Torchwood 2.07 Dead Man Walking

[selenak]

Okay, to get the nitpicks out of the way first: the psychodelic approach really didn't work for the Owen hitting the bars sequence, it made it look like he ended up in a badly cut vid. Also? The wrestling match with the Reaper is on a level with Jack's wrestling match with Abadon in End of Days, regarding the embarassment level. Don't do that anymore, TW.

This being said? I loved the episode. Attentive people all through this last week have put up screencaps from the trailer after the last episode online, and in one you could see the glove, so the how of Owen's resurrection was obvious. What wasn't was how they would make this into someting other than a plot device, i.e. present consequences and reasons why the next time someone dies, it shouldn't be used again, and it couldn't just a repeat of the Suzy storyline, either. So naturally, the Cardiff scribes pinched paid homage to yet another Whedonian plot, and had Owen come back wrong.

Seriously, though: taking the "reanimated corpse" thing literally in that it deprives Owen of most sensations is pretty dark and effective, as consequences go. No wonder he decks Jack. The whole Jack-Owen interaction through the episode is why I couldn't care less whether Jack is romancing Ianto or Gwen or Captain John (well, correction, I care on Gwen's behalf, since I don't think this would be a good idea and since I really like her with Rhys, more about that later): the most interesting relationship Jack has here (not on DW, of course!) is with Owen, precisely because "love interest" is nowhere in it, and it can't be easily classified or defined. The actual resurrection scene, with Jack naming the code as the reason why he brought Owen back, Owen being incredulous and angry and still clutching Jack's hand was great, and the prison scene (flippant sidenote: I'm starting to wonder whether the DW, TW and SJA writers are all Farscape fans, and if you've watched Farscape, you'll know what I'm referring to) was just about my favourite of the episode, what with "none of us know whether to take you seriously when you say stuff like this" (considering Jack's reply, does that mean when he name-drops another celebrity he shagged, we're supposed to believe him?), the hair ruffling and the playful swipe. Jack and Owen last season on TW both tried their best to get themselves killed at some points before they got over it. (If you've only watched DW, the Doctor asking Jack in Utopia "do you want to die?" has a very different emotional resonance than if you've watched TW as well.) "Getting over it" involved among other things Owen shooting Jack and getting forgiven. Contrasting Jack's immortality, the awareness that he really can't die, with a state that lets Owen exist but in the knowledge he could permanently die at any second and until he does isn't really able to live like a normal human being, either, adds another complication and tension. Not to mention that, as Owen points out at the end, twelve people died because Jack brought him back. My fingers are itching to write fanfic, but it looks like next week all those issues will be addressed some more, so I'll probably wait.

The scene between Owen and Gwen was the first time we got an acknowledgement of sorts of their relationship last season in this one, and I liked that they avoided the anvil here of spelling it out, but it came across as a goodbye between two people who have a certain bond. (And now ironically are closer than when they had the affair.) Gwen throughout was well-written; loved her call to Rhys, too. I always mean to mention it, so I might as well here: the Rhys/Gwen relationship really works for me; their arguments, as in Meat, and their playful scenes, as at the start of Adam, both feel emotionally real, something between two people who are way past the first stage of infatuation and despite not yet having exchanged vowes do strike one as married. Count me as happy Rhys didn't permanently get killed off in last season's finale, even though at the time I thought it was a cheap retcon.


Martha did not have as much to do this episode as in the last, but what she got was good. Her asking Jack "why didn't you tell UNIT?" indicates she identifies with UNIT, which should come into play once she's back on DW, and both the scene with Owen teasing her about the pearly gate and their later serious talk at the end had a nice comraderie to it which I hadn't expected when I speculated about Martha and TW after the casting announcements.

Lastly: "I keep being redirected to Weight Watchers" was the funniest line of the episode and a well-placed bit of comic relief!

Comments

[rheanna27.livejournal.com]

Dead Man Walking was marvellous - imho, the best ep they've done so far in both seasons. I think you're right about the Owen-Jack relationship (as opposed to 'ship); the 'wrestling with Death' was silly, and there were a few other things I could've done without in the ep, but the key thing was that the emotions were right throughout, from all the characters -- I really hope they can keep this up.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

So do I, and yes: as long as the emotions are so right as they were in this episode, the occasional (unintentional) silliness really doesn't bother.

[sizequeen.livejournal.com]

Funny, I thought the silliest bit of physical interaction was the team versus The Hand--shades of The Evil Dead.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I was thinking Addams Family myself, but hey. Rose the episode asked me to take a disembodied hand as a threat, and if I more or less managed once, I can do it again...

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Do you happen to know if Martha will have another episode? I was convinced I heard three, but judging from the trailer, she won't be in next week's episode.

While I doubt TW will ever be my show, they really got better this year, judging from those last two episodes. I especially like that they have tweaked Gwen a little, who comes across much more natural and fitting than last series. And it seems the actors in general feel a lot more comfortable with their roles. I never expected Ianto to be funny!

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

Freema Agyeman's in three episodes, so Martha should be back next week.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's definitely three episodes, and I don't think the fact she's not in the trailer means she's not in the episode. Remember, she only had one clip in the trailer for "Reset", and that was basically Torchwood: Martha Jones, and Owen did not appear at all in the trailer for "Dead Man Walking". IMO, Martha will probably figure out something to help Owen with his zombie state by the end of next episode and then return to Doctor Who UNIT.

Gwen's new maturity: amen. She was written so unevenly in s1, but that really changed from the s2 opener onwards.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Owen's lack of feelings makes me think of Barbossa and co. in Black Pearl. And next weeks trailer did seem to show him under water.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised if the writer had watched PotC a couple of times, yes. Though I was also thinking of the Wolfram & Hart revival clause for their lawyers; my own fanon for Holland and Lilah post mortem was that they really were walking corpses, not in the sense that vampires were but unable to taste etc., though I admit I had no basis for this other than Lilah's "why this is hell nor am I out of it" - like comment in Home when Wesley tried to burn her contract.

[wemblee.livejournal.com]

(flippant sidenote: I'm starting to wonder whether the DW, TW and SJA writers are all Farscape fans, and if you've watched Farscape, you'll know what I'm referring to)

Yyyyyep. That was awesome. :D Man, such a good episode. Lovely write-up, too, as always, you.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*g* Thanks.