Series
3 of Torchwood builds to a frenzied
close in this gut-punching finale.
Feeling they’ve been handed a Hobson’s choice by the 4-5-6, the
government sets its reprehensible plan into motion, and it’s up to Jack to
neutralize the alien threat, and even more urgently, to save the world from
itself. Unfortunately, Jack is faced
with a terrible choice of his own. I’m
telling you, that RTD, he really knows how to go “to the pain.”
And
Frobisher… PC has a few scenes in this episode that are just jaw-droppingly
stunning. He can show so much emotion
without a syllable of dialogue and with such minimal changes in his
expression. After everything he’s given
to his government – his years, his peace of mind, the morals he must have had
once – it cares about him so little, and there’s a horrible sinking moment when
he finally realizes it. If you were to
take screenshots of the beginning and the end of this moment, the physical difference
between the two would be fractional, but they’d convey entirely different emotions.
Honestly, one of the best performances I’ve seen from him so far.
Final
words for Torchwood:
Accent Watch
Okay, I
know I said RP, but I kept second-guessing myself throughout. What’s interesting is, I think he generally sounds
RP in scenes at work – with his staff, the prime minister, and the 4-5-6 – but
the Scottish comes through a lot in scenes
with his wife and daughters. Since his
wife is Scottish (the character – not sure about the actress), that could’ve
made it harder for him to keep the RP going.
He wouldn’t be the first actor to struggle in that area, and PC isn’t an
accent ninja to start with. But we’re
talking lots of Scottishness. I almost wonder if Frobisher is a Scottish
man trying to sound posh for his job (apparently he’s never met Malcolm Tucker,
proof that a Glaswegian can get ahead in government,) but that might be giving
PC a bit too much credit.
Recommend?
In
General
– I’m still not sure. There’s definitely
stuff to like – some fine storytelling, great acting, effective directing – but
also major flaws and incredibly dark
material. Some fans love “CoE,” and
others stopped watching Torchwood
over it. Use your best judgment, I
guess?
PC-wise – My first instinct
is to say, “Yes, yes, yes – why aren’t you watching it yet? – yes!!” However, I realize I should temper that a
little. PC is fantastic as Frobisher, but Frobisher is an awfully dark character
who does some majorly bad things. If you
tend to hold actors accountable for the actions of their less savory characters
(if, for instance, you can’t bring yourself to like Guy Pearce because Mondego
was such a d-bag in The Count of Monte
Cristo,) then seeing this role might make it hard for you to take to him as
the Doctor later on.
Warnings
I know
I’ve already mentioned the violence and the dark subject matter, but this
episode has a couple of particularly upsetting scenes of violence, both
involving children.
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