Hello loves,
Last night the Co-Pilot & I strapped ourselves to the couch with some Gin & Tonics & a vast array of nibbles to re-watch the final two episodes from season 1 of Torchwood. On the whole we were suitably impressed.
I was a restless 'fan in waiting' with Torchwood for most of the first season. I wanted to adore it but felt it was often flawed & rarely worthy of my potentially slavish, slobbering fan love. Of course I was going to watch every episode regardless, but it was very easy to pick at. Slow motion 'strutting in duffle coats' wank, Cardiff tourist video padding, ridiculous plot contrivances, clunky set pieces & some blushingly embarrasing dialouge just to name a few of the constant (but very much repairable) faults. The basic concept of Torchwood is strong & the cast is a winner, the production team just needed to do a lot of tightening up & thankfully they got very near the mark by the end of the season.
The final two episodes are a huge improvement on most of the season up to that point. John Barrowman shows unexpected & much welcome subtlety & humility, particularly in 'Capt Jack Harkness'. The posturing, vaseline grinned cardboard-try-hard man of mystery has given way to a textured, sympathetic & nobly tragic figure. With this change, Jack has become much sexier & more ponderable. The appearance of the real Capt. Jack on the scene makes Jack more mysterious than ever & at the same time much more vulnerable as his fraudulent identity is exposed. This gives Barrowman lots of 'actors meat' to bite into. Barrowman, to his credit, knew what the stakes were in these crucial episodes & he plays the revelation & its aftermath beautifully. When it really counted, after seeming to be coasting at times during the season, he pulled out all the stops. As the 'cockular' (as opposed to titular? ey, ey!) head of the cast, he needed too.
The cocky Captain is rendered relatively shy & awkward by the stunning Mr Rippy as the 'real' Capt Jack. Barrowman wouldn't have had to try too hard to be convincing in his attraction to Rippy though. Rippy is quite possibly the sexiest guest star ever to grace the Who-niverse. He even makes Barrowman look a little homely (only by impossible comparison though!...sorry love!!). Their scenes together are spot on; resplendant with natural intimate chemistry, smouldering sexual tension & careful nuance. Surely Rippy & Barrowman need to spin-off into another spin-off & enjoy all the 'fondant supreme' that a saucy 10.30 evening slot can offer!!!!
Dramatic highpoints were plentiful. Gwen's breakdown as she cradles Rhys' lifeless, bloodied body in 'End Of Days' is gut wrenching. Her anguish, while riskily noisy & frantic, is utterly believable in the hands of such an assured actress. A quite stunning performance. The gunpoint standoff with the team divided over whether or not to open the rift & who to side with was another breathstopper, superbly played across the board.
And who can forget ol' 'vinegar lips'; Bilis Manger. At times sounding like a camp, evil D84, at others reminding one of a more theatrical third cousin of the unblinking, malevolant Morgus from Androzani, he is the best villian that Dr Who hasn't had in its 3 seasons so far. He is the finest 'nasty' in the new Who-niverse. Shifting from posturing eye-brow raising villian to brutally callous monster in a blink (& sometimes with a poisonous purse of his vinegar lips) he is truly marvellous. Hopefully RTD had him put on ice immediately after filming 'End Of Days' so that his advanced years don't prevent a slew of much anticipated return appearances.
Although the huge stomping horned beastie was a d-grade excuse for a lavish season finale showdown, Barrowman's conviction just got it over the line. The Torchwood team friction was the real showdown anyway. That was more than good enough. Jack's resurrection 3 days (?!) after vanquishing the beast was lovely too, the religious inconography that would have soiled any such moment in recent Dr Who is thankfully absent & we have a truly touching & beautifully underplayed scene with Jack welcomed back by the surprised team. No need for sweeping strings; the guilty tear soaked look at Jack from Owen, the excited rush for a hug by Tosh, the trembling, disbelieving lovers kiss from Ianto; they all speak volumes & help the scene to resonate much more deeply than would have been the case with the orchestral mush & stylised emotional manipulation of new series Dr Who. The teacher must learn from the student it seems.
I'm very much looking forward to season 2 & this little freshen up on where things left off has filled me with fan saliva of the finest kind, ready to gush forth...
Lucozer...
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