Torchwood - 2x01 - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang [SPOILERS]

ixoy

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed after seeing that the new episode of the Wire had arrived. It was something to look forward to in case Torchwood was a complete shambles, something the show has been more than capable of doing.

This however wasn't too bad. The intro started off well and I dug the lady going "Bloody Torchwood". It was a nice mocking of how covert they actually are, driving around in their jeep. Their quarry, an unoriginal fish hybrid who had no apparent aquatic connection beyond his name, was also very helpful. During the subsequent prolonged hostage scene, he obligingly gave us a one line summation of everyone, showing the subtle writing the show is famous for. What a shocker when Jack showed up then, eh?

Good thing then that Jack was back at his S27 DW level - bigger and gayer than ever. The cheese was stuffed into this week's mix, with a good dollop of corn on the side. It worked better than many previous episodes though, helped by Spike's swaggering guest appearance. It knew more what it was and didn't search too much for deepness it couldn't hope to find.

The characters, beyond Jack, didn't have much to do and don't seem to have progressed much. This week they only seemed to be around to react to Jack, with two of them feeling the pain of unrequited love. Ianto with Jack is a good direction to take and hopefully we'll bypass the Gwen and Jack pairing that just didn't work (although given what awaited her at home, I guess she could be forgiven). Owen managed his first triumph of not wanting his death, so maybe the writers have taken something on board here.

It was dumb (mixing the blood at the end? Dear God), silly (especially in the first 50 minutes), super gay, and fairly enjoyable. A bit of a future plot arc laid out (his long lost brother) and I'm happy enough with the new instalment - and that's high praise for Torchwood indeed

iguana

That was definitely much better than last year. Not exactly amazing, but decently enjoyable.

Though am I the only one who thought it seemed to be referencing Our Mrs Reynolds? Calling John; Vera and the paralysing lip gloss.

BuffyBot

Better than some of last years efforts, though I'm reluctant to judge it on one episode alone.

Marsters was probably the best thing in it.

marie_85

Monologuing blowfish aside, I was actually impressed by this episode!

It was extremely fast paced, but worked as a season opener. I am hoping they slow it down over the next few weeks though.

The writers have become self mocking and it's a good direction. From 'bloody Torchwood' to 'You're good on roofs' to 'It is more fun when Jack's around though', they seem to have realised some of their mistakes from last year.

Added to this, the humour in this episode was unbelievably cheesy but at the same time utterly wonderful. There was a LOT of sexual inneundo, but not enough to turn it into a farce, there were some genuine hilarious moments. 'Murder rehab?' 'Help me Obi Wan' and Ianto's gleeful anticipation as he counted down the ten minutes stand out.

I like what we saw of Jack here. That fight with Spike, sorry, John was probably the first time since Doctor Who that we've seen the character completely lose himself in the moment. It was a really nice glimpse into who he was beforehand.

The sexual tension. *sigh* I don't understand the writer's obsession with Gwen. I really don't. I especially don't know why they want to break up the one really true and realistic element of the show which is the relationship between Gwen and Rhys. Jack's reaction to their engagement gave me a huge sense of foreboding. And count me unimpressed that he turned to Ianto as second best. Although, that moment was played wonderfully by both actors.

The most impressive thing though was that the team actually acted as a team! From the very first moments, they were a unit and even seemed vaguely competent! Something I hope is done a lot more. If there's any more episodes about 'Torchwood being their own greatest danger' I will not be responsible for my actions!

Stark

What I liked.

The return of pre-Mopewood Captain Jack. Jack's more able to carry scenes now, he's not the background guy that he was in TW S1.
Time agent stuff. Finally we're seeing the Captain Jack background stuff that we should have been seeing in Season 1.
Spike calling Ianto "Eye Candy". Pretty much summed up his role in Season 1.
Jack and Ianto: It's intriguing watching something that you know is going to end so badly and so far the writers are doing it well. Personal experience in this area?

Didn't like:

Very predictable. There were a lot of places where I was mouthing out the dialogue long before they ever said it. "Don't let him kiss you" being one example.
Secondary characters are still quite poorly developed.

iguana

Stark wrote: »

Very predictable. There were a lot of places where I was mouthing out the dialogue long before they ever said it. "Don't let him kiss you" being one example.

The minute he said don't let him kiss you, I knew that he would kiss her and that it poison her.

Stark wrote: »

Jack and Ianto: It's intriguing watching something that you know is going to end so badly and so far the writers are doing it well. Personal experience in this area?

However, when Jack asked Ianto out on a date I though "Oh, I guess John is going to kill Ianto!" So it wasn't as predictable as I had initially thought it was.:D

popebenny16

I thought that Captain John was speaking for a lot of critics of Season 1 in the quips he was coming out with to the team.

Glad it was more lighthearted. As for Gwen.... well, i have the hots for Gwen, so the more of her i see the better!!

As you can see we're now Doctor Who & Torchwood. We may also be moving out of Hosted soon, stay tuned.

Whoo-whoo 1000th post!!

ixoy

popebenny16 wrote: »

As you can see we're now Doctor Who & Torchwood. We may also be moving out of Hosted soon, stay tuned.

Why no Sarah Jane Adventures in the forum title? It's part of the franchise and is easily better than Torchwood (oddly, it's more grown up in many ways too).

Stark

I think mention should be given to transgendered alien species in the title as well.

Oh and I've noticed that we're now under the Arts category. Woohoo \o/

popebenny16

ixoy wrote: »

Why no Sarah Jane Adventures in the forum title? It's part of the franchise and is easily better than Torchwood (oddly, it's more grown up in many ways too).

Well, when its back I'll prostrate myself to the powers that be once more, perhaps. SJA was actually very good, I caught up with it over Christmas and theres a range of merchandise out for it.

Well, we're in the big bad world of Sci-Fi Forums now, so smarten yourselves up!!

Sooner or Later

I actually enjoyed that.

Huge improvement on series one. Faster pace, a bit more humour, a bit less incompetence evident in the team.

Marsters played a good part and from the "next on Torchwood" at the end we will clearly be seeing him again.

A good start. I hope it continues.

CathyMoran

I loved it, but then again I loved Marsters. Looking forward to the rest of the series. I far prefer it to Dr. Who.

thusspakeblixa

I really liked the episode, and I liked season 1...
But why must RTD try to force the homosexuality in? Im not saying its wrong, it just seems like he's really forcing it into the episodes, as if to remind people-
''You know, I also directed Queer As Folk...''
Overall though, a good episode.

ixoy

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

But why must RTD try to force the homosexuality in? Im not saying its wrong, it just seems like he's really forcing it into the episodes, as if to remind people-
''You know, I also directed Queer As Folk...''

I'm one of the Head Gays of Boards and I still find it amusingly OTT. I think RTD sometimes acts out his dreams on screen, which is grand - it makes Torchwood deliciously camp and unique at times.

thusspakeblixa

Oh it is unique, and I love the way Captain Jack is such a great overtly camp character, but I just feel like sometimes he tries to force it! Each to their own though!

cuckoo

ixoy wrote: »

I'm one of the Head Gays of Boards and I still find it amusingly OTT. I think RTD sometimes acts out his dreams on screen, which is grand - it makes Torchwood deliciously camp and unique at times.

'Delicious' is really the only way to describe the blend of camp and rainy welsh streets.

I watched the whole episode with a grin on my face - really good fun telly. And, Spike/Marsters was excellent, the grin was replaced by a 'oh...that's hot' expression for the fight scene in the bar.

markw999

Best bit personally:

John: You were the wife.
Jack: You were the wife.
John: Yeah, but I was a good wife