Oh, Torchwood. If I had to give you a report card, I’d be the teacher that always writes, “Does not reach potential.” When you’re good, you’re VERY good. Unfortunately, most of the time you’re really only GOOD to OK. Tonight was pretty much just OK.

This is the third episode of an arc that has seen Dr. Who’s Martha Jones join the team as the resident doctor because their regular guy, Dr. Owen Harper, managed to get himself killed and resurrected, but isn’t quite “alive.”  Read on for what worked, what didn’t, and a slightly spoilery summary of events.

Background:

Two episodes ago, Captain Jack brought his friend Martha Jones, now a full doctor working with UNIT, in for advice. Her first appearance was great. She was front and center and her banter with the crew worked perfectly, especially her scenes with Jack. They didn’t really go into any detail about their adventures together with the Doctor. It was enough that they simply knew and trusted one another. The episode ended with Owen taking a bullet and dying. The following episode, Jack tracked down the 2nd Resurrection Glove and used it to revive Owen for a few minutes to say his goodbyes.

Except it worked differently than in Season One and Owen stayed awake. Martha stuck around to check on why Owen is the way he is and to perform his duties at Torchwood as team doctor. Owen has his memories and is animated, but has no feeling and his bodily functions have stopped working. He can’t enjoy any of his past vices such as sex or beer. I honestly feel for the guy, and considering what an ass Owen used to be, that’s credit to the writers and the actor, Burn Gormen, who create Owen as the character we know.

Summary:

In “A Day in the Death”, Owen spends the night on a rooftop with a suicidal jumper. He tells her his recent story and how bad he has things. The ep features the Torchwood team focusing on a growing energy source. They’ve known about it for years, and it’s in the possession of a wealthy man who has secluded himself at his mansion. They’ve left him alone, but the alien energy emanating from his  home is going off the charts and they need to shut this thing down.

The big problem is that the guy’s home is protected by guards and multiple cameras and heat sensors. Owen volunteers to break in since he has field experience and doesn’t give off any body heat. He also knows he’s expendable.

Owen successfully breaks in and talks to the elderly man who has an alien device he has named “The Pulse” that he thinks keeps him alive, in his very sick state (he’s had two heart attacks). Owen analyzes the device and tells the man it hasn’t been doing anything for him – it’s simply been the man’s sense of hope that has kept him alive. At that moment, he has another heart attack, but without any real breath to speak of, Owen cannot perform even simple CPR. The Pulse begins to grow in its energy signature and with no time to get rid of it, Owen tells the team that he intends to try to absorb the energy because he thinks the Pulse is sentient. Toshiko is the most upset because she and Owen have finally expressed their feelings for one another and now he’s about to die.

But Owen doesn’t die. He absorbs the energy and Martha says it’s keeping him animated and stable. But she can’t tell how long it will keep him alive. The ep ends with Owen talking to the suicidal girl and explaining that if she can’t take the pain anymore, to jump. But if she has even one small glimmer of happiness in her life, like friends or family, then she needs to hold onto that hope and live. She learns that Owen isn’t suicidal himself, and that he came up there just to talk her down, which works.

The episode ends with the team wishing Martha well as she goes back to UNIT.

What worked for me:

I finally like Owen. He can’t be the ladies man anymore, and he can barely even fight because his body won’t heal breaks or cuts. He’s become much more objective about how others see him and he treats others compassionately.

The direction also made the episode feel very somber and lonely, which was appropriate for the story matter.

Finally, the actual break-in to the mansion was pretty cool.

What didn’t work for me:

Martha had next to nothing to do for the second episode in a row. A waste of the awesome Freema Agyemann. Ianto didn’t have any great quips. Jack wasn’t front and center.

Torchwood works best with monsters, action scenes, and comedy. It wants to be Buffy/Angel, so LET IT.  Also, more castles.

I’d be curious to see if anyone thinks I’m being too harsh on this particular episode or not tough enough? I definitely enjoy it while it’s on, but have seen better episodes so I know it’s capable of a lot more. Next week’s episode looks to have a lot more action and humor, so I’m looking forward to giving it another chance.

For this episode, I give it 2.5 WELSH FLAGS out of 5.

photo credit: Brainless Angel

Torchwood airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. GMT on BBC 2, and then on at Saturday nights at 9 p.m ET on BBC America. “A Day In The Death” was written by Joseph Lidster and was directed by Andy Goddard.