Careful now… that’s three excellent episodes almost running concurrently… four if you allow for certain weaknesses in the close of Countrycide. This was great to watch and actually proved even better on a second run through, because somehow I missed some of the details in the first viewing. Like the other good episodes in the series so far, it benefited from trying to be itself and not trying too hard to be something else… if you know what I mean. Bringing Suzie back created some internal continuity and provided a chance to show just how isolating, maddening and damned terminal a position at Torchwood can be. When you die, Torchwood claims you… body and soul.
Interesting to see some more tidbits about Jack – and the ominous announcement by Suzie that something lies out in the void beyond life and it wants our troubled Captain back. Nice to see the local police getting their own back and having a bit of fun at the expense of Torchwood. I feel it’s important to maintain some sort of link with reality – Jack and Co. simply can’t go running around all the time expecting to get away with anything without any consequence or repercussions from local law enforcement and the military.
Weak point of the episode… I know night can transition into dawn and the light of morning quite quickly… but Owen made it clear Gwen had about 45 minutes left to live – and it was dark outside. When Suzie got Gwen to the ferry – with only moments left of the latter’s life – we found the sky bright and blue. Needed to have a twinge more dawn light in the earlier scene to make the bright daylight of the later scene seem right for less than an hour later…
Of course someone can always prove me wrong… and then this will be a near perfect episode.