Review: Torchwood 1.11: Combat

Janet the Weevil.

The first two series of Doctor Who featured more side-characters than ever before, really examining the companion's home life like the Classic Series never did. One of these side-characters was the companion's hen-pecked boyfriend, Mickey Smith, played by Noel Clarke. Clarke, prior to and the since the role, has always been known better as a writer, his most notable works including the gang-culture film Kidulthood and its sequel Adulthood. Here Clarke gets a go at writing for the Whoniverse, and the results are nothing less than astounding.
    Like the string of brilliant episodes we've had since the series turned over into its second half, the script relies very much on human emotions and beliefs to power the story instead of focussing soley on an alien concept. Combat is about escapism and the consequences of a nihilistic viewpoint - one that Torchwood holds dear to its heart. What makes it so powerful is that the characters, while obviously having an eccentric lifestyle, all have motives firmly identifiable to the average Joe - something that Clarke, having written "real life dramas" is no stranger to.
     Jack interupts one of Gwen's dates with Rhys, prompting an angry reaction from her long-suffering partner. They chase down a Weevil that's running loose on the streets of Cardiff, and are shocked when it's thrown into the back of a van by some masked men. They follow a trail back to a warehouse, where they find the Weevil-bitten body of a young man. Owen, who's been drowning his sorrows after Dianne's departure, reluctantly arrives into work to act undercover as Owen Harper, Jellied Eels Salesman, to find out about the main suspect behind the murder, Mark Lynch. Owen and Lynch discover they've much more in common than the former would like to admit, and Owen is sucked in by his distinctly nihilistic philosophy.

Lynch talks to Owen.

     With the knowledge that they've obtained from the still-undercover Owen, Jack, Tosh and Ianto use their pet Weevil, Janet, as bait to track them down to where they're being kept. At home, Gwen is having real issues with her relationship. She drugs Rhys with Retcon and then reveals all about her affair with Owen, begging for forgiveness in a scene that eerily echoes what Suzie did to Max back in They Keep Killing Suzie. She returns to the Hub after he falls unconscious, and the scene where she cries over her transformation since joining Torchwood is excellently acted by Eve Myles (it had to be, considering it's one of the rare scenes in Torchwood without any dialogue whatsoever}. However, her presence at the Hub allows her to catch a postcode texted to the dead man, allowing the rest of the team (sans Owen, who's already there with Lynch} to find the Weevils.
     Owen discovers that Lynch has been running a sort of fight club - competitors pay £1000 to enter a cage with a Weevil, and the one who can stay in there the longest gets the full share of the cash. Now that Lynch knows that Owen is in Torchwood, he puts him in the cage as a means to get rid of him. To Lynch's surprise, Owen, having more reason to accept his nihilistic philosophies after the only woman he ever loved flew off into oblivion, is unafraid of the Weevil. As Owen is being mauled, the rest of the team (sans Gwen, who's still moping} barge in and stop everything. Now that he's no reason to live, Lynch faces a Weevil himself. Later, once Owen recovers, he hisses at the Weevils in the Hub's cells and they back away in fear.
     I've said before that I like Burn Gorman's portrayal of the very complex Owen Harper, and this episode allows him to show yet another side of the character. Here the emphasis is on the character's underlying rage with the world at large, something that previously has only manifested as a sardonic wit. Like his previous centric-story, Ghost Machine, Combat is also an important point for Gwen Cooper. Her character arc is very well realised, and the comparisons with Suzie as made in her episode come back to haunt us. It feels very much like a Greek tragedy; she has become what she had always opposed. For once, the rest of the cast had something to do as well. Ianto actually left the Hub for once, and Toshiko managed to show a shred of personality.

Gwen regrets her journey.

     When it comes down to it, I love Combat because it got it all right. Apart from one scene at the end that was a little silly in its execution, I can't name any particular faults with this episode that can't be aimed at the series itself. The sets are gorgeous and fit the tone episode perfectly. Most importantly though, the script portrays a human drama that let me empathise with both my favourite character and my least favourite, while extending on and codifying ideas from previous episodes. Combat is the perfect way to lead into the finale and one of the best character pieces in Series One.

Thanks.