Let me get this straight. I love Torchwood. I like anything in the Whoniverse, even The Sarah Jane Adventures. But this episode sucked big time. Day one was a good second episode as it was supposed to tell you what Torchwood was about and stuck to what it was, a smallish case to get into the series but not so small that is is boring to watch. Sleeper is both too big and too small. The episode starts promisingly with a mysterious death and an innocent looking woman. Then the problems start. Firstly, we are all supposed to feel sorry for Beth but she is the most boring, unlikeable character around and we spend the majority of the episode watching Gwen try and make her feel better. Too small and too early in the series to have an emotional episode, especially if you are trying to win back series one haters. Then when the episode finally gets going 35 minutes in it just involves a lot more unlikeable people grow planks of wood out of their hands and stabbing loved ones. Finally the big plan is revealed, to destroy the world. Too big. In the second episode of the series the team are already facing the end of the world. To compare this to the earlier episodes of series one in which only a small but unexplained murder turns out to be some kind of puny alien influence (Suzie with the glove, Carys and the sex gas, the old guy trying to save himself going to jail and even Lisa the Cyberwoman barely racked up a body count of 20 between them) makes you realise how big it is. After that crisis is solved in a big explosion and 5 minutes the Gwen is still treating Beth as if she's a normal person and what a surprise! Gwen is taken hostage and the team pump bullets into beth.
This is the only episode of Torchwood I couldn't watch again. It is terrible, slow and predictable. I think 1/10 is a bit nice of me to be honest.
This is the only episode of Torchwood I couldn't watch again. It is terrible, slow and predictable. I think 1/10 is a bit nice of me to be honest.