Torchwood: Sleeper...

[fajrdrako]

Loved it. Edge of seat. Didn't bite my fingernails, which shows massive self-control. Would have liked more personal focus on Jack, but it was fun to see him in professional mode here.

1. The Torchwood version of a Skrull invasion. I like it. I like it that Beth was sympathetic and heroic.



2. Jack was mostly in soldier mode, and maybe a little under-characterized. Which I didn't mind in the least. He looked good. I couldn't take my eyes of his forearms. Oooh.


3. How long has Jack been back? How long since Captain John Hart left? Jack seems to be reestablished as being in charge, with Gwen as a scond in command - or was I reading that into the show?



4. Nice too to see the team being efficient, honest, and working well together. How I wanted that last series! Now I have it, and it makes a world of difference.



5. Ianto! James Moran gave him such delightful dialogue. Keep it up, Ianto baby, I begin to see what Jack sees in you. ("And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse.") All that mischievous playfulness, courage and clever comments.
   
   So I find myself wondering where Ianto's head is now. Is he over the anger and fear we saw last week, or hiding it? Is he giddy because Jack is back? Is he showing off, to get Jack's attention? Is he having sex with Jack again, or hoping to? How long till they tell us? Meanwhile... seems to me the field is open for lots of interpretations.



6. Again, Toshiko was sharp with the technology. Right on top of it. I begin to be convinced she's as good as her advance billing.



7. Gwen. Adorable. My Gwen-love continues.



8. No PC Andy. No Rhys. I missed them. And there was a murder: shouldn't Kathy Swanson have been on the scene? (Sulk.)



9. Scariest moment: when Beth killed her husband. I didn't see that coming.



10. No snogging. Pity. No Captain John: pity about that, too.



11. Loved the scene where we got a good look at Jack's cleaned-up desk. I was afraid at first that the TARDIS-embryo was gone, but no, it's still there - I guess Gwen kept it because she didn't know what it was and it reminded her of Jack. And she knew he'd want it there if and when he did come back. I didn't notice the binoculars or the 3-D glasses, are they still there? I did notice the televisions from "The Idiot's Lantern".



12. I continue to quite like Owen this season. It's somewhat scary.



13. They put Beth in morgue-drawer 007 too, just like Suzie and Jack. Seems the people they put there never stay put. Maybe they should check it out, or rename it "the resurrection chamber". And wasn't Beth frozen in the same freezer/cupboard that Gwen and Owen were in in "Cyberwoman"?



14. I assume there will be a sequel to this story - more alien sleeper agents will turn up? We didn't learn the aliens' name, did we?



15. Have Ianto and Jack had their date yet? I want to see it!



16. Gwen's mother is alive. I'd wondered.

Comments

[puritybrown.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Owen in the way that one can like a fictional character whom in real life one would rather avoid. I mean, he's a dick, but he's interesting.

I especially like the way his relationship with Jack has shifted since "End of Days". That episode seems to have purged him of all the resentment and anger and overall twitchiness he'd been carrying around, and now he seems much more comfortable around him. Around all the others, actually. He's mellowed, perhaps because Jack's "death" in "End of Days" made him understand what he had had and how terrible it would be to lose it for real. But! He's still an asshole. :) (Fobbing Gwen off with the graveyard shift... then getting her a coffee... then making her pay for it... heheh.)

Ianto was so giddy. Some people were commenting on torch_wood that he seemed out of character; I didn't think so, I thought he was just happy for once. He's always had a sarcastic streak, and for most of the first series he was cloaking deep misery with a facade of pseudo-cheerful professionalism. Now, Jack's back, and they're dating, and things are going well for him for the first time in ages... it's natural that he'd be a bit bouncier and livelier than before.

He seemed to be going out of his way to needle Owen, which is interesting. Don't know what's going on there. Will have to see if leads anywhere.

I was surprised how much of last week's trailer came from this episode. I wish they'd put less of the episodes into the trailers -- they cram them full of spoilers. The "let's all have sex" line would have been a lot funnier if I hadn't known it was coming.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Owen in the way that one can like a fictional character whom in real life one would rather avoid.

It took me a while to get to that point. I certainly liked him in the novels in that way, which confirmed to my satisfaction is that my problem is with Burn Gorman, not with Owen.

he's a dick, but he's interesting.

He's always been interesting, I'll grant him that. But I'd really prefer he wasn't the one getting the sex scenes. (That being said, I just wrote a pwp about Owen having sex, so don't take me too seriously on this. I might think I don't want to see Owen having sex, but clearly I haven't convinced myself!)

I especially like the way his relationship with Jack has shifted since "End of Days".

I do too.

He's mellowed, perhaps because Jack's "death" in "End of Days" made him understand what he had had and how terrible it would be to lose it for real. But! He's still an asshole.

And, like Jack after "The Doctor Dances", he gets a second chance and wants to make the most of all of it. "Yes" to all your comments. He's still an asshole, but he's a more likeable asshole now. I still don't want to see him have a relationship with Toshiko, though.

Ianto was so giddy. Some people were commenting on torch_wood that he seemed out of character; I didn't think so, I thought he was just happy for once.

Yes. Happy. Not only that, but I don't think in series 1 we ever really saw much of his character. He was at first keeping himself restrained and secretive because of Lisa. After that, he was so gripped by grief and pain for a long time that he was still severely introverted, though we saw glimpses of the 'real' Ianto on various occasions. I think now he's more 'himself' than he's ever been.

He seemed to be going out of his way to needle Owen, which is interesting. Don't know what's going on there. Will have to see if leads anywhere.

They've always been opponents. I must confess that I thought last night it looked at some points like UST banter. Interesting either way. It's starting to look like a guarded friendship rather than a rivalry.

I was surprised how much of last week's trailer came from this episode.

I was too. I'd say it was terrible spoilers except I'd thought it would be scattered more through the season.

The "let's all have sex" line would have been a lot funnier if I hadn't known it was coming.

I agree - but it was funny anyway.