Torchwood: Countrycide

[delericho]

Sky One has started the third season of Lost opposite Torchwood now, so I'm not sure which one I'll watch and which I'll record from now on. Last night, it was Torchwood that was chosen, since a double episode of Lost would have led to me going to bed too late. But, was it any good?

The episode featured the team leaving Cardiff for an investigation into disappearances in the country. They soon conclude that they're dealing with flesh-eating aliens who have slipped through an expanding rift...

The good: the episode was significantly better than last week. At times, it was actually quite scary.

The bad: for the second week in a row, I found myself wondering just when it would end. The episode seemed to drag for quite a while at around the 30 minute mark. And I'm sure I've seen it before, which would be a neat trick. Did the X-Files do the same story?

Spoilers:

Spoiler

I was also very dismayed at how amateurish the team have shown themselves to be. My opinion of them started to slide with Cyberwoman, with their cunning plan to open the doors after deliberately engaging lockdown to confine the threat, slipped further last week with their being totally ineffective, and dropped again this week. Not only did they lose their van, and all the gear in it, but they didn't carry any short-range communications gear (surely a must in a mobile phone fade area?), never once thought "what kind of an alien knows how to drive?", and repeatedly split the party so that single members were isolated.

Oh, and the other thing that really bugged me: why is it that becoming a mass-murderer automatically grants you mad ninja skilz?

 

[Fast Learner]

I agree that the ep was actually scary, which was pretty cool, and I agree with your criticisms, too. The whole gang is stunningly amateurish.

Looks like next week is going to be one of those that Horace (iirc) is going to hate.

 

[dravot]

I enjoyed it, and I'm willing to overlook the amateurish stuff this time... but if it becomes a standard plot device, it'll start pissing me off.

 

[Huw]

I liked it. Ripped off enough different horror films to make you wonder exactly what was going on, but I agree that it did sag a bit in the middle. "The Ghost Machine" is still my favourite episode, but now I'm interested enough to see the whole series through.

Regarding the team's amateurishness, it seems that they're very good at the bits they're trained to do (Owen's medical skills, Toshiko's computer skills - but wasn't she a doctor in Doctor Who?), but when it comes to action and infiltration, they've only got some basic training. Besides, they never know what they'll be facing, so adaptability is more valuable than skill in a specialist area. As any CoC players can tell you, combat skill is only useful when you can actually hurt what you're fighting.

 

[Fast Learner]

I agree that flexibility is good, but the lack of, say, radios is more amateurish than I think an agency like that can stomach.

 

[sniffles]

The 'Declassified' for 'Countrycide' pointed out that the team were out of their element in the countryside, away from all of their equipment at the Hub. And I think they were a bit overconfident, too. They were so convinced that events had to be due to some extraterrestrial influence. That was what made the episode so creepy.

I hope they don't do another episode like that, though. I don't like horror movies. I'm really glad they didn't show long lingering closeups of the props. The closeups in the 'Declassified' were pretty gruesome.

The Gwen/Owen thing is not going to go well.

 

[amethal]

I was just glad someone finally showed the Welsh countryside as it really is.

Man, I had some scary times when I was growing up.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

There was a really funny bit when Gwen and Jack were entering one of the houses from outside, and when they cut to their entrance, you can see clearly that they are entering from a different room inside the house. I guess they couldn't get the right lighting from an outdoor entrance? Kind of killed the drama of the moment (for me).

Otherwise, I have to echo the amateurishness of the team sentiment.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I've been bothered by the clumsiness since the first episode. I mean, was it a joke that in the first episode Gwen said she was joining some "special ops" "elite" unit?

Bumbling works the Doctor on occassion. It doesn't for Torchwood, it ruins it.

 

[meomwt]

I thought that this episode was the best to date, made even nastier by the eventual "reveal" of just who was behind the killings...