Torchwood (TV Series) Sleeper (2008) User Reviews

When the bough breaks

[abs_is_back · 8/10 · 15 March 2008]

This episode starts out as a slow "who-done-it", but picks up as Torchwood discovers Beth's hidden secrets. Beth's humanity shines throughout this episode as does Gwen's ever-present need to be a savior.

Ianto is the most entertaining personality in this episode. Every word he says in this one left me laughing as his sarcasm rose higher and higher. Yet, at the same time, he is still the same caring person, offering Beth some water to help her throughout the "probing" session.

The chase scenes and their climax was exciting, but the end was startling, even though I expected it. Beth showed her true inner strength and her heartbreaking humanity.

The end conversation between Jack and Gwen is a switch. Usually Jack is the reassuring one - here Gwen reassures Jack. Even though they both know the end was not the end, but the beginning.

And any time you have an enemy that makes a Weevil go sit in its corner and cry, that's a good episode.

Development between seasons

[mika-aka-xeyli · 8/10 · 24 January 2008]

I was happy with this episode and its continuity. Leaving things open-ended keeps the suspense there, so I'm hoping they bring back this story later in the series. I wonder if it would qualify for a Doctor Who crossover? I don't know what UK legalities are as far as crossovers and such...

In the first season, Ianto Jones was a quiet, reclusive character. Toward the end of season one, he slowly became more active with the other members of Torchwood. This second episode of the second season has Ianto throwing out jokes and talking more than the entire first series. It shows there was definite bonding between the Torchwood crew between series one and two (while Jack was "away").

A reasonable second episode to the new series

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 23 January 2008]

Showing a notably reduced budget than the impressive season opener, "Sleeper" is a much smaller scale tale with some decent moments. When burglars are brutally slain by an unknown assailant, Torchwood are called in to investigate.

A lot has been said about John Barrowman's acting but he's the bright Christmas ornament that shines out from the otherwise rather unexciting Torchwood team. While Barrowman's acting scale may be somewhat limited, his matinée idol appearance and general jovial nature make him a watchable screen hero. While I've pondered the mysteries of Ianto Jones's appeal to fans for literally minutes, I must confess he does have some half decent one liners in the new series.

7 out of 10. This episode has the atmosphere of an old "Doctor Who" episode mixed with an ITV sci-fi series. It's low budget goodness with a few thrills.

There is something about Beth

[sinceverona · 8 September 2009]

When Beth stops the burglary, the Torchwood is intrigued. Soon they discover she is a part of a four team members cell of aliens that are send to destroy the Earth. When Jack tells Beth that she is really an alien, she can't reconcile with that and ask Jack can he make her human inside, but of course the answer is no. When she is frozen into cryogenic state she escapes, and runs to a hospital to say goodbye to a Mike,her boyfriend who loves her deeply. Beth was a really sad character, alien trapped in human looking body, that just wanted to marry and to have children. Her bond with Gwen was really touching right until the very end. The other aliens that lost their human memories were cold murders with a blade on wright arm that they can activate to appear and disappear. Jack was a real hero in this one, and even he joked on this subject. A very suspense packed episode. Will Torchwood make it in time to stop alien invasion ?

"Just when I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse"

[thomasgouldsbrough · 7/10 · 31 March 2022]

Sleeper was just generally.......average. Beth was extremely average, and had very little redeeming qualities, and yet half the episode was spent on her and Gwen's relationship, as well as her existential life crisis. Apart from that, the plot was actually pretty good, the tension built up well, and the episode felt like it had actual stakes, and so it was quite exciting at times.

This is the worst episode of anything ever

[the_Drivad · 1/10 · 6 July 2008]

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.