2.07: Dead Man Walking

[Dave]

I've been away, and expected you would have begun discussing this one - probably the most interesting development yet. Still I thought the idea itself was better than the execution of it.

Spoilers if you haven't seen the episode yet...

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Owen is dead - even better he is undead.

Just as Martha is about to autopsy Owen, Jack uses the other Resurrection Glove (which he steals in a wooden box from a Weevil Church after consulting a child clairvoyant - that part needed more explanation I thought.)

Owen is now King of the Weevils, talks very strangely when no one is looking (apparently he is quoting Thomas Covenant), and has black eyes.

The Grim Reaper, Death, tries to get a foothold in Cardiff as it has done before in the past, and quickly makes a beeline for the city hospital Intensive Care Unit. (Another insight into Torchwood's amazing secrecy was shown when all the patients apparently had heard of Torchwood.)

Owen gives Jack a display of the after-death bodily functions he can still perform, while they are locked together in a cell.

I didn't find Owens final battle with Death very convincing, also someone mentioned Buffy before, and this series is becoming less sci-fi and more super-natural as it progresses.

The appearance of the evil twin is often the sign that a sci-fi show has 'jumped the shark' but I'm curious where they are going to go with Owen now.

 

[High Eight]

I've been away, and expected you would have begun discussing this one - probably the most interesting development yet. Still I thought the idea itself was better than the execution of it.

Spoilers if you haven't seen the episode yet...

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Owen is dead - even better he is undead.

Just as Martha is about to autopsy Owen, Jack uses the other Resurrection Glove (which he steals in a wooden box from a Weevil Church after consulting a child clairvoyant - that part needed more explanation I thought.)

Owen is now King of the Weevils, talks very strangely when no one is looking (apparently he is quoting Thomas Covenant), and has black eyes.

The Grim Reaper, Death, tries to get a foothold in Cardiff as it has done before in the past, and quickly makes a beeline for the city hospital Intensive Care Unit. (Another insight into Torchwood's amazing secrecy was shown when all the patients apparently had heard of Torchwood.)

Owen gives Jack a display of the after-death bodily functions he can still perform, while they are locked together in a cell.

I didn't find Owens final battle with Death very convincing, also someone mentioned Buffy before, and this series is becoming less sci-fi and more super-natural as it progresses.

The appearance of the evil twin is often the sign that a sci-fi show has 'jumped the shark' but I'm curious where they are going to go with Owen now.

quoting Thomas Covenant

- Not "They were featureless and telic, like lambent gangrene. They looked horribly like children."?

 

[Mary Hoffman]

I predicted the resurrection Gauntlet. After all, we had "The thing about gloves is they come in pairs" last season.

I think the whole King of the Weevils thing must have been the result of a mishearing of "Owen looks like the king of the weasels' don't you?

Mary

 

[Moonbat]

It does all seem to be getting a little more ridiculous,
I liked bits of this, but there's always too much now
Owen and Muchiko (that's not her name, but the scientist woman)
At one point I thought Jack was gonna start kissing Owen,
Nice how Martha's aparant lack of life was magically returned to her when Death tried to take his 13 soul, but Owen's lack of soul caused him to turn into light and dissapear,

Does that sound a little too Fantasy for you?

The thing with Torchwood is there are no original ideas, almost all episodes plagerise from some other sci-fi series, be it Star trek, or Buffy.

anyway, go Torchwoood (in a strong welsh accent)

I like the way they say 'right this is torchwood' as if people would go 'oh torchwood, yeah, they are above the police outside of the government.....etc. let's do what they ask!'

 

[Mary Hoffman]

Yup, this plot was full of holes! Death didn't succeed in his plan in the 15th century - you mean no-one has died since then? Or before? Since when has Death needed to infiltrate the world through an "undead" body - or limited his score to the odd dozen? That's a sick joke when you think of Iraq.

And yes, I too am getting very sick of Tosh (how aptly named!) and her unrequited love for Owen.

And why did the Weevils bow to Owen? Because he had been resurrected with the Gauntlet? But the one they have in the cells had no reaction to Suzie. And though it was in a church they frequented, we weren't told it was of their culture - they had all sorts of stuff there. In fact the team didn't know where it was from and they didn't even ask whether the Weevil reverence was a clue.

Not a good episode. But I still loved it. How sad is that?

Mary

 

[Rufio]

Yup, this plot was full of holes! Death didn't succeed in his plan in the 15th century - you mean no-one has died since then? Or before? Since when has Death needed to infiltrate the world through an "undead" body - or limited his score to the odd dozen? That's a sick joke when you think of Iraq.

I think it was not literally "Death" but some demon/alien/monster or whatever you want to call it from somewhere outside our own universe. Similar to the devil in the Doctor Who episode "The Satan Pit", the truth behind the myth sort of thing. I'm sure there was a line in there somewhere about the first known image of the Grim Reaper from around the time they were talking about.

Still I agree with the rest of the criticisms, but there remains something bizarrely watchable about Torchwood despite it's myriad flaws. I have to say though, it could be so much more, but then I don't think it's parent show Doctor Who reaches it's true potential all that often either.

 

[Harleyquin]

I'm currently in "Plan B from outerspace" mode with torchwood myself - its so ridiculusly pants its actually what gives the show its charm and drags you back week in and week out... if the show got better per say it would probbably slip from the "god awful B movie thats SO bad its good" to being just plan bad and uninteresting.

So we seem to be suggesting that Martha is replacing Owen, which will be curious when they are suggesting that Martha will also do some guest shots in Dr who... So we seem to have the crossover character between the series - will be interesting to see if they make martha have the obligatory "passionate affair with X"... still since they now have a "child friendly" edit airing a few days after the first show we will just wait and see.

As for this show - well I was a little dissapointed in "death" and thought that if they had been just a snidge smarter they could have tied this show in with the Dr who show where the "devil" escapes... still will be interesting to see "evil owen" in the next episode.

 

[Urien]

What bothers me about it; for a team above and beyond state agencies, they're so unprofessional and inept. They're also too young on average.

 

[Dave]

And why did the Weevils bow to Owen? Because he had been resurrected with the Gauntlet? But the one they have in the cells had no reaction to Suzie. And though it was in a church they frequented, we weren't told it was of their culture - they had all sorts of stuff there. In fact the team didn't know where it was from and they didn't even ask whether the Weevil reverence was a clue.

That's why I would have liked more explanation of that whole first five minutes along with the clairvoyant and all - maybe it will come sometime (but it's not next week).

So we seem to be suggesting that Martha is replacing Owen, which will be curious when they are suggesting that Martha will also do some guest shots in Dr who... So we seem to have the crossover character between the series - will be interesting to see if they make martha have the obligatory "passionate affair with X"

I thought that too, but next week is Martha's last episode, she is not a permanent addition. You will find out if she does or doesn't though when she is leaving.

It does all seem to be getting a little more ridiculous.

I thought the next episode was even worse. Torchwood began so well this year, but is rapidly returning to the way it was last year.

 

[Dr.Jackson]

Yes, it had it's flaws, but on the whole, I enjoyed this episode, which was unintentionally silly in places. Owen having a bit of a punch-up with Death! Well, I suppose it was more Torchwood-y, more action packed than a game of chess !

It seems the majority of us reckon that a few bits need a bit more explanation, I hope they put the fact that the Weevils now seem to worship Owen to good use.