Episode #181 : The Runaway Bride

Donna: Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!

The Doctor: I'm... I'm not... I'm not - I'm not from Mars.

Episode 181:   The Runaway Bride.
Companions:   10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:         25th December 2006.

Killer Santas, exploding baubles, an alien spaceship shaped like a giant star — Christmas with the Tenth Doctor is anything but a silent night.

The Runaway Bride was the second Christmas special for the revamped show. Thankfully the Christmas elements are toned down and other than some robot Santas's you don't really notice. Unfortunately as the Christmas specials go on I find it jarring somewhat that they are all set on Christmas day. So much for time travel.

Anyway, this episode sees the arrival of Donna Noble who, a couple seasons from now, will make a return as a regular companion for the Doctor. Donna is played by well known comedienne Catherine Tate. Other than one or two of her "characters" I don't find her very funny and I remember thinking that when she was announced as a the companion for the episode. I was pleasantly surprised that she fitted in well even with a somewhat dim and obnoxious personality. Donna does make a nice change to the regular type of female companion.

The villains of the story are an extinct race of spider-centaur beings called the Racnoss who were wiped out by the Time Lords in the early days of the universe. The effects for the Empress of the Racnoss are top notch. Unfortunately I doubt we will see them again now.

Three things are brought to light in this story. One is the first mention of Gallifrey in the modern incarnation of the show and the second is the Doctor's growing darkness. Donna tells him near the end that he needs to find someone to keep him in check. The Doctor has lost many companions over the years and you can see that it may weight heavy on his shoulders but the growing concept of the "lonely god" is pushed too hard in this instance. A part of modern television styles I guess. Lastely when the Racnoss ship appears over London the military have orders to destroy it from "Mr Saxon". Who could that be? We'll find out all too soon.

All in all the plot isn't bad and it is an enjoyable story. It is typical of modern Who though in the silliness elements that creep in. I don't mean the cool personality quirks of the Doctor as they have always been there but there are elements dropped into the episode that just make me roll my eyes at times as I am sure I have mentioned before.

There is one plot issue that is left open for me and that is the robot Santas's. Were they the same ones as from the prior Christmas and if so, were they nothing to do with the Sycorax last time but working for the Racnoss?

TW #11 : Combat

Owen: I didn't want saving.

Jack: You want us to apologize?

Owen: For a few seconds in that cage, I felt totally at peace...And the you blunder in. Do you always know best, Jack? Is that what you believe?

Episode 11:    Combat.
Companions:   Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper and Ianto Jones.
Air Date:         24th December 2006.

Savage aliens are being kidnapped from the streets of Cardiff, and Torchwood want to know why. Owen is sent undercover to find out who's behind it and soon befriends the charismatic Mark Lynch. Beneath the veneer of city life, Owen discovers a shocking subculture: can he avoid being sucked in?

In Combat, the team investigate the kidnapping of Weevils from the steeds of Cardiff. Owen finds that there is a "fight club" of sorts where men risk their live to enter a cage with one of the savage creatures for as long as possible. It is a cliched idea that these men don't see life as worth living if there is no danger to keep them on their toes. After the loss of his love in the prior episode Owen finds himself drawn to the danger in order to feel alive.

On one hand the episode seems like a nice idea but it has been done so many times that it feels like flogging a dead horse. It also feels out of character for Owen. He is a negative individual and has serious issues but fighting Weevils seems wrong for him. Maybe it is just my perception but it means that I don't much enjoy this story. What would have made the story better is if it came with some back story for the weevils but again we are left with them as a simple plot device.

TW #10 : Out of Time

John: Good God!

Ianto: Welcome to the wonderful world of scantily-clad celebrities.

John: There are children around!

Ianto: She's a children's TV presenter.

Episode 10:    Out of Time.
Companions:  Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper and Ianto Jones.
Air Date:        17th December 2006.

When a plane from the 1950s lands in modern Cardiff, courtesy of the Rift, the passengers are reoriented by the Torchwood team, who becomes drawn closely to their lives.

Out of Time is a wonderful drama piece. You couldn't do this sort of tale in Doctor Who without adding something monstrous or science fiction to it, which would ruin it in my opinion. Torchwood handles it fantastically. The story deals with a trio who have travelled through time accidentally via air plane through the rift from the 1950's and how they adapt to living in the 21st century. For one the shock ends quickly and she makes a life for herself but things do not go well for the others.

The episode is a truly excellent piece of television before I even consider it part of the whoniverse. The episode is well written and the acting from everyone involved in spot on. The love story for Owen really adds something to his character that has been previously missing and when it doesn't turn out well for him the rest of the series takes the events of Out of Time into consideration. It isn't quietly forgotten. The reactions from the others and how times have changed for them in 60 years is wonderfully done.

Emma, the one  traveller for whom things turn out reasonably well leaves to go to London on the same day as the events of The Christmas Invasion take place. Strangely the events of that Doctor Who episode are never mentioned in Torchwood despite it being a major event.

Although there are no scary monsters or weird science fiction technobabble in this one I do feel it is one of the best Torchwood episodes we've had. If only the show had continued with this quality after the first season.

TW #9 : Random Shoes

"The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second. Pain travels through the body at 350 feet per second. Even a sneeze can reach a hundred miles per hour. And as for life? Well... that just bloody whizzes by."

Episode 9:     Random Shoes.
Companions: Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper and Ianto Jones.
Air Date:       10th December 2006.

A hit-and-run victim, obsessed with alien life, realises only one person can solve the mystery of his death: Gwen Cooper.

Random Shoes is the unfortunate Torchwood equivalent of Love & Monsters. It just blatantly doesn't fit in at all and has such a weak premise. The episode revolves around the "ghost" of one Eugene Jones who is killed in a car accident and now follows around Gwen while she investigates his death. It is played out as a series of flashbacks with narration from Eugene. The story barely features the rest of the Torchwood team other than Gwen. Ultimately it is revealed to be an alien artifact that Eugene swallowed that has kept his spirit around. At the end he materialises briefly to save Gwen before vanishing into the light.

Much like the previous story it hints at something beyond death which is generally against what we know from the rest of Doctor Who. While that in itself doesn't bug me so much it is just the way the whole story is handled when I am sure the writers could have found something more interesting to design an episode around. I recommend avoiding this one completely.

TW #8 : They Keep Killing Suzie

"Death by Torchwood."

Episode 8:     They Keep Killing Suzie.
Companions: Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper and Ianto Jones.
Air Date:       3rd December 2006.

Torchwood is linked to a series of brutal murders around the city. As Jack and the team investigate, it becomes clear somebody wants their attention. What is Pilgrim — and how is it connected to a figure from Torchwood's past? The resurrection days are far from over. They have no choice but to bring back Suzie.

It has taken over half the season but we finally start to get towards the main plot behind the season with this story. Events set in motion before Gwen joined the team lead to a series of savage killings all pointed at Torchwood. Eventually the team are forced to resurrect Suzie Costello but something goes wrong and she doesn't die like all the others restored by the gauntlet. She has found a way to leach the life force from Gwen so that she can't die.

They Keep Killing Suzie is a really well done dark story that fits Torchwood much better than the sexual, supposedly mature themes of the early season. This and the following episode suddenly make you realise that the whole season has used death as it's undertone and now it hits you. In contrary to what has been said before and after in the Doctor Who universe it is strongly hinted at that there is something after death though it seems to be a black nothingness. Suzie says that something is moving in the dark. Is this the villain from the end of the season? I don't think it is ever really explained.

This is a really good story and one of the better Torchwood pieces in my opinion.