Torchwood #7: Greeks Bearing Gifts

Torchwood Team; 

• Captain Jack

• Gwen

• Owen

• Tosh

• Ianto

Notable Characters;

• Mary- Alien in disguise and seduces Tosh

Detailed Plot; 

Greeks bearing Gifts, just like the six episode prior to it, was absolutely fantastic. A brilliant story with an entirely different feel and tempo from Countrycide. Yet another episode with major tension and references based on sexual relationships, and not the first lesbian scenes we've seen in Torchwood, and it was only the seventh episode. Not that I'm complaining. This though was brilliant as Tosh was the focus and she came into her own, we gained so much about her. 

So the episode began in Cardiff 1812. A women, Mary, was seen in a forest and a man was close to her. The man was seemingly religious while Mary blatantly mocked religion and used her name in doing so. The man, a soldier, was disgusted and slapped the young women. She replied by clawing his face and quickly escaping his view. Lights were flashing in the forest, they were close by and the soldier followed the women he labelled a whore. As the soldier approaches her and she returns to his view. He pulls out a gun, takes aim and fires. Mary just stands and smiles, we don't know what has happened quite yet. 

The episode returns to modern day in the present and Torchwood are investigating a rubbled building sight. And close by looking on was Mary. She was now in modern dress but had not aged a day. Did she have access to time travel? However she got there, it was certain she was a threat and not ordinary. As Torchwood were investigating the area they came across a skeleton which seemed to be their prime purpose of arrival. Momentarily I thought it was another victim of the cannibals from Countrycide but it turned out to have been a corpse near two centuries old. Jack made an interesting reference to an object found with the corpse, that dark matter was present. I'd like that to be elaborated at some point. 

The team returned to the hub along with the skeleton and device. Owen continued his investigation and it seemed he and Gwen were indeed more than friends. But whatever they had, they were hiding it from the team. Tosh soon became annoyed as her computer was shut down by the shenanigans (great word as someone great once claimed) of Owen. She had been running a translator programme but would now have to start over. Her hard work was seemingly laughed upon. Tosh, depressed, went out for a drink. Mary appeared and started talking to Tosh. It was clear Mary was advanced in some way as she knew everything about Tosh. Mary claimed she was part of a universally wide group of scavengers, similarly to Torchwood. Tosh became intrigued by this women and wasn't worried in the slightest. She risked her job in just telling Mary about her work in Torchwood- something Mary already knew despite its classification. I really loved Tosh's perspective on her job and the pride she took in it. She was saddened that the trait of existence is war. Fundamentals remain war far beyond Earth. Tosh claimed she saw things differently to the other members of the team, and it seemed she was right. 

The pair continued chatting away in the bar before Mary gave Tosh a pendant. She wore it around her neck and suddenly voices were heard all around but no lips were moving. She was hearing the thoughts of the people in the bar! This pendant was special, just like Mary- she was different. Tosh was instructed to home in on Mary's thoughts only, and Tosh quickly dead learning how to control who she was hearing. Mary wanted to kiss Tosh. Yet more lesbian references in Torchwood! Tosh quickly ripped the pendant off. Mary claiming the pendant 'levels the pitch between man and God' was a wonderful description. Tosh was to leave with the pendant and show the team, but Mary seemed certain she wouldn't be showing them. How could she be so sure? 

Tosh entered the hub, pendant in hand and was ready to show the team what she'd been given. But as Ianto appeared she quickly hid it behind her back. She wears the pendant and can suddenly hear the thoughts of the Torchwood team. Gwen and Owen were innocently mocking her in their minds and Tosh firstly headed a Weevil reference but then she found out about Gwen and Owen's relationship when she shouldn't have. She heard some explicit detail that's for sure! The pendant was affecting her and as she heard Ianto's thoughts of misery she ripped it off in sorrow. 

Tosh returned home and close by was Mary. Tosh claimed that the Torchwood team pitied her, while Mary did not. Now inside Tosh's house, Mary wanted Tosh to see her thoughts, she was imagining something, something Tosh was enjoying. The pair kissed. And we were then taken to the aftermath of a sexual encounter between the two. Mary, having snapshotted a photo of Owen on Tosh's fridge, noticed a birthday card still up, it was from Owen. Did Tosh like Owen? It seemed clear she did. Mary didn't seem too disappointed in being a 'rebound shag' and Tosh quickly dismissed those claims. 

Mary now wanted Tosh to work out the good things about the pendant, it wasn't all spying and invading but it could be used for good. Mary claimed she was philoctetes, something I nor tosh seemed to know in great detail of. She instructed Tosh to go to a public place and hear the thoughts of people. She'd find it good. And she undoubtedly did. Tosh caught the thoughts of a man passing through town, he was planning on murder. Tosh, instinctively doing the only thing she could, followed the man. Neil, the planned murderer, entered a house with his son and ex-partner, and while sickeningly riddling, pulled out a gun and was pointing and the two who were stiffened to the spot in fear. But Tosh saved the day by knocking out Neil from behind. She'd saved people who were due to be murdered. She had found the good in the pendant. 

Meanwhile back at the hub, Gwen was singing and subtly flirting with Owen as it annoyed him.  Gwen enjoyed the failures of her seemed boyfriend. Owen initially deemed the skeleton to be female and the cause of death to be gunshot. However, since returning to the hub Owen determined that the skeleton was male and the cause of death was categorically not a gunshot wound. The sarcastic humour Gwen portrayed was excellent. By now, Jack had been almost cast away in this episode having played such a minor role so far. But he wanted a list from Tosh, for U.N.I.T. Just what were Torchwood doing in connection with them? Something I'd love to know. Jack was now talking to the Prime Minister on the telephone which was amusing. 

Tosh still hadn't told the team about the pendant as of yet and while in a cafe joined by Mary, the pair again kissed. Tosh seemingly liked it as if it were a guilty pleasure. Mary though started stirring things between Tosh and Jack, claiming Jack was hiding something about the hardware device that was doing along with the skeleton. As Tosh went back to the hub to try and find out about the device that hadn't really been talked about. And Mary's claims did seen right. Jack was secretive about it and wasn't giving anything away. With Tosh in the medical area accompanied by Owen and Gwen, she was wearing the pendant and could hear the thoughts. Gwen desperately wanted the attention of Owen, and Tosh heard the facts that the pair had shagged that morning. They weren't hiding anything in their minds! A reference to a disillusioned man still seeing Cybermen outside his house was great. 

While trying to find out further about the secretive device, Jack had found out Tosh's secret about preventing the murder. With Tosh still wearing the pendant, she couldn't read the mind of Jack. Was there a barrier of sorts? She didn't make too much of it for obvious reasons and left for home. Upon returning she explained how she felt ashamed of spying on the minds of her friends. Tosh talked of taking Mary into the team, but aggressively Mary disagreed and a powerful voice overcame her. 

She didn't want herself to be revealed to Torchwood. She majestically transformed into an alien, albeit claiming to be the same person Tosh had kissed and caressed. She quickly returned to human and that led Tosh to being shocked and blurting out a wonderful quote of 'so... I'm shagging a women and an alien.' It was pretty humorous when Tosh claimed her parents would know what's worse. We now learned a lot about Mary, she enjoyed the freedom she had on Earth, that it is a luxury. She explained the differences to her home planet, where it's very religious and has temples the size of cities. We also discovered what the pendant was- a communicator. Oral communication was not used on Mary's home planet. It was seen as archaic. She also explained that the hardware is a transporter and that she now wanted it to return home. She wouldn't be a prisoner no more, a new government would be in place, not knowing her. I now knew why she called herself philoctetes, she was outcast and forgotten. Mary also described how Torchwood were scavengers of technology and not caring of the aliens and their culture- just what they bring. Which from Tooth and Claw and Army of Ghosts certainly seemed true. 

Back at the hub and Owen wasn't giving up on the skeleton. He was mightily intrigued and he wanted his answers. Tosh however was home and depressed. Owen was searching the Torchwood databases for links, and seemed to have made a link with his victim and heart removals. Jack though was looking over the city from outside. Now, suddenly and questionably, Mary wanted to get in Torchwood. This was weird for me, she aggressively didn't want to go but her heart quickly took another direction. Tosh took her in. And Jack was inside. 

Jack confronted them and he knew that Tosh, usually ever so reliant, had been acting differently. He knew the truth. Jack revealed that the hardware was a transporter for 2 people. Mary revealed that she had murdered her guard but has been disturbed by the women who's body she now inhabited. We were briefly shown the moment back in 1812, with the soldier shooting her, but she swarmed at him and pulled his heart out. And she had been doing so ever since, just like Owen had found out in his searches. He was disgusted. He'd saw the history of a fist sized gauge in the chest with no heart remaining. Meanwhile, Tosh was still listening to the thoughts while wearing the pendant.

But Mary quickly turned on her 'friend with benefits' and held her at knife point. Mary offered to swap Tosh for Gwen and Owen's thoughts were quickly in disagreement. Jack though, was calm, and was telepathically communicating with Tosh. He had a plan. He offered Mary her transporter in return for Tosh, she obliged and Tosh was safe. But would they simply let Mary get away? The answer was no with Jack having reprogrammed the transporter, he sent Mary to the centre of the sun. He was one step ahead and had killed her. 

Owen was angry at Tosh after he found out she had heard the thoughts and now knew about he and Gwen. Tosh felt extremely guilty of the 'invasion' but Gwen claimed she wouldn't stop what she has with Owen despite knowing she should. It was nice though how Gwen claimed Tosh looked suited to love, she should find somebody. Outside of the hub, Jack and Tosh were talking about the events and the pendant. Was it the most powerful tool the team had ever found? Arguably. Jack left the responsibility of the pendant with Tosh- trusting her. She destroyed it and stepped on it smashing it to smithereens. It was interesting how Jack could feel it when Tosh tried to read his mind, but to her it was like he was dead. Would Jack ever tell the team members (other than Gwen of course) of his secret? It seemed not now at least. Jack changed topics and wanted that list for U.N.I.T. A list of what? We never found out. Tosh was affected, Jack consoled her and the pendant was one of the many things humans shouldn't know of or have access to. Tosh had been granted a snapshot.

My analysis; 

Overall, this was fantastic! The emphasis on Tosh was much needed after Everything Changes was all about Gwen and Cyberwomen involved Ianto majorly for the first time. We already know a lot about Jack, so will we see one for Owen soon? I really liked the character of Mary and thought her whole persona was excellent. It was intriguing for Tosh to go lesbian and also to see how the relationship of Gwen and Owen developed and will continue to in the future. My only problem was the quick mind change of Mary in wanting to go into Torchwood, but it didn't take much away- it was inevitable she would go to the hub. A fascinating object was the pendant, it was also great for Jack to not play much of a major role and let the rest of the main cast take the focus. 

Rating; 9/10!