TV Club Extra: TW: Dead Man Walking

Television TV Club
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Owen Harper has died. Jack Harkness decides to return him to life for a few minutes. No one could have guessed the consequences.

Rate and review below:

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3 Likes
TV Club Backlog
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A pretty good episode for me.

As is often the case with Torchwood, the character drama doesn’t work for me as well as it should. Here that’s probably in part because I still don’t really like Owen so find it hard to care about him.

But this episode does have Owen fighting Death, and that’s the kind of ridiculous fun I can get behind, especially from this first incarnation of the show. I actually enjoy all of the stuff in the hospital at the end. So this one gets a tepid thumbs up from me.

4 Likes
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This is a pretty solid followup to Reset that does a good job of continuing Owens arc. I enjoyed the first 30 minutes and I like seeing how dying has affected Owen and his relationships with the team. I think the story starts to slow down once the team arrives at the hospital and thats mainly due to Martha being put out of commission for almost the rest of the story. Speaking of Martha, I find it really unfortunate how the writers decided to make Martha’s visit to Torchwood coincide completely with Owen’s death arc. It leads to a want of more Martha, which is undelivered due to the focus being put on Owen. This isn’t to say that I dislike the Owen arc. I simply wish it got its own time to shine and that Martha arrived later in the season to give her more focus.

6 Likes
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I remember watching this and thinking ‘hmm some of the dialogue and ideas here remind me of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit’… And then I logged into TARDIS.Guide and discovered that this episode and the Beast two-parter were indeed written by the same person (Matt Jones)! It all made sense

6 Likes
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The second chronologically and the second best in the Martha trilogy in my opinion, there’s nothing particularly bad about this episode, I just think it takes until the episode after for Owen’s death arc to go from good to great

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I quite like this one; Owen’s character means a lot to me, so this is an episode I think about a lot.

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I love the BTS stuff with how originally it was intended to be Ianto but they switched it to Owen because Owen had more to lose by comparison lol.

Lidster had something written for the next episode two, a very romantic scene that is better mentioned in that thread

Apparently the change was very last-minute too.

3 Likes
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It was this episode (along with the following one) that turned me into an Owen Harper stan, so I’ve still got a soft spot for it. Bit of a camp ending with Owen fighting Death, but it fit the episode.

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Eh. Not massive on the lorebuilding on the Resurrection Gauntlets (I don’t hate it, it’s just not that interesting to me), but I do like the scene between Jack and the fortune teller, and the logistics for how Owen’s body works now are pretty fun (I’ve definitely had some post-drinking nights like that…). The incarnation of Death shown here… I just prefer the Eternal version, and more than anything, I once again remember one of Ianto’s bits most from this with the “my hunger will know no bounds” Googling.

5 Likes
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I feel like this episode is kind of dull. Owen can’t even die right. Also I really don’t get the whole Tosh loves Owen story it feels forced and not real.

It really feels like a waste to have Martha in this. She does not get that much to do.

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My Towen heart :broken_heart:

Sure, it’s mostly off-screen but they do get together in AUs and (:double_exclamation_mark: major season 2 ending spoilers: the afterlife ).

Plus, I think Adam episode is pretty clear it’s mutual but they’re both a mess psychologically.

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I have not listened to those EU stories but from what I have seen on screen I really don’t get it.

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I liked this one. But just makes me wish martha could have been in Torchwood more. And unfortunate that in a set of stories that could’ve been more with her are focused on Owen (for good reason)

Owen … I just don’t get Torchwood still trying to bring Torchwood members back. Yes it didn’t have any misfires for non TW members but Suzie and then Owen now. You’d think Jack also out of all people would realize the impacts of messing with death.

But nope another Torchwood member back from the dead and things don’t go to plan. At least Owen isn’t insane like Suzie

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IMG_9801

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True haha I Should’ve said homicidal maniac and trying to steal someone’s life essence

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Oh boy someone died I know let’s use the Resurrection Gauntlet (Risen Mitten) that’s never backfired before…

It’s a bit silly. And the whole scene at the start with Jack speaking to a creepy girl with tarot cards and then sneaking in a church was so ridiculous.

Then we get half an hour of Owen moping around and vomiting up beer before he wrestles literal Death.

Martha is also wasted here, attacked by Thing from the Addams family and then aged up to 80.

Some very odd choices.

But some of it is fun I guess! And Owen acting like The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit possessed is very creepy. King of the Weevils!

3/5

9 Likes
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I like that Jack, despite all the consequences that have happened before, is the one who decides to try bringing Owen back to give him a proper goodbye. Because Jack has lost so much with other people that he will do what he can to get proper goodbyes. Just this time it didn’t work how he thought it would.

I really liked Death and the struggles with them all through the episode. Death has been in a few Doctor Who stories (I just read the unlicensed novel Time’s Champion and Death was an interesting character there too) but never in a tv story before. I agree this version felt a lot like the Beast and not so much a grim reaper figure. I did like Owen protecting the kid and facing down Death though.

Also Owen’s struggles with being brought back and the changes that have happened to him now that he has retuned. And Jack’s concern over him especially when they were fighting and yelling for the bouncers to be careful with him or having Owen remain behind him when the Weevils attacked.

Him also benching Owen at the very end for Owen’s own safety is also definitely not going to come back and bite them later.

4 Likes
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7/10

It’s a shame they never brought Dr Bones back on audio for a round two. My thoughts, as always, are below.