please say Owen instead of the Doctor? It's a little off putting given this show is a spin-off of Doctor Who and set in the same universe.

monkeyfudge · 24-01-2008 04:53PM

Especially if your going to use a capital D for Doctor. ha...

Yep.. .I enjoyed this a lot as well. I was trying to watch it in the background while working on my computer, but it demanded my full attention.

It was a bit crappy that they pretty much stole a whole scene from the film 'Unbreakable" with them asking Beth if she had ever been sick or been to hospital.

And the gun battle with the soldiers at the end seemed a little odd... it looked like they were just shaking there guns at each other with some sound effects thrown over... some muzzle flashes wouldn't have gone astray... it just didn't look right.

thusspakeblixa · 24-01-2008 09:38PM

I thought episode 1 was better, but it was another good episode. I have to say I'm very impressed with the way this new season is going, I wasn't a huge fan of the 1st. But really fun, exciting TV.
Oh, and wasn't Freema meant to be in that episode?! I saw her in the trailer at the end pof the 1st episode, but alas, I was Freema-less all evening.

ixoy · 24-01-2008 11:07PM

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

Oh, and wasn't Freema meant to be in that episode?! I saw her in the trailer at the end pof the 1st episode, but alas, I was Freema-less all evening.

That was a season trailer, not just the next episode

thusspakeblixa · 24-01-2008 11:10PM

Ah so! Apologies then! I'll just console myself with watching her in season 3 over and over until her arrival...

popebenny16 · 25-01-2008 02:36PM

it was good stuff, finding its feet at last. Jack is messy in bed joke was very well acted, it's the small things..... as my wife often says lol...

If I have a quibble, then its in trying hard to try and get an over-riding notion out of my head: IF there's a real major danger going to happen that could destroy the world we all know that The Doctor would be on hand to stop it (in this whoniverse anyway) and that always robs a certain tension from TW for me.

Faced with this major break on the show the writers are left in one direction - to make the characters so recognisable and so identifiable with that your main interest has to be in watching the show to see how they fare. In that department I for one think they are now succeeding.

That said, I really, really, want RTD to stop bashing every heterosexual married man on the planet over the ****ing head with Rhys. It's not on, and if the reverse was portrayed Ofcom would be at melting point.

ixoy · 25-01-2008 03:37PM

popebenny16 wrote: »

That said, I really, really, want RTD to stop bashing every heterosexual married man on the planet over the ****ing head with Rhys. It's not on, and if the reverse was portrayed Ofcom would be at melting point.

Whuh? What do you mean by this - how is RTD bashing everyone with Rhys? He's not making a sweeping statement about hetrosexual men being somewhat slobbish (as Rhys is) - he's making a statement about Rhys only. Why would you think otherwise? It's like saying he's making a sweeping statement about doctors with Owen.

popebenny16 · 26-01-2008 04:00AM

ixoy wrote: »

Whuh? What do you mean by this - how is RTD bashing everyone with Rhys? He's not making a sweeping statement about hetrosexual men being somewhat slobbish (as Rhys is) - he's making a statement about Rhys only. Why would you think otherwise? It's like saying he's making a sweeping statement about doctors with Owen.

I think otherwise because Rhys is a pure stereotype, and I would have no problems is if was awarded any redeeming characteristic at all, but he isn't, yet all the others, including Owen, are.

Maybe its supposed to be a satire on boring settled life, or, worse, maybe the boring settled life was a device to emphasise the choice Gwen faced at the start if the first season. If it was the former then, hell yeah, ok, but its got a little stale by now. If the latter then if Rhys was embodied with some positive features it would have made Gwens choice more dramatically rewarding. Either way I wish he'd drop it. After all, if he was such a twat why would Gwen stay with him for so long, even if the engagement is probably a reaction to Jack's leaving.

ixoy · 26-01-2008 01:50PM

popebenny16 wrote: »

I think otherwise because Rhys is a pure stereotype, and I would have no problems is if was awarded any redeeming characteristic at all, but he isn't, yet all the others, including Owen, are.

See I found Owen quite detestable often in the first season - far less redeeming than Rhys who was just a bit thick. I never found Rhys' character gave justification for Gwen's cheating. I felt a little sorry for him so I guess I had a different re-action to it. He's also just not in it enough to leave a huge impression (nor do I wish him to be).

If the latter then if Rhys was embodied with some positive features it would have made Gwens choice more dramatically rewarding..

Well I agree with this - better characterisation of Rhys would have made Gwen's decision more interesting. As it was, I didn't like it but I didn't care enough when she cheated.

After all, if he was such a twat why would Gwen stay with him for so long, even if the engagement is probably a reaction to Jack's leaving.

I don't believe he's a twat - maybe I'm too easy on him. I do think he's left as he is so we can feel a little less harsh on Gwen. Dramatically though, it might indeed be a good idea for her to leave him since that plot really isn't going anywhere all that interesting. Still think it's far more an example of justifying Gwen than any concept of heterophobia.

popebenny16 · 28-01-2008 01:23PM

ixoy wrote: »

Still think it's far more an example of justifying Gwen than any concept of heterophobia.

Touche. Maybe I'm simply getting the wrong end of the stick, we'll see. As someone who was once described at a walking version of Gary in Men Behaving Badly (oh, the days...) if I think Rhys is a cardboard bloke there must be a serious quality failure in the script department.

As for Owen, I became very sympathetic towards him in the fight the weevil story and afterwards, who knows, maybe Rhys will save the day, chucking a can of larger at a massive curry monster in the season finale

monkeyfudge · 28-01-2008 03:07PM

Remember... this is Torchwood... everyone is contractually obliged to get off with a member of the same sex.

It's only a matter of time before we see Rhys snogging some bloke.

Torchwood - 2x02 - Sleeper [SPOILERS]

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