Torchwood - Countrycide. Reaction post.
Nov. 19th, 2006 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fangrrl_squeesSpoilers, below...
Aw, man, I might have to forgive Chris Chibnall just a tiny little bit for Cyberwoman, just for that bit between Gwen and Owen in the ninth minute. Now that's what I call a post-watershed moment. Besides, this particular fangrrl has a well-developed weakness for antagonistic lust-fueled relationships, as anyone who's waded through my V:tM fic archive knows all too well.
I love Jack's coat so very, very much. I'd look ridiculous in such a thing, mind you. Short and curvaceous broads are not well suited for the double-breasted look - and you may write your own punchline to that statement.
I see Chibnall's fondness of clunky dialogue lingers. Tosh says "The rest of my stuff was in the vehicle." C'mon, who talks like that? Say car, fer Crissakes.
The suspense has been handled better this time, imho, and the performances are stronger. Kudo's to everyone being scared shitless at one point or another...
The scene when Owen treated Gwen's gun-wound was excellent. Great interaction, good dialogue, well-paced. Another poke in the eye for the Owen-haters methinks.
I wonder when this episode was shot? Everyone seems a hell of a lot more comfortable in their roles than they were in the earlier eps.
Poor Ianto, still in shock and a bit of a wet blanket. One hopes that'll be changing over time, but at the moment, I think it's completely plausible.
Barrowman's turn as torturer!Jack didn't play well - I simply didn't buy it - but I liked the bit of disclosure, particularly as it matches with some of my own meta about what he might have been up to in the Time Agency and what I've doodled down for rpg!Jack.
(show continues)
Ooh, I hope they aren't human-shaped aliens, 'cos it being freaky humans would be much, much niftier. As a long-time GM of Call of Cthulhu, I'm a big proponent of humans being able to be much, much scarier than the bug-eyed monsters.
They're just hitting all the horror movie archetypes tonight, ain't they? (she says as she watches Tosh running through the woods at night)
The Jack-rescues-everybloodyone scene was a bit melodramatic, and further undone by the "No, really!" line. A shame, really, as it undermined everything that led up to it. Still, it's forgivable as pacing hiccups go. There's nothing like a real clanger of an episode to make a person much kinder to a series. ;)
I v. much appreciated Gwen's insistence on trying to understand the villagers' motives. After a night like that, you want some sort of reason for it all.
Yay! Fucked up humans! Well, not humans in the sociological sense, but you get the gist. Fangrrl approves!
And, oh yeah, saw that conclusion coming from a mile away. Makes me happy, though but, y'know, see above. ;)
Overall, It'd give that 8.5 out of a possible 10, which I think makes it my most highly rated this season.
Most serious quibble: still kinda short on the readying Earth for/protecting Earth from alien menaces bit but, meh, I can deal with that.
Directed by Andy Goddard, hm? Excellent job, fella. Maybe a lot of Cyberwoman's clanginess (*groan*) can be laid at Strong's door, although I maintain my opinion that the dialogue in that one reeked.
Aw, man, I might have to forgive Chris Chibnall just a tiny little bit for Cyberwoman, just for that bit between Gwen and Owen in the ninth minute. Now that's what I call a post-watershed moment. Besides, this particular fangrrl has a well-developed weakness for antagonistic lust-fueled relationships, as anyone who's waded through my V:tM fic archive knows all too well.
I love Jack's coat so very, very much. I'd look ridiculous in such a thing, mind you. Short and curvaceous broads are not well suited for the double-breasted look - and you may write your own punchline to that statement.
I see Chibnall's fondness of clunky dialogue lingers. Tosh says "The rest of my stuff was in the vehicle." C'mon, who talks like that? Say car, fer Crissakes.
The suspense has been handled better this time, imho, and the performances are stronger. Kudo's to everyone being scared shitless at one point or another...
The scene when Owen treated Gwen's gun-wound was excellent. Great interaction, good dialogue, well-paced. Another poke in the eye for the Owen-haters methinks.
I wonder when this episode was shot? Everyone seems a hell of a lot more comfortable in their roles than they were in the earlier eps.
Poor Ianto, still in shock and a bit of a wet blanket. One hopes that'll be changing over time, but at the moment, I think it's completely plausible.
Barrowman's turn as torturer!Jack didn't play well - I simply didn't buy it - but I liked the bit of disclosure, particularly as it matches with some of my own meta about what he might have been up to in the Time Agency and what I've doodled down for rpg!Jack.
(show continues)
Ooh, I hope they aren't human-shaped aliens, 'cos it being freaky humans would be much, much niftier. As a long-time GM of Call of Cthulhu, I'm a big proponent of humans being able to be much, much scarier than the bug-eyed monsters.
They're just hitting all the horror movie archetypes tonight, ain't they? (she says as she watches Tosh running through the woods at night)
The Jack-rescues-everybloodyone scene was a bit melodramatic, and further undone by the "No, really!" line. A shame, really, as it undermined everything that led up to it. Still, it's forgivable as pacing hiccups go. There's nothing like a real clanger of an episode to make a person much kinder to a series. ;)
I v. much appreciated Gwen's insistence on trying to understand the villagers' motives. After a night like that, you want some sort of reason for it all.
Yay! Fucked up humans! Well, not humans in the sociological sense, but you get the gist. Fangrrl approves!
And, oh yeah, saw that conclusion coming from a mile away. Makes me happy, though but, y'know, see above. ;)
Overall, It'd give that 8.5 out of a possible 10, which I think makes it my most highly rated this season.
Most serious quibble: still kinda short on the readying Earth for/protecting Earth from alien menaces bit but, meh, I can deal with that.
Directed by Andy Goddard, hm? Excellent job, fella. Maybe a lot of Cyberwoman's clanginess (*groan*) can be laid at Strong's door, although I maintain my opinion that the dialogue in that one reeked.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 05:07 am (UTC)I just don't see Gwen getting it on with Ianto. Yet.
It was a good episode. And very creepy. I'm not too fond of the whole JohnWayne!Jack / DeusExMachina!Jack, but outside of that, I enjoyed it!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 05:19 am (UTC)I just don't see Gwen getting it on with Ianto. Yet.
I like the fact that you qualified that statement. :) I agree that anything can happen with that lot, in terms of interpersonal dynamics, and it probably has/will.
I also agree that the presence of Deus Ex Machina Taxi was annoying, but I wasn't terribly surprised by it. I was thinking "Hrm, about three minutes to go and no idea of how they're getting out of this one. I must assume that Jack's going to be the cavalry. How dull."
But yeah, overall, a really tense, exciting eps, I thought.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 04:43 pm (UTC)If I saw Barrowman walking down the street, I'd simply stare and (eventually) walk into a lightpole. Gorman would invoke more of an "Hmm, that's an interesting looking fellow. I wonder what he's up to...?" and I'd probably see the pole just in time. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 06:20 am (UTC)Which is shame, as I'm rahter fond of JB. Luckily the supporting cast seem to be doing a damn good job. Also Time Agent/Torturer thing - bang on the money... :D
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 06:23 am (UTC)I'm rooting for him, but I won't be surprised if the show fails to make a second season and he's cited as a major reason why.
I'm guessing you're getting up for work just as I'm going to bed. G'night and good morning to you! :)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 07:58 pm (UTC)My take on that is that he was largely bluffing... He just looked like he was trying a bit too hard to be scary, y'know? And, while I can believe many things of Jack, some of them pretty dark, I can't really see him as ever being a "go-to guy" for torture.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 08:22 pm (UTC)Then again, having played a torturous sadistic freak of a character for way too long, I set that particular bar for versimilitude pretty dam' high... Maybe I'm just picky. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 08:27 pm (UTC)But, y'know, mostly I'd kind of rather believe that it was Barrowman playing Jack being a bit of a bad actor than Barrowman, erm, being a bit of a bad actor. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 08:41 pm (UTC)I'd kind of rather believe that it was Barrowman playing Jack being a bit of a bad actor than Barrowman, erm, being a bit of a bad actor.
Also true. As I've mentioned before, I'm frightfully torn re: my opinion of JB's acting on Torchwood. There have been some lovely, so-very-natural moments from him, and then there are those where he's, y'know, ACTING! and those moments clang like a mistuned bell.
I've heard a lot of speculation suggesting that he's having some trouble transitioning from stage to small screen but I dunno how valid that speculation is. After all, I think he did fine in DW - well, except for the sheer melodrama that was his speech to the non-volunteers on Level 0 or whatever it was in PotW but, hell, that was a melodramatic moment.
I want to believe that, those weird false moments in the show are because Jack's a man out of time, constantly suffering culture shock, almost completely alienated from his surroundings and just doing his best to act like how he thinks a well-adjusted and sane person should act, and occasionally blowing it. But sometimes, it's hard to convince myself of that, y'know?
Meanwhile, my husband has decided that JB's a lousy actor and has quit watching the show. :(
If only I could find an interview where John gets into the actual craft of what he's doing with Jack - the motives, the justifications, etc (find me an actor who doesn't love going on about that stuff. They just don't tend to do it interviews because not many readers are Method junkies like I am) and then I could probably resolve all these internal doubts. As it is, I'm just flailing and hoping for the best.
Erm, that went on a lot longer than I intended...
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 08:42 pm (UTC)but if I was already wounded and freaked out and he was poking at me in painful ways, I think I might have. Or at least decided not to take the chance.
True 'nuff. When one's bleeding out, it's not like one has much choice or is thinking rationally...
Mmm, torturer!Jack. *wanders off to strange, yet happy, place*