TV REVIEW Torchwood 2.05 "Adam"

Written by: Catherine Tregenna

Directed by: Andy Goddard

Rating:

The One Where: The team has a new member, Adam, who’s been there three years... huh? See, Adam can create false memories – some of which dislodge real ones. Soon Gwen doesn’t remember Rhys, Ianto believes he’s a serial killer, and Owen is a bumbling nerd in love with Tosh. As for Jack, he’s remembering the day he lost his little brother, Gray...

Verdict: A few niggles. I find it icky whenever Jack becomes a Christ figure, blessing the team with his forgiveness. And Barrowman’s occasional tendency to turn it up to 11 is problematic in a story with as much opportunity for histrionics as this one. That aside: a decent episode. It’s jam-packed, and all the plot strands are gripping, illuminating or funny. We’ve never been given such a large chunk of Jack’s backstory before (at least, not in this show), and everyone benefits from the way the script builds the show’s mythology and fleshes out the characters.

Cool Tune: Rhys and Gwen’s horsing around is soundtracked by “I Love You, You Big Dummy” by Magazine.

Character: So now we know why Owen’s so gittish: he’s just a nerd whose mum didn’t love him. Remind anyone of Spike?

LMAO: Everything with Cardigan Owen, particularly the bit where he brings out his Tupperware boxes of sandwiches.

Did You Spot? Snippets of Adam have been inserted into the titles (an idea half-inched from Buffy episode “Superstar”)

Gaffes: 3D graphics of the nukes from “Sleeper” keep popping up on the team’s computer screens.

Best Line:
Owen: "Do you really think I look like a rodent?"

Ian Berriman

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