This is one of the better Torchwood episodes from season 1. I think Suzie is an interesting character, and I like that she and Gwen share a lot of screen time in this one. The plot works quite well too, even if I do feel like they could’ve made better use of the resurrection glove across more episodes.

The only thing I don’t get is why she also had a thing for Owen. Honestly, the most unrealistic part of this show is that every woman in Torchwood seems to be attracted to that pile of garbage. At least he’s barely in this episode, and that’s a big plus!

I lowered my rating on this rewatch and now have it at a 3/5. Tosh just isn’t an interesting character, and this episode doesn’t do anything to change that. The premise is okay, but it feels really dragged out, there’s maybe a solid 20-minute story in there, tops.

Also, why did they think having Gwen cheat with Owen "the human garbage" Harper was a good idea? And even more confusing: why would Tosh like Owen? None of that makes any sense. It all feels forced and unearned.

All of this just makes the episode kind of boring and not really to my liking.

This is one of the best episodes of the season, definitely the best we’ve seen so far in the club. I really like the mystic vibe the whole episode has. But even with that, I didn’t find it that amazing. The villains feel kind of generic, and I wish they had been more fleshed out. I’m all for a “humans are the real monsters” storyline, but I still want some actual motivation behind the madness.

Then we have the main issue with the show: the characters. I still feel nothing for Ianto and Tosh. Jack and Gwen are okay. Owen is awful.

I think @dema1020 summed it up perfectly in his review of this episode on the site, so I’m just going to quote him:

It feels a little overplayed and I just don’t get much of anything out of Gwen and Owen. Owen’s character is just presented as so ugly from the start it really is hard to feel much other than disdain for him, so it is rough to see him paired with the audience stand-in. Once again, it feels more like Torchwood’s trademark version of haphazardly “adulting” Doctor Who, and the effects are laid pretty bare.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

The story is still good enough that it earns 4/5 but it had the potential to be higher and that is always frustrating...

I think this might be my favourite Torchwood episode so far. That could be because it mainly focuses on Jack and Gwen. A lot of the best parts of early Torchwood come from their relationship, they’re the only characters I really care about at this point.

The fairies are actually pretty good villains, and even though the stepfather is a bit of a parody of the evil stepdad trope, he makes for a satisfying final kill. It’s also interesting (and kind of chilling) that the girl just laughs when it happens, creepy in a good way.

That said, the story itself is still pretty basic. Nothing groundbreaking, but solid enough.

I rated this: 3/5.

I really don’t like Owen, and unfortunately he gets a lot of focus in this episode. The problem is, it’s not in a fun, “love to hate him” kind of way, it’s more of a “he’s ruining the series for me” situation. He’s a complete arsehole, and while that kind of character can work in some shows, it just doesn’t here.

It feels totally forced that he’s suddenly so upset about the man in this episode, especially when he literally sexually assaulted a couple two episodes ago and hasn’t shown much regard for life at any point. I don’t buy that he’s affected by this, it feels more like inconsistent writing than an actual character arc.

The rest of the cast still feels pretty meaningless at this point in the series, but I get that they’re being introduced gradually. Hopefully they get more to do soon.

The story in this episode is fine. Nothing special, really. Just okay.

I wanted to give early Torchwood another chance with the TV club, but honestly, I really don’t like this episode. There are a few okay things, like Gwen’s introduction to the organisation, but most of the story is just... bad.

A gas that makes the host super horny and kills the people she sleeps with? Really? Was this script written by a horny fifteen-year-old?

The scene where everyone just stands around and watches Gwen and the dangerous alien make out? Probably the worst moment in all of modern Doctor Who. It’s awkward, weird, and just not realistic that her colleagues stand around being horny while her life is clearly at risk. Owen is, of course, the worst offender here...

I actually ended up lowering my rating from the last time I watched, and I gave it a 2/5.

The mystery with Torchwood is set up well in this first episode. I like Gwen, and it's interesting to follow her as she finds out more about Captain Jack and Torchwood. It would have been a pretty good start to the series, if it wasn't for Owen...

During the montage where we're shown that the Torchwood team takes home alien tech even though they're not supposed to, we see that everyone does it because they're curious about it. Everyone except Owen. He uses it to get people to have sex with him, people who don’t want to have sex with him. That could have worked if it was used to show what an awful human being he is, but it’s not. It’s played for laughs.

In the end, I still give it 3.5/5, but it would be better if it just didn’t include Owen (and that’s not just true for this episode, it’s true for all of season 1).

A true historical with no sci-fi elements! Also surprisingly deep,with talk about soldiers being people with families on both sides of the Second World War, and that Heather’s granddad lost his life in the war. Might have been my favourite DWA comic so far. A good story that does a great job with only 5 pages.

First, we cannot talk about this episode without discussing the design of the Cyberwoman. What the hell! Why does she have a cyber bikini and why do the scientist have to tuch her that crepy. And why does she have heals! It is probebly the worst costume in all of the Whoniverse.

The story have some potential, if I try to ignore the costume (and that is a big if). But unfortnaly it do not rice above that. Ianto acts like an teenager that just have found out what love is and that is more important then anything. I dont think that this feels trustworty from a character that have seen what he has seen. Like he knows how bad the cybermen are and he saw what Lisa was able to do, when she killed the scientist and tried to convert Gwen. Offcourse that is a line that he would not accept her crossing. I dont care how much he cared about her before it just dont feel like realistic choices he makes in this.

I hate when love is protarted like this in media. It would have made a bit more sense if Lisa where Iiantos kid. But then they would not have been able to put her in that creepy costume…

Oooh, and why do Gwen en Owen kiss. That makes no sence at all. Who gets horny when ther life is on the line. Of course ashole number 1, Owen… This also starts Gwens jurney from being the only likeble character in the main cast to another unlikeble character.

I just had a wonderful time reading this to my four-year-old daughter. This was her introduction to the world of Doctor Who, and it does a fantastic job at that. It features time and space travel and adorable aliens. The story revolves around Lizzy, who feels lonely after moving to a new school and decides to run away from home. In the woods behind her house, she discovers a strange, big blue box...

It's a fun story for younger kids. After sharing this moment with my daughter, I couldn’t give it any other rating than 5/5.

Review of K9 S01E01 - Regeneration

This is the first episode of the Australian TV show based on the beloved Doctor Who character K9. Unfortunately, due to rights issues, there are no other callbacks to the original series.

The Story
The episode starts with a futuristic and fun intro, blending technology with dog-themed elements, immediately setting the tone for a light-hearted sci-fi show.

Two mysterious men in dark suits deliver a package to Professor Alistair Gryffen, who is wearing a strange helmet. He dismisses them curtly, revealing his edgy personality.

Meanwhile, in a futuristic London (where all the present London landmarks are gone), an edgy teen hacks into a floating screen above the river, and changes it to display:

"NOBODY THINKS
AND
NOBODY GETS HURT
A MESSAGE FROM
STARK REALITY"

Jorjie, a girl who admires his rebellious act, approaches him and offers her help. Starkey insists that STARK REALITY works alone. But then she reveals she knows his real name: Starkey. The edgy boy gets shocked that someone was able to connect that STARK REALITY was a guy called Starkey. Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Robot Police, but Starkey manages to escape with Jorjie, leading to an exciting chase through dark, foggy alleys.

The boy tries to hack a door. but his equipment breaks. The girl then just opens the door that was not looked at in the first case. This show manages to mix humor and actions flawlessly.

The building turns out to be the home of Professor Gryffen, who is conducting strange experiments. A portal opens, and the Professor gets excited upon seeing a woman and two kids, but Starkey accidentally disrupts the experiment by tripping on a wire, causing the portal to close and trapping them with four menacing aliens. Starkey gets trapped in a corner by one of the aliens and the alien starts to spit on him! ewwwww...

Just when things seem dire, K9 emerges from the portal and saves the day by fighting off the aliens. However, K9's power levels are low, and he is set to self-destruct. Starkey feels guilty and tries to save K9 only to witness K9's heroic sacrifice, which stops the aliens but also results in K9's destruction.

The story takes another twist as more aliens appear, and a new edgy character, Darius, arrives and flirts with Jorjie. But Jorjie is not impressed by our edgy new guy. I think she likes the other edgy guy. K9 then miraculously regenerates into a new, slick form.

The Robot Police came back and they arrested Starkey. His location was revealed to be due to a tip-off from Darius. Starkey gets imprisoned in a white version of The Matrix (the movie not the Gallifreyan one). But there is hope. Jorjie sneaks into the police station wearing cool sunglasses that allow her to communicate with Starkey. She informs him about the department's imprisonment of aliens, even friendly ones. This cool act by Jorjie ends with a comedic moment as Jorjie's mom calls to check if she is at ballet class and if she is wearing her new pink dress.

During the search for Starkey, the alien monsters antecedently release him from the White Matrix, only for him to be trapped in a dark and dirty cell. Once again, the alien spits on Starkey, adding to the gross-out factor.

The commotion in the cell draws the attention of a Robot Police guard, who comes to investigate. The alien attacks the guard, creating a distraction that allows Starkey to slip out of the cell and escape.

Starkey makes his way back to Professor Gryffen, where K9 scans him. However, the alien spit causes K9 to become confused and mistakenly identify Starkey as an alien. In a tense moment, Starkey insults K9 by calling him a dog, which somehow resets K9's system, allowing him to recognize Starkey again.

A woman from the department arrives, inquiring about Starkey and K9. The Professor and Darius cover for them, refusing to give them up.

The episode ends with our three young heroes discussing their next steps. The fate of the alien monsters remains unclear. Were they imprisoned by the Robot Police, or will they return in future episodes? We'll have to wait and see.

My Thoughts
This show suffers from poor acting and a plot that struggles with its tone, oscillating between serious and silly. It may appeal to die-hard Doctor Who fans who have exhausted all other content and enjoy campy sci-fi. I find it best suited for times when I'm too tired for more engaging shows.

The worst kind of mobile game. Pay or wait.

0.5/5

I can see that this episode has some flaws but it is fun in a way that I don't think the show has been for a couple of years. I did not realize how much I missed that. Gave it a 4.5 the first time I watched it but later changed that to a 3.5 but I still like this episode 😍

I listen to the audiobook of this. I think that I enjoyed it more than the TV episodes. A lot of the story is in the character's heads and thoughts and that fits well in a book. The story is still nothing special but it has some great moments.

3.5/5