Torchwood: From Out Of The Rain

Last season, author Peter J Hammond turned-in one of the best scripts, even though he reused part of his earlier work Sapphire And Steel: Assignment Two to do so.

This season, the bar has gone up, so although he's written to a similar standard, (reusing part of his earlier work Sapphire And Steel: Assignment Four) this time it's one of the comparatively weaker stories.

The hook is that scary carnival types have survived on an old 35mm movie film, and are now escaping back into the world and stealing people's "final breath".

For some reason, almost every time I see movie film appear in a TV show, it's technically in error in some way, so I'm duty-bound to nerdily point out that this is no exception.


Anamorphic lens anyone?


Sudden change in frame-rate anyone? This is harsh, but you'd expect TV people to know a bit more about film...

Even the editing on this actual programme is rushed, with two scenes giving the cinema-projectionist an illogical time-frame. (eg. at the public-screening he reacts to the disappearance of his intended footage way too late)

However if you can figuratively see past these things, then the story is a bit confused anyway.

It really falls down with the second hook of Jack appearing on film as one of the carnival-acts. Jack says that he was investigating the Night Travellers for reasons unexplained, and indeed, unexplained those reasons remain. Jack's presence in the 1920s doesn't influence the story a jot, apparently serving only to let him give some exposition, and add mystery by appearing in the old footage. It seemed like there was a different story waiting there that we never got.

The ending is good though, with only one of the Night Travellers' many victims surviving, giving the team another hollow-feeling victory.