Torchwood: 1.01: Everything Changes

[ladygiggs]

Just realised something, and give me a virtual kick in arse if this was obvious to everyone else, but (not sure if this is a 'real' spoiler)*why did the weevil have 'Torchwood' on his jumpsuit when Gwen and the audience first see him?*
Was it all a set up from the very beginning? Were Torchwood actively pursuing Gwen?

[Loner]

I think it must have been a test to see if Gwen was Torchwood material.

I mean Jack practically told her to go up to the top level of the carpark to get a good view of what the Torchwood team were doing. Well... with his eyes. He looked up, then she looked up and then realised she could view them from up there.

If you watch it again it looks pretty much like she was led from the start!

[ladygiggs]

I'm surprised she didn't notice the name on the jumpsuit actually. Coppers are supposed to notice details like that no?

[Loner]

Yeah but she's just a girl! Kidding!

[ladygiggs]

Well, Torchwood certainly don't credit the Cardiff police too much respect.

They make them out to look a bit slow and stupid. Always saying things like 'they should do their job for once'. What are they doing if they're not doing their jobs I wonder.

[Loner]

The series itself doesn't give them much credit. The standard answer to all Gwen's questions about Torchwood (before she joined it herself) was a "Dunno" and a disinterested shrug.
The only one who seemed to be doing their job seriously was the woman who investigated Harkness's history for Gwen!

[ladygiggs]

I know, the coppers do seem to just stand around with kebabs and cups of tea, planning their next football match.

[Lenny]

Just re-watched this one.

For a first episode, I at the time thought it was good, and still do. Speaking as someone who's seen them all, though, one or two things stand out.

*SPOLIERS FROM SERIES 1 & 2*

First, I could've sworn that RetCon pills kicked in in a matter of minutes? What about the Series 2 episode about Adam, or after Gwen and Rhys' wedding? In both of those we see the pills acting almost instantaneously (particularly in the Adam episode), but why did it take so long to affect Gwen in this episode (for those who can't remember, Jack takes her to a bar, she has a pint, small talk, he asks how her drink was, uh-oh!, Jack tells her about RetCon pills, she runs home and tries to type everything about Torchwood in a document (which Ianto deletes remotely). I'd estimate the whole process (getting home from the bar and typing things up) to take at least an hour).

Secondly - cor! Jack got up quick! In later episodes of Series 1 (the cyberwoman episode, f'rinstance, and), it takes Jack a lot longer to come back to life. Just pointing it out.

In all, a good start to the series.

And onto Day One!

[pyan]

*SPOILERS FROM SERIES 1 & 2*

Originally Posted by Lenny

First, I could've sworn that RetCon pills kicked in in a matter of minutes? What about the Series 2 episode about Adam, or after Gwen and Rhys' wedding? In both of those we see the pills acting almost instantaneously (particularly in the Adam episode), but why did it take so long to affect Gwen in this episode (for those who can't remember, Jack takes her to a bar, she has a pint, small talk, he asks how her drink was, uh-oh!, Jack tells her about RetCon pills, she runs home and tries to type everything about Torchwood in a document (which Ianto deletes remotely). I'd estimate the whole process (getting home from the bar and typing things up) to take at least an hour).

Perhaps there are different strengths of Retcon pills, Lennis...

• Lo-Risk
• Normal, and
• RedAlert Emergency Strength....goes straight to the source of Security Breach!

[Lenny]

! Get your own spoiler alert, thief!!

It's possible. Either that or it's something Jack developed over time (that's something I completely forgot - the RetCon pills are Jacks own recipe).

Maybe I'll pick up on something as I go through the rest of Series 1. I seem to remember an episode before the finale in which Rhys was RetCon'd, or at least someone else.

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Lenny

! Get your own spoiler alert, thief!!

Patented it then?

It's all a bit inconsistant, anyway...half the police force on Cardiff and South Wales must know about them anyway, as they must be told to hand over certain cases to them, and most of the population must have seen the Torchwoodmobile scream past...they can't RetCon every person that ever comes into contact with them.

[Lenny]

There's an episode in S1 in which someone kills people to bring Torchwood out into the open... but I can't remember which.

Actually, that might be an interesting idea for a new topic - the blatant conspicuousness of Torchwood, and how much of a role it plays in keeping them secret (think the Monks of time that Vimes roots out in Pratchett's Night Watch - the ones who go around banging drums yet never get noticed).