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28 February 2025
Directly after the end of Everything Changes, viewers were treated to Day One, the first episode in which Gwen officially becomes part of Torchwood. So we move away from discovering an outsider's point of view to discovering an insider's point of view. Does the episode manage to properly explore Gwen Cooper's first steps within the Torchwood team?
Well, obviously, Gwen is the central part of this episode and she's a very big positive. Indeed, even though she's part of Torchwood, it's interesting to show her awkwardness through her words and actions. I think it creates a bond between the viewer and Gwen, because she's like us, she's not a perfect person who succeeds at everything, no, she makes mistakes and blames herself for them. The episode even plays on our own beliefs, when Gwen thinks that the aliens are here to enslave us, when the reality is quite different.
The relationships between Gwen and the other people are pretty good, although not much to note, but the dialogue about the partners was great for showing that Gwen's personal life is in danger too. Knowing that everyone is alone and struggling to separate their work from their private lives plants a seed in the viewer's mind that being part of Torchwood isn't just a job you can forget about when you get home. In just one dialogue, stakes are set for the whole season, which is great. The dialogue is really interesting and full of foreshadowing, like the team not knowing anything about Jack, it's just a little conversation that could have been cut, but it adds so much to the episode. Also, a small mention for Gwen who humanises the team with her much more altruistic approach, we realise why we're following Torchwood the moment Gwen joins the team: she's going to change things, she'll be like a beacon reminding others how a human being with a heart should behave.
As for the antagonist... There's been a lot of talk about her. The concept is certainly immature, but I think it fits Torchwood rather well because we're faced with a mature concept altered by science fiction. It may be in bad taste to make an alien who feeds on orgasms, but you can't deny that the intention is there. Now, in reality, I have to admit that I'm disturbed to see sexual assault on screen as something humorous with all the jokes made by the characters. I don't think it's something that should be shown on television because of the influence it could have, taking all the gravity out of tragic events.
There's one character I really can't see and that's Owen. In my previous review, I wasn't kind to him and it's certainly not with this kind of episode that he's going to rise in my esteem. What stands out about him in this episode? That he's a pervert who enjoys seeing Gwen sexually assaulted. It's terrible, because that's two episodes in a row where we've seen him have a really disgusting mentality and nothing in the episode shows us that what he's doing is wrong.
I'd like to remember this episode for the way Gwen is treated which I think is really good. However, the story is really marred by these issues of consent being diminished for some reason. It's silly, the episode had potential, but preferred to stop at immature jokes disrespectful to victims of sexual assault.
Romy
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