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I love "Dead Man Walking". I should probably get that out of the way first. I have a few issues with the ending, but I'll get to that later. For the time being it's great stuff, and I love it. It's full of humour and shocks, and it plays out like a homage to Evil Dead II; and Evil Dead II is always good. The whole episode is so much fun, even though, technically speaking, it's all a bit of a bummer for Owen. He's not having a great time. Neither's Martha - or Tosh, come to that. Or Jack, probably, or the twelve people who get eaten, or the small boy who gets scared half to death. But I think it's fun, and that's the important bit. So there.
Owen's dead, then. He was shot at the end of "Reset", and was thoroughly killed to death. Killed so much to death, in fact, that Martha is about to cut him up. Her reasons for doing this are somewhat unclear, since there's very little doubt as to what killed him; but rules are rules, I guess. Just as she's about to stick him with a giant cleaver, Jack dashes in, yells that nobody's to do anything until he gets back, then dashes out again. He goes to see a small girl, in what looks like an old pub, and she flashes tarot cards around the place. One seems to show Donny Osmond in a suit of armour. She uses them to tell Jack that the something he's seeking is in an old church, and then warns him that there is much deadly danger. He doesn't care, and hares off. Cue old church, full of sleeping Weevils. The set design here is genius. Dozens of Weevils, in a church full of bric-a-brac that they've presumably collected. Plastic guitars, dozens of broken dolls, boxes, and all manner of things, all piled up. The lighting is great too. It's a beautifully done scene. Jack picks his way between all the sleeping Weevils, to fetch a locked wooden box from amongst their treasures. Needless to say they wake up, and the next we see of him he's bursting into the Hub covered in blood. And what's in the box? Yep, it's the Other Glove™, and he's going to use it to bring Owen back. Partly so everybody can say their goodbyes, but also partly so that Jack can ask him for a lock combination that he can't figure out. :D That's so brilliant. I'm sure Tosh could have got the combination easily enough, but bringing Owen back from the dead to ask him is much funnier. There's much sobbing and saying of farewells, as they wait for the usual two minutes of restored life to finish. Except they don't - or rather they do and they don't. At the same time. When the two minutes are up, Owen's vital signs cease - but he doesn't. He's the walking dead man of the title, and he's really not sure what to make of it. Understandably, I suppose. Anyway, this being Torchwood, being an animated corpse isn't nearly complicated enough. He's also a conduit for an unknown beastie that's trying to force its way into the world - a beastie that is reputed to be Death itself. Owen hits upon a plan to freeze dry his brain, in order to possibly maybe perhaps stop all this from happening, but the Other Glove™ takes exception to this, and in a glorious scene straight out of Evil Dead II, goes on the rampage around the Hub. It's eventually subdued, sadly without any recourse to chainsaws (though Ianto does have a hockey stick, which... okay, isn't quite as cool). However the gang's victory is shortlived, as the death throes of the glove are only the start of their problems. Martha's been turned into an old woman, and Owen's busy giving birth to Death. Yep, it's just another day for Torchwood 3. :D Anyways, Death makes a beeline for the local hospital, where the gang also takes Martha. As Death (actually some kind of demon named Duroc, according to Owen) sets about munching on the patients, the gang figure out a way to defeat him. It's Owen who eventually hits upon the solution. He's got nothing to lose. He's already dead. Who better, then, to fight Death? So he does, in a glorious scene with a fabulous soundtrack, besting the demon and sending him back to wherever he came from. Hurrah for Owen. Except that this is where I have a problem with the episode. Everythig suggests that this is a great sacrifice for Owen. The plot, the direction, the music - it's all leading up to some grand exit. There isn't one, though. Owen's still there, still "alive" - and still in the same condition next week too, when there'll be more "Owen's about to die! Oh, hang on..." And it's not great, frankly. I don't want Owen to die. I like him. This story was leading up to his death, though, and when it doesn't happen, the end of the episode inescapably stumbles. It's a shame, as everything else about it is so, so good. Especially the jail cell scene. Or gaol cell scene, if you're my English teacher. Which, all things considered, you're probably not. And the bit where the Weevils chase Jack and Owen. That's fabulous. Hurrah for the Jack and Owen double act. More of that in future, please. :)
Why does Ianto have a hockey stick? Who knows? It's a fabulous touch, though. It's funny, and it comes at a moment where everybody is terrified of the glove come to life. And that's funny too, in a comedy-horror sort of way. Jack, creeping through the church, is in the midst of an old horror classic too - and in imminent peril of being torn to shreds by Weevils. But again, it's funny. The lighting and the set is slightly creepy; the sounds of the shifting, sleeping Weevils are highly atmospheric; but there's a strong thread of comedy running through it. In the midst of the chase to find Death in the hospital, Ianto's internet search for Duroc's "hunger that knows no bounds" keeps sending him to Weightwatchers. Again, a funny scene in the midst of all the death. Duroc is a fabulous creation, all dust and smoke shrouding a skeleton. His victims are obviously terrified, and his appearances are splendidly effective. It's not all comedy, by any means. Matt Jones has really done a good job here. He's got the tone exactly right, balancing the fun and the shocks; and the cast handle it all well too. It being gone three in the morning, I'm probably forgetting lots of points that I should be making, but since I'm fast heading for the Completely Unintelligible Zone - as indicated, to me at least, by how many tries it took to type "unintelligible" just then. So more fool me for just typing it again, really - it's probably best that I shut up. So I will. I would just like to point out, though, that "Dead Man Walking" is really, really good. It's right up there with Cath Treganna's stuff, which is high praise coming from me. You've come a long, long way since Fluid Links, Matt. Well done. :)
Jack's mysterious contact, and her Donny Osmond card. Or is it Rob Lowe?
Jack brings Owen back, but forgets that, where Torchwood and gloves are concerned, things will always go Not As Planned.
"Who's laughing now?!" Jack, not being Bruce Campbell. Honest. ;)
Owen, possessed by Duroc.
Owen and Jack share a meaningful moment whilst locked in a cell. As you do.
"Woodshed." *Snigger*
Ianto's ready for battle. Or for a ball. One or the other.
Death makes a grab for Jack. Sucker.
Duroc's final struggle, as he meets his match in Owen.
Next time it's Joe Lidster, Big Finish writer par excellence. And Owen being dead summore. Poor Owen. :( Still - Joe Lidster! Hurrah!
PS: I was right, I did forget something. "When you've been around as long as I have"?! Jack, you're not two hundred years old yet, and you're finding it boring? You've ceased to notice the "flecks and the bricks"? Good grief, man. Lighten up. Less than two hundred years, and you're still learning. There's still so much you haven't seen. Think of the books, the places, the people, the music. And quit moping, and go have some fun...
Owen's dead, then. He was shot at the end of "Reset", and was thoroughly killed to death. Killed so much to death, in fact, that Martha is about to cut him up. Her reasons for doing this are somewhat unclear, since there's very little doubt as to what killed him; but rules are rules, I guess. Just as she's about to stick him with a giant cleaver, Jack dashes in, yells that nobody's to do anything until he gets back, then dashes out again. He goes to see a small girl, in what looks like an old pub, and she flashes tarot cards around the place. One seems to show Donny Osmond in a suit of armour. She uses them to tell Jack that the something he's seeking is in an old church, and then warns him that there is much deadly danger. He doesn't care, and hares off. Cue old church, full of sleeping Weevils. The set design here is genius. Dozens of Weevils, in a church full of bric-a-brac that they've presumably collected. Plastic guitars, dozens of broken dolls, boxes, and all manner of things, all piled up. The lighting is great too. It's a beautifully done scene. Jack picks his way between all the sleeping Weevils, to fetch a locked wooden box from amongst their treasures. Needless to say they wake up, and the next we see of him he's bursting into the Hub covered in blood. And what's in the box? Yep, it's the Other Glove™, and he's going to use it to bring Owen back. Partly so everybody can say their goodbyes, but also partly so that Jack can ask him for a lock combination that he can't figure out. :D That's so brilliant. I'm sure Tosh could have got the combination easily enough, but bringing Owen back from the dead to ask him is much funnier. There's much sobbing and saying of farewells, as they wait for the usual two minutes of restored life to finish. Except they don't - or rather they do and they don't. At the same time. When the two minutes are up, Owen's vital signs cease - but he doesn't. He's the walking dead man of the title, and he's really not sure what to make of it. Understandably, I suppose. Anyway, this being Torchwood, being an animated corpse isn't nearly complicated enough. He's also a conduit for an unknown beastie that's trying to force its way into the world - a beastie that is reputed to be Death itself. Owen hits upon a plan to freeze dry his brain, in order to possibly maybe perhaps stop all this from happening, but the Other Glove™ takes exception to this, and in a glorious scene straight out of Evil Dead II, goes on the rampage around the Hub. It's eventually subdued, sadly without any recourse to chainsaws (though Ianto does have a hockey stick, which... okay, isn't quite as cool). However the gang's victory is shortlived, as the death throes of the glove are only the start of their problems. Martha's been turned into an old woman, and Owen's busy giving birth to Death. Yep, it's just another day for Torchwood 3. :D Anyways, Death makes a beeline for the local hospital, where the gang also takes Martha. As Death (actually some kind of demon named Duroc, according to Owen) sets about munching on the patients, the gang figure out a way to defeat him. It's Owen who eventually hits upon the solution. He's got nothing to lose. He's already dead. Who better, then, to fight Death? So he does, in a glorious scene with a fabulous soundtrack, besting the demon and sending him back to wherever he came from. Hurrah for Owen. Except that this is where I have a problem with the episode. Everythig suggests that this is a great sacrifice for Owen. The plot, the direction, the music - it's all leading up to some grand exit. There isn't one, though. Owen's still there, still "alive" - and still in the same condition next week too, when there'll be more "Owen's about to die! Oh, hang on..." And it's not great, frankly. I don't want Owen to die. I like him. This story was leading up to his death, though, and when it doesn't happen, the end of the episode inescapably stumbles. It's a shame, as everything else about it is so, so good. Especially the jail cell scene. Or gaol cell scene, if you're my English teacher. Which, all things considered, you're probably not. And the bit where the Weevils chase Jack and Owen. That's fabulous. Hurrah for the Jack and Owen double act. More of that in future, please. :)
Why does Ianto have a hockey stick? Who knows? It's a fabulous touch, though. It's funny, and it comes at a moment where everybody is terrified of the glove come to life. And that's funny too, in a comedy-horror sort of way. Jack, creeping through the church, is in the midst of an old horror classic too - and in imminent peril of being torn to shreds by Weevils. But again, it's funny. The lighting and the set is slightly creepy; the sounds of the shifting, sleeping Weevils are highly atmospheric; but there's a strong thread of comedy running through it. In the midst of the chase to find Death in the hospital, Ianto's internet search for Duroc's "hunger that knows no bounds" keeps sending him to Weightwatchers. Again, a funny scene in the midst of all the death. Duroc is a fabulous creation, all dust and smoke shrouding a skeleton. His victims are obviously terrified, and his appearances are splendidly effective. It's not all comedy, by any means. Matt Jones has really done a good job here. He's got the tone exactly right, balancing the fun and the shocks; and the cast handle it all well too. It being gone three in the morning, I'm probably forgetting lots of points that I should be making, but since I'm fast heading for the Completely Unintelligible Zone - as indicated, to me at least, by how many tries it took to type "unintelligible" just then. So more fool me for just typing it again, really - it's probably best that I shut up. So I will. I would just like to point out, though, that "Dead Man Walking" is really, really good. It's right up there with Cath Treganna's stuff, which is high praise coming from me. You've come a long, long way since Fluid Links, Matt. Well done. :)
Jack's mysterious contact, and her Donny Osmond card. Or is it Rob Lowe?
Jack brings Owen back, but forgets that, where Torchwood and gloves are concerned, things will always go Not As Planned.
"Who's laughing now?!" Jack, not being Bruce Campbell. Honest. ;)
Owen, possessed by Duroc.
Owen and Jack share a meaningful moment whilst locked in a cell. As you do.
"Woodshed." *Snigger*
Ianto's ready for battle. Or for a ball. One or the other.
Death makes a grab for Jack. Sucker.
Duroc's final struggle, as he meets his match in Owen.
Next time it's Joe Lidster, Big Finish writer par excellence. And Owen being dead summore. Poor Owen. :( Still - Joe Lidster! Hurrah!
PS: I was right, I did forget something. "When you've been around as long as I have"?! Jack, you're not two hundred years old yet, and you're finding it boring? You've ceased to notice the "flecks and the bricks"? Good grief, man. Lighten up. Less than two hundred years, and you're still learning. There's still so much you haven't seen. Think of the books, the places, the people, the music. And quit moping, and go have some fun...
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