Watching The CW

I didn’t like Torchwood as much this week as last, but then you have to have a bigger, splashier ep to begin a season than you do for a follow up, so I guess it’s just to be expected.

I really did like Ianto this week. He’s changed so much from the shy, quiet, subservient guy he was in the first season. He had most of the funniest lines of the episode, too, and generally seemed more like he knew what was going on than any of the others. He was like the comic relief. I hope it continues into the season. I want to just put in a couple of the what I thought were Ianto’s best quotes, but there are so many . . . . well here are a few (which, by my definition, is way more than a couple):

Owen: How’d you know that?
Ianto: I know everything! And it says so on the bottom of the screen.

Jack: It’s just a mind probe.
Ianto: Remember what happened last time you used it?
Jack: That was different, and that species has extremely high blood pressure.
Ianto: Oh, right. Their heads must explode all the time.
Gwen: Jack, you can’t do this. What if you’re wrong? If she is human, it’ll kill her.
Jack: I’m not wrong. We have to find out what she is.
Toshiko: Take it easy, Jack. Stop at the first sign of trouble.
Ianto: Or the first sign of exploding.

Ianto: Just us, in this room. For as long as it takes. Terrifying.
Jack: Really?
Ianto: Absolutely. Shivers down my spine.
Jack: You don’t look scared.
Ianto: It passed.

Owen: And what if they can’t stop it.
Toshiko: They’ll stop it,
Owen: Yeah, but if they can’t.
Ianto: Then it’s all over
Owen: (pause) Let’s all have sex.
Ianto: And I thought the end of the world couldn’t get any worse.

One part that was very fun, at least for me, was when the aliens had knocked out all the phone system and they had to use a CB radio. Strangely enough, we just saw Live Free or Die Hard and pretty much the same thing happened, the phones were all out and they had to use the CB to communicate. I mean what’s up with that? When was the last time you saw or even thought of a CB radio and here it was on two different shows that I watched pretty much right in a row.

In any case, I really love this show. I’m super excited to see what else happens this season. So stay tuned.

I didn’t know about the snogging.

I’m not surprised or anything, I just didn’t know. The first episode of the second season of Torchwood was interesting to say the least. And to a rabid Whedon fan like me, it held lots of fun little moments. Maybe they didn’t even realize it, but I caught lots of stuff.

Even my husband noticed when James Marsters’ character, Captain John Hart, told Jack he needed a blond on his crew. Was this a veiled reference to Buffy? Probably. In another scene, Captain Hart knocks out Gwen with a kiss from his poisoned lip gloss. Much like Saffron did to Mal in the episode “Our Mrs. Reynolds” on Firefly. Plus, Jack and John were stuck in a time loop once.

There were other little things just like that, but I don’t want to ruin them all. You really need to watch the episode for yourself and see how many you can count. Oh, there was also a Star Wars reference that made me clap my hands in glee (cause I’m a total geek). In one scene, Jon Hart leaves a voice mail message for Jack. When Jack plays the message its a hologram, very reminiscent of the Princess Leia message in R2D2 for Obi-Wan. I’m watching it, thinking it’s just like that, when John Hart ends his message to Jack, “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” and then he sorta looks back over his shoulder. See, there was glee.

James, of course, was awesome as usual. His character on Torchwood had bit of Spike, which was fun, but was also his own person. Charming, yet evil. Just the kind of person who you end up trusting in spite of yourself and then, of course, realize you shouldn’t have. I really loved it. I like that they ended the episode with the chance that John Hart might be back, too.

I just didn’t know about the snogging.

Torchwood, James Marsters, Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Star Wars

Just a little Chris Sligh update. The official release date for his record is May 6, 2008. The final mixes of the two of the songs being considered for the first single are up at his myspace. On his blog, Chris says it looks like Empty Me will be the first single, but we should know for sure soon.

I’m very excited cause I really love his other CD (Take A Chance On Something Beautiful by Half Past Forever) and I listen to it all the time. So don’t forget to go check out Chris’s myspace and take a listen. I’m sure you’re gonna love his music as much as I do. Why? Cause it’s really, really good. And if you don’t like Chris’s music, you’re stupid. Sorry, just kidding. But he is very, very good.

As long as I’m reminding you of stuff, remember that tonight is the American premiere of season 2 of Torchwood on BBC America at 9 pm. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, too. If you haven’t seen Torchwood yet, you should check it out.

Obviously, I have diverse interests.

Oh, finally, I need someone to tell me how to transfer saved stuff on my DVR to a video tape. There’s a choice for it on the DVR list, but I just don’t understand how it works. Like, how do I hook by the VCR, exactly, and to what? I have stuff recorded on there that I don’t want to lose, but I have more stuff that I want to record. It’s a dilemma.

I’m still wading through season 3 of Moonlighting and I’ve gotten to the series of eps where Mark Harmon joined the show as Sam Crawford, Maddy’s love interest. It’s the catalyst for David to realize that he’s “in care” with Maddy and which pushes David and Maddy to finally get physical, as we used to say back in the 80’s.

Anyway, I was struck, as I watched Mark Harmon, who I remember as a huge heart-throb back then, by how much he looks like John Barrowman. Or maybe I mean, by how much the John Barrowman of now looks like the Mark Harmon of then. It’s almost uncanny. I’ve done a little snooping around, call it Internet research if you prefer, and I’ve been unable to find that they are in any way related. But they should be. Mark is only 16 years older, but he could almost be John’s dad. I’m surprised that I never realized it before now.

For those of you who don’t know, John Barrowman plays Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and it’s spin off, Torchwood. Torchwood is starting its new season on Saturday, January 26 at 9 pm on BBC America. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s worth it just for dreamy Captain Jack alone. I mean, the show is good, too, but Jack is certainly nice to look at. No, really, the show is very good and you should check it out. And maybe even more exciting for me is the fact that James Marsters will be guest starring in the first ep.

If you want to check out the Mark Harmon of now, he’s over on NCIS, which airs, in repeats, on CBS, Tuesdays at 8 pm ET. I also saw that repeats of the first season are airing weekly on USA, Wednesdays at 9 pm and 10 pm ET. That show also stars Michael Weatherly, another favorite of mine, from Dark Angel.

Moonlighting, Mark Harmon, John Barrowman, Torchwood, Doctor Who, James Marsters, NCIS, Michael Weatherly, Dark Angel