The plot? Meh. Kids frozen in place and chanting I find neither terrifying nor creepy. If this is the best an alien race can do to instill fear in us and make us bow to their will, I say send them a copy of Independence Day for some pointers.
It was bad enough a temp was given access to top secret government information, but she is also, inexplicably, allowed to tag along to MI5 in order to stand outside a badly guarded door and witness a super secret project being built. Sigh. I have my suspicions that since Lois was a late substitution for Martha when Freema signed to do Law & Order: UK, only minor changes were made to the script and Martha, who was a member of Unit, would have plausibly been there.
As if the government wasn't looking bad enough, we are also shown they are supported by one of the worst trained military's in the world. I'm trying to decide witch is more laughable. A sharpshooter who not only missed both his targets after firing multiple rounds, but could barely hit the side of a building. Or a black opts squad outwitted and outrun by a guy driving a glorified forklift. If their own people are this incompetent, couldn't they have outsourced? I'm sure there are some disgruntled former navy seals they could hire.
I will cut the government some slack for believing Jack's immortality is tied to the rift. Given all the weird things they know are tied to the rift and that Jack has been in and around Cardiff for over a hundred years without aging, it's a logical leap to make. We just know better.
The big WTF?! still remains the horrible, tasteless, racist joke Gwen makes about adopting a Filipino child to clean the chimney. WHY was such a random and insulting 'joke' thrown in there like that?
Before you think I completely hated what I've seen thus far, I did enjoy some moments. For instance, just about anytime Rhys is on screen. I've grown to like him, a lot. Which makes me fear for him. :( I appreciate how supportive he is of Gwen and her work. It's also great he's allowed to offer his opinions and, much of the time, his ideas help them.
One thing I've felt the show has always handled well is the relationship between Jack and Ianto and there is some nice building on their relationship. Neither is reacting to the "couple" label particularly well. Jack is likely hesitant to commit to being in a relationship where he'll have to watch the person he loves grow old and die as he's done before. And Ianto seems to be struggling, more than I would have thought, with being in love with a man.
I thought part of Ianto's struggle might have to do with knowing he'd have an unsupportive family. Apparently, not. His sister was thrilled for him. I loved as Ianto was trying to dodge discussing Jack by pointing out his niece was in the room, his sister tells him that it's fine, the girl has a friend with two mommies. :) And I found it interesting, and believable, when he admitted it's not men he's attracted too, just Jack.
I had read spoilers about Jack having a daughter and was worried we'd end up with a deadbeat dad storyline. But, mercifully, his daughter is an adult and, in a nice twist, she's the one who pushed him out of her life. I actually felt a bit sorry for Jack - and I NEVER feel sorry for Jack - since it's not his fault he's immortal, but it's not the only problem his daughter has with him. The reason for his unexpected visit is to run tests on his grandson. Yes, Jack is trying to save the world, again, but he's being dishonest about his motives for being there and she's a rightfully pissed off mom.
Jack being blown up? Cool! Regenerating from a few pieces? Ridiculous!
And in convention news that made me