"Haven't you noticed the absence of killing?"
So this has been the busiest week ever. Monday through Wednesday was eight hours of work each day, come home, then solid non-work-related work until bed, with only a break for dinner. Yesterday, I attempted to catch up on the many tabs I have open (still so many, OMG), and will probably be doing that tomorrow as well.
And since this is the only thing I seem to post about lately (what, I'm behind on pretty much every other show I watch in the summer!), I wanted to talk about last week's Torchwood for a second. I'd planned to make this post last weekend, but since I'm not used to this new sleep schedule yet, I ended up mostly sleeping the weekend away. :\ Hopefully that won't happen this weekend, since I have all of the things to do.
But anyway, a few thoughts on last week's episode, before tonight's airs:
Episode 4x04: Escape to L.A.
The short version is that Esther is an idiot, Rex is a douche, Gwen should never ever ever do an American accent ever again, and Jack looks hot in that delivery uniform (green is so his color).
The less short version:
I feel for Esther, I really do, with the situation with her sister, but wow her behavior was dumb. She's apparently never seen a spy movie or anything else where people are on the run and the bad guys who are looking for them stake out their friends/relatives. No sympathy for that dumb behavior. Although Gwen wasn't any better, considering she completely missed the guy in all black with the giant telephoto lens taking photos of her from the beach. Maybe she thought he was a paparazzo? Regardless, everyone's distracted by something, and it's not good for their success.
Also, what did Esther think was going to happen when child protective services saw that house? Rex was right to call her on this, even though he could have been a bit less horrible about it (no he couldn't, really, it's Rex).
Both she and Rex have got it rough, what with family situations that would be pretty sucky on their own, but are just compounded and made worse by the whole miracle thing. I do feel bad for both of them. Rex's confrontation with his father was heart-wrenching. It doesn't excuse the douche-itude, but it goes a long way to explaining some of his behavior. I hope they explore the family angle with the two of them some more, especially since family seems to be a pretty big theme this season (Gwen's dad, Rhys and Anwen, etc.).
I loved the burly landlord and his cafe that makes a great "guava jalapeño cheese tart." So California! Also, I want to try that; it sounds amazing. And LOLOL at Gwen and Rhys's first phone conversation! Love them so so much. "Is that a seagull?" "No it's a mad woman on a rampage." Everything about the scenes by the beach (both outside and in their safe house) was just perfect.
And Rhys and the baby! ♥♥♥♥♥
Everything about the hospital scenes was just awful, from the conditions, to the woman abandoning her elderly father, but especially Oswald Danes and the tiny child. So horrible, and so well done. Bill Pullman is so good at these grandiose speeches. I kept wanting him to tell the other zombies (well, they kind of are) that today was their independence day. His performance just gets better and better every week. I also liked that bit of business in the hotel room when he opened all of the seltzer water bottles in the mini bar, and how pleased he was by it. And by the thermostat and the great mattress. There's more than one reason he's glad to be out of prison.
I like that although she's in deep on the bad side, Jilly is only working with Oswald to suit herself (or for some nefarious PhiCorp-related purposes), not because she feels anything but loathing for him. Also, she is so freaking adorable!
The Oswald Danes/Ellis Hartley Monroe rivalry was played so fantastically. What a horrible woman. Not that she's even close to as bad as he is, but she's so awful because she's so realistic. There are a ton of people just like her trying to ruin our country right now. The monsters aren't all larger than life or not of this earth (there had better be aliens at some point, or I'm going to be so annoyed). All of the segregating the dead and living was interesting (for all of the parallels to various RL events in history), and I really liked the irony of her assuming the dead would all die and go to heaven (or wherever) when the world is reverted back to normal when we know there's nothing after death in this universe.
The way her storyline ended(?) was pretty much perfect. Loved her being crushed by the car! So hilarious and gruesome at the same time.
C. Thomas Howell! I think I'm the only person who's never seen The Outsiders, but I've seen him in a bunch of stuff. Although, it's been about 15 years, so I totally didn't recognize him at all. But on rewatching, IDK how I didn't, because it was obviously him. Just wasn't expecting to see him so soon, I guess. He was so great, though, and I'm sad his character is probably out of the picture.
Poor Nicholas Frumkin! It's not going to be fun for him surviving without one of his eyes and part of his hand. Yuck.
Loved how badass team Torchwood continues to be. Gwen and Jack getting Frumkin's info (A++ Doctor Who reference there with Jack's alias being John Smith), getting into the server room (wow, Gwen's outfit, rawr), and Rex running up 66 flights of stairs with a bad heart and a hole in his chest. Terrible timing, though, bro. But the show would have been a lot shorter if the hit man had revealed who he was working for. I find it really interesting that the hit man's questions for Jack seem to indicate that whoever he works for doesn't understand or know why Jack's still alive. So what do they want with him, then?
Also, specific geography?
I am starting to have a theory about who's behind all this and why, but I want to watch tonight's episode, which starts too soon for me to try and write this out I'm a way that makes sense. So, after episode five, probably. Although the hit man and the voice in the car made me think The Silence, but that would be the strangest Doctor Who crossover, ever.
Next episode it looks like Rhys (and Andy?) might start to get involved with the bigger picture with Gwen's dad being put in an overflow camp. If so, yay, because I miss them.
Overall, this was a great episode. The plot is really starting to move along, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.
Whew, made it with seconds to spare!
And since this is the only thing I seem to post about lately (what, I'm behind on pretty much every other show I watch in the summer!), I wanted to talk about last week's Torchwood for a second. I'd planned to make this post last weekend, but since I'm not used to this new sleep schedule yet, I ended up mostly sleeping the weekend away. :\ Hopefully that won't happen this weekend, since I have all of the things to do.
But anyway, a few thoughts on last week's episode, before tonight's airs:
Episode 4x04: Escape to L.A.
The short version is that Esther is an idiot, Rex is a douche, Gwen should never ever ever do an American accent ever again, and Jack looks hot in that delivery uniform (green is so his color).
The less short version:
I feel for Esther, I really do, with the situation with her sister, but wow her behavior was dumb. She's apparently never seen a spy movie or anything else where people are on the run and the bad guys who are looking for them stake out their friends/relatives. No sympathy for that dumb behavior. Although Gwen wasn't any better, considering she completely missed the guy in all black with the giant telephoto lens taking photos of her from the beach. Maybe she thought he was a paparazzo? Regardless, everyone's distracted by something, and it's not good for their success.
Also, what did Esther think was going to happen when child protective services saw that house? Rex was right to call her on this, even though he could have been a bit less horrible about it (no he couldn't, really, it's Rex).
Both she and Rex have got it rough, what with family situations that would be pretty sucky on their own, but are just compounded and made worse by the whole miracle thing. I do feel bad for both of them. Rex's confrontation with his father was heart-wrenching. It doesn't excuse the douche-itude, but it goes a long way to explaining some of his behavior. I hope they explore the family angle with the two of them some more, especially since family seems to be a pretty big theme this season (Gwen's dad, Rhys and Anwen, etc.).
I loved the burly landlord and his cafe that makes a great "guava jalapeño cheese tart." So California! Also, I want to try that; it sounds amazing. And LOLOL at Gwen and Rhys's first phone conversation! Love them so so much. "Is that a seagull?" "No it's a mad woman on a rampage." Everything about the scenes by the beach (both outside and in their safe house) was just perfect.
And Rhys and the baby! ♥♥♥♥♥
Everything about the hospital scenes was just awful, from the conditions, to the woman abandoning her elderly father, but especially Oswald Danes and the tiny child. So horrible, and so well done. Bill Pullman is so good at these grandiose speeches. I kept wanting him to tell the other zombies (well, they kind of are) that today was their independence day. His performance just gets better and better every week. I also liked that bit of business in the hotel room when he opened all of the seltzer water bottles in the mini bar, and how pleased he was by it. And by the thermostat and the great mattress. There's more than one reason he's glad to be out of prison.
I like that although she's in deep on the bad side, Jilly is only working with Oswald to suit herself (or for some nefarious PhiCorp-related purposes), not because she feels anything but loathing for him. Also, she is so freaking adorable!
The Oswald Danes/Ellis Hartley Monroe rivalry was played so fantastically. What a horrible woman. Not that she's even close to as bad as he is, but she's so awful because she's so realistic. There are a ton of people just like her trying to ruin our country right now. The monsters aren't all larger than life or not of this earth (there had better be aliens at some point, or I'm going to be so annoyed). All of the segregating the dead and living was interesting (for all of the parallels to various RL events in history), and I really liked the irony of her assuming the dead would all die and go to heaven (or wherever) when the world is reverted back to normal when we know there's nothing after death in this universe.
The way her storyline ended(?) was pretty much perfect. Loved her being crushed by the car! So hilarious and gruesome at the same time.
C. Thomas Howell! I think I'm the only person who's never seen The Outsiders, but I've seen him in a bunch of stuff. Although, it's been about 15 years, so I totally didn't recognize him at all. But on rewatching, IDK how I didn't, because it was obviously him. Just wasn't expecting to see him so soon, I guess. He was so great, though, and I'm sad his character is probably out of the picture.
Poor Nicholas Frumkin! It's not going to be fun for him surviving without one of his eyes and part of his hand. Yuck.
Loved how badass team Torchwood continues to be. Gwen and Jack getting Frumkin's info (A++ Doctor Who reference there with Jack's alias being John Smith), getting into the server room (wow, Gwen's outfit, rawr), and Rex running up 66 flights of stairs with a bad heart and a hole in his chest. Terrible timing, though, bro. But the show would have been a lot shorter if the hit man had revealed who he was working for. I find it really interesting that the hit man's questions for Jack seem to indicate that whoever he works for doesn't understand or know why Jack's still alive. So what do they want with him, then?
Also, specific geography?
I am starting to have a theory about who's behind all this and why, but I want to watch tonight's episode, which starts too soon for me to try and write this out I'm a way that makes sense. So, after episode five, probably. Although the hit man and the voice in the car made me think The Silence, but that would be the strangest Doctor Who crossover, ever.
Next episode it looks like Rhys (and Andy?) might start to get involved with the bigger picture with Gwen's dad being put in an overflow camp. If so, yay, because I miss them.
Overall, this was a great episode. The plot is really starting to move along, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.
Whew, made it with seconds to spare!