Torchwood 4.04 Escape to L.A.
Jul. 31st, 2011 06:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakBack during BTVS's seventh and AtS' fourth season, I reached the point where I was more an Angel than a Buffy fan. Not in general for the shows in totem, either then or looking back now, and no, I didn't hate the seventh season (it had a lot I appreciated but I think it undeniably showed the signs of narrative exhaustion whereas AtS' fourth season was the best written Angel season overall and definitely the one where I was most emotionally invested). But in terms of "which show's next episode am I most looking forward to, which show's characters' lives am I most involved in, which show's themes make me think most". I've reached that point now with Doctor Who and Torchwood. Again, just for the current seasons. The current DW season had me entertained but only one of the episodes - the Neil Gaiman episode - had me emotionally involved, and you know, I can live with the hiatus pretty well. When the trailer for the second half of the season hit the internet a few days ago, I didn't feel "can they broadcast that NOW?!?" urgent impatience, but "huh, okay then, intriguing, oh, maybe the Hitler thing won't a disaster after all, oh, that's nice".
Whereas I was absolutely gleeful when TW came back, am loving the new characters, and every time an episode ends want the next one NOW. I'm not saying the episodes are flawless (they're not), but this is how I feel. And if you'd told me that I'd be more of a TW than a DW fan back when I was busy rolling my eyes over Cyberwoman, I'd... well, I might have thought of the BTVS season 7/AtS season 4 thing, but I'd have been highly sceptical. And there it is.
Trivia first: I think you have to be European to get the impact the Californian sun has when you get there the first time. (Of course, the second time I visited Los Angeles was a January so full of rain that a librarian in the USC library I was doing research in joked that Blade Runner was optimistic about Los Angeles, but anyway.) So I thought it was neat Gwen got that moment.
Seriously now: Esther visiting her sister was stupid, yes, but it was the kind of stupidity that given the circumstances and her age happens, and if people are down on her, well, Torchwood team members present and past have done far worse. Ianto "I'm hiding my Cyberfied girlfriend in the basement" Jones, step forward. Jack "I'm letting a killing-via-sex alien go to rampage among the population rather than lose the cut off hand of the Doctor" Harkness, take a bow. And yes, also Gwen "sex with Owen is a distraction from my job related angst except for the part where it contributes to my job related angst" Cooper. They've all done stupid stuff for emotional reasons, and if anyone is down on Esther while excusing the others, I'm not hearing you.
By which you can deduce I like Esther a lot by now. I thought that scene was heartbreaking and I could understand her even while I knew nothing good would come of it. Including her calling social services, because I kept thinking "just how unstable is the sister, and what about those kids?", too. (Personally, I blame George R. R. Martin and the tv version of Game of Thrones which reminded me again of Catelyn Stark and her sister.) Family ties are a red thread through the episode. To no one's surprise, Rex is yet another male American character with daddy issues, but refreshingly, that scene doesn't end up with the predictable "I love you, dad/ I love you, son" hug/reconciliation but with "why the hell should I care?"
The thing with Rex' father - and especially the "so what, I've been dying for 15 years now, and you didn't visit" is also mirrored and paralleled with people starting to dump their unhealable ill husbands/fathers/children into hospitals for good and the concept of the plague ship (re-)introduced, with the episode pointing out that this isn't something new: Miracle Day only magnified the human reactions, rather than inventing them. This is why the season resonates with me. No, not yet in the breathtaking way CoE did, but it's a different story told at a different pace, but what it has in common is that shiver of recognition. Because yes, that need to keep the dying and very ill out of sight - so very recognizable.
If you're of the faction that believes RTD has it in for middle-aged ladies, this week provides you with more ammunition via the Tea Party Palin/Bachman character and her eventual disturbing fate. Yours truly, meanwhile, thinks it's interesting that the way her war for media attention with Oswald Danes is presented makes her unsympathetic (and an effective satire on a certain type of right wing politician) but nowhere near as chilling as Oswald when he hits on the way to get the media back on his side by doing his compassionate liberal saviour act. I know I say this in every review, but Bill Pullman really gives a standout performance in that role.
Jilly Kitzinger being middle management rather than the top of the antagonist hierarchy is as I guessed but this week she went from cheerfully amoral to being inwardly revolted by Oswald and enjoying her job anyway, which is a different thing. The shift felt a bit abrupt though then again while she was still recruiting him she wouldn't have been unprofessional enough to show anything but eagerness, would she. It does further my suspicion Jilly might end up a bit like Agent Johnson in CoE, being the character who for most of the story harasses Our Heroes/furthers the antagonist's goals but is capable of making up her own mind and in the end draws her own conclusions out of this.
So what do the villains wantplague ships camps full of sick and endlessly dying people for? Nothing good, obviously, but given the nasty revelation that was the reason for the 456 to demand children (i.e. they were a joyride drug to them), I think it might be even more unpleasant than the one obvious reason I could think of (experimentation). And in terms of seasonal mystery: what happened with Jack/was given by Jack years ago? Can't be the children during the 60s again, so it must be something else. Incidentally, Rex pushing himself beyond and above to come to the rescue of Jack and Gwen only to thus ruin the revelation of the villains' identities was just the type of bad luck heroic deeds get you on this show, so welcome to the club, Rex. :)
Some more details:
- Gwen's fake American accent was hysterical, and I loved the business with the shoes both on a Doylist and Watsonian level. Don't care whose idea that was - scriptwriter John Shiban's, RTD's, Eve Myles' - but we've all been waiting for someone to point this out, so go, Gwen!
- though she had less to do this week than in the previous episodes, I continue to adore Vera Juarez and her no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to life and being a doctor, and I approve of the way the show handles the aftermath of her tryst with Rex. That phone conversation was just right (including that she didn't call him back), and refreshingly angst free.
Whereas I was absolutely gleeful when TW came back, am loving the new characters, and every time an episode ends want the next one NOW. I'm not saying the episodes are flawless (they're not), but this is how I feel. And if you'd told me that I'd be more of a TW than a DW fan back when I was busy rolling my eyes over Cyberwoman, I'd... well, I might have thought of the BTVS season 7/AtS season 4 thing, but I'd have been highly sceptical. And there it is.
Trivia first: I think you have to be European to get the impact the Californian sun has when you get there the first time. (Of course, the second time I visited Los Angeles was a January so full of rain that a librarian in the USC library I was doing research in joked that Blade Runner was optimistic about Los Angeles, but anyway.) So I thought it was neat Gwen got that moment.
Seriously now: Esther visiting her sister was stupid, yes, but it was the kind of stupidity that given the circumstances and her age happens, and if people are down on her, well, Torchwood team members present and past have done far worse. Ianto "I'm hiding my Cyberfied girlfriend in the basement" Jones, step forward. Jack "I'm letting a killing-via-sex alien go to rampage among the population rather than lose the cut off hand of the Doctor" Harkness, take a bow. And yes, also Gwen "sex with Owen is a distraction from my job related angst except for the part where it contributes to my job related angst" Cooper. They've all done stupid stuff for emotional reasons, and if anyone is down on Esther while excusing the others, I'm not hearing you.
By which you can deduce I like Esther a lot by now. I thought that scene was heartbreaking and I could understand her even while I knew nothing good would come of it. Including her calling social services, because I kept thinking "just how unstable is the sister, and what about those kids?", too. (Personally, I blame George R. R. Martin and the tv version of Game of Thrones which reminded me again of Catelyn Stark and her sister.) Family ties are a red thread through the episode. To no one's surprise, Rex is yet another male American character with daddy issues, but refreshingly, that scene doesn't end up with the predictable "I love you, dad/ I love you, son" hug/reconciliation but with "why the hell should I care?"
The thing with Rex' father - and especially the "so what, I've been dying for 15 years now, and you didn't visit" is also mirrored and paralleled with people starting to dump their unhealable ill husbands/fathers/children into hospitals for good and the concept of the plague ship (re-)introduced, with the episode pointing out that this isn't something new: Miracle Day only magnified the human reactions, rather than inventing them. This is why the season resonates with me. No, not yet in the breathtaking way CoE did, but it's a different story told at a different pace, but what it has in common is that shiver of recognition. Because yes, that need to keep the dying and very ill out of sight - so very recognizable.
If you're of the faction that believes RTD has it in for middle-aged ladies, this week provides you with more ammunition via the Tea Party Palin/Bachman character and her eventual disturbing fate. Yours truly, meanwhile, thinks it's interesting that the way her war for media attention with Oswald Danes is presented makes her unsympathetic (and an effective satire on a certain type of right wing politician) but nowhere near as chilling as Oswald when he hits on the way to get the media back on his side by doing his compassionate liberal saviour act. I know I say this in every review, but Bill Pullman really gives a standout performance in that role.
Jilly Kitzinger being middle management rather than the top of the antagonist hierarchy is as I guessed but this week she went from cheerfully amoral to being inwardly revolted by Oswald and enjoying her job anyway, which is a different thing. The shift felt a bit abrupt though then again while she was still recruiting him she wouldn't have been unprofessional enough to show anything but eagerness, would she. It does further my suspicion Jilly might end up a bit like Agent Johnson in CoE, being the character who for most of the story harasses Our Heroes/furthers the antagonist's goals but is capable of making up her own mind and in the end draws her own conclusions out of this.
So what do the villains want
Some more details:
- Gwen's fake American accent was hysterical, and I loved the business with the shoes both on a Doylist and Watsonian level. Don't care whose idea that was - scriptwriter John Shiban's, RTD's, Eve Myles' - but we've all been waiting for someone to point this out, so go, Gwen!
- though she had less to do this week than in the previous episodes, I continue to adore Vera Juarez and her no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to life and being a doctor, and I approve of the way the show handles the aftermath of her tryst with Rex. That phone conversation was just right (including that she didn't call him back), and refreshingly angst free.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-31 05:38 pm (UTC)Plus, I'm really loving Gwen this season too. While never disliking her, I also never really connected with her until CoE, but now? Now she's the best. Ever. Well, along with Dr. Juarez, who rocks my hospital socks!
no subject
Date: 2011-07-31 05:54 pm (UTC)And I can't tell you how glad I am to find some shared enthusiasm! If one posts squee and gets back "eh", it's always a bit frustrating, and for some reason, over at the lj edition of the entry this happened.