I swear I will keep ALL spoilers behind a cut.

[jadesfire]

Oh my. Where to begin? At the very beginning, I suppose…

By which I mean season 1. Most fans spent season 1 of Torchwood alternately cheering and tearing our hair out. The season seemed to hit its strike about episode 10, which was peaking a little late, and we spent the following months moaning about what could have been and acting as apologists for the brilliance that never quite was.

Well, I'm no longer feeling the need to apologise. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wasn't perfect, but then I've yet to view a television episode that was.¹ What it had was great action, adventure, plotting and character. Seriously, what more do you want?

I think what struck me most of all was the tone of the episode. It delivered what Torchwood had always promised us. Humour, violence and science fiction. It was fun without being jokey, tense without being melodramatic. The acting was brilliant and the only weak link in the chain was the CGI, which the BBC has never really mastered, at least when it comes to mixing it with live action.

Before I get carried away (you should see the notes I took during the episode – judging from the number of exclamation marks, Pratchett would definitely diagnose insanity), I'm just going to list my good, bad and ugly points. Otherwise I'll still be writing this when the next episode airs.

The Good

The Team. I spent most of the episode wanting to hug them. They've managed to form a coherent unit without violating their personalities. Owen is still caustic, but he's lost that brittle edge that I found so off-putting in Season 1. Tosh is obviously more confident and (thank heaven) actually using the technology that they're supposed to have. She's still quiet and efficient, but she's also sharp and caring. I want more.

Ianto. Oh, Ianto. There you are. I've spent most of the time between seasons being slightly bemused by all the fanfic, because I could never really get him as a character. While I still don't feel I know him, I now feel like I could get to know him. They've given him personality and GDL is giving him shape. I love that he was efficient and flustered, that he was the one asking Jack the awkward questions, and some of his facial expressions were just wonderful.

And Gwen, who finally seems to be living up to her potential. I love that she's both slightly dappy and definitely in charge. She's sweet and caring and tough as the rest of them. She challenged Jack, she still loves Rhys but she's all grown up. I've gone from liking her but wanting her to be more, to wanting to find some pompoms so I can cheer her on. And when she was describing Rhys' proposal ("Well, no-one else will have me") I just wanted to hug her.

Most of all, I loved that they'd bonded, that they'd found a way to cope without Jack. They're living up to his faith in them, and it's a joy to behold. This is a team that I believe could save the world if it came to it. Finally!

The Tech. I loved loved loved that the team were actually using advanced technology. It just worked, it was a handy macguffin, but it felt completely natural and right as well. Like this, I can believe they can catch aliens.

The Plot. It twisted and turned and okay, most of them were signposted, but it didn't make them any less satisfying. I could get carried away going into the structural details (maybe another time), but if the rest of them live up to this, I'm going to be a very happy fangirl.

The Guest Star. Okay, so he was basically Spike in a red jacket, but hey, if it ain't broke… He had great chemistry with Jack, and was just the right side of crazy. He was Jack through a dark mirror, all the things Jack could be, that he might have been once, before he got a conscience. They made good use of him, both as a way to play with the team and as a character in his own right.

I was less impressed with the fish.

Jack. This whole thing could have been about Jack, but I've restrained myself somehow. I've got to say that I'm loving the way JB is playing Jack in this, the quicksilver expressions and moods, so that you're never quite sure where he's going next. His obvious affection for all his team, his willingness to trust them and his slight discomfort that they've bonded without him. This is the Jack I want to see (and is what convinces me that TPTB have been reading fanfic ;)). He's got just the right about of shadow and light in him now. I think a lot of us were worried that a 'happier' Jack would take some of the edge for the character. Instead, it's just given him more to play with, extended his range a little. And give JB an inch… The first scene with Captain John was everything we were promised, and the interactions with the team were mostly brilliant. For me, the only clunky bit was the scene with Gwen – I didn't object in principle but I found the execution a bit off (see below).

My absolute favourite part was Jack and Owen in the autopsy room, frantically mixing the blood together. Because the team have bonded, they're a unit, they trust each other. It was so good to see Jack both struggling with and slotting back into it, and trusting them right on back. Awesome.

ETA:

The Music. Please give the music department a small award. They picked perfect tunes, and I loved the way the original score worked. Y'all noticed the hints of the 'Captain John' theme when Ianto was searching the lift lobby, didn't you? Of course you did. It was clever and appropriate without being in your face, which is exactly what the music should be.

All together now: Woo hoo!

The Bad

The scene with Jack and Gwen. Okay, so I'm exaggerating by saying it was bad, but somehow, the good, the wibbly and the ugly doesn't sound so good. And for me, that scene…wibbled. I liked the idea of it, because Jack's affection for Gwen was strong and obvious, but I had trouble with the idea that he'd be upset by her getting married. On the other hand, I got the feeling that it was about being upset that she's moving on, as though he expected everything to stand still while he was gone. Still, something about it didn't play quite right with me. It felt a little too contrived, although I loved the whole 'finding out by holding her hand' bit. I'm wavering on whether it worked for me or not – will decide on a second viewing.

The fish. Prosthetics: awesome. Line delivery: poor.

Where was Myfanwy?

The Ugly

The CGI. Oh dear. I'm not sure what was worse, the descent through the Hub or the explosion. Either way, you could see the join between the blue screen and the live action. The special effects crew are great at neat little alien devises and convincing prosthetics, but less good at mixing real life and computer images. Nil points.

Overall, I adored this episode. It had everything I wanted and more. The season preview trailer at the end was seriously exciting – just enough detail to have been on the edge of my seat without giving anything away. Oh yes.

Torchwood's back.

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¹ Apart from 'Becoming' (BtVS) but I'm usually blurry eyed when I watch that so I'm possibly not a good judge.

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Comments

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*grin* And this is the short version. Seriously, I could write about 6 pieces of meta on the show even before I got to Jack. And my writing muse has returned with a vengence. Like you, I didn't read anyone else's before writing it, and then found out I'd written about twice as much as everyone else. But I enjoyed myself and I'm going to get some writing out of it, so who cares? :D

[unfeathered]

Well, if I'd made notes as I watched, mine would have been at least as long as yours. But I was only planning on writing a reaction post, so I didn't. But it turned out pretty long anyway. :-)