32 days left and today was the start of my countdown to Miracle Day Torchwood re-watch! I'll be watching an episode a day and blogging bits and thoughts. With any luck this is gonna read like an episode guide and commentary. Let's dive right in!
Episode: Everything Changes (Series 1 Episode 1)
Written By: Russell T Davies
Original Air Date: 22 October 2006
1 Sentence Sum-Up: PC Gwen Cooper discovers the secrets of Captain Jack Harkness and Torchwood.
New Characters:
Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles): Seemingly ordinary PC Gwen Cooper searches for answers about Torchwood and the mysterious Jack Harkness. We follow her journey in this episode to find out for ourselves.
PC Andy Davidson (Tom Price): Gwen's PC partner, kind of dopey but instantly endearing. We get the idea he's a simple fellow.
Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman): The point of interest. Mysterious and charming Jack sucks us into the hype of Torchwood and keeps us guessing. Most of us know and love him already from Doctor Who but those who don't find out enough to want to learn more.
Dr. Owen Harper (Burn Gorman): He's a self admitted twat. This was the first bit of information we got about the character. That, and that he's the team Doctor. Sums him up well (I love him though).
Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori): Tosh is the tech genius of the team, she seems timid but kind. We really don't know much about her but we suspect there is more to her than meets the eye.
Suzie Costello (Indira Varma): Jack's second in command, other than that we're not given much. She's seems sort of abrasive and I found her immediately off-putting. Turns out that instinct was a good one.
Rhys Williams (Kai Owen): Rhys is an ordinary guy who loves and ordinary girl. He's Gwen's live in boyfriend and from the start we are rooting for this pair.
Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd): Doesn't say much but we learn he's the backbone of the team, he keeps everything running smoothly. We detect a bit of cheek and wit about him. And he looks good in a suit.
Favorite Quote:
Gwen: "I'm getting tired of following you."
Jack: "No you're not. And you never will"
Never Noticed:
The scene with Gwen in the police station serving everyone coffee from a tray. So funny to see her in that role. I guess we know how fills in on Ianto's sick days. They really sets up the character as under appreciated and a bit naive (like how she just did not figure out what was going on with the Weevil). I think it was a wise move to make her a little green and hopefully show her growing in her time with Torchwood. It's preparing us for a story of an ordinary woman pushed beyond her normal limits and becoming extraordinary.
Gwen is wearing make-up and earrings in this episode. Very subtle but more girly than I am used to. Did this continue through the series and I missed it?
The first time we see Ianto he pops up in a burgundy tie and holding a matching coffee mug. Amazing.
WTF Moments:
Gwen losing the team on the invisible lift. Either it went down a lot faster than normal or they're all squeezed close on 1 stone? Seems iffy to me.
Why is this pizza boy so giving with the private details of their customers? Seems a bit off. Gwen must just be very persuasive.
Jack takes credit for developing Retcon. When did Jack get into chemistry? I guess he has had a lot of time to kill...
Jack telling Gwen she's been Retconned. Why tell her? Why not let her think she's won and let the Retcon work? It's like villains telling their plans before they've succeeded. Poor form Jack. He wanted her to remember.
This Jacket. I cringe every time. Thank god they got rid of it!
Episode: Everything Changes (Series 1 Episode 1)
Written By: Russell T Davies
Original Air Date: 22 October 2006
1 Sentence Sum-Up: PC Gwen Cooper discovers the secrets of Captain Jack Harkness and Torchwood.
New Characters:
Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles): Seemingly ordinary PC Gwen Cooper searches for answers about Torchwood and the mysterious Jack Harkness. We follow her journey in this episode to find out for ourselves.
PC Andy Davidson (Tom Price): Gwen's PC partner, kind of dopey but instantly endearing. We get the idea he's a simple fellow.
Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman): The point of interest. Mysterious and charming Jack sucks us into the hype of Torchwood and keeps us guessing. Most of us know and love him already from Doctor Who but those who don't find out enough to want to learn more.
Dr. Owen Harper (Burn Gorman): He's a self admitted twat. This was the first bit of information we got about the character. That, and that he's the team Doctor. Sums him up well (I love him though).
Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori): Tosh is the tech genius of the team, she seems timid but kind. We really don't know much about her but we suspect there is more to her than meets the eye.
Suzie Costello (Indira Varma): Jack's second in command, other than that we're not given much. She's seems sort of abrasive and I found her immediately off-putting. Turns out that instinct was a good one.
Rhys Williams (Kai Owen): Rhys is an ordinary guy who loves and ordinary girl. He's Gwen's live in boyfriend and from the start we are rooting for this pair.
Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd): Doesn't say much but we learn he's the backbone of the team, he keeps everything running smoothly. We detect a bit of cheek and wit about him. And he looks good in a suit.
Favorite Quote:
Gwen: "I'm getting tired of following you."
Jack: "No you're not. And you never will"
Never Noticed:
The scene with Gwen in the police station serving everyone coffee from a tray. So funny to see her in that role. I guess we know how fills in on Ianto's sick days. They really sets up the character as under appreciated and a bit naive (like how she just did not figure out what was going on with the Weevil). I think it was a wise move to make her a little green and hopefully show her growing in her time with Torchwood. It's preparing us for a story of an ordinary woman pushed beyond her normal limits and becoming extraordinary.
Gwen is wearing make-up and earrings in this episode. Very subtle but more girly than I am used to. Did this continue through the series and I missed it?
The first time we see Ianto he pops up in a burgundy tie and holding a matching coffee mug. Amazing.
WTF Moments:
Gwen losing the team on the invisible lift. Either it went down a lot faster than normal or they're all squeezed close on 1 stone? Seems iffy to me.
Why is this pizza boy so giving with the private details of their customers? Seems a bit off. Gwen must just be very persuasive.
Jack takes credit for developing Retcon. When did Jack get into chemistry? I guess he has had a lot of time to kill...
Jack telling Gwen she's been Retconned. Why tell her? Why not let her think she's won and let the Retcon work? It's like villains telling their plans before they've succeeded. Poor form Jack. He wanted her to remember.
This Jacket. I cringe every time. Thank god they got rid of it!
Random Rants:
Jack's hand is forced in having to tell Gwen about his immortality. Of course once she knows he pretty much spills all. I get it, they wanted to tell the audience, wanted to establish his background for those who didn't follow Doctor Who. I don't have a problem with the way they did it. What I wonder about though is why Jack kept it a secret from his team. The only thing I could think is he was worried what they would think of him. A bit unlike Jack to care about people's opinions of him but hear me out. As a leader he may have been worried about keeping their respect. Can a team really respect a leader who has nothing to loose? Someone who goes into battle and doesn't risk what he's asking them too? It's not his fault but I imagine it was a concern for him.
MVC (Most Valuable Character) :
Episode one goes to Gwen. you have to be impressed with her figuring out Torchwood and managing to remember. With a little help.
MVA (Most Valuable Actor):
John Barrowman and not because I am biased. I think he did a great job jumping right into a role he's played before with a character who has changed significantly since we last saw him. He told the story of the time between with his portrayal and we believed it.
Episode Grade (Effort not to give them all As):
B
A solid first episode. Did a great job of setting up the characters and catching up viewers. Good story, good acting, overall good, not spectacular. But certainly enough to get us to episode 2.
Tomorrow's Episode: Day One (Series 1, Episode 2). Remember I'll be live tweeting my re-watch on the @BarrowmanDay twitter at 12:00am PST (US - West coast) and 8:00am GMT (UK). Hope you all can watch with me and chat.
That's it for today! Hope you enjoyed my run down of this episode. What did you all think of this episode? Did you notice anything new? What grade would you give it? xx
<3Dana
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Jack's hand is forced in having to tell Gwen about his immortality. Of course once she knows he pretty much spills all. I get it, they wanted to tell the audience, wanted to establish his background for those who didn't follow Doctor Who. I don't have a problem with the way they did it. What I wonder about though is why Jack kept it a secret from his team. The only thing I could think is he was worried what they would think of him. A bit unlike Jack to care about people's opinions of him but hear me out. As a leader he may have been worried about keeping their respect. Can a team really respect a leader who has nothing to loose? Someone who goes into battle and doesn't risk what he's asking them too? It's not his fault but I imagine it was a concern for him.
MVC (Most Valuable Character) :
Episode one goes to Gwen. you have to be impressed with her figuring out Torchwood and managing to remember. With a little help.
MVA (Most Valuable Actor):
John Barrowman and not because I am biased. I think he did a great job jumping right into a role he's played before with a character who has changed significantly since we last saw him. He told the story of the time between with his portrayal and we believed it.
Episode Grade (Effort not to give them all As):
B
A solid first episode. Did a great job of setting up the characters and catching up viewers. Good story, good acting, overall good, not spectacular. But certainly enough to get us to episode 2.
Tomorrow's Episode: Day One (Series 1, Episode 2). Remember I'll be live tweeting my re-watch on the @BarrowmanDay twitter at 12:00am PST (US - West coast) and 8:00am GMT (UK). Hope you all can watch with me and chat.
That's it for today! Hope you enjoyed my run down of this episode. What did you all think of this episode? Did you notice anything new? What grade would you give it? xx
<3Dana
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