14 posts tagged “torchwood”
Doctor Who 4.11
Ever since I was little, I never liked the what-if episodes that show a very different path and life. I don't really know why, but they just leave me feeling very, very sad. So this episode essentially had several strikes against it before it began. But props to me for realizing it was a "what-if" ep from the promo.
So while I may not love the episode like many other people do, I liked it a lot, all things considered. Reasons: Rose and Donna. Donna and Rose. I love those two together! They just played so well off of each other. And Rose! Good to see Pete's World Torchwood taught her well. I was so proud watching her be all expository and technobabbling. She was still Rose, but she had bits of the Doctor worked in with her. The way she strutted around, knowing everything. The way she looked at the trouble and adventure. She had this smile on her face when she explained things to Donna when she ended up at U.N.I.T. Not to mention she did the whole saluting thing that the Doctor did. I love that they had that connection, even though they didn't know it. I think the most Doctory Rose moment was when she told Donna she was "the most important woman in the whole of creation". If that didn't come straight from the Doctor's playbook... I smiled with that line and the way Rose said it. Again, so much like the Doctor. I'm not going to lie, I love that she's adopted much of his personality, not that I blame her, the dude's kind of infectious with his clever words and strutting. Oh the strutting.
Oh lord, I missed Rose. I missed the way she took things on, I missed the way she talked, I missed chavtastic Rose! And what I love even more if that Billie loves being Rose. I watched the Confidential episode, which means this episode was pretty damn important to me, and she just seemed to happy to be back. David was giddy as can be about it, but Billie was so adorable. So this return was planned when she left, I thought RTD had just BSed that, but apparently Billie said the arrangements were made right as she decided to leave, which kind of makes me love Billie even more. Too bad I can't get through an episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl without getting really skeeved out. I'd like to watch her every week, maybe I'll try to watch it more. But back to the cast, David is as adorable as ever. He kept pestering RTD to explain 'Bad Wolf', and the way that he talks about the show is like a fan. Actually, all the actors talk about it like fans, I love that. They just have this keen insight into the story and the characters, it's really impressive.
Oh Doctor Who, I love that you are a family friendly program that isn't afraid to nuke cities and imply genocide! That's what makes this show so brilliant, it doesn't dumb down reality to fit the younger demographic. It really is a show for everyone, adults and children. But not going to lie, this is the kind of episode that would have turned me off of a show for a long time if I saw it when I was 10. I think I had similar experiences when I watched shows that did this, I just got so sketched out that I had to walk away from the show. So... good thing more kids aren't nutty like me, right?
I see a few people wanting to rewatch "The Runaway Bride", because they can't remember why they hated Donna so. I'm more than a little curious myself, I hated her. I just could not stand the sight of her. But watching that little bit included in the episode, and eventually the scene that led to the Doctor's death, that sounded like the Donna we knew. And to be frank, the Donna we saw this week was the angry, shouty, kind of funny Donna that seemed straight out of "Runaway Bride". This week's Donna was very different from the compassionate and caring that makes her a great companion. I'm debating watching it again, maybe I hated that Donna because she was snippy with the Doctor, and nobody does that to our pretty boy. Back to Donna, I was dying seeing her go off on her boss after she got fired. That was so amazing, and stealing the stapler? Perfect.
So... is Donna special? She's got her own unique time signal thingy. Sorry, I didn't pay enough attention during the exposition to really get what that means. So, was Donna teleported to the parallel world? Was she physically in that tent, but her mind went elsewhere? To another Donna in another world? I'm still shakey on the details of how this worked, might just chalk this up to timey-wimey stuff. But back to Donna and her parallel worlds. What role will she play in the big finale? Maybe she's like they key to keeping the universes safe. I'm not going to lie, I wished that Davies seeded this in throughout the series. I understand that not everything is planned in advanced, but this felt distinctly tacked on in this episode. Lets see how this plays out. I'm still worried about Donna, I don't think she's still in the clear, safety wise. Remember, River Song acted like Donna had died when she met the Doctor.
4.12 Preview
OK, I just need to take a moment to flip the fuck out: Sarah Jane - Check. Martha Jones - Check. Jack Harkness - Check. Ianto and Gwen - Fuck Yes! How did I NOT KNOW GWEN AND IANTO WOULD BE IN THE SHOW? Like, that is just so incredible, having those two meet the Doctor (I hope anyway). After all the vagueness Jack gives them, they deserve some info straight from the horse's or Time Lord's mouth. And Martha! And Jack! OK, I am so pumped for Rose to see Jack again. I wonder if she knows she brought him back forever? The Rose we have now is very different from the Rose who absorbed the Time Vortex and saved Jack. I wonder how she'll react, I don't even think she remembers. And Jack's always had a little something for Rose, well to be fair Jack's got a little something for everyone, but Jack will be so thrilled to see her. I keep replaying this moment in my head from "Bad Wolf" when Jack realizes Rose hasn't been vaporized. "Rose could still be alive!" He's going to be happy to see her again.
I know this is a really big longshot, but Gwen/Gwyneth from "The Unquiet Dead"... Maybe it'll come up. Like a line that she looks familiar, or maybe the Doctor will see something very odd about her. Or... you know... it could just be let go.
Rose and Martha! I've been looking forward to this for some time. Mainly because Martha got sick of hearing about Rose. In "Utopia" she had this line when Jack mentioned Rose. "OH! She's blond!" We'll see if Martha's really over the Doctor when his old companion comes back.
Donna and Rose already met, sort of. Now that she knows, or will know, that it's Rose, I wonder if she'll react differently to her. I don't see why, Donna just knew that Rose was gone, so she'll probably be happy for her.
And Rose and the Doctor. Well, we've already seen him be terrified by her warning (loved it!), but I don't doubt that we'll see some incredible hugging. Oh there will be hugging. And tears. Lots and lots of tears, mostly mine. I've only been waiting two years for this, that's all. I wonder if Rose will notice a change in the Doctor. I wonder if the Doctor notices how much Rose has changed? All I know is I can't wait. Is it Saturday yet?
Thought I'd do an update on the Transformers 2 filming. I saw them setting up, and tomorrow and Tuesday will be the shooting days. There was a helicopter with a big round thing attached to its nose, which I'm guessing is the camera, and they were doing aerial shots. It was so cool, the helicopter was flying almost sideways so the camera was facing the college campus. It's looking like my sister, her friend, and I will be getting up super early and spending the day stalking the set. Rainn Wilson will be there, so I'm going to try to get him to sign my second season Office DVD set. Shia is apparently kind of a douche, the PA's described him as "inaccessible", I hope Rainn is much nicer, he seems nice. Check out my Twitter or Plurk pages for updates, I'll be checking in there.
BSG, Doctor Who, and Torchwood all in one weekend? I must be dreaming.
Battlestar Galactica 4.01
Best show ever? It's up there, for sure. So let's start with the basics: Starbuck is back and alive. Too bad Roslin's gone all Cylon trick on us and won't believe her. I noticed something interesting about Roslin's attitude towards Starbuck. Way back in the first season, Roslin turned to Kara to fly in the Raider and jump back to Caprica and get the Arrow of Apollo. Kara risked everything based on Roslin's visions and religious beliefs. So what happens when Kara shows up under similarly shady circumstances: Roslin wants to throw Kara in the brig. Classy. Maybe she's still reeling from the trial, when Lee threw her under the bus.
So Starbuck's been gone "6 hours" and has a brand new ship. You think we'll get a decent explanation or will this be one of those things we'll never learn? I hope we'll get some closure on this bit. As for what she is, I'm not guessing. There are so many things out there, I mean Starbuck basically emptied that reserve during her conversation with Anders. I think she's the real deal but as to how she's gotten here, I'm not sure. I guess it should be noted that in "Maelstrom" Leoben was something of a spirit guide, so she could be a Cylon device? For the record, I don't think that, but anything's possible.
Speak of trail, how JesusBaltar doing? I'd like to state for the record that I called the Baltar is Jesus thing for a very long time. Like since I watched "Hand of God", I was on this. So good to see other nutters are joining the club. I'd like to state for the record that Baltar is the worst savior ever? Seriously, his scenes in that brothelsecret compartment were among the funniest in BSG. I mean, Baltar "feeling" God's presence as he's feeling his follower's breasts? Priceless! Also? Baltar blessing that boy right after the sex, naked in bed? Amazing! Clearly Baltar is the best. Oh! and HAIRCUT!
Lee? I think Lee was made to be a civilian, I mean he knows how to work those everyday clothes. It's interesting that he's not rejoining the military. Personally, I think it's more important to protect the fleet rather than work in the government. Especially with the last attack, you'd think Lee would at least help out, temporarily. Hmm, what ever. Oh, and Lee is the best hugger ever. Hug me plz!
Hey! Did you guys know that Tigh, Tory, Chief, and Anders and Cylons? Because there weren't any clues, like ominous looks or repeated references to identifying Cylons... Right? If there was one weakness in this amazing episode, it was that. The biggest offender was when Kara flat out told Anders she'd "put a bullet between your eyes" if she found out he was a Cylon... Um... k? But back to our gang of 4: Tigh's having some curious side-effects, nothing special, just your standard well shot day dream about killing your best friend... Anders had the best Cylon side-effect. I call it the Red-eye Raider Retreat. Is there some sort of hidden programming that was triggered upon finding any of the final 5? Why are the other 7 models programmed not to think about them? What are the final 5 trying to hide?
So who's the last Cylon? Well, according to RDM, it's not a major character. But that's not stopping me from preaching that Roslin is the last Cylon. At the end of "Crossroads. Part 2", As soon as they jumped into the nebula, she had a moment. Now, she didn't hear music or anything, but the fifth one didn't show up for the major pow wow in that episode, either. It's possible that the fifth Cylon isn't activated yet. So besides the fact that RDM all but debunked this theory, it'd be awesome. I mean, Roslin is leading the people to Earth, why can't she be a Cylon? A good Cylon with good intentions!
Now, because Torchwood and Doctor Who have yet to air in the US, I'm not going to be posting my reactions here. I don't want anybody to be spoiled, but if you're curious to see what I thought of Torchwood's finale and Doctor Who's return, check out my LJ post. Erm, beware of spoilers for both shows.
Today it finally warmed up enough for me to wear just a fleece, not my big ass parka. I had my hopes up for an end to this fucking winter. Of course it's getting cold again and it's supposed to snow towards the end of the week. Yay.
Torchwood 2.12
Wow! Torchwood kinda pulled a Lost with this one, not that there's anything wrong with that. Actually, it worked wonderfully! For me, the biggest disappoint last series was the "mystery" of Jack. And by mystery, I mean things we knew from Doctor Who but were teased with for 12 episodes. So, FINALLY we get some backstory. Sure it was brief, but we had some awesome drunken Jack. "First I'm going to kiss him[the Doctor], then I'm going to kill him", which kinda made my life.
And as with any allusion to Doctor Who, my heart jumped when that tarot card girl (wasn't she in "Dead Man Walking") told Jack he wouldn't find the Doctor until the world turned to ice. Anybody catch that awesome reference to "Utopia", as in the end of the universe? As in everything turning to ice? As in the best episode ever? *breathes*
So Jack was involved with Torchwood when they were out for the Doctor and when they were still sketchy and evil. Interesting. Nice to see him making a stand against Torchwood London, I mean they were pretty evil, too bad they were destroyed and all. Could have been a nice Frenemy for the Doctor/Jack.
Oh Toshiko... Loved the British Gitmo. So her back story was pretty boring, we know she's hard working, quiet, shy, impressionable... Didn't really say much, except Jack rescued her, seeing her genius and all. It's been a few days since I saw this episode, and her story was the one I remembered the least.
IANTO! I'm not imagining he wasn't always as awesome as he is this series. I mean, coffee boy? So first series, loved the callback. And he was funny, which was nice. Funny and persistent! Puppy!Ianto amused me to no end. I was a little irked by the awkward Jack falling on Ianto moment, because back in the beginning of the first series, there wasn't any of the sexual tension (that I remember). So that moment felt retconned. But other than that, loved his past.
Owen :-( As if I needed another reason to completely adore his character, he had a sad love story. Nice how everything about his character is falling into place... It's as if they're preparing to end this zombie arc... To be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready for Owen to leave, but maybe that's what Davies is getting at. He's lulling everyone into thinking things are getting back to normal, and then Owen will just cease to be. And I'll be a sad mess, because it'll be a shock and, if I know Davies, tragic.
And we're left with the return of John Hart, which I've been waiting for! After Marsters' first episode, I kept looking for when he was coming back, I mean we had this whole Grey bit to tidy up. Then we're at the second to last episode, and I was getting confused... Of course he would show up in the last few minutes... with Jack's hermano! Looks like next week's going to be fucking awesome: lots of things going boom!
So it's almost April, and my nerd-sense is telling me that Doctor Who should be starting up soon. So I went online, and Wikipedia has a start date of April 5th! That's the Saturday after next! It's the day after the Torchwood finale! And since Torchwood has been fucking incredible, I have a glimmer of hope for this Donna-infested series...
And then Battlestar Galatica is starting up April 4th, so my little lull in TV activity is finally ending, which is good? I don't know, I've managed to get a bunch of homework done during this blackout. But then again, I've also started watching reality shows, which is evil.
Finally, on the Joss Whedon return to TV front, Dollhouse is starting to cast, and DUDE, Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) from BSG's been cast! Yay!
OK, here's the deal, I stumbled upon some Twilight set pictures, and I think I'm going to have to actually read this series, at least the first book. Those hilarious Canon Wikipedia descriptions are too hysterical to overlook, plus Robert Pattinson is so adorable in those pictures, even if his hair is slightly orange and his pancake makeup is a little intense. I promise I won't talk about it with you if I detest it.
For all those celebrating Bunnies and Peeps, happy Easter!
Lost 4.08
Wow, that Kevin Johnson dude is pretty intense. He was so intense we got an entire episode flashback, give or take a bit of roughing up by Sayid and some Ben trickery and a reminder that Michael was kind of an asshole for killing Libby and Ana Lucia for virtually no reason (other than to rescue Ben, but that plan wasn't the best). Boy, that was all so long ago, I mean, when was the last time ANYBODY on the show mentioned Libby? I mean, Hurley was involved with that chick, you'd think it would come up. Same goes for Charlie, I mean, Claire's done NOTHING, can we at least get a breakdown, plz?
On to the plot! Michael and "WAAAALLLTTT!" made if off the island, Michael told his 10 going on 15 year old son that he killed two people. Let's just stop there. WTF Michael? Like that would EVER be a good idea? EVER! Any-who, Michael, due to his estrangement, tries to kill himself, and totally fails. Here's a questions, M? If you want to die so badly, why not just drive that car into the fucking water? You were by a harbor. Of course, the production costs would have been higher, and the island won't let you truly kill yourself, so I get it. So yeah, the island apparently puts your name down on an Anti-Suicide pact. Go island, promoting mental stability since 1980! What with your apparitions of dead people, time-looping, and fucking smoke monsters, you are the picture of sanity.
So Michael's a little down, and is so not helped by Libby coming in and checking up on him. Ah, man I really wanted a meaningful Libby appearance, like a Widmore-inspired, Desmond boat giving one. But alas, she's just either a dream or an island manifestation. That's my running assumption, the island takes the form of dead people. OMG THE ISLAND IS THE FIRST! *goes to post it on every forum possible* Then Tom comes along. Oh Tommy, my favorite LGBT Other! But I know you're into dudes and all, but you said Kate wasn't your type? She's everyone's type, dude. I'm straight and she's my type! Well, it was good to see him back, anyways. He enlists Michael to sabotage the evil Widmore freighter of doom. And he had proof! Or not! This screencap shows that Widmore only paid $450,000 for the Boeing 777, despite it going for a nice $200 million. Now the order form says it was decommissioned, but that's some heavy depreciation right there. You'd think it would still break $10 mill. This sounds like another of Ben's lovely tricks, because I doubt Michael's gonna know that. But freighter people bad! I hate that I'm still flip flopping. The Captain is a total douche who shoots things with machine guns, but then there's Ben. Enough said.
So Michael embarks on this suicide mission on the boat. Miles shows up for 30 seconds, which is enough time to call Michael out on the Kevin Johnson bullshit and to tell us that most of the people aren't who they claim to be. Hm... Why that sounds EXACTLY like Lost and the Losties! Why, does that mean we'll get some shady character flashbacks! *gasp* Michael tries to blow up the ship, gets a Looney Tunes inspired pop-up flag, telling him Not-Yet. Oh, and before, Libby, aka the First, aka the island tells Michael not to do it. Did I mention I wanted more Libby?
Anyways, Michael gets a call from Walt, and by Walt I mean Ben. I loved that (mock) surprise Ben displayed upon learning that Michael activated the bomb. It's such a Ben thing to beat Michael down with why he's such a terrible person. Love it. So Ben admits there are innocent people on that boat, something Michael probably didn't realize, paving the way for Charlotte and Daniel to join the good guys. Come on, you know it's going to happen, right? I'm not insane, right? Well, I am, but my theory's not, right? They're displaying the same kind of awesomeness that Juliet (I know you disagree ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
anythingbutgrey) displayed when she was Othering it), and she went over to the good side, well sorta. She was playing both sides and still is kinda taking Ben's orders. So Sayid, not capable of seeing his Ben-puppet future, turns Michael in to Captain Douchebag, who didn't seem too shocked. Honestly, I wanted Michael to be killed, right then and there. I could have used some awesome Regular status for one episode killing. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. And it would have been mean: I heard Harold Perrineau was really hurt when he wasn't asked to return for season 3. So maybe Michael wouldn't have been the best choice for that.
So who was that "big" death? Well, I had low expectations when I read that Damon Lindelof made a snide reference to that ABC promo. If it were a big death, I figured it: a. Wouldn't have been revealed, like Libby and Ana Lucia's offings, or b. Wouldn't have been mocked by the producers. But Karl? Really? Him? I kept a close look at the clock, which told me after Michael's outing to the Captain that there were 5 minutes left for a death. Then Karl, Rousseau, and Alex went off to this "Temple", so I knew it was so Karl. Eh, no big. Then Danielle gave her little heartfelt bit to Alex, then boom, she's gone. So poor little Alex. I'm aboard with the peeps who think this was a Ben set up. But it could be the freighter people, Ben did say that the Widmore lemmings might try to use her. By coming out with her hands up, proclaiming "I'm Ben's daughter!" that could be the perfect thing for them. And Lapidus has been off on mysterious helicopter demanding missions. Could they be dropping off more and more weapons and people? But it makes more sense for it to be Ben's hombres, I mean, how convenient is it that Karl, whom Ben dislikes, gets offed first. Danielle, I'm not sure, maybe Ben is having parenting jealousy.
Random notes:
- Desmond sure has been quiet, am I the only one who wants him to say something to make clear that he's not past!Desmond or that he's re-stuck in time?
- It seems unusual that Michael would be put on the Kahana so easily, wouldn't Widmore be on the lookout for spies. And dude, Michael's face is probably online somewhere as a victim! I feel like background checks are part of the process to get onto not-Penny's-Boat.
- Love how Ben paints himself as the picture of moral supremacy, I mean, it's not like he partook in any sort of mass murder or Dharma genocide, right?
I'll see you in 33 days Lost!
Eli Stone 1.08
Whee! I really, really liked this episode. I know I've been a little irked by the unquestioning acceptance by Stone of his visions, so I'm very pleased by this plot development. He's finally telling some people, and realizing just how insane all this sounds. I mean, the only reason he jumped on this prophet bandwagon was because of the guru. I hope this leads to a more reluctant Eli, who maybe sees some purpose, but isn't immune to aggravation.
Music! I'm not going to lie, I was a little let down in the beginning by the lack of music. I was pretty pumped by the idea of George Michael singing in his living room, but after that the music took a backseat, and Eli had less catchy visions. Well, I loved this week's musical number, probably because the two people singing weren't really all that great singers. Don't get me wrong, I love the Victor Garber numbers, because he's extremely talented and awesome, but it's nice to have some variety in the mix. Plus, it just sounds so much fun, to basically break into song week after week. Next episode seems to be George Michael inspired (the dude's guesting in it!) and I'm expecting music fun. I think if the producers move in a more lyrical direction, they can make it their staple. "It's like Boston Legal, but with a prophet... and musical numbers!" Now that's a show I can watch.
Torchwood 2.09, 10, and 11
I briefly want to talk about how ridiculous 2.09 was. I mean, REALLY? Gwen, pregnant with alien spawn, HAS to get married? AND JACK LETS HER? I mean REALLY! HELLO WRITERS! Wake up and smell reality (I know it's hard when you're working on Sci Fi), that WOULD NEVER WORK. And John, stop phoning it in. Your shape shifting Alien was pathetic. I was laughing hysterically, because you looked like you just wanted to go home to your husband that day. Heh. I put off watching this episode because I was still in love with 2.08 and I knew this would suck. And it did. I ended up watching it because I wanted to see the previews for the next episode, hoping that was better. Erm... it was better, but still not good.
2.10. Here's my problem with some Sci Fi shows. I get you've got a rift and aliens and altogether really crazy shit going on, but CARDIFF ISN'T A HELLMOUTH. OK? The rift doesn't give you the excuse to make circus people turn themselves into movies and steal people's "last breaths". That's more of a supernatural thing and not so much a rift thing. I mean, I guess we can assume these circus folk were aliens, but I'm guessing not. They did pull out the 'ole "rift activity" gag at the theatre, but it didn't fly for me.
This episode felt like Torchwood's pathetic attempt to do Doctor Who's "Blink". The end with that film canister was eye-rolling at best. Again, this isn't "Blink". Another forgettable installment. The main reason I watched this episode was to see the preview for the next episode...
2.11 aka FINALLY A GOOD EPISODE! Don't get me wrong, I had my small problems: like I always assumed the rift was a two-way street, but maybe that was me. And the rift is correcting its mistakes? Really? Do you know how cosmically improbably that sentiment is? Very. But it was nice to see Andy, who is kind of awesome, calling Gwen out on her lack of Gwen-ness and she went into what made her part of Torchwood to begin with, her humanness. I hadn't really noticed if she's been colder, but I certainly didn't feel her reaching out on a human level like she did during the first series.
Jack was nice, albeit a little too quick to let Gwen bring over the victim's mother. The just was a bad idea. Bad. Bad, and shame on Jack for not stopping it. Thought Gwen phrased it well, making Jack think about Grey. Why does everyone who comes back through the rift go mad? I mean, they could end up somewhere nice, maybe in the past, on Earth. Not everyone is going to be scarred and insane... right?
Oh, and Jack/Ianto naked hide and seek. Yes plz! Ianto's "He always cheats" was both amazing and hysterical. Loved the invite for Gwen to join, welcome back Man-Whore Jack. I kinda missed you. And Ianto, always amazing.
I totally didn't realize that there was a Torchwood episode last night, so now I'm off to download that and watch. Judging from the preview after "Adrift", it looked kinda awesome, and maybe like we'll get a Jack backstory! Hurray!
I seem to have things relatively under control. Transfer apps in, Java project 95% done, packed and ready to go for my train at 6am (no sleep tonight).
And the no sleep part meant I got to watch this week's episode of Torchwood. I know I should step back and recap the events of the Martha arc, but I have so much to say about this week, that I'll just skip to it.
Torchwood 2.05, 6, 7, &8
Cold Open. My jaw was on the floor. I had no idea that Owen's words could be so passionate and beautiful. I was just floored during his voice over, which turned out to be talking to a suicidal woman. When he said "So are we going to jump or not?" and cue Torchwood theme, I just about died.
I never had strong feelings towards Owen, he was just sorta there. But then he died. Well, to be fair, first the show actually became amazing, which I guess led to the Owen renaissance. Never before have I fallen in love with a character so quickly and want him dead. Really dead, like of the at peace variety.
I saw the major undead (or incredible amusing Zombie) Owen problems. His !life sucks. The writer (Joseph Lidster, had to look it up) really drove that point home. Everything we take for granted: breathing, crying, touching, eating... they've been taken away from him. More specifically, they've been taken by Jack.
Oh I am in love with the Jack Owen parallels. Jack's basically the proper version of Owen. Rose wasn't an expert at resurrection, but at least she came close. Jack's living and breathing. Jack's glove was an idiot, OK technically it was means of providing a vessel for a big bad. But still, it was wrong. Owen's wrong. I don't know if John Barrowman was busy or stressed the week they filmed this, but he was distinctly stubbly in the last goodbye scene with Martha (more on that later). It seemed like Jack might not have really felt so badly at first. Owen's around, everyone's happy. But Jack also maybe sent Tosh over and kinda stalked Zombie!Owen down. I think we may see some major guilt coming around. I hope we still have this Owen, this broken, kinda angry, corpse Owen to spar with Jack. I don't think we've seen the last of bitterness.
Oh Owen. I want this weird life to kinda end. In a sick way, that's the happy ending. Kinda like how on Dead Like Me, the good ending is leaving Earth. I hope there's a payoff soon for Owen. This zombie thing could get old, fast. Like I'm talking Owen either needs to be gone for good or brought back to life by the end of the series (season). Any longer and this feeling of pity, sympathy, and general omg!tragic, is going to evaporate and when his time does come, it'll be too late for the viewer (read: me) to connect.
OK, now to Martha's goodbye. First off, she frickin' rocked. Like, I hoped we'd see an independent and strong Martha, and we sooo got it. Right off the bat, she was sent undercover. This was all I asked for when she was on Doctor Who, a big Martha on her own moment. To be fair, Martha spreading the gospel of Doctor did save them all. Jack sure believes that. I just adored them reconnecting. It was just perfect, a hint of Who. I still don't understand how people can watch Torchwood and not Doctor Who. It's like you're viewing the show in 2D instead of 3D.
Martha got her flirt on with Owen. Or more specifically, Owen got his flirt on with Martha. In 2.08, I was really feeling for Owen, who was grasping onto Martha for support and a connection. He looked kinda cute, kinda adorable, and totally sweet. I enjoyed the Martha/Owen dynamic, maybe not in a shippy way, but they played well off of each other. Then Martha and Ianto had a totally amazing moment in 2.06 (sorry for the ep jumping, I'm catching up on 3 weeks with 4 episodes), where Ianto mentioned Jack's bedroom skills as "inventive." I know Davies kept Martha to a PG level, but I'm glad we saw her in the Torchwood world.
OK, so the moment that may have woken up my roommate at 3am. Martha kissing Jack. And not your Doctor Who 2 seconding thing. This one lingered, and while there was no tongue, there was total technique. I was flailing and making generally shocked faces. I wanted Jack and Martha to have some Torchwood level relations, but those dreams were dashed when word of PG Martha came to light. That wouldn't have worked anyways, since Ianto and Jack are pretty serious. But back to Martha, taking the initiative with her Jack kissing moment. Dammit, that's taking charge! There was total lingering involved, too. I know Martha's still hung up on the Doctor, who called in a favor and got her this nice UNIT job, so she's not about to jump ship for Jack. But girl has her needs! LOVED the response that "everybody else has had a go", which is true, except Ten and Jack have never locked lips. That actually made me a little sad when he came back to Doctor Who. I could have handled with some Ten/Jack.
Now I'm jumping back to 2.05 "Adam". That was a really great story, with major exposition. I mean, did we not learn about Jack and Grey? It kinda makes you wonder how Jack kept his composure upon learning that John Hart found Grey. So, we're so having a Grey payoff soon, I'm hoping for Grey to be a clever, witty baddie, which leads to an emotional conflict or so.
It's weird, last series, all I did was whine about how dark and mopey the entire show was. Now, after really lightening things up, it's heading back down the dark road (the whole no-after life thing is a real downer). I'm totally on board, as long as we get some balance, and resolve this Owen bit, soon. Next week looks like it might be kinda light, but bordering on the stupid. Gwen, preggers with alien spawn... on her wedding day? Really? But I'm judging before watching, so I'll wait until then.
Word is this Arrested Development movie is actually moving ahead. Anybody else think the hint in the finale was just another one of their meta-jokes? I never actually thought it would happen. That's if Michael Cera hops on, because he's kinda exploding onto the scene...
Oh, and Jimmy Kimmel is fucking Ben Affleck.
Oh Super Bowl Sunday, how I adore thee! As you can tell from the title, I'm rooting for the Giants. I'm still shocked they beat Dallas and Green Bay in the post season, but now they proved to me that they have a shot. So I'll be rooting for 'em. At the least they'll put up a fight.
House 4.10
There's nothing like a Christmas episode in January. I'm not entirely sure why Fox held this one... I mean, we're getting a new episode Tonight, so did they not think we could wait another few days?
The episode was pretty amazing, with House being his general douchebaggy humbug self, stealing Wilson's iPhone and pretending someone got it for him, putting his name in a secret Santa hat, pressuring the daughter of a patient about her mother's sex life. You know, the standard fare.
Of course, House was irked by this lie-less patient, who actually kept a mightly big truth from her daughter. You know, the "I'm not your biological mother" kind. This was the big bothering-House story plot. They pull these things out when the writer's feel they've over done the "House doesn't believe in God" and the "House doesn't believe in an afterlife" plots. I liked that they didn't go down the religion route this week, which would have been the obvious trip. Nice restraint, writers.
The House gross-out moment of the week: Squirting milk from lactating breast tissue behind the mother's knee into her daughter's mouth. I'm not making that up.
Torchwood 2.03
Yet another solid episode! Ghost episodes are always creepy. Even watching the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead" last night for the millionth time, I was slightly on edge. Point being I have faith in ghost episode, even though this was more of a rift-time-cracking thing.
Poor Tommy, frozen, only woken up once a year, because he has to save the world. Now, I'm letting go of the timey-wimey stuff, because I've made it clear those things hurt my head. See: the Doctor Who episode, "Blink".
Then there's the Tosh attachment issue, which was very sad. This wasn't a very happy episode. But it wasn't bad, I've found, in the past, that the sadder episodes are the weakest. But this was pretty strong. It was also a stand alone. I think I can handle it, but I'd like to see some arc-age coming up. Next week look's like we're having some Gwen/Rhys Torchwood related drama. Smells like an emotional arc to me..
Lost 4.01
"The Beginning of the End" I guess that sets the tone for these flash forwards then, doesn't it? If we couldn't tell from Jack's flash forward last season, the future sucks. Not just for bearded Jack, but for Hurley, too. It was interesting seeing where this episode fit in the future timeline. So this is before Jack lost his shit. Before he was plane hopping hoping for a crash, before he was sneaking pain killers a la House (but not nearly as sexy), before he took beard grooming advice from Fidel Castro.
Oh Hurley, it became clear that cannonball-jumping Hurley is no more off the island. He's a haunted man. Haunted by a swanky looking Charlie. Death did him well. The flash forwards gave us some clues as to what these "Not Penny's Boat" people are going to do. "They need you" Dead!Charlie preached. Who are they? I'm assuming since only 6 (Oceanic 6) left that the others are trapped. Yikes! Also, "Are they still alive?" creepy maybe-Oceanic lawyer asks... Is he a not-Penny's boat person? Are the "they" he's asking about different from the "they" Charlie's talking about?
So did choosing Jack or Locke make a difference? Certainly doesn't seem so, Jack's off and miserable, Hurley's off and miserable. Hurley does regret going with Locke, so what happened? I'm looking forward to seeing how the different sides handle the invaders. I wonder if we'll reach a point when we see the people leave the island and how that happens.
Jack's Dad is definitely dead. Erm... Right? So Christian Shephard spoke to Vincent, the dog. But Jack's Dad is pretty dead. Well, let's break it down. Jack saw his Dad wandering around the island in the first season. Christian's corpse mystically disappeared from his coffin. Now him talking to a random dog. Oh, and he showed up in Jacob's house. I didn't see that the first time around, but yeah, Jack's dad was sitting in Jacob's cabin in his chair. I don't even know where to begin. WTF?
More pronoun confusion: At the end of the episode, Hurley says "it" will do whatever it takes to get them back. I always assume "It" is the island. I'm not convinced that Charlie wasn't the island coming to Hurley.
Well, it looks like we're in for another mindfuck of a season on Lost. Too bad we're getting 8 episodes with no real conclusion, except like a fucking intense cliffhanger.
In case you haven't heard, all signs point to the strike coming to an end soon. Buzz says some shows will resume production in March for episodes airing in April. Sounds pretty good.
Things I've been obsessed with lately:
- The German baby Polar Bear, Flocke.
- George Michael's "Faith". Thanks a lot, Eli Stone.
- Sarah Silverman fucking Matt Damon.
Walking to class, I thought the wind would blow me over. It was that kind of winter day. With this writer's strike dragging on, I've found I have some free time. So what better way to fill it than with more TV.
Torchwood 2.02
Finally, an episode I loved. Jack was back being cool and smooth in the face of danger. That's the Jack I've come to know and love. Then there's the awesomeness that is Ianto. Seriously, when did he get so fucking amazing? Faithful Torchwood viewers, let me know if this Ianto's always been here and I've been too annoyed to notice it before.
Plot-wise, the episode was strong, emotional and possibly planting an arc somewhere. I'm looking forward to (hopefully) an invasion sometime in the future. Please work a story arc...
I'm still surprised that Americans love Torchwood so much. This episode made me slightly less surprised, but still, BBC America's #1 show?
Mad Men
I'd heard this was the best show on television, so I finally checked it out. It's an awesome show. I love how everyone who isn't white and Christian gets jokes about them. I think it's a brilliant demonstration of how far we have come as a society since the 1960's. Ever wonder what the world would be like without consequences for sexual harassment? Seriously, check out the show. Most films and shows made about this era are basically smoke-free. Well, Mad Men doesn't believe in that. Part of me wonders if the show is exaggerating some of the social habits of the time. I mean, was everyone smoking all the time? Were Jewish people really that outcasted? Were all women objectified? Assuming the show isn't exaggerating anything, it really is painting a very different picture of the 1960's than we get from most forms of media. Fascinating.
Blackpool
David Tennant, marry me. Just. Marry. Me. Singing, Murder, Cute Head Bobbing, David Tennant. Clearly one of the greatest things ever to grace the tube. Kinda makes me want Doctor Who on now. Even with Donna.
And because this makes the whole world better:
Torchwood 2.01
What is your problem Davies? Why must you make Jack so a tool once he steps foot in Cardiff? Remember Jack on Who? Remember how cool and badass and charming and all together fucking awesome he was? Where's that Jack on Torchwood? I mean what IS HIS PROBLEM? I get the not-dying thing can upset a man, but I thought by the end of "The Last of the Time Lords" he had accepted his not-death thing. And Jack was back on point on Who. He dropped the dreary, dark, quasi-brood but not in an Angel-good way act. I thought you learned your lesson about annoying Jack.
WRONG. Granted Jack did have some moments (hot man-love with James Marsters was a high point), but he was back to mopey. To be fair, I did wipe "The Last of the Time Lords" from my mind, so I don't recall if he lost the spring in his step there, but I seem to recall him leaving on a high note. That scene with Jack melodramatically telling Gwen he "saw the end of the world" damn near made me gag. And Gwen/Jack is beyond lame. I mean, Gwen's got Rhys, and Jack should be flirting with everything. Maybe it's just the lame writing that makes it seem like they have 0 sexual chemistry.
I think Torchwood needs to go more for the funny. That part is working out, but Jack awkwardly asking out Ianto... no. NEWSFLASH: Jack is not an awkward high schooler.
Here's another thing: I know Jack isn't big on past sharing, but this is getting ridiculous. I mean, you dump part of Jack's past in Cardiff, and you don't reveal... jack? I hope this isn't another season of "Let's tease answers, then reveal all on Doctor Who as an afterthought!" Unfortunately, a big part of me thinks that's going to be the case.
Does anybody know WHY this is one of BBC America's highest rated show? Anybody?
Oh and if we ever learn who Gray is, I'm betting it is Jack's daughter or sister or son.
Martha needs to be on the show NOW, unless Davies plans on mope-ing up her character, too.
I have no real reason for not posting... I guess I just kept putting it off. Well, I got a new desktop, because my old gal Lucy (her name) had to go and semi-die/someone called me out on her oldness. So I went and bought a new one. Naturally, I had to go and do some internal tweaking which damn near killed me (and my fingers). But she's working! The name? Sam. But a female Sam. I know this is sounding nerdy, but she looks like a Sam. Verdict's still out on Vista, my Dad had the worst Vista experience ever, so he was especially bitter about it.
Oh, and I bought a Macbook... Yeah, I'm that hardcore. Call me old school, but having a laptop as my main computer just doesn't feel right. I think it will take a long time for me to accept that as anything other than a secondary computer. Anyhoo, I've already picked a name for him. It's become a pattern of mine to name the desktops female and the laptops male. So he's going to be Dexter. And yes, I got the idea from the show (which has been frickin' amazing). I told this to my mom, who jokingly freaked out and told me "NOOO! The FBI will think you're up to no good!" I think it's mildly poetic me naming my white Macbook Dexter, because I think Dex(the character) is a much better person than he gives himself credit for. Hence the white, it's sort of a pure, good color. Yeah, I'm that nerdy.
Doctor Who Series 4 Stuff
It's weird that the last time I posted here, it was over my super, excited, pumped glee over the return of Rose. I did all this talk about Rose meeting Martha and Rose meeting Donna, but I don't think I actually talked about Rose meeting the Doctor. How could I? That's damn near blasphemy. OK, so I think it's pretty clear how Rose being trapped killed the Doctor's soul. He was all mopey and distant, and couldn't really open up to Martha. Poor gal, met the Doc at the wrong time.
But wow. It's so intense thinking about them reuniting. First off, the circumstances. This may be more spoilers so beware: Some reports have this as Rose and the other two companions having to save the Doctor. If that is the case, we'll be having lots of pushing back of their reconnection, due to the Doctor's peril and what-have-you. I totally want him not believing it's her, so we get some amazing Billie Piper crying and some story of convincing, which will happily make me cry. I can't see the Doctor believing off the bat that it's Rose. He's way too into the "That's impossible" to handle that easily. I hope she's the one who rescues him, or she's the one who sees him first, before the other two. I kinda want their moment to not have Martha and Donna awkwardly off to the side. I think they deserve this to themselves.
There's no doubt in my mind that this will be of the utmost amazing. Of course when Rose leaves, my soul will clearly implode. Saying goodbye twice? GAH. I mean, let's be honest, Billie's got that hooker show which has another series. I feel like Davies won't do another horribly tragic departure, at least nothing as epic as "Doomsday". Still, the simple act of Rose leaving the Doctor will leave me a sobbing mess. Especially if she chooses a life on her own over a traveling life with the Doctor. Any sort of parting will wreck me. Doesn't mean I can't wait for this arc.
Between Martha on Torchwood and Rose on Who, I have actual reasons to watch these shows again. Cool.
Chuck 1.01
I hate shows that have computer nerd characters but are written by people who know little about the lifestyle. That's right, I called being a computer nerd a lifestyle, deal with it.
The whole bit about "becoming a computer" made me vomit in my mouth. Like seriously? Because that entire thing made absolutely no sense. Our subconscious mind isn't that intense.
And being able to diffuse a bomb with a VIRUS? GAG ME. Just... that made Alias seem like a CIA training video. Really.
Oh and the blond agent...she doesn't transcend the beauty to pull off insanely smart. That's like putting Tara Reid into the role of a scientist. Doesn't work. She makes it work.
Those flashes were totally useless, then we got Chuck to splurt out something that we couldn't possibly have figured out from the flashes. Just really ineffective editing.
You know, I thought this pilot season would be a total bust, what with remakes, spin-offs, stolen premises, and cavemen... Thank God for Pushing Daisies. Really.
On a side note, I haven't watched Doctor Who on Sci Fi at all this season. That's saying something, because I've made sure to support the show by watching it when it airs over here. Now, I know that I specifically don't count for ratings, but I really enjoyed the episodes enough to watch them again. Not this season, though. I'm actually really saddened by how apathetic I've become. When I go to college, I won't get BBC America, so I won't be able to watch Torchwood when it airs. I'm not so upset about missing out on Torchwood as I am about missing out on the Doctor Who Series 2 episodes that air before it. I totally need to buy the second series DVDs, hopefully they'll go on sale sometime. That's how I got the first series :-)
