Torchwood: "From Out of the Rain" (S2, E10)

"So what are we saying . . . two people from a piece of film have decided to go AWOL?"

From Out of the Rain

Season Two, Episode Ten ("An old cinema re-opens and killers from the past emerge to stalk the streets of Cardiff.")

WHAT I LIKED

* The idea of the Night Travellers--creepy and iconic.

* Jack's integration into the history of the circus--shooting oneself in the head (and coming back to life) is quite the trick!

* The musical cues--they fit a "spooky circus" perfectly.

WHAT I DIDN'T

* The plot. The subjects of old film reels walk into reality--seriously? I saw the same plot done a few years back on Big Wolf on Campus, and that show was intentionally cheesy. Not to mention that the solution chosen here--exposing the film to light--was also pretty stupid and anti-climactic.

* The script. Flat, with no wit or character.

* The core premise. Torchwood deals with aliens, science, and strange Rift phenomena. The plot of this episode is presented as supernatural, which undercuts the Whoniverse bedrock that there's a rational explanation for everything (even if it's techno-gobbledygook).

WHAT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT

Clear.

DELETED SCENES

* A very brief scene--15 or 30 seconds?--of the ringmaster villain silently flirting with a clown.

TORCHWOOD DECLASSIFIED

* Setting up the circus on a budget (the producers are very proud of themselves).

* Coming up with the plot.

* Costuming the villains.

* Filming in the rain (spoiler: it's cold!).

* Composing the music.

* Shooting the bath scene.