Toad-face

I am on leave both today and Monday. Hoorah!! So nice not to be at work and to fall out of my bed when I feel like it. And even nicer to have an extended weekend break. I intend on having a "pottering" day today, just taking it easy and doing things at my own pace. I may head into town to do a spot of Xmas shopping this afternoon, as I have to start this at some point. Not sure I can cope with the stress though. These days it's far easier to get everything you want via the internet, which makes life so much better for lazy oiks like me...

Anyway, lest you are wondering what the title of this post refers to, it's how a friend of mine described the character of Owen Harper from "Torchwood". That's him above. My good pal and I had a fun email discussion with regards to the merits / non-merits of the aforementioned Owen, with me taking the stance that he was reasonably sexy (in a non-obvious kind of way) and my friend arguing that he wasn't sexy atall - "unless you find lipless, toad-faced people atttractive". He he he. In fact if you look at the picture, I have to concede there is a certain amphibian-like quality about Owen. On a comparative scale, Captain Jack and Ianto are much better-looking and more shaggable, although Owen does have rather a nice body (going by the glimpses we got of him in the nude before, mmm...). Anyway more on toad-face in a bit...

Unfortunately, since watching the latest "T-Wood" episode, "Countrycide", the other night, my estimation of the show is starting to plumet. Rapidly. So far the programme has contained enough elements to make it watchable, but it's certainly no masterpiece and seems flawed in many respects. To put it simply, I thought "Countycide" was nothing less than a pile of old pantaloonies.

In this episode the team investigate a series of gruesome deaths in a tiny village in the Brecon Beacons. However (SPOILER ALERT!) it turns out that the cause of the deaths isn't an alien creature but ... human cannibals ...!! This "revelation" toward the end of the episode was anti-climatic to say the least and made it the least sci-fi / fantasy-oriented of the stories in the series so far. I mean, cannibals in a deserted village? So what?? Okay, so technically I suppose one could argue that cannibals are "different" to your average human being in terms of tastes and lifestyle, and so might be classed as "alien". But on the whole - not a very imaginative or well-thought up concept. There was also a conspicuous lack of back-story. How long had these people existed in the village? And more importantly, why had they become cannibals? All we got was a cursory "Because it makes me happy" comment from the guy at the end, which okay, was a bit sinister, but also a cop-out i.e. askewed any significant or meaningful explanation.

The whole episode as a whole was a run-around in the countryside without much depth. There were a few tense moments, but this was just the stock stuff of any generic horror movie. Admittedly, setting the episode in the Brecon Beacons made a change from the claustrophobia of the "Hub", but then again, the previous week's offering "Small Worlds" took place in other locations too, and that episode was considerably higher in quality. What it comes down to is the difference in writing and presentation of ideas, and "Small Worlds" fared so much better in these areas.

Character development was pretty cr*p - after several weeks I'm still finding it hard to care about the Torchwood team. Toshiko is a virtual non-entity. Why was Ianto, normally assigned to look after the "shopfront" of the Torchwood hub, allowed to join the team on the outing? And ... getting back to the subject of old toad-face, the Gwen-Owen thing just seems ridiculous. My friend commented that the scene in the wood, where Owen forces himself on Gwen and pushes her against a tree, was disturbing, on a par with rape / sexual harrassment, and I have to agree. What seemed particularly unrealistic was how quickly Gwen gave in to Owen's demands, regardless of the fact that she already has a boyfriend. By the end of the episode she and Owen are clearly shagging. You slut, Gwen! What about poor old Rhys? What about morality and having a conscience?? Up until that point I'd quite liked Gwen's character but I'm not so sure now. By the end of Series One she'll probably have shagged everyone in the Hub (including the pterodactyl). Besides all that, I really don't think there has been any sufficient character development in previous episodes to suggest a growth in Gwen's relationship with Owen. It's just kind of happened, which to me seems wholly unrealistic, unless lying on top of one another when stuck in a cupboard (see "Cyberwoman") suddenly constitutes a relationship?? (Well it might do if you're on the gay scene, ha ha).

Okay, that's my rant now officially over boys and girls! Like my friend Stephen who has similar misgivings about the show, I will continue to soldier on and watch it, in the hope that things will improve. At least we've got the Sarah-Jane spin-off to look forward to, although as this will be broadcast as part of CBBC, I am already worried that there will be too much of a kiddie-emphasis. Elisabeth Sladen is such a brilliant actress and deserves decent material to work with, not childish pap. Time will tell ...

Right. Must drag myself away from this computer and do something. Like step outside the flat ..... nooooo!!

Have a good one and don't be a tart like Gwen. It'll only end in tears and your partner wouldn't appreciate it one little bit, you know.

OC xx