Doctor Who - Welcome To The Whoniverse (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

It's November and that officially means that it's the month of Doctor Who. 

Strap in, because there's a lot to cover here. It's gonna be a fun time.

BBC iPlayer have kitted out an entire Whoniverse section for fans (UK mainly, boo rights issues) to enjoy multiple eras concerning the show.

This includes ....

Doctor Who (1963-1996)*

Doctor Who (2005-2022)

Tales Of The TARDIS

Doctor Who Confidential 

Torchwood

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Class

K9 & Company: A Girl's Best Friend 

Doctor Who: The Infinity Quest

Doctor Who: Dreamland

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes

The Science Of Doctor Who

Doctor Who At The Proms

Whose Doctor Who

An Adventure In Space And Time (coming soon)

A fantastic selection with over 800 hours worth of content. Sadly due to a certain petty manchild, An Unearthly Child is omitted from this otherwise impressive amount of content. Also keep an eye on a 75 minute colourised version of The Daleks, due to air on BBC4 on November 23rd.

Released this morning, we got the six part series called Tales Of The TARDIS. An interesting format in which former Doctors and companions reminisce over past adventures within the confines of a memory TARDIS. 

Steven Taylor (Peter Purves)/Vicki Pallister (Maureen O'Brien) - The Time Meddler.

Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)/Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) - The Mind Robber

Jo Jones (Katy Manning)/Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) - The Three Doctors

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)/Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) - Earthshock

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)/Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) - Vengeance On Varos

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)/Ace McShane (Sophie Alfred) - The Curse Of Fenric

Having seen most of these scenes through certain means, I will admit they're all brilliant. Expertly written by Russell T. Davies, Pete McTighe and Phil Ford and directed by Scott Handcock, it's a wonderful concept and one I hope is revisited with other former Doctors, companions and spin off characters. 

Meanwhile SFX Magazine have all the goods in relation to the 60th anniversary specials and beyond that. A 28 page special with Russell T. Davies spilling the beans over some very interesting stuff.

In relation to the anniversary specials, we can expect a flashback to the original Toymaker (Michael Gough) himself, Wild Blue Yonder being "weird" and "the most astonishing barricade you'll ever see". The three specials are not a three parter and while there are plans for spin-off's, a UNIT one isn't one of them. As for beyond, ooh, there's a lot to get excited for.

In a move that will be stoking debate for years to come, expect a number resetting with Ncuti Gatwa's first two series being referred to as Season 1 and 2. Russell T. Davies also confirmed his plans for four series of Doctor Who with stories he's been wanting to tell for 40-20 years and even yesterday so to speak. The first episode will also feature nine babies as part of its plot. 

However with filming for Series 15/Season 2 now started, some guest cast have already been spotted on set. Filming for Christmas 2024 has revealed both Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) and Joel Fry (Game Of Thrones, Cruella) both on set. Nicola Coughlan already appeared with Ncuti Gatwa in Barbie this year and was rumoured for the show for a while now. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday has yet to be confirmed for the second series for the 15th Doctor. 

Also be sure to catch David Tennant on BBC4 tonight in Talking Doctor Who with the 60th Anniversary Concert, hosted by Jo Wiley while the show will have a crossover with Bargain Hunt on November 23rd. Not to mention that Series 4 marathon this weekend on BBCAmerica and there's this year's Children In Need on November 17th, which will feature a new sketch for David Tennant's 14th Doctor. 

It really is the bestest time to be a Doctor Who fan.

The 60th anniversary specials will air on BBC1 and stream on Disney+ from November 25th to December 9th as well as getting physical releases from December 11th.

Doctor Who - Series 13 Begins Filming & Captain Jack Return for Revolution Of The Daleks - EDITED

I wanted to wait a while before doing this particular blog and there's a chance I might be editing it as well, but we finally have information about Doctor Who that's actually related to the show and not extraneous media, so here goes.

First of all, the worst kept secret was finally revealed. On Monday, the BBC decided to do a watchalong of The Timeless Children as part of #DoctorWhoDay with a very brief trailer airing at the end. The trailer revealed that John Barrowman will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Harkness for the festive special, Revolution Of The Daleks. It seems that Jack's role in the upcoming episode will focus on helping the companions - Graham (Bradley Walsh), Yasmin (Mandip Gill) and Ryan (Tosin Cole) against an invasion of Daleks while the Doctor herself is a bit detained.

#JackIsBack: https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/1330965668548657152

While Revolution Of The Daleks has yet to be given a confirmed airdate and with a proper trailer and further guest casting yet to be revealed, executive producer Chris Chibnall did tell DWM that there will be a character called Leo in the special with another character telling him to "embrace the uncertainty." I know that's hardly much to go but it's likely this character is probably someone who the Doctor largely interacts with before getting free from her current predicament. There will also be multiple versions of Daleks to look out for in this special but what of the future though? Fortunately I can answer that question for you.

Edited: Chris Noth will be reprising his role as Jack Robertson. The character was last seen in Arachnids In The UK. Noth will also be joined by Dame Harriet Walter and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in undisclosed roles. The special will also be 70 minutes long. 

The answer being that Series 13 has officially gone into production since November 2nd. The forthcoming series will see Jodie Whittaker back in her third full series as the Doctor but the series will only being eight episodes this time around, due to COVID restrictions and longer filming needed for production along with new safety measures for cast and crew.

As for the companion situation - this is where it gets a tad tricky. Right now, only Jodie Whittaker has been confirmed for Series 13 but Mandip Gill was spotted on set and took part in the Children In Need bit with Jodie, so it's practically confirmed that Yasmin will be continuing on for the next series as a regular. It has been confirmed now that both Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole will be departing in the special. Whether or not, Yasmin will be the sole companion remains to be seen.

In terms of filming, right now the episode currently in production is a Crimean War based episode, featuring Sara Powell as Mary Seacole as well the return of the Sontarans and John Bishop being spotted on set. Jamie Magnus Stone is slated to direct a block for this series while both Ed Hime and Maxine Alderton have seemingly been confirmed as writers for the new series. I'll be posting more details as the series progresses and more confirmed information is made known.

Captain Jack's Back: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2020/jack-is-back?at_custom3=%40bbcpress&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom4=EBBEEA86-2DA6-11EB-9AC0-BA6F0EDC252D&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom2=twitter

Series 13 Filming Begins: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/doctor-who-sop

ROTD Trailer: https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1333129854208892931

Doctor Who: Revolution Of The Daleks will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica  on January 1st 2021 while Series 13 is currently in production with an Autumn 2021 airdate slated. 

Doctor Who - Where Series 13 Needs To Go (And Beyond)

With Series 12 having completed it's transmission and the BBC still deciding where to air Revolution Of The Daleks (prays it's Christmas), it's time to take a look as to where the show should go next series and a little beyond that.

A Show Post Timeless Child: The latest series finale revealed more about the Doctor's origin than expected and still kept a lot of it REDACTED. There's no doubt that once her latest run in with the Daleks is out of the way that we'll be delving into the aftermath of that particular reveal. After all, it's going to be a lot for her to take in and should provide some emotional consequences next series but I'm hoping Chibnall will have other arcs besides expanding upon/massively rewriting the Doctor's history.

Mister Master: The highlight of Jodie's era so far has been the inclusion of Sacha Dhawan's take on the Master. Like his predecessors, he's done an exceptional job in bringing the Doctor's best enemy to life and if the character can survive various perilous situations, then no Death Particle will take him out of the equation for too long. Now, there's a danger of the show possibly overusing the character, but at the same time, I expect to see him causing the Doctor more headaches in Series 13.

Moving Away From The Fam(ily): Right now the tabloids are circulating a rumour that both Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh will be departing the series in the upcoming Dalek special while Mandip Gill will be staying on for Series 13. Personally, I think it's better for all three current companions to depart and to allow the show and Jodie's Doctor to have a clean slate going into her third series. Companion wise, they've not been the best ones we've had and often, the 13th Doctor has worked better with guest characters than her own Fam.

New Blood: Expanding on the previous point I made, new companions are needed. I would like a similar situation to Series 10 with at least one companion not being from present day UK but if we're having only one companion next series instead of an entire group, it should be a solo male companion.

Marketing: If you follow me on Twitter, one of my ongoing sources of contention with the current era has been the marketing. Now, I don't expect and wouldn't want the BBC or Chris Chibnall to reveal too much in advance but it definitely wouldn't kill them to reveal more than they do, like actually featuring the monsters in the promo pics and trailers for each episode Even Jack's return in Fugitive Of The Judoon really didn't need to kept secret after, especially when he didn't materialise during the whole Lone Cyberman trilogy we just had.

Writers: Right now, for Series 13 the three writers who Chibnall should bring back are Vinay Patel, Pete McTighe and Maxine Alderton. I think I can and will speak for most fans when I say we really don't need another Orphan 55 or Can You Hear Me? style misfire and going into his third series as executive producer, it might be nice for Chibnall to bring back a writer from the two previous eras. More effort needs to be put into the standalone episodes.

More Recurring Characters: Series 12 introduced two of the most interesting new characters with both Ruth Clayton (Jo Martin) and Brendan Bildbriain (Evan McCabe) and both of them turned out to be variations of the Doctor, with the latter even being a false memory. Grace (Sharon D. Clarke) aside, there's a dearth in interesting recurring characters this era. Ruth definitely feels like someone who will pop up from time to time but it might be fun next series if the Doctor discovers that Brendan is actually real and have her y'know appear in Ireland for real next series. Basically, just make this current universe a little bigger in some respects. This also leads to my final point.

Rebuild The Expanded World: Series 12 threw in a UNIT name check after Resolution disbanded the organisation for the sake of a Brexit joke while Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) made his return in the series as well. Enough time has passed that perhaps while Torchwood currently still seem to be the property of Big Finish, perhaps it's time for UNIT to be brought back into the main show. Keep both Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Petronella Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) and maybe add another member into the mix.

Right that's my thoughts on where the show should go from Series 13 onwards. What are yours? How did you find Series 12? Am I too harsh with Chris Chibnall's era or not harsh enough? Let me know, lol.

Torchwood - Series 5 Is A Go (Courtesy of Big Finish)

Yeah, not quite the Series 5 I imagine most of us were hoping for but life post Miracle Day for Jack and Gwen is still happening, at least in audio form for now.

A twelve part series with the subtitle of Aliens Among Us, Torchwood's return will see both Jack and Gwen (with support from Rhys and Andy) rebuild Torchwood back in Cardiff and they won't be alone either. Joining them for the new series will be Mr Colchester (Paul Clayton), Ng (Alexandria Riley), Tyler (Jonny Green) and the enigmatic Orr (Sam Béart).

It seems that things are getting much darker in Cardiff these days and the new recruits will play some role within Torchwood's future as the city has become much different since the last time we've seen it. Other potential surprises include the return of a character that should be dead and considering the amount that have died, it really could be anyone, right?

The first volume, comprising of the first four stories are titled Changes Everything, Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy, Orr (by Juno Dawson) and Superiority Complex (by AK Benedict) and will be released from August while the second and third volumes will be released from October and February 2018.

On one hand, I'm happy to see Torchwood getting a fifth series and I love the idea of it bringing it back to the Hub with new recruits alongside Jack and Gwen and given that the series will be overseen by Russell T. Davies, it's certainly canonical for now but I'm still hoping at some point, the show does make a television return.

Meanwhile an official picture has been released of the not so newly redesigned K9 (John Leeson) from the upcoming movie, K9: Timequake - or the one where our favourite metal dog faces off Omega supposedly. I had completely even forgotten about this movie to be honest and the redesign doesn't look that much different from the K9 series we had back in 2010. I think this movie is meant to be released sometime this year to mark the 40th anniversary of K9's debut but finding information on this has been scarce.

Torchwood - Series 5 News: https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/new-series-5-of-torchwood-aliens-among-us

So, thoughts anyone on the Torchwood audio series or the K9 redesign?

Moffat vs Barrowman: Is Torchwood Being Blocked?

Well, the end of last week certainly gave us fans of Torchwood something to chew as John Barrowman gave people a clue as to why the series has not been on the air since Miracle Day aired back in 2011.

According to John Barrowman at a recent convention, it seems that "certain egos" have stopped the popular spin-off (currently revived in audio form, via Big Finish) from returning to BBC1. In fact, Barrowman's comments seemed to be aimed at current/imminently departing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat playing some role in Torchwood not being brought back with even a suggestion of Barrowman also having a meal with Chris Chibnall about the show's possible television return. Needless to say, certain fans ran with this on social media and piled it on Steven Moffat with the latter forced to make a response.

Moffat's response being this ....

“To be very clear – I haven't blocked it; I wouldn't block it; I wouldn't even be ABLE to block it. I didn't even know a revival had been mooted till I read about it on the Internet. 
“As John perfectly well knows, it's not my show and I could no more prevent it happening that he could cancel Sherlock. I am bewildered, and a little cross, even to be included in this conversation.”
“For the record, I really liked the show (especially the third series) and would be very happy to see more – monsters and mayhem, why not?” 
“But the fact is, it has nothing to do with me. Please pass this on to the anxious and the angry – I've had enough hate mail now.”

My own thoughts on this debacle ....

I don’t blame Moffat and I feel bad that he had to state this. It should be obvious to anyone with a brain cell that he has no control or say over Torchwood, including John Barrowman himself. I get that people don’t like Moffat and his era of Doctor Who but the bile he gets from time to time crosses a line and this was another time it did that. I like Barrowman but the guy seriously needs to get a grip. If the BBC want to bring back Torchwood, they will but his constant pestering them and slagging them at conventions certainly isn’t going to do his cause any favours.

Right now, Torchwood isn't coming back and while it's divided some fans, Class is the only foreseeable spin off for now.

Press Release: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-09-14/steven-moffat-is-a-little-cross-with-john-barrowman-after-suggestions-hes-blocking-the-torchwood-revival

Doctor Who is currently filming it's Christmas special. Torchwood is currently in audio form, courtesy of Big Finish.

Torchwood - If It Ever Returned As A Series

I've been debating writing this article for a while but with the recent announcement that John Barrowman would be reprising the role of Captain Jack Harkness for a range of Torchwood audios for Big Finish, now felt like the right time to do this.

The obvious warning - this mostly speculation and mostly ideas on how I think if the show ever returned to television (and I certainly wouldn't rule it out), how exactly it should be handled. Without further ado, here goes ....

1: A New Format: It's unlikely if the series ever returned that it would get the 13 episodes that it's first two series had but format wise, how about a series containing either six hour long episodes or a series of 90 minute episodes/specials (three or four like Sherlock)? Given the BBC's budget nowadays and the fact that Barrowman and Myles do have other commitments too, it would be the more viable of options.

2: Quickly Resolve The Events Of Miracle Day: And I mean quickly. It would be tempting to for any reboot of Torchwood to essentially ignore the events (and a part of me would be more than okay with that) of Miracle Day, but at the same time we could also have Jack mention in passing to Gwen and Rhys that Rex's immortality was reversed and that he took out the Families/ultimately stopped their Plan B from ever happening. That way, the show would be able to completely move on from that particular series.

3: Bring It Home: I'm not gonna lie - Torchwood was at it's best when it was mainly centred in Cardiff and while both Children Of Earth and Miracle Day are commendable for getting the team out of the Hub, I also think the show lost it's USP by doing that as well. Any reboot would have to have Jack and Gwen setting up shop in the Hub once again and having the action primarily in Cardiff.

4: New Team Members: Easily the most obvious request. Jack and Gwen are great but better when they have other characters to bounce off and a new Torchwood team comprising of a new doctor, a new tech geek and at least one or two field agents as well would be essential for the show. And of course, I'm sure there could be another work related romance too, though not essential.

5: Hold Back With The Kills: In four seasons we saw Suzie, Owen, Toshiko, Ianto, Vera and Esther all come a cropper in terms of demises and if we got a new team with Jack and Gwen, while I wouldn't expect them all to survive, I would like if RTD slowed down a bit on the kill factor and allowed the new characters to develop a bit more too. Like I said, Jack and Gwen are great but Torchwood should be an ensemble piece as well.

6: The Odd Returning Face/Crossover Appeal: Okay, any reboot would probably also feature Rhys and Andy but what about the likes of Bilis Manger and Captain John Hart? Both of those characters are certainly ripe for further stories. Not to mention the fact that if Torchwood went down the Sherlock route, it could become more crossover friendly with the Doctor Who universe. If not a cameo appearance from whoever would be the Doctor/companion should a reboot ever come to pass, then maybe a team up with Jack's new gang and the current UNIT?

7: A Sense Of Fun Along With The Danger: This might be a controversial opinion but for me Torchwood was at it's best during it's second series. It had the right amount of danger, a team who properly felt like a team but it also had a sense of fun and while later series seem intent into making Jack into a mashup of both Angel and Jack Bauer, I have to admit, it never works for the character. Jack is at his best when he's more of a cheeky rogue rather than a brooding so and so who ends up sacrificing his own grandchild and again if/when Torchwood returns to the small screen, I'd like a sense of proper fun along with the danger. I don't think that's the most unreasonable of requests.

Well those are my thoughts. What do you all think?

Doctor Who - Series 9 Character Returns/Torchwood Comes To Big Finish

With filming for the third block now completed for the upcoming ninth series of Doctor Who, production for the fourth block - comprising of episodes 7 and 8 has now begun and there's some familiar faces to expect in it.

With UNIT already appearing in the opening two parter opener, The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar, it's been confirmed that not only will Jemma Redgrave and Jaye Griffiths also appear in this current block, but they're also going to be joined by Ingrid Oliver, reprising her role as the maybe not dead Osgood. Last seen being killed by Missy in the previous series finale, Death In Heaven, executive producer Steven Moffat had this to say about the character's return ....

“Osgood is back, fresh from her recent murder at the end of last series. We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning - but in a show about time travel, anything can happen. The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action. This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?”

Much as I liked Osgood in her previous two appearances, I am a little surprised that she's returning for this story. Now it could turn out that Missy might have killed a Zygon posing as her last year (which leads to another thing in a moment) or that the 'Osgood' we see in this story for whatever purposes actually is a Zygon. Which leads to the next return.

And they're back. Last seen in The Day Of The Doctor, along with UNIT and Osgood (is she dead/isn't she dead?), the Zygons will also be appearing in this two part story, which has been confirmed to be written by Peter Harness (Kill The Moon) and directed by Daniel Nettheim (Glue, Line Of Duty). The two part story will also feature Cleopatra Dickens, Sasha Dickens, Abhishek Singh, Todd Kramer, Jill Winternitz, Nicholas Asbury, Jack Parker and Aidan Cook.

Meanwhile for Torchwood fans - great news, it's coming back - in audio form, that is. Big Finish have roped in John Barrowman to record six new adventures. The new series of audio dramas will each focus on different members of the Torchwood team, exploring the impact that a mysterious event has on them. This kicks off with The Conspiracy by David Llewellyn, which is released September 2015. The remaining five will be released in 2016. Still with this series getting a licence for the popular audio company and an upcoming Kate Stewart series, I wouldn't be surprised if we do get that tiny bit closer to Doctors from 2005 onwards materialing on audio within the near future.

Series 9 Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/6fec5341-a0c9-439e-9c75-34e0cae1af56
Torchwood Press Release: http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/torchwood

Series 9 of Doctor Who continues filming and will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica from Autumn 2015.

Doctor Who - Series 9 First Block Information/Torchwood Sort Of Returns

You wait for ages for some news from the upcoming series of Doctor Who and then all of a sudden, you've given a lot. Better yet, it's good news.

First of all, after an absence from Peter Capaldi's debut series, it has been revealed that Toby Whithouse will be involved in writing for the ninth series. The better news is that Whithouse has been given a two parter - episodes three and four, which will also be directed by fellow Being Human alumni Daniel O'Hara. While details on the actual story are light for now (though it's being described as 'creepy'), the casting for it is certainly impressive enough.

The cast for this two parter will include Paul Kaye (Game Of Thrones), playing the role of Prentis as well as Arsher Ali (The Missing), Colin McFarlane (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Torchwood), Morven Christie (Grantchester) Steven Robertson (Being Human - anyone sensing a theme here?), Zaqi Ismali (Conflict), Sophie Stone (Woman Of Flowers) and Neil Fingleton (Jupiter Ascending) - the latter being the tallest British man at 7ft 7.56in. That's an impressive and diverse cast and it'll be interesting to see what Whithouse can come up with as well.

Meanwhile for those of you craving some more Torchwood, it seems the show is coming back - in the form of radio plays for the BBC. John Barrowman recently confirmed that the whole gang would be returning in at least three or four plays (which have yet to be recorded) - one featuring the whole team and the others will be character based. Barrowman also confirmed that both Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner will be involved with them as well. Maybe one day this might also mean a brief television return too, right?

Doctor Who - Series 9 News: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a621457/doctor-who-series-9-guest-cast-confirmed-for-toby-whithouse-2-parter.html#~p1lwr6YpYHN9tl
Torchwood News: http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in/item/38693-press-tour-more-torchwood-in-the-works

Series 9 of Doctor Who is currently being filmed and will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica from August 2015.

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 9

Penultimate blog of this impressive (haha) Top 50 list of Doctor Who companions. Last one is being put up tomorrow, folks.

6: Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)

Without a doubt, Jack is one of the most fascinating characters ever on telly, never mind within the realms of the Doctor Who universe and spin-off series, Torchwood. An omnisexual conman with two years of his memories missing and more disasters surrounding him, it's amazing how much of an impact the character has made over the last eight years in both television shows. Surely at some point, he might resurface again. I know John Barrowman will certainly reprise the role at the drop of a hat.

7: Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman)

The impossible girl with a knack for burning souffles (did she inspire a certain Carly Simon song during her many splinters?) and popping up everywhere. She's met and helped every version of the Doctor (mainly without him knowing it), with both the Eleventh and Twelfth ones being the ones she's gotten to know/will get to know. While we do need more insight into what makes Clara ticks as a person, it's hard not to warm to the character, wonderfully played by Coleman. Definitely one of Steven Moffat's most fascinating of characters.

8: Amy Pond (Karen Gillan)

Oh Amy. If there is one thing that can be said about this flame haired Scotswoman it's definitely that she leaves a lasting impression. The Eleventh Doctor lamented about her being in his hearts prior to Manhattan and we've seen Rory go through hell and back with her too. Personally, I've always liked Amy's spiky personality and wanderlust and while she might be polarising for some, I do think she is without a doubt one of the most memorable companions we'll ever have on the show. I certainly enjoyed the majority of the 33 episodes that featured her.

9: Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill)

Okay, you know the way lazy critics and certain fans bleat on about the female companions being screamers? Well back in 1963, a certain history teacher did a lot more than that. She was the companion who easily called the First Doctor out on his hostile attitude at times, the ones who was seen as an Aztec goddess and the one who was the much needed voice of reason in the TARDIS. Basically, Barbara Wright rules.

10: Ian Chesterton (William Russell)

Keeping up with the high standards of male companion, science teacher Ian really did set up a precedent, didn't he? Like Barbara, he was an audience surrogate into the chaotic world of the First Doctor and Susan and he was more than a match for the Doctor as well. He was also the first companion to be addressed by his surname, long before Vislor Turlough and Amy Pond ever travelled in the TARDIS.

Part 10 will be up tomorrow.

Companion Diversity

So, it's been a month since the announcement of Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion and while we'll have to wait another month before she starts filming and we learn her character's name, one criticism of her casting that has gotten my back up is this little groanworthy gem ...

Ugh, another 20 something girl. When will New Who show some diversity?

Except, in the course of seven series we have had some diversity actually. In fact, going down the list of regular and recurring companions we've had since 2005, it's been something like this ...

Female (20s): Rose, Martha, Amy and Clara.
Female (30s/Over): Donna, River, Sarah Jane.
Male (20s): Mickey, Rory.
Male (30s/Over): Jack, Wilfred.

And something like this ....

POC: Martha, Mickey, River (as Mels).
LGBT: Jack, River (arguably), Vastra, Jenny.
Couples/Marriages: Rose/Mickey, Rose/Doctor (arguably), Martha/Mickey, Amy/Rory, River/Doctor, Vastra/Jenny.
Families/Relatives: Rose/Jackie, Martha/Mickey, Donna/Wilfred, Amy/Rory/River.
Non Humans: Vastra, Strax.

In terms of diversity, New Who has actually been pretty good and while I do hope that future series and showrunners do feature more companions who are older, POC, LGBT or from the past/non Earth related, I think the criticism of another 20 something girl being the next companion is a bit childish though. And besides, why don't we wait until Christmas to see how JLC fares and who she's playing? Maybe her character will be a lesbian for all we know or from the past or an alien. Anything can happen on this show. Isn't that part of the reason why we watch it?

Top 40 TV Characters Part 6

And here is the sixth part of this list. I was going to leave it until next week but now seems like a good time to post it.

11: Simon Bellamy (Iwan Rheon) - Misfits

In the first series, he was a weird sociopathic kid who murdered a probation officer (kind of standard in relation to this show) while the second and third series, he became a futuristic hero and had a timey-wimey relationship with Alisha that could outshine the Doctor and River's too. Weirdness aside, Simon was definitely someone you wanted as an ally rather than an enemy.


12: Merlin (Colin Morgan) - Merlin

Merlin has always been an interesting show to watch because for the most part, I've never had a definitive favourite character but for the intent and purpose of this list, I weighed up all the main characters and ultimately found myself picking the title character. What can I say? Merlin the character has for the most part grown throughout the four series we've seen and continues to intrigue at every turn.

13: Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) - Torchwood

Oh, Jack. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if having a spin-off has enhanced the character or sort of ruined him a bit. Jack works better as a more campy action hero than an intense, Doctor-like brooder at times and somewhere between the last two series of Torchwood, I think RTD lost sight of that. Still apart from a certain Time Lord, he's still one of the most unconventional leading male characters on a sci-fi/fantasy programme and that alone means he deserves to be on my list.

14: Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) - Angel

The most unbridled, meanest character on television or at least during her Sunnydale days anyways, though she still had her moments in LA. I'm going to be brutally honest - Cordelia was the best bloody thing about Angel and I hate the fact that we ended up losing her in favour of Spike in the show's last season and similarly uninteresting characters like Eve and Illyria as well. The comics tried a bit to redress the balance but Cordelia was the heart and soul of that show.

15: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) - The Sarah Jane Adventures

No list would be complete without the most iconic companion featuring on it and let's face it - Sarah Jane Smith is a bloody icon. This woman has seen most of the Doctors incarnations, has fought many a monster whilst travelling with the Time Lord and with her own team in Bannerman Road. Elisabeth Sladen may sadly no longer be with us but her iconic character will long live in people's hearts.

Part 7 will be up early next week.

How To (Re)Solve A Problem Like Torchwood?

According to a recent interview with actress Eve Myles, apparently she wants to see a closure to Torchwood but has admitted nothing is happening with the show this year. Also considering that RTD is back in the UK and currently focusing his energies on upcoming CBBC series, Aliens Vs. Wizards and personal matters, it looks like we'll be waiting a while but the question is - how do you resolve a problem like Torchwood? Miracle Day wasn't the show at it's height and I have been wondering if there's actually much left to tell, story wise anyways. I suppose two options for resolving Torchwood could be ...

a) Commission a 90 minute special, finish up the storyline with the Families, reverse Rex's immortality and have Jack and Gwen FINALLY go their seperate ways.
b) Commission 6-8 episodes, bring it back to Cardiff, having Jack/Gwen/Rhys reopen the Hub, add some new characters and keep the tone closer to the first two series.

Either are decent options but at this rate, which one is the most likely to happen? Regardless of the quality of the last series, the show does deserve some form of closure, doesn't it?

My Review of Torchwood's 4x10: "The Blood Line"

Written by Russell T. Davies And Jane Espenson
Directed by Billy Gierhart

Rex (to Jack): “You, World War Two. What the hell did you do to me?”

And here I thought the crux of spending too much time (if you’re anyone but Gwen) was that you ended up dead (well, that still happened here) rather than immortal. As cliff hangers, Rex’s new lease of life was not something I expected or wanted to see happen to the character.

The unique selling point of Jack was that he was immortal and now we have both him and Rex wearing the immortality badge. If we had to have gotten this particular character development, wouldn’t Esther have been a more interesting candidate instead? For some reason, Rex doesn’t seem the right choice for it or am I being unfair?

It’s interesting that Rex suffused with Jack’s blood became instrumental in taking the Blessing down and it made sense that our heroes needed to be in both Buenos Aires and Shanghai at the same time. It’s just too bad that the Blessing really didn’t seem that interesting in the end.

And neither were the motivations of the Mother Colasanto and the Families either. So, basically their grand scheme was make their own little caste system and wipe out those who they didn’t see as good enough to be a part of it. We didn’t need something like the Blessing for that plot and neither did the Families themselves.

Speaking of the Mother Colasanto – I was so hoping she was going to be an interesting but Frances Fisher was horribly wasted in this episode. I like a campy villain as much as the next one but given how uninteresting Mother Colasanto turned out to be in the end, I really felt that we lost out too.

As for Jilly – the girl got her ass kicked by Gwen, she was nearly blown to bits by Oswald, she’s become a fugitive and she’s still daft enough to go and work for the Families again? Blue Eyes is cute and all but maybe Jilly should’ve told him not to bother with Plan B because right now, this show’s future isn’t particularly rock solid stuff to begin with.

Also after ten episodes and so much convoluted nonsense, it did seem like death was restored a little more easier, didn’t it? One thing that’s consistent with this show as well is the death count but even this episode seemed to break a record with the amount of deaths that happened.

I’m not sure if Geraint actually died along with the other Category Ones because that scene did seem a little ambiguous but those soldiers who blew themselves up thinking they were preventing Jack’s blood from resetting the Blessing were certainly stupid, weren’t they? Of course it was going to turn out that Rex’s blood had been replaced with Jack’s in the end.

Charlotte’s murder of her colleagues (Noah, Shapiro and Sandra) sort of seemed pointless in the end, especially when she was killed herself after her failed attempt on Rex. I sort of wished we had seen more of Charlotte’s motivations for the Families. It would’ve been nice but instead it felt like Charlotte was a mole because the CIA always seems to have one on most TV programs.

Similarly if Oswald’s death was supposed to stir any other emotion apart from glee, then it failed spectacularly. I’ve hated Oswald throughout the entire series and while I’m glad he took Mother Colasanto with him, even in death, Oswald was an evil, remorseless bastard to the last. At least that’s one successful bit of consistency we’ve had this year.

Last but not least – Esther Drummond. You poor, sweet girl. Of course she was going to die. Given how much RTD seems to think that only Gwen can be the ‘heart’ of Torchwood, any other female character who’s an ally is ultimately never gonna be allowed to stay with the show for long. Toshiko was shot by a horrible man and so was poor Esther. Thankfully Rex also did us a favour and killed the asshole that did poor Esther in.

I don’t really know what else I can say in this main bit, except that both Rex’s immortality and Esther’s death seemed like unnecessary and silly plot developments and that the Blessing was actually poorly thought out. I don’t want to bash Russell T. Davies too much but he did really drop the ball with this episode.

Also in “The Blood Line”

Most of the action in this episode was in Wales, Washington, Shanghai and Buenos Aires.

Rex (to Esther, re Jack’s blood): “I’ve seen some crazy shit with Torchwood but now I’m at the limit.”

Am I reading too much into it, or did Rex seem to be closer to Esther in this episode before her death?

Gwen (to Oswald): “Just you wait. If this goes right, murder’s coming back.”

Oswald: “Who are you?”
Jack: “Captain Jack Harkness.”
Oswald: “No, I spent a long time in prison and I know the smile of a man who’s done terrible things. And your friends, you’ve been watching them. Sometimes they like you, sometimes they love you and sometimes, just once or twice, glittering away in those tiny little gaps, they fear you.”
Jack: “I’m from the future.”

I got a smile in reminders of the Doctor, the Silurians, Racnoss and the Huon particles. I wonder if Jack knows what the Doctor looks like nowadays.

Rex: “I got you into a whole lot of trouble.”
Esther: “I did that on my own.”
Rex: “I never did thank you, did I?”
Esther: “No, you didn’t.”
Rex: “Well, don’t expect it now.”

Mother Colasanto: “What can you see?”
Gwen: “Enough guilt to last me a lifetime but that’s okay, I’m a working mother. I don’t need the Blessing to tell me that.”
Mother Colasanto: “And you Jack?”
Jack: “I’ve lived so many lives and now I can see them all. Hey, not so bad.”

Nice to see Rhys and Andy in this episode but I was kind of hoping for more. I did like that Rhys attended Esther’s funeral though.

Gwen: “And that’s what I did in a pit in Old Shanghai. I brought death back to the world.”

Chronology: From where “The Gathering” left off.

I really wanted to like “The Blood Line” but even though “Miracle Day” was an interesting experiment, maybe it’s also proof that if the series stands any chance of continuation, it either needs to return to the format of the first two years or just do these high concept storylines with lesser episodes.

Rating: 5 out of 10

My Review of Torchwood's 4x09: "The Gathering"

Written by John Fay
Directed by Guy Ferland

Jack: “I’m tired Gwen. This mortal life, it hurts so much.”

Hang in there, Jack, you’ve only got one more episode to go. One more episode and hopefully, the status quo will return and the miracle will finally be out of the world’s system. I don’t know about you but this series has suddenly made me delighted for the idea of death returning once again.

Especially if it means no more overflow camps, no more convoluted rubbish with the Blessing and no more Oswald Danes. Three things the world effectively can do without and fast and also three things that supremely irritated the crap out of me throughout this episode as well, curtailing my enjoyment to an extent.

I’ll talk about the overflow camps themselves. When everyone is citing them as institutionalised murder, perhaps it’s a good idea not to have them running – especially the modules? Unfortunately the government don’t think that way and sadly that means a return to people being taken to the modules and burned alive against their own will.

I pitied Gwen, Rhys and Mary in this episode. They did their damndest to keep Ralph away from getting Geraint and sending him away and the smug bastard still managed to get the better of them in the end. I think what made it particularly worse was the callous comment about how warm Geraint was going to feel very soon.

Honestly – who the fuck comes out with that kind of a statement? Geraint is a harmless elderly man who could still be alive. If you’re going to display a level of glee for people being incinerated against their will, save it for the Oswald Danes of the world and not an innocent person.

Gwen begging during that moment did serve a purpose of hammering home how desperately she needs to help Jack and company end this miracle but personally, I would’ve made Ralph into a Category 1 after that lack of humanity on his part.

As for the second irritation of this episode – give a round of applause for Oswald Danes. Despite having the most famous face on the planet, he managed to get out of America and into Wales and even into Gwen’s mother’s house by delivering vegetables. Not only that he also managed to ensure that no-one either tried to kill him or hand him over to the coppers.

On the plus side, there’s a delirious joy in seeing Gwen smack the fecker with a sauce pan and personally, I would’ve had zero problems with Rhys actually living up to his threats of trying to kill Oswald. Too bad he was needed in this episode, otherwise Rhys could’ve done us all a favour, eh?

Last but no least, on my third irritation of the episode – the Blessing. It’s been nine episodes and I really had a headache with all the cryptic banter in this episode. Jilly showed some surprising self restraint because between Blue Eyes and that guy in the Shanghai restaurant, I certainly would’ve snapped with being given the run around by then.

Thankfully that creepy woman played by Frances Fisher seemed a little more inclined to share with Jilly. She mentioned how the Blessing could cause people to kill themselves but for Jilly, all it seemed to do was prove that she was right. What exactly is/was Jilly right about?

More importantly, why is Jilly needed in this at all? Because she’s a storyteller? Isn’t that just overinflating a PR’s ego, just a tad? Jilly didn’t seem all that convinced initially but after surviving her altercation with the Blessing, I’m guessing that she’s fully on board for whatever the Families have in store for her. I hope for Jilly’s sake, she watches her step.

Speaking of step watching, I liked that Rex actually noticed that there was a mole in the CIA but if he had looked a little harder, wouldn’t he have spotted Charlotte? She’s not exactly been all that subtle this week with her constant blocking attempts and considering how useless Shapiro seems to be as well, maybe Rex was better off in Buenos Aires this week.

The reunions of the episode were nice too. I liked Jack and Esther meeting up with Gwen and Rhys again and then Rex and Esther on one side of the world while Jack, Gwen and Oswald were on the other side of it. With Jack’s blood line leading them to the Blessing, all I know is that I can’t wait for this to actually end now. Is that terrible?

Also in “The Gathering”

The writer Jon Fay has previously written “Children Of Earth: Day Two” and “Children Of Earth: Day Four” for the series.

Jack (to Esther): “The gunshot didn’t kill me but I think you will.”

Jack and Esther had been hiding in Scotland for the first half of the episode. Jack also retconned a photographer/spy as well in this one.

Rex: “Don’t you have a home to go to?”
Charlotte: “Not anymore. She left me, remember?”
Rex: “Oh shit.”

Gwen (to Ralph): “All that’s down there is rats, so make yourself at home.”

We learned briefly that Charlotte had a girlfriend and there was also a link in 1928 to a person named Victor Pedesta during this episode.

Oswald: “I apologise for the subterfuge but I do have the most recognisable face on the planet.”
Gwen: “Not anymore.”

Rex: “Where are you?”
Esther: “Can’t say, so don’t ask me. We’re safe, we’re fine and we’re okay.”

Rex instantly recognised where Esther was calling from and Gwen mentioned her previous history with child abusers when talking to Oswald. And there was also the issue of translating some of the Blessing messages too in this episode.

Jilly: “I keep wondering why me?”
Guy: “You’re a storyteller.”
Jilly: “Thank you.”

Oswald (re Ralph/Police): “This is good. The most wanted man on the face of the Earth and they want someone else.”

Gwen and Rhys seemed to have their own drug organisation with the neighbours. It reminded me of Ianto’s sister and her husband looking after the kids in Season 3.

Woman (to Jilly): “I’ve seen people look upon the Blessing and end their lives. There’s a brilliant truth about that because each and every time that person was hiding something vile. Isn’t that wonderful? It’s exhilarating the damage it does. I wonder what you’ll see.”

Chronology: Two months have passed since “End Of The Road”. Isn’t that a bit of a cop out for the series?

After some solid episodes, I wished that “The Gathering” had gripped me more than it actually did but something felt off. Maybe it was the issues I had with the overflow camps, Oswald and the Blessing but hopefully, next week’s finale ends this on a satisfying note.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Torchwood's 4x08: "End Of The Road"

Written by Ryan Scott And Jane Espenson
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Oswald: “They want to burn me alive.”
Jilly: “Oswald, you were always sentenced to death. What you had was a wonderful delay and now it’s time for that adventure to come to an end.”

And with that sentence, I recommend that Jilly probably should never be in a position to tell people when their loved one have passed away. Still though, I can’t help but love the idea that scumbags like Oswald still get the module treatment after all.

This really wasn’t Oswald’s week at all, was it? The man deluded himself into actually believing that because he became a TV celebrity, he got a ‘get out of jail’ free clause forever. Jilly was right to scold him about his fate and even more so when he turned on her.

Oswald and Jilly’s partnership has always depended on them needing each other, so it bound to end in violence at the same time. Maybe Jilly shouldn’t have told him about the Category Zero situation being set up in place for people like Oswald but at the same time, thanks to Claire, she didn’t really have a choice.

The scenes with Oswald and Claire were actually quite chilling in their own way. For a girl who was willing to re-enact a schoolgirl fantasy with Oswald, Claire certainly had a bigger problem when he tried to have a normal conversation with him. Not that you could blame her but even still, would you really want to even consider taking Oswald on as a client? Claire certainly changed her mind pretty sharpish, didn’t she?

It’s interesting that Claire also talked about women her age fighting back. Jilly certainly tried to physically take Oswald down when he assaulted her and then tried to set her own witch hunt on the guy after he stole from her too. Of course, being smacked around by Oswald wasn’t the only dilemma for Jilly this week.

For some reason, the Families seem to be interested in getting her on their team and that Blue Eyed Guy managed to get her into accepting an offer from them. Now, I like Jilly heaps as a character but what is it about her that the Families find especially interesting for recruiting, aside from her ruthlessness and cunning?

Speaking of the Families, we got enough of an information dump on them this week as well, courtesy of Olivia. Of course she was going to turn out to be Angelo’s granddaughter and her own divisiveness on Jack aside, it’s interesting that the Families disapproved of Angelo’s relationship with Jack but were happy to experiment with his blood for the last nine decades in preparation for Miracle Day.

Jack’s scenes with the older Angelo provided a nice emotional hook to the action heavy-ish hour. Despite Angelo betraying him in the worst way possible, it did seem like Jack really cared for the man that he even tried to conceal why Angelo was alive for so long/suddenly able to die from Shapiro for as long as he could.

Much as I love Esther, she kind of dropped the ball here by insisting on asking Jack about his cryptic behaviour. Soon enough then, we ended up with a dangerous piece of alien technology and Gwen ended up being deported. In all fairness, Gwen being deported back to Wales is the least dramatic thing to happen in this episode.

And funnily enough, so is Jack getting shot too. I know I should be worried about him, given that he’s currently mortal and being driven away by Esther but I’m not. Apart from Gwen, he’s the only character who’ll definitely make it out of this whole saga alive and I’d also like to think that Esther will get him some medical attention too.

In terms of operations skills, this was classic Torchwood at its murkiest. You had Rex being a genius at the start of the episode by tricking Friedkin into revealing his allegiance to the Families but you also had Esther still making rookie mistakes too, while Jack and Gwen were trying to keep secrets or mouthing off at Shapiro. I hope for their sakes, they actually do come through with fixing the world in the last two episodes.

As for Friedkin, I so did not miss him one bit and was pretty happy when he blew himself to smithereens. It’s kind of a shame that he had to take Olivia with him because while she was a bit of a bitch, her snarky banter was delightful. At least we still have Jilly and Charlotte’s suddenly become a more interesting character now that we’ve learned she’s in cahoots with the Families.

Also in “End Of The Road”

I know that there were a lot of flashbacks to the previous episode, but I could’ve sworn at least one scene with younger Angelo was new.

Rex: “You’re telling me the whole world got screwed over because two gay guys had a hissy fit?”
Gwen: “Rex, get back in your cave.”

Rex’s Neanderthal comments aside, I noticed that him and Gwen seemed to have a mutual respect for each other in this one.

Jack: “I’m not as special as I thought.”
Olivia: “You never were.”

Shapiro (re Gwen): “People seem to be talking over me, which is fascinating and rare and forbidden. I’ll come back to you.”

We met Sarah again, who seems to have volunteered herself for a Category 1. I know some fans don’t care about Esther’s personal life but I do, so it was a nice scene. Oh and there was a reference to Ianto.

Gwen: “Jack, did we just join the CIA?”
Jack: “I think we did.”

Oswald: “Get me a girl.”
Jilly: “How old?”
Oswald: “Legal age.”
Jilly: “Seriously?”

Oswald made off with Jilly’s iPad after he assaulted her and Charlotte (when she isn’t working for the Families) also helped Sarah out as well at the psych ward.

Rhys (re Gwen): “Tell her yourself.”
Mary: “I’m watching TV.”

Claire (to Oswald): “I think I should warn you, the girl my age fight back but you know that already, don’t you? That’s why you prefer kids.”

Why did Shapiro assume that both Gwen and Esther had slept with Rex? Also the names of Ablemarch, Costerdane and Frines didn’t exist and the blessing occurred again.

Blue Eyed Man: “We’re way above PhiCorp.”
Jilly: “Then who are you?”
Blue Eyed Man: “We’re a family business. Are you interested?”
Jilly: “Yes. Yes.”

Chronology: From where “Immortal Sins” left off.

It may have started shaky (and lost some viewers as a result) but the series has more than found it’s groove back. The events of “End Of The Road” were certainly the most compelling we’ve had and the last two episodes look nothing short of amazing.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Torchwood's 4x07: "Immortal Sins"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Jack: “I’ve got this friend. He’s called the Doctor. He explores the world with a companion. It looks nice.”
Angelo: “Are you saying that I can stay?”
Jack: “Maybe.”

When I first heard about this episode, I had something of a mixed reaction to it. The idea of a Jack flashback delighted me to no end but I was also worried that it would distract from the main plot. I really shouldn’t have bothered worrying because this flashback episode was both wonderful and important in the miracle dilemma.

We’ve had plenty of moments of seeing and hearing about Jack’s former lovers – whether they’re the real Jack Harkness, Estelle, Lucia or Captain John, they’ve all added something to Jack as a character. Angelo is no exception but his was a union with Jack that was certainly fraught with a little more than usual.

Stealing Jack’s fake identity probably should’ve been a signpost that Angelo might turn out to be untrustworthy but considering that Jack placed a lot of confidence in Angelo, I was willing to let it slide. I mean Jack really had no motive to break Angelo out of prison and a part of me was surprised that he did.

The sexual part of their relationship is somewhat more satisfying than Jack’s previous on screen tryst with Brad in “Dead Of Night” but it’s the commentary on the nature of Jack and Angelo’s union that stirred a lot of debate for me here.

Was it tacked on/heavy handed that Angelo enjoyed the sex with Jack but also seemed to harbour some self loathing about sleeping with a man? Maybe it is to an extent but I think it helped later on when Angelo both betrayed and tried to make amends with Jack at the same time.

Angelo sold Jack out pretty instantly a year after their debacle with the alien in the warehouse when he was responsible for everyone’s murders on Jack but he did seem sorry for it. Sadly that soured Angelo as a character for me because while he had all this fear surrounding Jack’s immortality, he did betray him in the worst way possible and I think he got off lightly for it when Jack just dumped.

However the real shocker was Angelo being revealed as the one behind the miracle, courtesy of Olivia at the end of the episode. Tonally it made sense (otherwise, why would the episode have developed Angelo as much as it did?) but it still floored me as a final scene to this excellent hour.

Speaking of betrayals, while Angelo’s one towards Jack might have been harder to understand, Gwen’s was by far easier. Olivia and her cronies had her family hostage and Gwen really had no choice but to hand Jack over to them for her family’s safety. Jack even understood that himself but the scenes with him and Gwen in the car were just awkward.

John Barrowman and Eve Myles just acted their hearts out during those scenes. Jack was sympathetic towards Gwen’s plight but he wasn’t above trying to get out of being handed over to the mystery families and Gwen was forced to admit that her family had to be her main priority over Torchwood or her friendship with Jack.

It’s the kind of examination of Jack and Gwen’s relationship that was overdue, wasn’t it? These two care for each other and have their back but at the same, Gwen’s stepping into Jack’s world has cost her in more ways than she could imagine.

If it wasn’t for Rex, Esther and Andy, Gwen would’ve easily have lost Rhys, Anwen and Mary this week. Thankfully all three of them got their moments to shine. Esther through picking up on Gwen’s erratic behaviour and catching the last exchange with the contact, Rex for his stealth and Andy for the same reason as Rex I suppose.

It was definitely the best use of all three characters this week and hopefully, we’ll have some nice moments like that with Rex, Esther and Andy. I even had to stop myself from scoffing when Rex compared Torchwood to amateur clowns. He wasn’t exactly wrong, was he? Oh and it’s nice that Jack and Gwen made up at the end of the episode too.

As for Oswald and Jilly, well, it’s another episode without them but it seems that Oswald was busy trying to keep the category system in place. I have a feeling that line of thinking from Oswald is going to backfire on him when he does show up again.

Also in “Immortal Sins”

Most of the flashbacks in this episode took place in 1927 and 1928, New York. Jack did once mention an incident in Ellis Island, didn’t he?

Esther: “Sorry, I don’t know how to help, except that maybe her death has changed things. Maybe they’ll shut down the camps.”
Rex: “No, they paused the camps. That’s all they’re saying – paused.”

Vera was supposedly from San Antonio and might have had a brother or sister. Despite his protesting, Rex is affected by her death.

Angelo: “I don’t understand. We just did something special, why make it cheap?”
Jack: “I suppose I do that sometimes. I’m sorry.”

Gwen (to Jack): “Well, you’ve done something haven’t you? Way back when in the long bloody life of yours. God, you’ve lived so bloody long, you can’t remember half of it, now think. Think. What the hell have you done?”

The Trickster’s brigade was mentioned here. The Trickster himself was last seen in The Sarah Jane Adventures back in 2009.

Angelo: “You made this happen; you’ve planned this, since when? Since you got on the boat to America?”
Jack: “Just get out of town, Angelo. These people are bad; you don’t want to be on their list. Get far away.”

Angelo: “Besides I always hoped that if God is love, maybe he loves me too.”
Jack: “That’s blasphemy.”
Angelo: “I think that’s Christianity.”

That alien that Jack and Angelo neutralised looked like a mini-version of the 456, didn’t it? I also loved the firebird story Jack told Gwen as well. I also bet we’ll be seeing those three men who ‘bought’ Jack as well.

Jack: “I love you Gwen Cooper but I will rip your skin from your skull before I let you take this away from me. Understood?”
Gwen: “Understood.”

Jack: “I’m sorry, Angelo, but this is the story of my life. It always end the same way – you kill me. Men like you kill me.”

Chronology: Apart from 1927-1928 in flashbacks, a few hours after “The Middle Men”.

I absolutely loved this episode. “Immortal Sins” was Torchwood to me. Everything from the writing, the characterisation, forwarding the plot in a huge way. It feels like after the shaky start we had to “Miracle Day” that the show is finally delivering and about time too.

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Torchwood's 4x06: "The Middle Men"

Written by John Shiban
Directed by Guy Ferland

Shanghai Contact (to Stuart): “I asked my uncle what happened. He told me to never question a miracle. You might not like what you find.”

Oh great, the whole bury your head in the sand approach – because that never causes trouble, does it? Oh wait, I think it does. For the people who are aware of the horrors that the government and PhiCorp are doing but refuse to acknowledge it – shame on you.

Gwen’s rant to Dr Alicia Patel (the anti-Vera Juarez if one was needed) might have sounded a little on the heavy handed end of the scale but what do you say to a woman in the medical profession that refuses to stand up against the modules? Alicia should probably consider herself lucky that Gwen didn’t thump her but the point still stands.

The allusions to the overflow camps as concentration camps is pretty much stating the obvious but it’s barbaric how readily nearly all the world’s governments have embraced this option to deal with the patients who are near death. There is no justification for this current dilemma but at least this episode actually went out of it’s way to combat the situation.

Gwen for instance did more than just rant about the modules – she bloody well blew the one up in Wales towards the end of the episode before the next batch of people were in them (presumably) and also managed to get her father to safety. Now that’s the Gwen Cooper we all know and love.

Not be outdone, Rex managed to get through his own anguish over Vera’s horrible demise to keep filming the extent of the module and while it did look like Colin was going to get the best of him and Esther, Rex achieved a first for Torchwood – getting their message across.

I liked that Torchwood publicly outed the modules situation as well as Vera’s death. It might have taken them six episodes to properly assert themselves but at least they’re finally fighting back in a threatening way. No more skulking about the place – Torchwood are finally posing a credible threat to PhiCorp and the world’s governments who are abusing the miracle.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy and while Torchwood are on top of their game, there’s also the issue of the blessing. What exactly is the blessing and can PhiCorp middle man Stuart Owens actually be trusted? It would be nice if Torchwood had at least one ally working within PhiCorp and Stuart seemed sincere enough to Jack during their conversation.

He wasn’t exactly deceptive when he told Jack that he had been doing his own investigation into the miracle, even if it was just dead ends (literally, considering that Shanghai contact killed himself) but still – how can he not know any more about the miracle? I know he’s supposed to be a middle man but he seems like a well connected one, so it’s a bit odd.

And speaking of middle men – how glad was I that Colin did not make it out of this episode alive? Okay, so he’s a Category 1 but both Ralph and Esther deserve medals for taking that scumbag out in the manner that they did (Esther – strangling, Ralph – shooting). While Colin was nastier than Oswald has been on screen, I certainly won’t miss him as a character.

In some ways this was also a huge moment for Esther. She may have contributed to Colin’s “death” because she was trying to save Rex but it still affected her. I know some fans will gripe about that but I like the fact that Esther isn’t a hardened character. That being said though, Esther would do well to heed Rex’s advice about picking herself up quickly. I have a feeling that tougher times are ahead for Esther.

As for Rex, the writers should pat themselves on the back. This is the second episode in a row where I’ve actually enjoyed the character. Probably because Rex was responsible for getting the world aware about the module and also because when he was being tortured by the odious Colin, I couldn’t not feel bad for the guy. Either that or heaven forbid, Rex is actually improving as a character.

However while Torchwood did achieve more victories than screw ups this week, things still went down south when Rhys, Mary and Anwen got kidnapped by a mystery abductor. I’m guessing because of this dilemma, Gwen is going to have no choice but to hand Jack over for her family and that will certainly make for some interesting television.

Also in “The Middle Men”

As well as Vera being out of the series, both Oswald and Jilly were absent from this episode as well.

Rex: “No, strike that, I’m not with the CIA or the US government authority. I’m with Torchwood and we’re gonna expose everything that’s going on here. Everything I just witnessed.”

I gotta ask – why didn’t Esther come up with an actual alias when she was in the San Pedro overflow camp? Surely, she’s on wanted lists now along with Rex.

Gwen (to Alicia): “Then you’d have to face the truth, wouldn’t you? This isn’t a hospital, this is a concentration camp.”

Stuart (to Jack): “You don’t believe me? You think I’m the epitome of evil. The devil in a three piece suit.”

I have to admit that I loved Jack’s flirting with the waiter and even Janet, the now ex mistress of Stuart Owens.

Receptionist (to Esther): “How blonde are you? It’s a lockdown, we haven’t got clearance. Stay at your desk.”

Rex: “It was you.”
Colin: “I’m sorry.”
Rex (re Vera): “You killed her.”
Colin: “I’m very sorry, it’s been a long day. I wanna go home.”

Did Rhys actually admit that Jack is an attractive fellow? He seemed to when he was trying to bluff his way past security? And where’s Gwen’s dad as well? Do the mystery kidnappers have him too?

Rex (re Colin): “What happened?”
Esther: “I killed him. Oh my God, I killed him.”

Gwen: “This is the truth for the whole world to see. We let our governments build concentration camps. They build ovens in our names. Now I don’t care if the whole of society bends over and takes this like a dog, I’m saying no.”
Jack: “That’s my girl.”

Chronology: From where “The Categories Of Life” left off.

I’ve been critical about this season and I still will be until the end but at the same, I actually loved this episode. “The Middle Men” had Torchwood being competent; it had actual progress and some decent mystery. I cannot wait for the next episode.

Rating: 9 out of 10