Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoEnd of Days
January 10th 2007 11:34
TORCHWOOD EPISODE 1.13 - "End of Days"
Well, here it is - the big season finale to Torchwood. It's been a varied and interesting show... it took a little while to find it's feet and pushed the boundaries of the Doctor Who universe a whole heap, but it really hit it's stride in the last six or so episodes, even setting up some interesting threads for further Torchwood adventures in the second season (which has been commissioned) and beyond.
This episode kicks off right in the middle of the fallout from Owen's rash decision in the last episode. The Rift has fractured, people from all through time are bleeding through to the modern-day... Roman soldiers, Cromwellian troops, space-ships from the future, and a terrifying outbreak of 13th century Black Plague are just some of the things that have popped up and become newfound responsibilities of Torchwood.
That all this mess is blamed on the Torchwood team is one thing, but that these five people are expected by their government to deal with it all on their own stretches credibility a little. Oh well, on with the show!
Jack and Gwen track down Billis, the creepy old guy who manipulated the Torchwood team in the previous episode, and we learn that he has the ability to travel and ride the Rift through time. Much craziness transpires, each member of the team succumbs to visions of loved ones and Billis walks a fie line between helpful prophet and sinister stranger.
For it's finale, Torchwood is keen to show us how mould-breaking and hard-hitting it can be. At first it seems to succeed admirably, but eventually it falls short of the mark thanks to one or two huge copouts. It's a shame the production team didn't resist resetting the things they did, it would've made for an interesting set-up for Series 2. Then again, I can't grumble too much... all this stuff is made up for by the big payoffs - we get one or two unexpected character developments and the reveal of Billis's motivation makes for the climax to end all climaxes.
The realisation of the big villain, whilst a little too clearly CGI, is an impressive triumph for the production team and the show's overall budget. It pretty much sealed my opinion of the series as being firmly positive. The final scenes, especially those between Jack and Owen, were genuinely moving and very well-acted, and the familiar sound effects at the end of the episode were a nice surprise too.
Hopefully Australia's ABC will get it's act together and broadcast Torchwood in the near future.
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