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« Torchwood
recap: Exit wounds
An exciting, and heartbreaking, season finale.
The episode starts with a recap of last week’s episode.
The gang and Rhys are outside the warehouse where the bombs went off. The Torchwood SUV is missing. Ianto traces its signal to the hub, and guesses that Captain John drove it there. Tosh detects rift activity all over the city, with major spikes at St. Helen’s Hospital, Police Headquarters, and the Central IP Service Station. Andy calls Gwen and tells her that she has to come to Police Headquarters immediately. Jack tells Rhys he has to drive everyone in his small car. Rhys has to bring Owen to the hospital, Tosh and Ianto to the Central IP Service Station, Gwen to Police Headquarters, and Jack to Torchwood. Jack says that he’ll try to reason with Captain John. Owen doubts he can, because Captain John just tried to kill them.
JACK: I was the only one who could control him. That’s why the Time Agency partnered us.
RHYS: Did you say Time Agency? Don’t tell me that’s based in Cardiff too?
Jack says he needs to find out why John is doing this, and what it is that he wants.
Jack gets to Torchwood, and finds Captain John there waiting for him. Jack tells John that his entire team survived the bombs.
JOHN: How are they all, the little team?
JACK: What do you want?
JOHN: I want you to know that I love you.
JACK: Funny way of showing it.
JOHN: No, seriously. You have to understand. I really do love you.
Captain John pulls out two guns and shoots Jack repeatedly.
JOHN: Because this is going to get nasty.
Gwen and Rhys arrive at Police Headquarters. There are dead bodies on the floor. Andy tells Gwen that the 4 most senior members of the department were killed, and that the killers weren’t human. Andy objects to Rhys being there. He’s afraid that Rhys will tell people about the killings, causing panic.
RHYS: I’m keeping more secrets than you’d ever believe.
ANDY: Oh, right. Like what?
RHYS: Like a Time Agency based in Cardiff.
GWEN: Oh, it’s not based in Cardiff.
ANDY: Brilliant secret. I ask, you tell. Well done.
Andy brings Gwen to where the killers are locked up. Gwen tells Andy and Rhys that the killers are Weevils, and they live in the sewers. She throws a can of anti-Weevil spray into the room, subduing the Weevils. Gwen asks Andy if they just killed the four most senior officers, and Andy says it was almost as if they targeted those four people.
Gwen contacts Tosh and asks her status. Tosh tells Gwen that she and Ianto are at the Central Server, but that there’s no rift activity at the moment. Ianto asks Tosh how her arm is, and she says that Owen gave her “Industrial strength pain killers” so she’s doing OK. Suddenly, three men in monk’s robe appear. They’re carrying scythes, and walk towards Tosh and Ianto.
MONK: Devils, blasphemers, pray to your heathen god. While in the Lord’s name, we cast you out!
Tosh and Ianto pull out guns, and shoot the monks.
At the hospital, a doctor tells Owen that she saw a creature in a room, chewing through cables. She locked the door, trapping it in the room. Owen looks through the window on the door, and then says that the creature is a Hoix. He says that a Hoix will eat anything; it lives to eat. Owen takes out a sedative, and asks the doctor if she has anything for the Hoix to eat. She only has a pack of cigarettes, and Owen says that will do. The doctor unlocks the door, and Owen goes in. He throws the cigarettes on the floor. When the Hoix bends over to get the cigarettes, Owen injects it with the sedative.
At the hub, Jack wakes up. He’s chained up, and his comm and weapons have been taken away. Jack asks Captain John what he wants. John says that Jack was rude to him, and he’s upset that Jack refuses to spend time with him. Jack asks where Grey is, but John doesn’t answer. Captain John tells Jack that the actions that are happening are beyond his control, but Jack doesn’t believe him. Captain John works on rift settings, and then brings Jack to the roof. He says he wants Jack to have a good view of what’s about to happen. John uses the comm to tell Gwen, Tosh, Owen and Ianto to go up the roof of whatever building they are in. Rhys and Andy see Gwen running, and follow her up to the roof.
A number of bombs go off throughout the city of Cardiff, shocking the gang. Jack yells at Captain John, who asks Jack to hold him. Andy asks Gwen what to do. She tells him to have the entire police force report for duty. John hugs Jack; the rift opens and they disappear. Gwen tries to contact Jack, but doesn’t get any response. Tosh uses the comm to let everyone know that she detected a rift flare, generated by the rift manipulator at the hub. Tosh also says that there were 15 major explosions at strategic points throughout Cardiff. She says that the major roads in and out of the city are cut off; all landlines, mobile phones, IT networks are down; and TV and radio are off the air. Ianto says that the nuclear power plant is off line, and Gwen tells him that he and Tosh have to make it a priority to stabilize the plant. Gwen asks Owen what’s going on at the hospital, and he says that all power, including backup generators, is out. Gwen tells the gang that they are going to fix everything, find Jack, and punish Captain John for what he did.
Jack wakes up in the middle of a field. The year is 27 AD. Captain John tells Jack that they’re safe. Jack punches John, and demands that he take them back. Captain John says no, because they have to be this far away to escape the trigger signal. He then shows Jack his Time Manipulator wristband, which is fused to his skin. John explains that the wristband has a bomb, as well as a surveillance circuit to monitor everything he says and does.
JACK: He has me doing anything I’m told. Because if I don’t…boom! I’m not my own man.
Captain John sees someone coming and tells Jack to run. Jack turns and sees his brother Grey walking towards him.
GREY: I never stopped believing. I always knew we’d find each other again.
Jack and Grey hug.
JACK: I’m sorry.
GREY: Sorry’s not good enough.
Grey stabs Jack in the chest, and Jack dies. Grey tells Captain John to get a shovel.
Gwen gives a pep talk to the Cardiff police department. She tells them to go door to door, checking up on people. Gwen tells them to let the public know the situation is being handled.
RHYS: Bloody impressive!
ANDY: She is that, yeah. Lucky sod.
Tosh and Ianto are at the Central Server Building, trying to fix the servers that cover the nuclear power plant. They aren’t having any luck, so Ianto says he’ll go to the plant to see what he can do onsite to avoid a nuclear meltdown. Tosh tells Ianto that it’s suicidal to go there. But she realizes that Ianto is right, so she says that she will go with him.
Captain John puts cuffs around Jack’s ankles and wrists, while Grey watches.
JACK: I looked for you. I searched for you for years. You were my first thought, every day.
GREY: What are you expecting? A loving reunion, absolution, me to say “it’s OK brother, I forgive you”?...Those creatures, they live to torture. They kept us just on the verge of life. I’d lie there hemmed in by corpses, praying to become one.
JACK: If I could swap with you, I would.
GREY: I believed you’d come. How long before you gave up? Months, years, decades?
JACK: What do you want from me?
GREY: I want you to suffer. I want your life. This is Cardiff, 27 AD. The city will be built here over the next 2000 years. Your grave will become the city’s foundations. Your blessing of life becomes a curse. Each time you revive, with a throatful of earth, each time it chokes you afresh, and you thrash on the edge of death, you think of me.
JOHN: All right, calling a halt now. I can’t let you do this.
Grey pushes Jack into a grave, and orders John to fill the grave with dirt. John refuses, but Grey threatens to activate the detonator on John’s wristband. John looks down at Jack lying in the grave, and Jack nods to John. Captain John takes off his ring, kisses it, and throws it down to Jack. Grey asks John what it is, and John says it has sentimental value. John starts shoveling dirt onto Jack.
The rift opens in the vaults at the Torchwood hub. Grey steps out of the rift.
Gwen is sitting by herself, when Rhys finds her. He realizes that she’s having doubts, and tells her that it’s going to be fine.
GWEN: What if it’s not? What if this is how it all ends?
RHYS: Rubbish! Those coppers are out there now ‘cause of you. Even if you don’t believe in yourself, they did. And I do. You’re a bloody hero, Gwen. So you keep going, ‘cause we need you.
GWEN: Will you marry me again?
Tosh contacts Gwen and tells her that she got a rift alert from inside the hub. Tosh says she can’t check it out because she and Ianto are trying to get the power plant back on line. Gwen says she can’t leave police headquarters, but Rhys tells her she can. He says he’ll stay at police headquarters, while she checks the hub.
Gwen goes to the Torchwood hub, and finds Captain John there. She pulls a gun on him, and tells him to give her a reason not to shoot him. John says he knows where Jack is; he’s buried beneath the city. Captain John tells Gwen that he wants to help, but Gwen doesn’t believe him. He shows her the bomb detonator in his wristband, which is bonded to his skin. John tells Gwen that Jack’s brother, Grey, is responsible for everything. He says that he could have gone anywhere, but he chose to come back to help. As John tells Gwen about Grey’s history, the molecules unbond on the wristband. He tells Gwen that he’s now a free man, and that he doesn’t have to be there. Gwen tells John that she’ll let him live if he helps her find Jack. Captain John contacts Tosh and asks her to trace a signal. Gwen tells Tosh that she has John covered, and that Tosh should do what John asks. John gives Tosh the frequency of a signal for the ring he gave Jack, but she doesn’t find a matching signal.
Suddenly, a piercing sound causes everyone to experience pain. The sound is Grey calling the Weevils, sending them out to attack the city. As the Weevils roam the streets of Cardiff, Ianto says that he and Tosh can’t get past them to get to the power plant.
OWEN: Ianto, leave it to me. I can get there.
IANTO: How?
OWEN: King of the Weevils, remember?
Owen walks through the Weevil-filled streets of Cardiff. The Weevils bow down as Owen passes.
The Weevils are trying to break out of the holding cell at Police Headquarters. Rhys, Andy, and a group of officers push them back into the room, and lock the door.
Gwen and Captain John are in the hub, trying to locate Jack. Three Weevils appear, and approach them. Suddenly, gun shots ring out. Ianto and Tosh shoot the Weevils, and Ianto then points the gun at John. Gwen keeps Ianto from shooting John. Tosh tells them they have to get the Weevils down to the cells in the vaults. She tells them that bullets don’t permanently stop Weevils, so they need to lock them up before they wake up. Gwen, Ianto and John each take a Weevil down to the vault. On the way, John tells Ianto about Grey. As they each put a Weevil into a cell, the doors to the cells shut and lock. Each of them is locked in a cell with a Weevil. Grey appears and tells John that he could have gone anywhere, but John says it was a question of honor. Gwen tries to talk to Grey, but he tells her that Jack’s life is his now.
Owen gets to the nuclear power plant, and finds a worker there, unsuccessfully trying to keep the reactor from a meltdown. Owen tells her that Torchwood is here to fix the problem, and that she should leave. He tells her that there are creatures out there, and gives her the anti-Weevil spray. She thanks Owen and leaves.
Owen contacts Tosh and asks for her help in stopping a meltdown. Tosh figures out a way to solve the problem, and tells Owen that she’ll talk him through it. Grey shoots Tosh in the stomach. Grey asks Tosh what it feels like to die. He takes her PDA and throws it down into the autopsy room. A loud banging sound distracts Grey, who goes to investigate. Owen keeps trying to contact Tosh, who is seriously wounded. Grey follows the banging sound to the drawers in the morgue, and opens the one that the sound is coming from. Inside the drawer is Jack, who tells Grey, “I forgive you.”
Torchwood Hub 1901
A woman (the brunette Torchwood staff member from Fragments) is telling a man about the signal she detected. She tells him that she can track it to a physical location. They track the signal to a grassy area, and dig.
The woman asks Jack how he got into a 20 foot grave. The man tells Jack that he’s supposed to be out there working for Torchwood. Jack explains that he crossed his own timeline, and that he can’t meet himself. He tells them that they have to freeze him, and store him for 107 years.
JACK: You’ll be protecting the future. That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?
Jack tells Grey that he forgives him, and turns to walk away. Grey yells that Jack can’t walk away from him. Jack tells Grey that he gave him absolution, and it’s time for Grey to do the same for Jack. Grey tells Jack that he’ll never absolve him, and that everything is Jack’s fault. Jack hugs Grey, and then puts a cloth over his nose and mouth, knocking out Grey.
Captain John figures out a way to send a signal telling the Weevils to return to the sewers or their other hideouts.
Tosh, with great difficulty, is able to get to the autopsy room to recover her PDA. She gets back to Owen, who asks her if she’s OK. She lies and says she’s fine. She tells Owen that there’s now no way she can stop the meltdown now. Tosh says that she can contain the meltdown in the plant, but that Owen has to make sure to get out before it goes into permanent lockdown.
Jack lets Gwen, Ianto and John out of the cells. Captain John tells Jack that Grey is in the hub. Jack says that he’s taken care of Grey.
Tosh’s plan for the reactor works, but a power surge starts the lockdown immediately. She tells Owen to get out, but he doesn’t make it before the door shuts and locks.
OWEN: (yelling) Not like this! I’m not done yet! Get me out of here Tosh! Get me out of here! I’ve died once, I’m not doing it again! Where’s Jack? Where’s Gwen and Ianto? You want to watch a dead man die again?
TOSH: (crying) Owen, just stay calm.
OWEN: Oh, why should I do that? Where’s the fun in that? I’m going to rage my way to oblivion. (Owen starts screaming) Aaahhhhhhhh!
TOSH: Please stop.
OWEN: Why? Give me one good bloody reason why I shouldn’t! One good reason why I shouldn’t keep screaming!
TOSH: Because you’re breaking my heart.
Owen hears Tosh sobbing, and he calms down.
OWEN: I’m sorry.
TOSH: It’s my fault.
OWEN: No, no, no, it isn’t. No it isn’t, no. Don’t you dare go there, Tosh. I’m really sorry. What’s going to happen to me Tosh?
TOSH: I can’t.
OWEN: Please, OK? I need to know.
Tosh explains that the chamber will be flooded with irradiated coolant. Owen says that means his body will decompose as he watches. Tosh blames herself, but Owen says there was no way she could have anticipated a power surge.
OWEN: Besides, you saved my back so many times in the past, right from the moment I joined.
TOSH: Second week, I had to cover for you, pretend I was a medic. Because you were hung over and unreachable.
OWEN: What was it, the space pig?
TOSH: Space pig.
OWEN: Yeah…we never did get that date, did we, you and me? Yeah… we sort of, um, missed each other. It was my fault. I didn’t notice until it was too late. I’m sorry.
TOSH: Me too.
An alarm goes off, and the coolant starts venting into the chamber where Owen is. He tells Tosh that he’s all right. Tosh loses contact with Owen.
Jack sees blood on the floor, and calls out to Tosh. He follows the blood, and finds Tosh. Jack yells for Gwen to come and help him.
Ianto checks the monitor, and sees that there was a meltdown at the nuclear power plant. Ianto says that Owen was going there. Tosh says that Owen sealed in the radiation, but that he couldn’t get out. Tosh tells them that she couldn’t save Owen. Tosh dies in Jack’s arms.
Gwen and Rhys are at home, watching the news reports of the events in Cardiff. Jack is cryo-freezing Grey, and putting him in storage. Captain John asks if Jack plans to thaw him out someday, expecting him to be better. He says that it might be better to kill Grey. Jack says that there has been enough death. John asks Jack why he didn’t struggle when he was burying Jack. Jack says that it was his penance, but John tells him that what happened to Grey wasn’t his fault. Jack asks John if he need help with rift predictions, so that John can leave. John says that he plans on sticking around and exploring earth. John leans in to kiss Jack. But Jack turns his head, and John kisses his cheek.
Ianto closes out Owen’s personnel file on the computer, as Jack packs away Owen’s belongings. Gwen packs away Tosh’s belongings. As Ianto closes out Tosh’s personnel file on the computer, a video of Tosh pops up. Ianto, Jack and Gwen watch.
TOSH: OK, so, if you’re seeing this, I guess it means I’m, well, dead. I hope it was impressive. Not crossing the road or an incident with a toaster. I just wanted to say…it’s OK. It really is. Jack, you saved me. You showed me all the wonders of the universe, and all the possibilities. And I won’t have missed it for the world. Thank you. And Owen, hey, you never knew…I love you. All of you. And…I hope I did good.
The video ends, and disappears from the screen. Jack has his arms around Gwen and Ianto.
JACK: Now we carry on.
GWEN: I don’t think I can, not after this.
JACK: You can. We all can. The end is where we start from.
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Apr 23, 2008 3:16 AM
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An episode that signals a change for next season. They need a new doctor, and I wonder if they'll bring Martha back? And a new, brilliant scientist is required. I'm interested in seeing how Jack goes about getting new staff members.
"Space Pig" - another shout out to Doctor Who.
I loved that Rhys was both in awe of Gwen's strength and ability to lead, and was there to bolster her when she doubted herself. Rhys is becoming a favorite of mine.
Both Grey and Captain John are still around, and I'm sure we'll see them again.
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Apr 23, 2008 3:57 AM
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Thanks once again for the great recap--what a heartbreaking ending. I hope there's news soon on a Torchwood season 3.
I like the Martha Jones character and I think she'd been a good addition to the team. There won't be a Season 5 of Doctor Who in 2009 because David Tennant is spending the season with the Royal Shakespeare Company (there'll be 3 DW specials instead) so if the actress is available.....
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Apr 23, 2008 9:24 AM
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A great recap, as always, kryptogal - thanks. And thanks for all your work this season. I only did one recap, and it was an enormous amount of work - total kudos to you for doing the other 12!
Well, it's over for now.  We have Dr. Who, but it's just not the same.
A big thanks, also, to JohnnyBoyTV, Uncle Lar, and all the other brits who helped us keep up & gave us tidbits we didn't have access to ourselves.
It's been a great ride. Here's hope for a Season 3!!
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Apr 23, 2008 9:24 PM
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I just watched it again. And cried - again. What a hero Tosh was! And Rhys, too. Gwen said it very well in "Meat" - he didn't sign up for this; he didn't know what he was getting into. And yet he has been totally brave, and loving, and supportive. Gwen is very lucky.
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Apr 23, 2008 11:59 PM
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Wonderful recap, kryptogal! I'm tearing up again just reading through it. I knew sooner or later Owen would be a gonner (sic) because, well, how much can he survive without the benefit of healing? I was surprised/shocked that Toshiko dies. Did not see that one coming . . . Next season (please hurry up!) will be interesting, and I hope it will be as good as this one has turned out to be. I like the idea of Martha coming on board as the new medic.
"Tosh and Ianto pull out guns, and shoot the monks." Just like Indiana Jones! 
No Dr. Who next year? What? What?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! D@mn Shakespeare!
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Apr 24, 2008 2:37 PM
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"Tosh and Ianto pull out guns, and shoot the monks." Just like Indiana Jones!
 You're right! I was expecting a big fight, and thought it was funny that it ended so quickly.
Thanks to everyone who read the recaps! I enjoyed doing them. Maybe next year we can get more people to comment on the episodes. I'm hoping for an announcement that there will be a next year. I did read an interview with John Barrowman, which makes me wonder if a third season will happen. Here's a bit:
JOHN BARROWMAN: We don't know if a third series will happen or not. You know, we're waiting to hear. If we do get the go-ahead, I really have to sit down and think about it.
OTT: I suppose it's a huge commitment.
JOHN BARROWMAN: It's not that. It's not the commitment, because I love Cardiff. I bought a house there, for goodness sake! But, honestly, this last series was a bit of a nightmare at times.
OTT: Why?
JOHN BARROWMAN: Because of bad scheduling. Because of production things going wrong, and people not being organised. It was hard on all of us - us as a team. Myself and other artistes. The production crew and everyone had to give free time back. Can you imagine going into a grocery store, paying for half of your groceries and coming out and asking for the rest free? Only in this business would that happen. That's what I mean - we love the show so much, the crew love it, we're all passionate about it. We're willing to do that.
Interesting interview. I hope that they work out whatever problems they're having behind the scenes, and give us another season or two!
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Apr 24, 2008 8:48 PM
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Thanks kryptogal for all of your hard work writing these recaps every week.
And mostlyareader, I thank you as well! It's been a blast reading the recaps & the comments from everyone. I luv how everyone gets so into it! Do I dare ask if either of you will or do write recaps for other shows? And have either of you watched "The Sarah Jane Adventures" on Sci Fi channel? If so, what are your thoughts on it?
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Apr 25, 2008 11:06 AM
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moviestarbrat - you're welcome! I have watched Sarah Jane; it's OK, but I'm not really into it that much. So far, I really like this season of DW, but we've just started with the new Companion - we'll see.
Robert Ivins is doing recaps for Dr. Who under "What's on TV - TV Show Blogs". He did a fun recap & comment of "Voyage of the Damned".
On a totally different subject, have you watched Burn Notice? Totally different - not scifi - but really, really funny. They are doing reruns now on USA Thursdays, and new episodes start July 10. We'll see if anybody does recaps.
Gods, I hope there's another season of Torchwood - that was the most fun I've had in years.
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Apr 26, 2008 12:19 AM
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moviestarbrat , I haven't watched "The Sarah Jane Adventures" yet. Is it as fun as Torchwood and Doctor Who?
mostlyareader, I've got to give Burn Notice a try.
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Apr 26, 2008 5:53 PM
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That was such a tragic ending. So sad for Tosh and Owen. I was always hoping they would finally get together.
I cried like a baby.
Rhys has always been my favorite. He is so cute and so much in love with Gwen. Always so funny (especially during the Wedding episode). He is adorable and was amazing in this episode.
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Apr 28, 2008 9:10 PM
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"Rhys has always been my favorite. He is so cute and so much in love with Gwen. Always so funny (especially during the Wedding episode). He is adorable and was amazing in this episode."
nj_tvfan - while I have to admit that Jack is my favorite (me & about 10 million others), other than that I completely agree with you about Rhys. He is very handsome, and Andy's sour grapes about him being overweight are just that - sour grapes. In addition, he is not only in love with Gwen, he is loyal - a quality that is all too rare these days. He is aware of her feelings for Jack, but also has faith that he provides something she needs & wants. After all, at the end of the day (no matter how long the days get sometimes), she comes home to him. Gwen is very lucky to have him in her life, and she knows it.
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Apr 29, 2008 8:03 PM
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It's so sad that Torchwood is done for the year. I hope that it will be back again next year. If Jack is really going to be on Doctor Who this season, we might get a bit of an idea what Torchwood will be like next year. For instance, maybe Jack will ask Martha to join his team.
I hope that Gwen and Rhys are still together next season. This year he's turned into a real strong character on the show.
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May 1, 2008 12:23 AM
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mostlyareader, I absolutely love Burn Notice! I've been watching repeat episodes on USA on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings (sometimes it's on both days, others only one). And it doesn't get any better than Bruce Campbell! I'm a huge fan of his (Army of Darkness, Brisco County series, etc). The whole cast has such a chemistry with each other. Highly recommend this series to everyone! kryptogal, I've decided that the "The SJ Adventures" is not for me so I don't recommend wasting your time with it. It's very silly. You can get away with certain things on Torchwood & especially DW but this show seems to be more geared towards the kiddies. I missed the first new episodes of DW and hoped that SciFi channel was finally added to OnDemand so I could watch them there but no luck. Guess I should finally start saving up for a computer at home so I can watch them online! 
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May 1, 2008 11:57 AM
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For those who don't care for The Sarah Jane Adventures, keep in mind that it is clearly intended for younger viewers. For my 7 year old daughter, who loves Dr. Who but doesn't necessarily get it the entire time, Sarah Jane has become a can't miss show every week. If you watch it with that viewpoint in mind, it's really not a bad show and the young cast are very likeable.
For those who haven't discovered the joy of Burn Notice, PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch it. Smart writing and an OUTSTANDING cast highlight this unique show - can't wait for it to come back in first runs.
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May 17, 2008 7:32 AM
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