Torchwood S2x03: To the Last Man {Spoilers}

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2008-01-30 03:37pm

Starting in just under 23 minutes......

It sounds like it has interesting premise. Right up until you see the bit about Tosh.....*sighs*

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-01-30 04:15pm

Poor guy. Spends ninety years as a popsicle and on the one day a year they defrost him, he wakes up in the Torchwood Centre for the Emotionally Stunted.

No wonder he punches Owen out every time.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-01-30 04:46pm

I can't help thinking that this could have been a great episode had the plot made a lick of sense.

Bedlam · Post by **Bedlam** » 2008-01-30 05:06pm

I quite liked it, for a torchwood episode it was actually quite good.

The psychic projection bit at the end was pure dues ex Machina though.

The story only really works if all of time is predestined which makes Tommy's sacrifice a bit pointless as he had no choice anyway.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2008-01-30 05:13pm

The classy non-Deus-ex-Machina way to resolve that plot would be to have Jack (if the plan goes wrong, he can't actually die...) go through when it didn't work, seal the rift, and then kick the door of Torchwood 1918 down, and get himself and Tommy frozen again, under sealed orders to be revived one day later in Torchwood 2008. Adjust to taste.

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2008-01-30 05:29pm

Really needed some major script editing; the idea was good, but it just felt so boring. If they hadn't shown you the ending in the damn teaser, maybe that would have helped.

NecronLord wrote:The classy non-Deus-ex-Machina way to resolve that plot would be to have Jack (if the plan goes wrong, he can't actually die...) go through when it didn't work, seal the rift, and then kick the door of Torchwood 1918 down, and get himself and Tommy frozen again, under sealed orders to be revived one day later in Torchwood 2008. Adjust to taste.

But then Tosh would have a steady boyfriend, and then we wouldn't be able to see her have a bunch of lesbian encounters throughout the season!

Post by **NecronLord** » 2008-01-30 05:31pm

DaveJB wrote:But then Tosh would have a steady boyfriend, and then we wouldn't be able to see her have a bunch of lesbian encounters throughout the season!

My cunning plan is revealed.

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2008-01-30 05:55pm

Looks more like they didn't want any competition for Owen.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2008-01-30 06:26pm

I have elected to attend a Mage: Awakening game on my Wednesday evening. Does anyone know if Torchwood repeats on terrestrial TV at any time? My uni house doesn't have freeview or anything.

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2008-01-30 06:34pm

No, although if you're posting this, you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer online.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2008-01-30 06:35pm

Torchwood is legally available to watch free of charge here.

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2008-01-30 07:23pm

Technically it's repeated tomorrow night at 7 on BBC2, but it's a sanitized version, so assuming you have a decent connection, you're better off watching it on the iPlayer.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-01-31 03:07am

Not that there was really anything to sanitize yesterday.

bilateralrope · Post by **bilateralrope** » 2008-01-31 03:56am

Bedlam wrote:The psychic projection bit at the end was pure dues ex Machina though.

Especially since it wouldn't of even been needed if Tommy had remembered what to do. Or if someone had set the rift device to operate automatically. Or if someone had sent it back with a simple paper note saying "turn this".

Actually even with his memory gone he had just seen someone who looked just like him walking away from his bed, and he was carrying an unusual device. So have him fiddle with the device and activate it.

Though I'd of preferred avoiding the last minute problem altogether and simply padded the episode in other areas to fill time.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2008-02-03 09:21am

Cheers, guys. I just downloaded and watched this episode. (is there a legal reason why BBC iPlayer's going to delete the video from computer in 6 days? Or is it simply to preserve DVD sales?)

This is probably the best episode of Torchwood yet (that I've seen). Both past and present Torchwood seemed to be reasonably competant. Past Torchwood in particular seemed to have their shit together. Telling Jack and co exactly what to do in no uncertain terms.

There was absolutely no use of Captain Jack Scarlet, which I find good, especially since they seemed to gratuitously chest stab him last week.

The episode is basically Tosh and Tommy character work which is why it works. Looking at the rest of the episode, you soon realise it makes no sense whatsoever. Why does Tommy heal time, i take it iwas the device. Who came up with that device and why couldn't Torchwood themselves use it?

I certainly don't get why Tommy was supposed to revert to being shellshocked after time travel. And I would have thought a mere 89 days of therapy by random Torchwood employees would make him functional again.

Still its a really cool concept, if they ditched the psychic shit at the end and spent a little more time explaining things, such as the device and why it had to be Tommy specifically.

Oh and Captain Scarlet is still being a right dick. He seemed like a totally ass to android girl last week and with Tommy this week. Then he's randomly emotional to Owen?

Hillary · Post by **Hillary** » 2008-02-04 11:53am

I rather enjoyed that. Like the previous episode, it concentrated on the effects of the situation on the people involved.

Thus the majority of it concerned the relationship of Tosh and Tommy. How hard it was for him having only one day a year alive. How she had to cope with the issue of getting older, while he didn't. The fact that at some point he would have to fulfil his role and that this was likely to result in an end to the relationship - and this was very much the elephant in the room. All this stuff was very watchable.

It goes without saying that the plot had a lot of holes, but that wasn't the point. As I've said before, trying to make sense of the science in DW and TW is plain silly. DW is about far more than that and TW is, it seems, starting to get there.

Promising.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-02-10 11:33am

Crazedwraith wrote:I certainly don't get why Tommy was supposed to revert to being shellshocked after time travel. And I would have thought a mere 89 days of therapy by random Torchwood employees would make him functional again.

"Shellshock" is another term for PSTD, which doesn't go away in a mere 89 days. Also, getting thrown back into combat (which was what happened to Tommy) is quite likely to re-trigger the problem.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-02-10 11:41am

Oh, and my husband is STILL getting squicked out by the man-on-man kissing parts, even if he has stopped running out of the room.

Mind you, he has nothing against gay people, he just can't stand seeing it.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2008-02-10 11:43am

Broomstick wrote:
Crazedwraith wrote:I certainly don't get why Tommy was supposed to revert to being shellshocked after time travel. And I would have thought a mere 89 days of therapy by random Torchwood employees would make him functional again.
"Shellshock" is another term for PSTD, which doesn't go away in a mere 89 days. Also, getting thrown back into combat (which was what happened to Tommy) is quite likely to re-trigger the problem.

Sorry, that should have read: And I wouldn't have thought...

I don't that he would have been even as functional as he was in the present after being unfrozen one day a year. Where most of that day was spent simply being medically examined.

My point was that when he travelled back in time he was supposed to revert to being exactly like he was in originally in '45, not remembering the future or Tosh or anything... Maybe that's just how rift based timetravel works in Torchwood but it seems silly.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2008-02-10 01:54pm

Broomstick wrote:Oh, and my husband is STILL getting squicked out by the man-on-man kissing parts, even if he has stopped running out of the room.

Mind you, he has nothing against gay people, he just can't stand seeing it.

With all due respect, running out of the room at the sight of gay kissing is completely gay.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-02-10 03:49pm

He also does it when two women are kissing. What can I say? His sexual tastes are rather conservative.