Adrift (Cult Tv Boards)

QUOTE

Written by Chris Chibnall
When a local teenager disappears Gwen is drawn into an investigation that reveals a darker side of Torchwood. Hundreds of people have disappeared without trace, but why is Jack obstructing attempts to find them? The answer seems to lie in the rift. Literally. And as Gwen follows the trail, she makes a shocking discovery.
Guest Starring: Ruth Jones as Nikki Bevan, Robert Pugh as Old Man
Dir: Mark Everest

Trailer and preview scene.

I found this episode much more enjoyable than last week. I did find myself swinging from rooting for Gwen and finding her quite naive though. Why does Jack have to be so secretive about it? And why didn't they think to mention that he screams for 20 hours a day?

I wonder what Ianto's special project is (apart from Jack ;))? If they'd said Owen I wouldn't have thought twice since he's been looking after those plants all season.

Where was Owen throughout all of this? We only saw him during the boardroom scene and that was it!

Aww poor Andy, he puts up with some rubbish from Gwen here :(

if they knew about the scream session, why didn't they tell gwen to bring the mother a bit earlier :unsure: sure she was a bit stubborn to have the kid back with her but andy and a video tape would have probably help explain (and don't he breathe during these 20 hours? :unsure: )

jack/ianto :naughty: , jack telling gwen that if she had come 30 mn earlier, he would have offer to join :rolleyes:

not sure about gwen/rhys arguement and reconciliation :ponder: , gwen and randy :ermm: (the only honest moment she had with him is when she finally admit she won't give his reference to torchwood, just because she need him to be honest on the phone :ermm: )

jack seemed to have tell ianto about the secret place but refuse to tell gwen, maybe he knew the effect that would have on the relative of the one missing

the all "rift is taking people" is not really clear, why? how?

QUOTE

TORCHWOOD DECLASSIFIED: THE RIFT REVEALS ALL

the next instalment of Torchwood Declassified (BBC Two, Friday 21st March 9.50pm* and Thursday 27th March 7.50pm*) will go behind the scenes of the emotional story of a mother losing a child.

Declassified speaks to actor Tom Price about his role as wise-cracking PC Andy, and Ruth Jones about playing mum Nikki Bevan.

We also reveal how esteemed actor Robert Pugh was transformed into the secret lurking on Flat Holm that Gwen uncovers.

bbc co uk

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 21 2008, 04:53 PM)

jack seemed to have tell ianto about the secret place but refuse to tell gwen, maybe he knew the effect that would have on the relative of the one missing

Ianto knows everything (and it's written at the bottom of the screen ;) ). I'd guess that Ianto would be the one who has to deal with the logistics of keeping the place running since he does all the admin for the team.

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 21 2008, 04:53 PM)

gwen and randy :ermm:

I don`t know if that`s deliberate or a typo, but :lol: ;) .

I agree, this episode`s a vast improvement on last week`s. :thumbsup:

Quite upsetting at the end when the Mother says she`d lost all hope now. :(

I don`t know what show Andy`s been watching ( ;) ), but who is this new, heartless Gwen he was talking about ? :lol:

I liked the Rhys/Gwen scenes ; they seemed real and Gwen seems to have more of a personality in them. :)

:o :lmao: at Jack and Ianto.

I wonder if the cast absences are due to time constraints ? On Doctor Who, they always have that one ep which revolves around another story ( like the Sally Sparrow one ) , so I wonder if they`re filming 2 eps at the same time and splitting the cast between them ? :unsure:

QUOTE (little pixie @ Mar 22 2008, 03:12 PM)

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 21 2008, 04:53 PM)

gwen and randy :ermm:

I don`t know if that`s deliberate or a typo, but :lol: ;) .

I agree, this episode`s a vast improvement on last week`s. :thumbsup:

Quite upsetting at the end when the Mother says she`d lost all hope now. :(

I don`t know what show Andy`s been watching ( ;) ), but who is this new, heartless Gwen he was talking about ? :lol:

I liked the Rhys/Gwen scenes ; they seemed real and Gwen seems to have more of a personality in them. :)

:o :lmao: at Jack and Ianto.

I wonder if the cast absences are due to time constraints ? On Doctor Who, they always have that one ep which revolves around another story ( like the Sally Sparrow one ) , so I wonder if they`re filming 2 eps at the same time and splitting the cast between them ? :unsure:

Aparently they were filming about four episodes at the same time. I'm sure I read an interview back before or just after S2 started airing in which JB said that the production was a nightmare. And this is with them having much more time than they had with S1. Hopefully that will get sorted out with S3 (which afaik still hasn't been officially confirmed by the beeb yet).

I like how Rhys is the one who keeps Gwen grounded, he's certainly not as much of a pushover as he was last season :thumbsup:.

QUOTE (Laura @ Mar 22 2008, 03:22 PM)

QUOTE (little pixie @ Mar 22 2008, 03:12 PM)

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 21 2008, 04:53 PM)

gwen and randy :ermm:

I don`t know if that`s deliberate or a typo, but :lol: ;) .

I agree, this episode`s a vast improvement on last week`s. :thumbsup:

Quite upsetting at the end when the Mother says she`d lost all hope now. :(

I don`t know what show Andy`s been watching ( ;) ), but who is this new, heartless Gwen he was talking about ? :lol:

I liked the Rhys/Gwen scenes ; they seemed real and Gwen seems to have more of a personality in them. :)

:o :lmao: at Jack and Ianto.

I wonder if the cast absences are due to time constraints ? On Doctor Who, they always have that one ep which revolves around another story ( like the Sally Sparrow one ) , so I wonder if they`re filming 2 eps at the same time and splitting the cast between them ? :unsure:

Aparently they were filming about four episodes at the same time.

:o

Good grief ! :blink:

I want more Rhys !! :thumbsup:

QUOTE (little pixie @ Mar 22 2008, 03:30 PM)

QUOTE (Laura @ Mar 22 2008, 03:22 PM)

QUOTE (little pixie @ Mar 22 2008, 03:12 PM)

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 21 2008, 04:53 PM)

gwen and randy :ermm:

I don`t know if that`s deliberate or a typo, but :lol: ;) .

I agree, this episode`s a vast improvement on last week`s. :thumbsup:

Quite upsetting at the end when the Mother says she`d lost all hope now. :(

I don`t know what show Andy`s been watching ( ;) ), but who is this new, heartless Gwen he was talking about ? :lol:

I liked the Rhys/Gwen scenes ; they seemed real and Gwen seems to have more of a personality in them. :)

:o :lmao: at Jack and Ianto.

I wonder if the cast absences are due to time constraints ? On Doctor Who, they always have that one ep which revolves around another story ( like the Sally Sparrow one ) , so I wonder if they`re filming 2 eps at the same time and splitting the cast between them ? :unsure:

Aparently they were filming about four episodes at the same time.

:o

Good grief ! :blink:

I want more Rhys !! :thumbsup:

Had a look around and it came from this interview here.

I'd love to see more Rhys, especially since he can bring the more everyday perspective on what Torchwood do.

QUOTE

Chris Chibnall discusses what inspired him to write Adrift.

Had you been out to Flat Holm Island before writing the episode?
I never got the chance! I knew what was out there: a lighthouse and some bunkers and not much else - it fitted perfectly. It was actually The Barrage location which inspired me most. It's a beautiful piece of industrial architecture, but also slightly other-worldly, a bit desolate. I had a good wander round - you can see Flat Holm Island from there - and that's when water and boats and isolation became central to the story.

How did you come up with the idea of people disappearing into the Rift?
I was thinking: all these things and people that get dumped in Cardiff, what about those they've left behind? What do they think has happened? So then I spun the idea round. I was keen to characterise the Rift as a force that changes, evolves and develops: that Torchwood don't know everything about it. But it all really came out from discussions of the isolation of urban life, how people can disappear in cities and never be found. Everyone in this story is isolated in some way, adrift from each other. But by the end, some of them reconnect. It's a very dark story, with corners of hope.

What kind of research did you do into missing persons and how their families deal with the emotional distress?
I've wanted to write about missing persons for a long time: I've done a lot of research over the years and piled it up, thinking it might form a series or a single film. With death, the grieving process can begin. With a missing person, there's only limbo. That crippling lack of closure informs what Nikki says: "It's the not knowing". It's one of the questions the episode asks: is it better to know? Nikki thinks it is and asks Gwen to help her. Gwen does as Nikki asks. By the end, Nikki realises it's better not to know - but it's too late.

Do you think PC Andy would make a good Torchwood Team member?
Yes, but I think it might change him too much: it'd take away his gorgeous naivety. Gwen recognises the changes that she's gone through, the dangers she faces, the effect Torchwood has on her, and I think that's why she tells Andy he'd never get in. She's protecting him: tough love. But that moment demonstrates what he tells her: she's become harder since joining Torchwood. This episode is all about the tension between that and her innate desire to want to help people. I loved exploring that aspect: how we all shift and develop, but we all stay the same.

Was it fun exploring his character in more depth in this episode?
Yes, because Tom Price, who plays Andy, is a brilliant actor and lights up the screen. It's a tricky part and he plays it beautifully, with warmth and humour and humanity. He brings a lighter, cheeky energy and he makes Andy absolutely adorable.

I'm only sad we lost one scene from the final episode. At the end, after the cases have all been taken down, we had a twenty second scene of Gwen watching from afar as Andy and Nikki, come out of the next victims' meeting (which Nikki is maintaining) arm in arm. There's something in the future for them: Nikki's still running the meetings, they've found the solace they need, in each other. I think it was right, in the context of the ending, that we lost it (I'm sure it'll surface on some deleted scenes collection at some point) - but I liked that extra bit of hope at the end.

Has Gwen lost some of her faith in Jack after discovering what he was hiding?
No, the opposite. By the end, she understands he was protecting her (she does the same to Andy, by not including him). Jack knows that once Gwen hears about the case of Jonah, her instinct will be to fix things. The episode is about Gwen learning an uncomfortable, messy truth: some things you can't fix. But (just like Nikki) she has to go through it herself, to understand. There are no easy answers to the problem Jack's faced with: for me he did the best he could with resources he had. It's the same with Gwen in this story: she makes the best decisions she can, based on the information she has.

What's you favourite line in the episode?
Not a line, but a moment: the empty hall getting more and more full, as the scale of the missing becomes apparent. And the interrogation room wall plastered with all those faces is my second favourite moment, for the same reason. No effects or explosions (there's plenty of those in the next couple of weeks), just people.

bbc co uk

Oooh, good interviews :thumbsup: - thanks Claire and Laura. :)

so it's a torchwood hidden place but who are the people who rescued the kid (ok, he did say that he needed 30 years or so to come back to earth, that's from an alternative world because only he was missing for 7 months ) from the fire world? :unsure:

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 22 2008, 07:01 PM)

so it's a torchwood hidden place but who are the people who rescued the kid (ok, he did say that he needed 30 years or so to come back to earth, that's from an alternative world because only he was missing for 7 months ) from the fire world? :unsure:

Maybe Jack`s in contact with some of his Time Dept. team, or whatever job he was in before he got stranded on Earth. :unsure:

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 22 2008, 07:01 PM)

so it's a torchwood hidden place but who are the people who rescued the kid (ok, he did say that he needed 30 years or so to come back to earth, that's from an alternative world because only he was missing for 7 months ) from the fire world? :unsure:

Not sure if I'm understanding the question but

- Jonah would have been rescued by people on whatever planet in whatever dimension he ended up in. He'd then be living his life on this other planet until the rift claimed him back, whether or not he looked into the black star as he was being resued when he arrived or later it was never clearly stated.
- The rift itself would have spat him back out in present-day Cardiff to "try and correct its mistakes". I'd then assume that Jack would have noticed the rift spike and someone would have been sent to collect him :shrug:

QUOTE (little pixie @ Mar 22 2008, 07:03 PM)

QUOTE (prophecy girl @ Mar 22 2008, 07:01 PM)

so it's a torchwood hidden place but who are the people who rescued the kid (ok, he did say that he needed 30 years or so to come back to earth, that's from an alternative world because only he was missing for 7 months ) from the fire world? :unsure:

Maybe Jack`s in contact with some of his Time Dept. team, or whatever job he was in before he got stranded on Earth. :unsure:

maybe they have an undercover office on earth :lol:

still it seem there is not a big budget for the facilities (even if it seem to be part of torchwood) on the island (water leak :ermm: )

Flat Holm Island clicky :)

:lol: just an other place to visit (torchwood as tourist advertiser)

Apart from the totally gratuitous Jack/Ianto scene ( :rolleyes: ) I thought this was far and away the best Torchwood episode so far. As usual on this show, lots of things happened with no explanation (why was the rift trying to "put things right" by returning these people, for instance? Does it possess intelligence?) but the dialogue was very good and I found it packed quite an emotional punch which, for me, papered over many of the faults :)

just wonder, jack arrived 45mn after the kid disappeared, does that mean he knew the (now grown up) kid was going to reappear near by or was it just a coincidence? (that bit was not clear)

A very moving episode :tear:

Did Tosh know about Jack hospital/home for rift victims? She did seem shocked to find out the rift was taking people so like Gwen was she kept in dark because her would be able accept what Jack had done? That is unless Tosh was just acting by that I mean like Ianto was she just leaving clues for Gwen to find the truth for herself because they didn't want go against Jack tell her. The latter is more likely find it hard to believe the science officer of all people didn't this was happening but just can't get my had around the fact that Tosh is good at lying. :o

Jack and Ianto :lol: my question is why couldn't they play naked hide and seek when Martha was working for them? :naughty:

QUOTE (buffy_fan1 @ Apr 5 2008, 11:51 AM)

A very moving episode :tear:

Did Tosh know about Jack hospital/home for rift victims? She did seem shocked to find out the rift was taking people so like Gwen was she kept in dark because her would be able accept what Jack had done? That is unless Tosh was just acting by that I mean like Ianto was she just leaving clues for Gwen to find the truth for herself because they didn't want go against Jack tell her. The latter is more likely find it hard to believe the science officer of all people didn't this was happening but just can't get my had around the fact that Tosh is good at lying. :o

Jack and Ianto :lol: my question is why couldn't they play naked hide and seek when Martha was working for them? :naughty:

I saw it as only Jack and Ianto knowing. I think Tosh missed the negative rift spikes because she always wrote it off as just a normal part of the positive rift surge, and she hadn't any other information to tie it to missing persons since that's not something they would deal with normally.

New Captain's Blog at BBC America

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