Torchwood: Ghost Machine

(Originally written 29/7/13)

All I can say is holy crap. I absolutely loved watching this episode, and I do not recall doing so the first time around. But it’s very clear now that if Day One was a failure of a sci-fi-show-with-sex, Ghost Machine is a success.

 

Finally, the subject of rape is treated with the sensitivity that it deserves. It’s uncomfortable for the viewer to watch Lizzie being preyed upon, and that’s good. It’s so wonderfully apt for the misogynistic Owen to be the one to feel like the victim, and this shared emotion is carried through to the viewer during his accusation scene with Edwin Morgan. It was such a tense scene, with the superb direction making me feel like I was in the room with them. I pretty much know nothing about direction, but I know this was good. And even though Owen was obviously way out of line, he was still trying to do some good in a very Owen-y way. So it’s keeping in character.

And Owen also had some lighter things to do, like the backyard chase scene with Bernie and a short scene out with Tosh in a bar. This is subtle but I think it shows early signs of what’s to come between these two, since they actually appear to enjoy each other’s company outside of work.

Owen’s stuff was certainly more interesting to watch than Gwen’s. Completely disobeying Jack’s orders, she took the ghost machine out of Torchwood, apparently for the sole purpose of reliving cute moments with her boyfriend. Of course, why she actually pressed the button in the first place is a mystery which doesn’t really get explained. When you’re working with unknown alien objects, pressing random buttons is probably not a good idea. 

And one problem, which is more the fault of the writing than anything else, is the chat with Thomas Flanagan. He just gives this massive info-dump about being sent to Wales, not knowing anyone, being abandoned, being scared, being found and being taken in. I know he’s an old geezer, but I find it difficult to believe that he would talk that much about a subject which has no relevance to the reason Gwen was supposedly in the house.

But my final problem, in this sex-sensitive episode, is the sexualisation of Gwen’s firearms training. Putting aside the fact that she probably should have been taught this stuff before she even had her first day on the job (hey Jack, do you actually ask your field operatives if they can use guns?), she is learning to extinguish life here, so I really don’t think it’s appropriate for her to feel turned on because Jack is standing up against her. 

In spite of those few little things, this episode really raised the bar. And it was a real bonus to discover that it was written by a woman - Helen Raynor.