Going to rewatch later (maybe tmrw) to give full thoughts, but I do want to touch on the main discussion topic that’s going on here now.
Honestly, I think that history from the prior two episodes is why this story does work for me. He did sexually assault people two episodes before, and now he’s seeing what that’s like from the other side.
What’s important to keep in mind is that the ‘ghost machine’ doesn’t just show you the past, it forces you to feel the emotions of those people in the past. He didn’t just see a girl get assaulted, he felt how she did as it was happening, and it terrified him.
I think there’s something to be said about what his anger at the man means for his view of himself. He’s already shown he knows he’s a bad person in the previous episode: “I torture people in happy relationships”. But here we get to see those feelings put out onto another person. He hates the man for what he’s done, he knows that he’s done the same (less violently and not killing, but still), and he hates himself for what he does.
Owen’s arc is all about his internal conflict between the selflessness that’s asked of him by Torchwood, the selfishness that he feels and acts on, and that extreme hatred of himself for what he’s become because of those two things. He wants to do whats right, he does what’s best for him even if it’s not right, and because of those two things, he hates himself.
It’s an arc that’s continued throughout these first two seasons to great effect, especially thinking of Lost In Time, Combat, Dead Man Walking, and A Day In The Death.
I don’t find his arc very believable, and I’m not feeling it in this episode. It doesn’t seem like there’s any genuine remorse for his own actions—he mainly focuses on blaming the other person for doing the wrong thing, without acknowledging his own role in it. I’ll try to see it from your perspective moving forward, but for now, I just don’t see the elements you’re describing in this episode. If I did, it would have been a much stronger experience.
That’s fair, I haven’t rewatched so will see in this episode, but I think it’s more a thing in later stories, at the moment it’s a subconscious thought, he’s directing his feelings outwards to the rest of the world instead of inwards to see his part in it.
That thing of feeling remorse does definitely become a thing later though, again Combat is an often overlooked episode but it really shouldn’t be for what it does for Owen
I’m due to rewatch this soon with a friend on her first watch of New Who, but I remember this episode being decent but nothing revolutionary, honestly if I had more to say I would but that’s about all I remember haha
It wasn’t terrible but overall pretty forgettable compared to some other series 1 episodes
Ghost Machine is an interesting episode. It’s a bit slower, a bit bleaker and Owen-centric, and I like its take on time travel. It’s not quite as good as the opening, but stronger than Day One. I think it shows the complexity of Owen as a character - he can be abrasive and cross one line too many, but he also has a strong sense of justice. Tosh and Ianto are underutilised again, but at least we get the Ianto-centric episode in two weeks
Yeah, I noticed this as well and pointed it out in my review.
Summarised review = 8/10
Departing from Torchwood’s usual alien threats, the episode uses a mysterious device capable of projecting past and future events to explore emotional and ethical themes. This introspective approach adds a unique, haunting atmosphere to the series.
The murder of a young girl in 1963 drives Owen into a personal quest for justice, revealing a more empathetic side to his abrasive character. Burn Gorman’s layered performance highlights Owen’s internal struggle and raises questions about the cost of confronting past wrongs.
Gwen’s brief reconnection with her boyfriend Rhys showcases the emotional toll of her Torchwood life, while Jack’s mentorship provides both guidance and a grounding presence. Their evolving dynamic adds a humanising layer to the episode’s weighty themes.
While the episode balances character-driven drama with sci-fi elements, the comedic chase scene involving Bernie feels out of place, disrupting the sombre tone. Additionally, Tosh and Ianto are underutilised, taking a backseat to the central trio.
The episode concludes on a reflective note, demonstrating how knowledge of possible futures can inspire change. Its minimalist climax reinforces the idea that while the past cannot be altered, our actions in the present still hold transformative power.
Also forgot to say, but i love that the first three episodes you get: Human threat, alien threat, alien tech ‘threat’. Just gives you a nice split of all the different sides of things
This Episode is one that has some great Moments but overall doesn’t do much for me, honestly rewatching some of the last Episode of this Series reminds me why I didn’t continue onwards with Torchwood after Series 1. I am a bit conflicted overall with this, perhaps with more of the Episodes, I will see it in a better light, so far I am not sure where my thoughts really would be.
Probably my most “Nothing” Comment on of those TV Clubs, but really I don’t know how to properly articulate my thoughts on this, especially with some of its subject that it deals with. For now, I think I will remain with this Comment.
I only continued with season 2 because I like complete things and everyone talks about season 3 being something special. I would say that season 3 is great and it is worth seeing the other season for that.
Oh, yeah! I think I will attempt to watch it eventually when we get around to it. Funnily enough I think I enjoyed the next Episode in this Series much more, if I am not mistaken which it is, but that’s a topic for two weeks later then!
Very excited to get to Children of Earth, honestly! Although my Expectations are fairly trimmed for it, going off from what I have seen of the Show so far.
For me this episode is a really good, really mature script but it just doesn’t feel like what I want for Torchwood.
I like my Torchwood to be fun, silly, dramatic, tense…
But not bleak. This one is just bleak. It could be real life (and for many, it is).
So whilst I think it’s technically a good episode, and I am on the side that believes this is redeeming Owen for being such a nasty person a bit - he is finally seeing the other side - I just don’t like it.
My other half watched it and laughed about the “Splot” joke - it really is a rough area in Wales.
Ianto really had nothing to do in these early episodes, did he? Was that actually how it was written? Maybe to give the other characters more space, and to make the next episode more shocking?
Ianto doesn’t have much to do because he was supposed to be season one cannon fodder lol. But apparently the fans liked him at the time so the writers changed their minds about killing him off.
When I was planning my trip to Cardiff I was looking at potential Airbnbs with my dad and he went “oh, there’s a cheap one in…Splott” and I immediately replied “I am not staying in Splott”, all because I have apparently learned it’s not a good lart of town from this episode.
He really does just sort of fade into the background. There are so many little moment I noticed on rewatch once I was actively looking for him. I think it’s really clever, hits the viewers just as much as the characters when in the next episode he says what he says. I’ll have a lot more to say about this when we get there.
but I know that’s coming 