Written by Helen Raynor
Directed by Andy Goddard
“Would you go back to your own time if you could?”
“Why? Would you miss me?”
“Yep.”
Three episodes into the new season, and Torchwood pulls out one of the most beautiful…and achingly sad…episodes of television I’ve seen since…
…well, since the last time Torchwood all but destroyed my soul with last season’s Captain Jack Harkness.
To the Last Man opens with a wonderful teaser, giving us a fascinating glimpse into Torchwood as it was in 1918. The period details are gorgeous, but it’s the remarks that come from the modern-day team, as they examine the dusty & yellowing history of their predecessors, that truly makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Ianto is particularly creepy with his comments to Gwen, implying that working at Torchwood brings a hefty & unexpected price. In fact, this is the first time that a particular observation can be made with chilling clarity: there are no old members of Torchwood…and, perhaps, there never have been.
SIDEBAR: What is it with Ianto, lately? Zinging one-liners that are rapier sharp…and moments of profound insight. He’s certainly become more than meets the eye…which is quite an achievement, given how sharp he dresses.
But I digress…
But the core of the story belongs to Toshiko & Tommy the soldier. Frozen by Torchwood until he can help seal a time rift, he’s nothing but a tool of fate…or is he? Is it simply fate to willingly embrace what time demands one to do? Is a crime being committed by letting Tommy taste a different, glorious life – one that brings love and joy to both himself and Tosh – only to have it shoved aside in favour of a more prosaic reality that could be avoided…
…unless it can’t be avoided.
There are no easy answers. Everyone plays their part, whether they like it or not…because no one really knows what else to do. They can only seek comfort from wherever they can find it: Toshiko with Tommy, Jack with Ianto…and then there’s Owen. Since when did Owen become such an amazing, three-dimensional human being? His offer of advice to Tosh, on the dangers of falling in love with someone who will eventually leave, is full of unspoken anguish and many regrets (see Out of Time from last season)…but it’s played beautifully, without a single overdose of sentiment.
Is this a tone poem that highlights our main characters? Is it a meditation on the futility of fighting the inevitable. Is there an inevitable? Is it a story of unrequited love? Perhaps it’s everything. One thing is certain: this is an absolutely beautiful example of what Torchwood can do as a series, when it’s firing on all cylinders. Truly magnificent…but I recommend you don’t watch it alone…or minus a box of tissues.
10
