paratti

I've just finished crying and moved onto the smile of that was really good.
It had everything, laughs, pace, effective plans, a bad guy with an body count of both extras and 'core characters' and real tragedy.

Plus James looking gorgeous.

Even while waving a scarf to 'I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trouper' - about which so, so likely.

Added to the episode not only having John's love for Jack enough to save him and come back to try and sort out the Grey determined Jack burial alive plus assorted carnage but him getting out of the episode alive and going off to take a look around the Earth at this time period - the crossover possibilities *Wibble* - which pleases me enormously as I'm sick and fed up of all the rogues I love getting deathed, even redemptive deathed. That the DeClassified had the production peeps going on about John's love for Jack being enough also soothed some still festering ME related wounds. Pets the Torchwood soulless redemptionists:) Who took Chosen out and gave it a damned good kicking by doing it all right rather than all wrong and so, so badly.

Goes back to the episode that had everything.
Tosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Owen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will miss you. I love you both. And your deaths were so you and the connection so solid and so honest while keeping the characters themselves.

Owen in screaming out his rage at the final injustice that gets him until Tosh makes that simple human connection of telling him he's breaking her heart brings him back to the better side of his nature, the one that loved Katie unto death, and he really does connect with her. And its honest and there's no declarations designed to manipulate the audience while being un-believed or unbelievable just something real and honest and all the more moving for it.

Tosh, putting others first and saving people as a whole in the form of averting the meltdown and someone she loves before herself even while she's dying slowly, painfully and bloodily. But the woman who was so alone didn't die alone. She connected truly with Owen and she died in Jack's arms. Which if he did con her into Torchwood with Gitmo UNIT would be incredibly ironic and painful for Jack.
And their team-mates cry for them. They care and show it and are scarred by it but will go on because they have to because someone has to and its them.

The Ianto that blows away Scythe Guys in a fabulously efficient and matter of fact sort of way.

The Gwen that takes charge of both the team and the police whose bosses had been blown up. The woman that not only makes the effective speech but is human enough to have moments of weakness amid being thrown into such a big catastrophe and who is strong enough to listen to Rhys's great booster speech without throwing herself a pity party but gets on with sorting things out.

The Rhys that is not only best husband ever but also team chauffeur and learner of more secrets.

PC Andy who gets not only to snark with and at Rhys but make great one liners and hang the lantern on the Fort Apache Cardiff but do it funnily and also snark on secret dropping.

Owen the Weevil King being plot useful - even if it does ultimately kill him.

And Jack got to be buried alive, for the best part of 1900 years - which shivers. There's a reason that burying alive has been a classic, since, I dunno Poe. I'm sure some people will do the 'Joss did this' with Angel but he got a box for a few months rather than dying and reviving over and over again for millennia and Jack doesn't get the free ride that Connor ultimately forgiving him gave Angel. Plus, repeats burial live/resurrection a classic literary trope.

Space Pig! Explanation.

Return of one of the late Victorian Lesbians, plus a black member of that team. Which makes sense given that Victoria who founded Torchwood did like to employ staff from across a multi-ethnic empire.

Jack wasn't embarrassingly bad acting wise, though his brother was very one note and blank. But this would make sense given the characters childhood trauma of years of torture. But knocking him out and freezing him will in no way not bit Jack and his teams in the ass. He really should have listened to truth teller John.

A John that James got to enjoy playing bad and on a journey, without having to spout a party line of tell not show, and did beautifully. Is really glad he's not dead and so can pop up in the Whoverse again - even on the parent show now he's on a redemptive journey:) Given that this fact will really piss off certain people this is a beautiful bonus.

Thanks Team Cardiff.

Misses the lost, but the deaths were done well, respectfully and made me love them and the rest of the team even more, while showing that this isn't a show were some regulars are more important than others. I love that. It hits my basic justice buttons. It also means that this is a show where no one is safe. There's not an un-killable Core Four - or Andrew - character peril for regulars is real not ultimately farce. Added to the no one lives past 30-35 comment in DeClassified as well as the 'all died so young' Anvil of Death in the show it appeals to every imprinted on Blake's 7 kid in me.
Bring it on.
Please Auntie Beeb. Season 3?
Pretty Please.


Less than 24 hours to new Who:)