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Day One

22ND OCTOBER 2006

(50-MINUTE EPISODE)

Somewhat bizzarely, although Torchwood did not have a two-part pilot episode, the first two episodes of the series were aired back-to-back. Now whatever the reasoning behind this broadcast schedule, I’m glad that my first experience of Torchwood was a near two-hour dose as it was this second episode - Chris Chibnall’s Day One (aka “The Sperm Clinic Massacre”) – that really got me hooked.

“Just to recap… you’ve travelled here to feed off orgasmic energy?”

It does not take a genius to work out that there was always going to be a huge number of

old-school Doctor Who fans that would be immediately turned off by this episode. Purists

will cringe at the swearing, throw objects at the television when the see a same sex kiss for the second episode in a row, and, once they’ve deciphered the plot… Well that will be it. Day One is the story of an alien entity that possesses a young woman and compels her to, well… shag people to death.

 “Put out an APB. Woman possessed by gas knobbing fellas to death.”

Now I’m probably not the most objective person to review this episode as it was movies

like Species that saw me through my early teens, so were Day One nothing more than

a gratuitous alien shag-fest I would probably still vigorously defend it. But it isn’t. Hidden beneath the sensationalism is a touching story about a lost girl.

In many ways, Day One really is the perfect ‘first day at the office’ for Gwen as she is able

to make her presence felt immediately. Prior to her ‘recruitment’, Torchwood would probably have locked this girl up, studied her, and perhaps even half-heartedly tried to save her. With Gwen on board though, matters are different. She researches this girl’s life. She gets hold

of her childhood photographs. School Reports. Swimming Certificates. She proves to her colleagues that this Cerys is a real person to be saved, not an alien to be dissected. Eve Myles’ passionate and heart-felt performance ensures that Day One maintains the perfect equilibrium between sensationalism and moving drama.

Furthermore, John Barrowman, as always, impresses. In this episode though, Chibnall

takes a moment to let us see that even Jack’s staff know absolutely nothing about him outside of work. It’s ironic, but as an audience we know far less about Jack than we do

the Doctor; Jack is far more of a mystery to us than ‘Doctor Who’. In fact, the only thing

that we really do know about Jack – aside from his apparent immortality – is that he is

so determined to find the Doctor that he keeps his severed hand (from The Christmas Invasion) in a bell jar. If that’s not a sign of obsession, I don’t know what is.

Cinematically speaking, this second episode is shot every bit as beautifully as the first.

Brian Kelly’s direction combines some very dark grading with some really bright exterior sequences which fit the show perfectly.

All things considered, I can’t see how Day One can be viewed as anything other than a real triumph. Those viewers who “…just came and went….” do not know what they have missed.

Day One is fucking brilliant.

Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2006

E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

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