Meat (Torchwood)
17 – "Meat" | |||
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Torchwood episode | |||
Cast | |||
Starring | |||
Others
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Production | |||
Directed by | Ben Foster | ||
Production code | 2.4 | ||
Series | Series 2 | ||
Running time | 50 mins | ||
First broadcast | 6 February 2008 | ||
Chronology | |||
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"Meat" is the fourth
Torchwood initially depicts a small team of alien-hunters known as Torchwood, based in Cardiff. In the premiere episode of the first series Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is introduced as a newcomer to the organisation who keeps her job secret from boyfriend Rhys Williams (Kai Owen). The episode "Meat" depicts the two aspects of Gwen's double life coming into conflict as Rhys finds himself caught up in Torchwood's investigation into a corrupt meat trade stemming from human exploitation of a stranded benevolent alien. Rhys helps Torchwood in their attempts to apprehend the human villains of the episode and his bravery makes Gwen realise that she should no longer keep secrets from him.
The episode was filmed in and around Cardiff between June and July 2007 as part of the second production block of the series. The production team used the episode to expand Rhys' role in the series, due to their appreciation of actor Kai Owen's performances in the first series and the contention of executive producer Russell T Davies that the character should be seen as less of a "sap" in the second series. The alien "space whale" seen in the episode was created using computer-generated imagery, with the exception of a cut section wound where the humans had been carving meat from. Tregenna characterised the monster as resembling "a giant kebab". A more elaborate design was previously considered, but both Tregenna and Davies felt that this would detract from the alien's suitability to the plot.
According to consolidated figures the episode was watched by 3.28 million viewers on its BBC Two debut, aggregated to 4.74 million viewers after taking into consideration two repeat broadcasts the same week. Most commentators praised the larger role of Rhys in the episode, the performance of actor Kai Owen and the realism of the acting and dialogue overall. However, a large proportion of reviewers criticised the special effects used to create the alien, with some comparing its realisation to a sock puppet or hand puppet. Whilst some reviewers identified with the plight of the alien, others felt that its poor realisation meant that it was hard to feel any sympathy for it.
Plot
Rhys is out driving when he is telephoned by his secretary Ruth, who informs him that one of their transportation firm's lorry drivers has crashed. At the crash Rhys discovers that Leighton, one of his employees and friends, has died whilst transporting meat to an abattoir. As he contemplates moving the lorry, a police officer tells him that there is something suspicious in the back and that Torchwood want to investigate. Torchwood confiscate the meat that the lorry was transporting, due to suspicions that it originates from an alien, which they later confirm. Rhys spots his fiancée Gwen amongst them. Gwen recognises the lorry as one from Rhys' firm. Rhys and Torchwood both suspect each other's involvement with the alien meat.
Rhys follows Gwen and her boss
As Rhys is expected by the alien's captors, Torchwood hide in his van as he drives them to the abattoir where Torchwood sneak in. They locate the creature and plan to sedate it so they can send it back through the Cardiff Rift. Torchwood stun the men and feed them amnesia pills, as no court of law would believe what had happened. The creature becomes distressed and Owen can see no other option but to euthanise it. Back at the Hub, Jack orders Gwen to give Rhys a pill too. After realising that Rhys is willing to support her life with Torchwood and that she enjoys being honest with him, Gwen refuses.
Production
"Meat" was made alongside "
In regards to the relationship between Gwen and Rhys, Davies felt that the episode provided a "
Broadcast
On overnight returns,
A corresponding 10-minute episode of Torchwood Declassified, a behind the scenes documentary on the production of the show, entitled "Save the Whale" was broadcast on BBC Two following the episode between 9.50pm and 10pm and featured contributions from Tregenna, Davies, Teague, Myles and Owen.[2][3]
Reception
Previewing the episode as one of his TV choices for the day, The Guardian's Gareth McClean stated that amongst "the snarling, shouting and awful, contrived sexual tension between Captain Pratt and the team, there's an interesting idea here — the consequences of leading a double life." He described Gwen as "the moral centre of the show" and joked that her "nice-but-dim boyfriend" must be the last person in Cardiff not to know of Torchwood's existence. He concluded by stating "that a giant
Alan Stanley Blair of Airlock Alpha gave the episode a mixed review. He felt it was refreshing to have a story about aliens that weren't invading and opined that "the brutal scenes at the abattoir and the whale-like moans of agony from the beast tug on a few heartstrings." However, he criticised the realisation of the alien describing it as "basically a giant, moaning turd sitting in the middle of a warehouse" and "a large lump of putty with eyes". He felt that the episode gave Rhys "a chance to step into the spotlight for a change and prove he has what it takes to carry a story" and felt his reaction to the existence of aliens to be "perhaps the most realistic that the genre has produced". Despite this, he felt that Rhys finding out about Torchwood put an end to the "fun" of Gwen "keeping secrets and concealing her double life" and expressed disappointment that Jack didn't wipe his memory at the end of the episode.[14] Travis Fickett of IGN rated the episode 7.6 on a one to ten scale and felt it provided a "messy, odd and somewhat unsettling twist on alien encounters" but felt the episode had several weak points. He felt it was hard not to see Rhys as "a buffoon" and questioned why Torchwood would use a civilian during a sting operation. He also felt that it pushed "beyond the limits of its capacity to create convincing special effects" and the creature itself looked like "a hand puppet".[15] Andrew Mickel of Den of Geek felt that Rhys has always been the "Welsh heart of the show" and praised his role in the episode for being "actually rather entertaining, approaching everything with invigorating gusto." However he also criticised the denouement of the episode for being "daftly mawkish" and opined that "it’s always impossible to care about CGI characters".[16]
Jason Hughes of
John Beresford of TV Scoop felt that "Meat" finally provided "a story that was well conceived, realised and paced" opining that at last "Torchwood came of age" and that it was "easily the best Torchwood story so far." He did have some problems such as "really pathetic alien, the odd off-colour innuendo about alien "meat" and the lazy convenience of the amnesia pills" but felt that these were relatively minor. The strongest points of the episode for him were the acting which he felt to be "uniformly better than usual and on occasion almost incandescent" and the dialogue which was "so natural it didn’t actually sound like "dialogue" at all".[21] Stephen James Walker, in his own analysis of the episode, gave a mostly favourable review. He criticised the alien space whale as the "one less-than-wonderful" aspect of the episode but praised the opening sequence and the use of the "bleak industrial setting" by director Colin Teague.[22] He felt that the expanded role of Rhys was one of the most pleasing aspects of the scripts and praised the humorous interactions that constituted "male bonding" between him and Jack.[23] He singled out a scene where Gwen turns "a gesture of affection" toward Rhys "into a teasing come-on" to Jack by making eye-contact with the latter whilst kissing the former as characteristic of the "moral ambiguity" which makes her "such a great character".[24] He also felt that whilst they did not have much to do, Tosh, Owen and Ianto had some good scenes which further demonstrated "Tregenna's adeptness at handling the show's regular characters".[25]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" p. 146
- ^ a b c Torchwood Magazine Yearbook, p. 50
- ^ a b c d e "Save the Whale". Torchwood Declassified. Series 2. Episode 4. 7 February 2008. BBC Three.
- ^ Berriman, Ian (7 January 2008). "Torchwood week: Kai Owen interviewed". SFX. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Conlan, Tara (7 February 2008). "Capello's first night watched by 10m". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Walker, "Appendix D: Ratings and Rankings" p. 271
- ^ Walker, "Appendix D: Ratings and Rankings" p. 270
- ^ a b "Torchwood 2.4 AI and ratings update". Doctor Who News Page. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ a b Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" p. 144
- ^ McClean, Gareth (6 February 2008). "Watch this". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Simon, Jane (6 February 2008). "Torchwood". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (6 February 2008). "S02E04:'Meat'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Edwards, Richard (31 March 2008). "TV Review Torchwood 2.04 "Meat"". SFX. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Blair, Alan Stanley (7 February 2008). "Review: 'Torchwood' - Meat". Airlock Alpha. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Fickett, Travis (21 February 2008). "Torchwood: "Meat" Review". IGN. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Mickel, Andrew (6 February 2008). "Torchwood season 2 episode 4 review". Den of Geek. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Hughes, Jason (17 February 2008). "Torchwood: Meat". AOL TV. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- AfterElton. Archived from the originalon 25 August 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Stuart, Alasdair (11 February 2008). "Torchwood 2.04 'Meat'". Firefox News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (7 February 2008). "Alien Torture Porn Is The Only Good Part of Torchwood". io9. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Beresford, John (6 February 2008). "TV Review: Torchwood: Meat, BBC Two, Wednesday 6 February, 9pm". TV Scoop. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" pp. 146–147
- ^ Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" p. 147
- ^ Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" pp. 147–148
- ^ Walker, "Part Six: Episode Guide-2.04: Meat" pp. 148
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-84583-024-3.
- ISBN 978-1-84583-024-3.
- ISBN 978-1845769369.
External links
- Meat on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki