July 21, 2011

Day One (2006)

Day One is everything that I don’t like about Torchwood. Ok its trying to be different but as this was aired immediately after the first episode it was clear that this was nothing like Doctor Who. That's not a bad thing to be fair but I think that with swearing and quite over the top sex scenes this story is one of the worst episodes from this season. Written by Chris Chibnall this story sees Gwen start her first day with Torchwood (hence the title name) and it also sees an alien entity crash to earth, possess a young woman who starts getting intimate in a youthful way with several people. Now its not because I'm a Doctor Who fan (long time I should add) who is watching a show that has a Doctor Who link that I find the sight of a man pleasuring himself whilst watching two people get at it in a nightclub toilet before the bloke meets a different type of ending. This is another episode to show why Gwen’s involvement is important. You know that in the old Torchwood they would have found Cerys and just locked up her up but thanks to Gwen she is treated differently and there is a rather dull moment where the two of them embrace whilst Owen is watching on. This is like This Life but in Wales and not done as well.

Once we get over the unncersary sex scene at the beginning then the story settles down and becomes a slighty more manageable adventure and settles down to being a story about catching an alien threat an a battle of two different styles of working. Eve Myles is very good in this as she is the voice of reason in an organisation that is so blinkered in its view of what to with alien threats is that it forces Gwen to turn into a one woman police force. She does it well and it’s a nice bit of casting. John Barrowman also does well as in two episodes he has become detached from Doctor Who in my mind. He is the face of the old regime that Gwen is trying to change but Barrowman does a great job. Burn Gorman is still yet to impress me as all he has to do in this is enjoy a bit of girl on girl kissing and ending up nude. Also Tosh and Ianto aren’t really allowed to do much.

I think that this is the story is definitely the weakest story but I think that it’s a fine example of how far the shows come when your watching Children of Earth or Miracle Day. Even when its below par its got to go a long way to match the poorly thought through story of Day One. Thankfully the show would never reach this level of stupidty.

No comments:

Post a Comment