Torchwood: Children of Earth

I think that giving Torchwood a shortened season might be the best thing that could have happened to this show.  Having a focused arc with one concentrated story resulted in huge improvements.  The story-telling was much stronger and more compelling.

I also liked the addition of families for Jack and Ianto.  There's an argument to be made that throwing in those characters now was an obvious ploy to get our emotional sides, but I don't care.  I say better late than never.  Seeing a character through the eyes of another character who has an emotional connection to them helps the audience make an emotional connection to them. Before now, we only got to make emotional connections to the characters based on their relationships with each other, and they didn't always have great emotional connections with each other.  The addition of families just made everything so real, and took us outside of the isolated little Torchwood-world and showed us the real consequences of the things that were happening.

I also think they made excellent use of secondary characters.  Usually these sorts of characters are only around for one episode, which makes sense in the format of the show, but I find they rarely have time for the secondary characters to get fleshed out properly.  In Children of Earth, though, they did this really well.  Lois Habiba was brilliant, and also John Frobisher's storyline was also incredible.

All of this introduction of families and good use of secondary characters really worked to give the whole series an emotional depth that it had previously lacked.  The show become richer and more complex, and I found it was so much easier to immerse myself in the story and make a real connection with the characters once their world was fleshed out a little bit more.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Children of Earth.  It was certainly a huge improvement over the first two seasons, and it was finally successful in making me really care about the characters and become invested in the story.

Torchwood: Season 2 Wrap-Up

The end of season 2 improved, I think.  I loved having the focus on Owen for so many episodes in the later part of it; he was such a great character, and the finally did something interesting to him... even if that something was kind of weird.  ALSO the episode where he couldn't save the old man because he didn't have breath for CPR was just ridiculous.  If he was taking, he was clearly breathing.  I mean.  Come on.

"Fragments" was a lovely episode.  I really enjoyed getting to see everyone's backstory (including the pterodactyl!), and I wish they hadn't waited until that late in the process to give us some of those nice details that helped make the characters feel more real.  It almost felt like they stuck that one in at the end just to heighten the emotional connections in time for the deaths in the next episode.

The finale was a bit of a let-down, I found.  Jack's backstory is not easy to connect to emotionally.  The only time we really ever heard about his brother was in "Adam," and then at the end he shows up and it's supposed to be a big deal.  I mean, as far as evil plots go, his was fine, but the fact that he was Jack's brother didn't add much to it, in my opinion.

Torchwood Again

So I'm now five episodes into season two and my impressions after the season premier have so far not been disappointed.  This season is just so much better than the first one.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Owen Harper?  He is so good.  I loved him in "Meat," and he is just the most adorable little dork in "Adam."  So good.

I'm appreciating that we're getting more background story on Jack.  He's such a complex and interesting character and you could have shows about him forever and still not know everything.  I really hope we get to find out what happened in the two years that the Time Agency erased his memories.

I also like Gwen a lot more this season.  She's really pulling together as a character that I can like.

Also Ianto!  Now that he's actually an important character they had to give him a personality, and he's funny! I love it.  Funny is good.

There are still some inconsistencies that bother me, like Ianto's wishy-washy love life.  He went from being so depressed about Lisa and in constant distress about it, to being in love with Jack, to in "Adam" still being upset about Lisa.  I mean.  I know time passed and he moved on but still hasn't completely let go and that makes sense but I guess because we don't see a whole lot of that progression, it's a little jarring when it does come up.  The same is also true of Tosh, who, one episode, is crazy about a soldier who gets unfrozen four times a year, and then in the next one she's falling all over herself to make Owen  sandwich.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I saw this movie with some friends about a week ago and I have been meaning to write about it ever since.  As you can see from my discussion of... everything else I write about here, I'm not much for reviews, but I do like to share my thoughts.

This was kind of a strange movie, in my opinion.  I've never seen Planet of the Apes or any of the other movies in the franchise, so for me it's kind of a standalone thing.  It just didn't seem to flow quite right.  Basically it was separated into three distinct parts.

The first part would be entitled "James Franco and His Adorable Pet Ape are Adorable," and was character development of motives on the part of Franco's character.

The second part is "Tom Felton is a Dick and Caesar Gets Pissed," which was character development on the part of Caesar and his motives.

The third part is "Apes Learn to Talk and Then Fuck Shit Up," which is exactly what it sounds like.

So the first part and the second part flowed together pretty logically, but then the third part came and I wasn't really sure quite way the apes were being so violent or what they were really trying to accomplish and it was all a little bit confusing.

That said, the first two thirds were a pretty good movie, and anything starring James Franco and Tom Felton can't be too bad, right?

More Torchwood

I made it through to the end of season one.  I have to say that the finale was pretty disappointing.

"Oh look, bad shit is happening and we can't stop it."
"Hey, we're having visions telling us to do this... it must be the right thing to do, even though it's what caused the problem in the first place."
"Oh look, that thing we did made things worse."
"Now that we've made things worse, though, we can easily stop it in about 5 seconds because Jack is immortal."
"Oh no, Jack's really dead."
"Oh no, actually he's not."

I don't know, I guess I was just looking for a little more suspense, and excitement.  It was very... mundane.  Predictable.  I was not impressed.

I have, however, seen the premier of season two, and I was very impressed by it.  I think it was the best episode of the show so far.  Clever enemies!  Fast-paced plot!  More about Jack's past!  I think I actually have hope for this show now.

Torchwood Update

I'm almost finished season one of Torchwood.  I'm up to "Combat," which means there are only two episodes left in the season.  It feels like it's taken a really long time, but that's okay.  I don't really feel like doing episode analyses, but here are some random thoughts:

I really liked the Gwen/Owen relationship, and I'm sad that it's over now.  I think it was partly because Owen was so sweet toward Gwen compared with how he is toward everyone else, and that really won me over.

I'm never sure whether or not I like Gwen.  She's kind of useless and has a tendency to do things wrong, but in a way that makes her more real.  On the other hand, she does often disobey/challenge Jack, and as she showed in "Combat," she doesn't take shit from her boyfriend, either, so I do respect that about her.

I can't decide about Tosh either.  In "Greeks Bearing Gifts," the only episode where we really learned anything about her, we discovered that she was always the one to feel left out and unliked by the others, and she is overwhelmed by work and sensitive and... basically a combination of Ianto and Gwen.

I'm excited to see what sort of crazy season finale RTD dreamed up for this show... will it compare to the Doctor Who tearjerkers?  I guess I'll find out within the next few days!

Pottermore

Yesterday I managed to get into early entry of Pottermore.  I was pretty excited about that because I was sure that all the crazy die-hard fans would be eager beavers and beat me to it by a million years, but apparently I lucked out.

I've had this strange relationship with Harry Potter I lately, by which I guess mostly that the movies never really did it for me.  I never even got around to seeing part one of Deathly Hallows.  I would have liked to have seen part two, but I didn't have anyone to go with, so that didn't happen.  I consoled myself by rereading it, and it was as good as I remembered (I got through it in a day and a half, and I was at work one of those days, so obviously the books haven't lost their power to captivate me), but I just haven't really felt the magic since four years ago.

Pottermore excites me, though.  It's book-based.  It's things out of JK Rowling's head that we didn't know before.  That's pretty amazing.  I'm hoping that it lives up to all the hype.

My username is QueenWizard10, although I sort of regret that now.  All of my other options were really shitty things where the two words didn't go together at all.  This was the only one that read as an actual phrase and didn't sound like shit, and I was in a hurry because I didn't know if there was still a chance that they would run out of spots and I'd get rejected halfway through registration and also I was at work and I was trying to be quick about it.  But now I have regrets because QueenWizard is just so so pretentious and everyone might think I'm a horrendous bitch and hate me forever.

Oh well.  Nothing to do now but sit back and wait for my Welcome email.

Torchwood

I've just recently started watching Torchwood.  There was a marathon on a few weeks ago in preparation for the start of Miracle Day, so my parents recorded it and we've been slowly watching through it.  So far we're only four episodes in, but I've been really enjoying it.

Jack is so great.  I'd almost forgotten how great he is.  Just a fantastic character.  I wish they would bring him back to Doctor Who, but hey, at least I have several seasons of Torchwood to appreciate him in.

I was surprised by Gwen.  I expected her to be more bad-ass, because that was the impression I've always gotten from all the commercials and stuff.  But she's actually quite timid and uncertain.  I guess it would make sense for it to take her a while to really get comfortable and confident with being part of Torchwood.

Owen is possibly my favourite character.  I'm not sure why, but I just enjoy him a lot.

The unfortunate thing about this show is that I've had a lot of things spoiled... not so much in terms of serious plot, but in terms of deaths and relationships, I don't think there are going to be too many surprises.  Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it!

Still Got Legs

Chameleon Circuit is a band which writes Trock songs.  Trock means Time Lord Rock, so yes, all of their songs are about Doctor Who, which is probably the best idea ever.  Last week they released their second album, Still Got Legs.

I only listened to parts of their first album, but from the few songs I've heard I would say that there are some songs which are really great ("Count the Shadows" comes to mind) and some which are a little less than great.

I have, however, listened to the entirety of Still Got Legs.  Many many times over.  It's just so good.  The lyrics are like magic for fans, but the tone of the album and the quality of the music could be enjoyed by anyone.

Highlights of the album, in my opinion, include "Travelling Man," "Kiss the Girl," "Teenage Rebel," "The Sounds of Drums," and "Still Not Ginger."

You can listen to the album for free on Alex Day's blog, buy it electronically on iTunes, or get a physical copy from DFTBA Records.

Doctor Who Companions

I have this theory about Doctor Who and companions and why I don't like Martha and Mickey as much as any of the other companions.  Basically, every other companion (with a few exceptions, which are explained) has proved themselves to the Doctor by their second episode as companion, except for those two.  This is why they just don't sit right with me.  I also argue that the way the main companion proves themselves in the second episode shows that they are what the Doctor needs at that particular time.


Main Companions

Season 1, Episode 2, "The End of the World".  At the end of the episode, Cassandra, the last human, is teleported back onto Platform One where, due to her lowering the platform's defenses, the temperature has risen.  As Cassandra pleads to be moisturised and the Doctor looks on impassively, Rose pleads "help her."  Rose shows mercy and compassion, proving herself worthy of travelling with the Doctor.  This is also what the Doctor needs most right now.  Nine is war-torn and battle-weary, hard-hearted, and he needs to relearn these emotions from someone.

Season 4, Episode 2, "The Fires of Pompeii".  This is technically Donna's third episode, but only her second as full-on companion, so it's the one I'm going by.  Donna proves herself the moment she puts her hand on the lever with the Doctor.  She shares the responsibility with him, and she lets him know that she is not alone.  As he told her in the previous episode, he just wants a mate.  Donna shows that that's what she can be.  A friend, a supporter, someone to help him through the rough times.

Season 5, Episode 2, "The Beast Below".  In Amy's second episode as companion, she realizes that the star whale came to help the British, and that if they stop torturing it, it will continue to help them of its own accord. This allows her to save both the humans aboard Starship UK and the whale itself, something even the Doctor didn't think was possible.  Amy's way of providing what the Doctor needs is not quite as obvious as it was with Rose and Donna, but I will argue that she does.  What the Doctor needs most right now is an identity, and a reassurance.  Ten really did not want to go.  He said so.  Several times.  When Nine regenerated into Ten, he seemed almost happy to go, and he had Rose to anchor him, and he basically became everything she needed him to be.  When Ten became Eleven, he did not want to go, and everything changed.  His love had to return to an alternate universe (again), his best friend had to have her mind wiped of any memory of him, and he regained his home planet only to have to destroy it.  Again.  And he lost the Master - again - and whoever that gray-haired lady was.  When he regenerated into Eleven, he was truly starting over completely.  Amy helps him find his identity.  He is very old, and very kind, and the last of his kind.  He comes to help when children cry.  I would also argue that he needed a reassurance that all this was worth it.  That losing Gallifrey to save Earth was the right decision, that sacrificing himself for Wilf was really necessary, that humans are worthy of being saved.  The events of "The Beast Below" almost tipped the scales in the opposite direction, but Amy Pond reminded and reassured him that humans are worthwhile, after all.

Minor Companions:

Season 1, Episode 10, "The Doctor Dances".  Jack, in his second episode, takes that bomb and flies it away  in order to save everyone else.  Even though his ship calculates that there is a one hundred per cent possibility that he will die.  He does it.  Jack really seems to love life (even when he's a billion years old, you never hear him complain that everyone he knows is either dead or doesn't even realize who he actually is), so he's really making a sacrifice here.  You can tell how rattled he is in that final scene in his ship, but he does it anyway, and that's when he proves himself worthy.

Season 4, Episode 8, "Silence in the Library".  River Song, in her second episode, is also willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her Doctor, as well as all those people saved in the library.  Unlike Jack, she has to go through with it - although she does get saved, to an extent.  But still, like the others, she proves herself worthy.

Exceptions:


Season 1, Episode 7, "The Long Game".  Technically I guess this is only Adam's first episode as companion, since he wasn't really a companion in "Dalek," but still, it only takes him two episodes on the show to disprove himself as being worthy of a companion.

Season 6, Episode 6, "The Vampires of Venice".  Depending on how you count "The Eleventh Hour", you could argue about whether this or "Amy's Choice" is his second episode as a true companion, and there are probably arguments to be made about him proving himself in both of those episodes, but nothing as concrete as any of the other examples I gave.  I would argue that Rory is a special case, though.  All of the other companions wanted to go with the Doctor, they wanted to fly off in the TARDIS and have grand adventures.  Rory just wants his fiancée not to kiss other men.  The fact that he didn't ask for any of this means that he doesn't have to do anything special to prove himself.  He proves it just by being there.

Season 2, Episode 6, "The Age of Steel".  This is the episode where I felt like Mickey finally proved himself, and no matter how you count it, it's definitely more than his second episode as companion.  In every episode before this I couldn't imagine what Rose possibly saw in him and tried to forget he even existed.  Even after he proved himself here, I never really could warm up to him - he had already spent too long making a bad impression to win me over.

Season 3, Episode 2, "The Shakespeare Code".  This was Martha's second episode.  In it she proves that... she's read Harry Potter.  Oh good.  Good job Martha.  What a hero.

Season 3, Episode 13, "The Last of the Time Lords".  Martha finally proves herself! ...in the season finale.  Her journey across the earth is bigger and more impressive than anything the other companions did to prove themselves, but it just comes too late.  Like Mickey, that bad impression she had already given just couldn't be undone.  I was so annoyed with her when she came back in season 4 - pushing her way into precious Donna time!  It was just so unnecessary of her.