Reviews: Torchwood & Jericho

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.5, "Adam"

Cath Tregenna, you are not the weakest link. Her background as a playwright makes her an ideal writer of character-driven stories that further develop who those characters are. She succeeds once again, but this time she tears the scabs off of old emotional wounds and pours salt into them, forcing Captain Jack to give up something very precious to save the day. As promised, we learn more about Jack's past, but we also learn more about each team member and the emotional scars they hide. Tregenna's emotionally gripping script is matched by the quality of the acting. This may be her finest work on the show yet.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.6, "Reset"

J.C. Wilsher, best known as the creator of the police drama Between the Lines, serves up a fun but suspenseful story where investigation and undercover work are key ingredients. Compared to the darkness of "Adam", "Reset" is much lighter in tone. At least until the final scene, which ends the episode like a punch to the gut. Also, a certain character appears in the episode, namely...

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

...Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor! Squee! Martha has earned her medical degree and now serves as a medical officer for UNIT, a position she was recommended for by the Doctor himself. I love Martha and I'm so happy to see her again, more confident than ever due to her experiences traveling in a blue police box. Many references to the Doctor are made by Martha and Jack, including an explanation to one of the others that they "served under the same Doctor."

As for the gut punch, it's seeing Owen being shot dead. I knew something bad would happen, because earlier he finally accepts Toshiko's offer of a date. However, considering revelations about Owen in last season's "Combat" and the heavy presence of weevils in the preview of next week's episode, I have a hunch that his death may not be permanent.

Review: Jericho, Episode 2.1, "Reconstruction"

As fans know, the opening titles are set to morse code that spells out a different message each week. This episode's was so appropriate for a show that was canceled only to be revived due to fan support: "We're baaack". Indeed, they are. The second season premiere hits like gangbusters, rectifying the first season's cliffhanger ending and setting up the new ground rules for the town of Jericho. I like where it's going.