Torchwood Episode 207 Recap: “Dead Man Walking”

The Grim Reaper? *headdesk* It couldn't have been an alien that looked like the idea of the Grim Reaper, been where the image came from? No, has to be all philospohical and buggery. *giggles* All hail MacOwen, King of Weevils!

 Ianto grabs a hockey stick. That's what the British people I know who have seen that scene can it. Hockey stick...from Jack's office. ??? Also, Ianto gets his snark back in this one. Very nice, let's hope it continues.

I want to be a hero like Captain Jack Harkness, kicking butt and snogging anything with a pulse! Besides, then I get a sexy receptionist of my very own.

>>>Even though they possess countless forms of alien weaponry inches away, Ianto’s instinct is to grab a broom-handle-like stick in his hand<<<

Erm... No. It's evidently not obvious to an American viewer, but that object is a hockey stick. For field hockey, as opposed to ice hockey. Hence Jack's weird grimace when it sees it. I think we're supposed to assume Ianto grabbed it from Jack's bedroom, given the crack about it in Sleeper.

Its a HOCKEY STICK... I mean, I know there's more ice hockey than field hockey across the pond, but I thought these recaps were pretty much to track the Janto, and that's a pretty big thing to miss considering the quip in Sleeper.

Granted, its not a very new or high quality hockey stick, so I'm thinking that its probably left over from Ianto's school days [because if Jack bought it purely for recreational use he would have got a better one. Or one less likely to give you splinters...] which just leads to another whole set of fun ideas about what those two get up to together. Uniforms? Fagging [unfortunate phrase perhaps] is probably too obvious though :P

I was almost ready to give Gwen a compliment on what a good job she does with the nurse when she says that the Hubbies are neighbours of elderly Martha who they look out for. Good and quick cover story Gwen. But wait a minute...literally, wait a minute ... we have Gwen and Jack announcing they are Torchwood and getting everyone out of the hospital. If Torchwood is not a big secret and so well known to evacuate the place, then what the heck was Gwen doing making up a cover story for the nurse ? ? ?

That translation scanner thingy must be some sort of intergalatic swiss army knife. Its the book scanner that Tosh was secretly using in the very first episode of Torchwood. Plus, it also made another appearance as the lock picking device when Tosh had to escape from the Hub when Cyberwoman Lisa was running amok. So its either some sort of universal multipurpose tool, or the props budget is low this week and the producers decided to recycle a prop...given the recycling of the glove you can guess which choice gets my vote.

Good catch with Ianto being out of character at the start of the show, did not think of that myself. For me it was Martha being a screamer when the glove attacked. Did not seem like her. Plus, I liked your thoughts about Tosh having underlying hatred of Gwen when she makes that "google" remark (my yell YES! out loud at the computer monitor moment this week). Ianto is not the only one who looks sexy when they fire off the snarkey one liners.

Paula Abdul, Ross' monkey...just too much...I'd sing your praises but I'm afraid of swelling your ego too much. Outstanding job once again.

I predict that Owen the scum will resurface soon and he'll use Tosh's confession / love for him to manipulate her into doing something against her better judgement for him.

Am I just being dense here? (Wait, don't answer that!) But this episode made no sense to me from beginning to end...sigh. I've pretty much given up on this show, other than it being an excuse to shout MST3K sorts of comments at the screen.

So, is Owen still dead at the end of the episode? If so, I know as a fact (from watching "Death Becomes Her") that a dead---but still animate---body is going to have all sorts of problems in a relatively short period of time. Gross.

Watching Tosh pursue Owen is becoming increasingly unpleasant. Man, that poor woman has no self-esteem whatsoever. Maybe she should read one of those self-help books...

I'm like a superhero, with no powers or motivation...

I get the distinct feeling that Owen's presently limited sexual abilities will soon change.

I don't think Torchwood's writers would be able to cope with 1/5 of their team having no choice but to keep it in his pants.

Great recap as always. Tosh's snarky remark was very memorable, and Jack's strange accent really was quite amusing. And your own snarky comments, Steven, are just too countless for me mention here. Let me say I enjoyed every one of them.

Still, a lot of lalalahophophop moments, like when Gwen discovered that there's 12 people already dead in the hospital, when the 12th was the nurse, who died alone.

Hockey stick discussion has been dealt with by other people.

Him Vs. Death thing, I think he was just delaying death getting #13 before it can't stay on much longer, but eh, it's debatable. Overall, loved the recap, but episode had lots of holes in it.

Oh, BTW TW already had a fairy battle in the first season didn't they?

ok, got nothing to say about gwen....omg a miracle, right?

i love john barrowman and all, but i think he overacts his scenes sometimes. either that or it's the writing. eh

ok, my lalalala hopping moment is the fact that they had to bring owen back for a code....BUT then jack said he didn't bring him back for the code...which has me thinking...did jack actually know the code already? because wouldn't owen of said "jack, you know the code" - - i mean, they're an alien fighting orgaznization and i would think EVERYONE would have to know a code that involves....well, aliens. so eh....it annoyed me for some reason.

another lalalala hopping moment -- i noticed there was a scene and it may of been before jack left to find owen...but i think before he left, ianto was holding his coat up all ready for jack to get into it. does that coat have some secret power that makes jack find people quicker or....what? maybe it makes him feel sexier? EH

real reason he brought Owen back wasn’t for the alarm code, it was because, “I wasn’t ready to give up on you.” Bleh. Now I might spew across the room.

^ i felt the same way. sometimes the corny factor is too much for me in this show. it's random to me when the characters (especially jack) get all corny...i have to wonder "am i supposed to be touched or laughing?"

the jail thing - - if jack can simply get out of jail by yelling his name and number or whatnot....how did he get into jail in the first place? why let himself and owen get into jail if they could've simply be let out so easily? TSK.

afhickman

"It takes a village (to make Village People)"

heh. probably shouldn't be reading recaps at work...but that was awesomely funny. so many great lines. i seriously did laugh out loud at this one: "Like it’s the sign’s fault Owen’s dead and Jack has to shlep all over Cardiff looking for “it” when he’d rather be home snuggling with Ianto watching reruns of Smallville."

yeah...this episode made my head hurt a little. i liked the church of weevils/creepy little girl in the beginning, and actually thought the story had promise at that point, but that was gone before the credits rolled.

i think the weird cut to jack waking up in the car outside the hospital was just poor editing--i think we were supposed to believe that smokey killed him in the autopsy room and the gang put him in the car to wait for him to resurrect. i found it hilarious that he was seat-belted in. how much you want to bet that was ianto's job?

eh--not a fan of owen as a character, although i do think that jack sees torchwood as his family and that family is a general, albeit pretty damn spotty, theme this season, so kind of makes sense (maybe?) that jack would bring him back. the whole story was just so dumb, though. way to waste a guest star! what was the point of martha in this episode? to highlight the inepititude of tw's makeup department?

The writers are shameless about liberating material from other shows. Owen's Little Britain moment throwing up in the jail cell, and the black eyes/talking in tongues thing was very X-Files. I wonder if they do it on purpose, kind of tongue in cheek. Fits with the Dr. Who material that references other popular culture at the time. I think maybe the "plot holes" aren't necessarily that but them playing with the audience. Too bad you all don't get to see the "Declassified" eps that they show after. It explains a lot.

I say we take the warning labels off everything and let nature take it's course.

I think that I'm in the minority here, but I liked the scene with Jack waking up from being dead in the SUV. It's like, "Ho-hum, Jack's dead again. Let's save time and take him with us. He's clever. He'll figure out what we're doing."

Life's a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis

EUREKA!!! Okay, I've finally got it. Based on Jack's reaction to Owen spewing his guts out in the cell, Jack is actually a bit of a nancy boy when it comes to the icky stuff. Not blood and guts mind you, just obviously sickly stuff. Not unheard of. It's like those guys that can handle wild lions but freak out when they see a snake.

Gwen's previous career as a constable however involved dragging in druken blokes, locking them up and watching them puke practically on a daily basis. Clearly Jack saw the potential here! Had he known that Owen had been on a bender he doubtless would have sent Gwen after him instead.

Okay, today's episode.... Well, I think that someone got confused and thought that this actually was Buffy the Vampire Slayer rather than just being an adult sci-fi knockoff of Buffy.  Tarot cards read by little girls, demonic smoky skeleton things, the whole eyes/freaky dialogue thing...  Boy that guy that wrote the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit like his themes.  But it looks like the Rift was spewing bigger plot holes than usual.

For starters, are the Weevils invisible or what?  Because they sure seem to be able to roam around the streets of Cardiff in large numbers without provoking an uproar.  I realize that Cardiff is not London (except on Doctor Who) but the vacant streets allowing unfettered Weevil activity, especially around a hospital, seem a trifle odd.  I need to check Cardiff's population on Wikipedia.  And I thought Weevils lived in sewars?  Was Jack not a trifle preturbed by their apparently relocation to digs above-ground?

Also, that line from Dead Ringers springs to mind again: "We're the most famous secret organization in the world!"  Boy, you really called that one.  Not only do the cops have secret recognition codes for Torchwood now, but people know to flee in terror whenever Torchwood tells them to.  Maybe Gwen's public relations skills are better than I thought they were.  Since she signed on in Season 1 now the entire population knows that Torchwood exists and employs crazy people they should fear.  Good job Gwen!

You had me laughing within the first four paragraphs because I was also rather perplexed by the autopsy.  Was this going to be like the lame stuff they came up with after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto?  "Yes he was shot in the chest but he really died from when he hit his head falling down..."  Clearly it was meant more to instill emotional gravity.

But was it just me or is Ianto suddenly becoming the most caring member of the team?  I thought that was part of Gwen's job description?  I would have also expected a more matter-of-fact attitude from Ianto this episode but instead he was oddly sensitive.  I'm noticing that Ianto and Martha have settled into a comfortable fag/hag thing.

Tosh gets points for nailing Gwen, but loses them for wearing what appears to be the same outfit as the last several episodes.  For God's sake Ianto take the girl out on a shopping spree!  However, Ianto clearly also uses Google in research.  I guess since Gwen managed to get lucky...

There was too little Martha this episode.  Period.

This was a particularly juicy recap and I got even more enjoyment out of it than usual.  Thanks so much!

Yet another fantastic recap.
truth now, did you really watch Meet Joe Black for the story?!? :D I know I didn't ;)

Adjovi: you can read this at work! wow, the company I work for blocks all the interesting sites.

Okay, "Zac EFron is sooo 2007"? it's bad enough that the show "name drops"but you, Steve? :} then ya go and add big words and at the END of the recap. [ok 1 word, but I'm giving Wikipedia and Merriam webster a lot of traffic these days :]

and a Yeah!! the LaHops are back!!!?!?!???

Mine:|
1) Tarot girl - hate when sci-fi shows go mytical.
2) Jack's Big Reveal of 2nd glove - too long a pause, lost dramatic effect. Also a bad edit.
3) the weevils - how many armies of darkness are there?! Am I to feel sorry that the Big Bad is using them, if it is OR am I scared that this mysterious group of aliens is willing helping the Big Bad, if they are.
4) Jack's UnNecessary accent. I'm sure he used it to let Owen no that the Agency disavows any knowledge... oh wait that's mission impossible. fitting though. mission here: decent episode with some Janto time.
5) Jack's "real reason" for bringing Owen back. I'm in the "spew" group here.
6)Jack's: "It's the Glove. it did this to her." Well, DUH! We just Watched it happened, we didn't need it explained. I only allow so many insults to me intelligent and this words exceeded that limit. I so wanted to (dope-)slap Jack/anyone on the back of their head - Hard.
7) the LOST Smoke Monster - now why didn't they play up THIS guest appearance?!

Best line: Death takes the Stairs - nothing in the rules say the BL has to come from the show.

Loved the WTF look Jack gave when Ianto shows up with the field hockey stick (I'm one who thought "girls sport" when I saw it.) All the alien weapons available and a hockey stick?? Though I give him props for at least getting a weapon while the others just ran around.

Octobercountry: Glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking of "Death Becomes Her" while watching this ep. I was expecting one of the Hubbies (Ianto) to mention it.

Campion: Good Catch!! I was wondering about the room being cleared and overlooked Gwen's cover story.

Liz: I think Jack didn't use the "get out of jail" card for the reason Campion mentions - it creates time for Owen and Jack to bond. Also, I think your right. 100% Gwack free! finally.

Can't wait until the Tarot Girl returns and we get the Big Reveal of: Her name is FAITH. Thank you Buffy for having a _negative_ effect on an otherwise decent show. - later!

'course I have to log out before I remember another curiousity.

Are TBTB asking/hinting that we are to forget "Combat"?

Or are we to say "How Clever"

they paralleled "They Keep Killing Susie".

She had set the lockdown in advance, came back, declared "there's something waiting" Jack tells Gwen that some (Who Jack? who? Torchwood only has 5 people) people think weevils are Us From the Future.

In Combat has Owen gets bitten and at end displays Weevil trait. This ep Owen's "king of the weevils" (end result of the advance set-up), comes back and declared "something's waiting" I hope it's not the "how clever" 'cause to me it ain't.

'course I have to log out before I remember another curiousity.

Are TBTB asking/hinting that we are to forget "Combat"?

Or are we to say "How Clever"

they paralleled "They Keep Killing Susie".

She had set the lockdown in advance, came back, declared "there's something waiting" Jack tells Gwen that some (Who Jack? who? Torchwood only has 5 people) people think weevils are Us From the Future.

In Combat has Owen gets bitten and at end displays Weevil trait. This ep Owen's "king of the weevils" (end result of the advance set-up), comes back and declared "something's waiting" I hope it's not the "how clever" 'cause to me it ain't.

Brenrose: "Adjovi: you can read this at work! wow, the company I work for blocks all the interesting sites." Heh...if you knew where I worked, you would find this comment hi-larious. :)

Psionycx : "But was it just me or is Ianto suddenly becoming the most caring member of the team? I thought that was part of Gwen's job description?" This is a theme I have picked up all season, and it continues on for the next couple of episodes. I think as they have had the chance to flush Ianto out a bit more this season, it becomes clear that he is actually a pretty decent guy. There is a lovely moment in the next episode where he really shows just how nice he is. Aw.

as far as Ianto being sensitive in this episode, and cringing during the autopsy.

 (why are they all watching the autopsy anyway? watching your friend's.co-worker?(current or previous) love interest's autopsy just isn't healthy, who does that?)

 Anyway, back to Ianto. The man has issues with co-workers deaths. He worked for Torchwood 1, and out of 823 Torchwood employees, only 27 "lived" after the battle of Canary Warf, I put lived in "" because that figured included Lisa (not technically dead), and the doctor who she killed in "Cyberwoman". So that's down to 25. Anyway, point is, imagine working there, and being there when everyone you know, work with, maybe were friends with, dies, or gets converted in Cybermen. Almost 800 people, dieing horrible deaths. Can you say post traumatic stress issues.

Then, Ianto was basically living on the hope of saving Lisa, didn't work out so well, so added grief. He's probably very afraid of having loved ones die, of seeing people die. In "Greeks Baring Gifts" his thoughts were "no, no, not again". He couldn't stand to see someone he knows, works with, die. So even though he deals with bodies all the time, its different because its Owen.

Death is shocking, especially if its someone you know. Someone who was fine that morning, and now is gone forever. Anyone would be unsettled by this, at the very least. Given Ianto's back ground, what's he's seen, its understandable it would be difficult for him to handle a co-worker's death. I think he kept it together pretty well considering.

Hmm, thinking of that, good thing he's with Jack, at least he doesn't have to worry about him dieing. (well now, because after last season's finale its pretty clear Jack won't die)

Okay, as interesting as this episode was, you knew there were going to be problems with the glove and that it wouldn't run smoothly. Bloody obvious, especially considering what happened last season.

And I didn't think it was possibly for Owen to become any more monkey-like...

Martha and the Doctor should start an 'artificially aged' club.