July 14, 2011
Camille LeCrow
First off, I have to say I’m exceedingly grateful that the Starz network has opted to give us back “Torchwood,” and thrilled that Great Barrington’s own Lauren Ambrose has joined the cast. I am one of those American viewers of BBC America who happened to appreciate the opportunity to get to know Cardiff, so I’ll let you know how I feel about Starz’s decision to have them rendered to the U.S. of A.
Lauren Ambrose joins "Torchwood: Miracle Day"
In case you have no idea what I’m talking about – which is true of most of my editors at Red Crow who vigorously eschew the wonders and pleasures of television – “Torchwood” was/is a BBC spin-off from “Dr. Who.”
With Captain Jack Harkness, who couldn’t die, leading a team to track down and deal with all things unexplainable and alien and threatening the British Empire, “Torchwood” was set in Cardiff, Wales, and while not thoroughly appreciated by critics, found a loyal audience of people rightly concerned about the alien threat. They’re out there, you know.
Anyway, as with most television series, characters live and die, and actors come and go.
Lucky for me, Gwen Cooper has survived what I imagine is many meetings of the writers. I happen to be a great Gwen Cooper fan. Eve Myles always manages to retain a sense of wonder with Gwen, an appreciation of the continuing amazement of finding herself an ordinary woman engaged in doing extraordinary things. A fine actor’s ability not to act as if she’s acting.
Eve Myles as "Torchwood's" Gwen Cooper
I don’t know if you were lucky enough to see Lauren Ambrose’s short but lovely work in Sam Handel’s “I’m Coming Over” at the Berkshire International Film Festival. Charming and quirky and my favorite. Anyway, I haven’t seen her yet as Jilly Kitzinger, but this is what the Starz website for “Torchwood” says about her:
As a PR woman, Jilly sees how the world spins and instinctively knows how to manipulate her position in it. Ambitious and ruthless, there’s little she wouldn’t do for her career. A great talent spotter with a dark understanding of human needs, she is unshockable in a world that is increasingly corrupt and boiling. Jilly soon realizes that, in a world gone mad, Oswald Danes could easily become her ticket to power.
If seeing your extremely talented neighbor isn’t enough motivation, let me tell you that “Torchwood” is always a step ahead of most of us mere mortals, warning of some of what’s worse out there, and out to get us. Last year’s five-episode series “Torchwood: Children of Darkness” gave us a very creepy alien who used Earth children as smack, and “Just Say No” worked no better with them. “Children of Darkness” was a chilling portrait of how easy it is for humans to surrender what’s best in us in the service of survival.
Anyway, “Children of Darkness” ended in death and pain and retreat, the destruction of the “Torchwood” center in Cardiff, with Captain Jack Harkness headed off into god-knows-where and pregnant Gwen and her husband going underground.
You might have missed Episode One of “Torchwood: Miracle Day.” In which case you should know that Gwen has been found hiding out by nefarious forces three years later with baby and hubby in an isolated house by the sea, and for some reason no one anywhere on Earth is able to die. Including a very bad man about to die by lethal injection, Oswald Danes, pederast and murderer, played creepily well by Bill Pullman. And Captain Jack is back. The CIA is involved and they’ve just taken Gwen and family and the Captain himself into custody and, I imagine, on a plane back to the States.
I, for one, am very glad that Captain Jack Harkness is back. Relieved that “Torchwood” is back. I’m not sure whether Lauren Ambrose will be a help or a hindrance to Captain Jack but I certainly want to see for myself. If she’s not helping, she better keep an eye out for Eve Myles, I mean, Gwen Cooper.
Do yourself a favor and check out Starz, and “Torchwood” and Lauren Ambrose. Friday nights at 10 PM or whenever you want if you’ve got TiVO or a DVR.
And in the meantime, here’s a bit of video of the real Eve Myles talking about meeting the real Lauren Ambrose.
Oh yes, and you should know, if you’re worried about these kind of things, that Captain Jack has been known to love his fellow man, men.